Another week, another new #1 song, as there are so many great ones to choose from right now. Mitski‘s exuberant dance-pop gem “The Only Heartbreaker” takes over the top spot on my latest Weekly Top 30. From her latest album Laurel Hell, the brilliant track was co-written by Semisonic frontman Dan Wilson, marking the first time she’s ever teamed up with another songwriter. She told Apple Music that her collaboration with Wilson came about because she’d been struggling with the track for ages: “I was just sitting on it forever. I have so many iterations of it. Nothing felt right. He helped me solve so many of the problems and kind of lead me out of the labyrinth of it. And yeah, I’m really glad that I took that chance with him.”

Mitski wrote most of the songs for Laurel Hell in 2018 before finishing the album during the covid lockdowns, and she struggled to find a coherent theme for the overall album. In an interview for Rolling Stone, she explained: “This album has been a punk record at some point, and a country record. Then, after a while, it was like, ‘I need to dance.’ Even though the lyrics [for ‘The Only Heartbreaker’] might be depressing, I need something peppy to get me through this.” For the recording of the song, she programmed synths and keyboards and her longtime producer Patrick Hyland played guitar and percussion.

Holding at #3 and #4 are “One and the Same” by British alternative psychedelic rock band Future Theory, which features some of the most stunning guitar work I’ve heard recently, and the sexy “Chapstick” by Nashville pop-rock band COIN. And speaking of stunning guitars, Two Feet‘s sultry “Caviar” jumps five spots to #5. Entering the top 10 are songs by three acts I’m particularly fond of: “Head in the Clouds” by Australian soul-funk band Thunder Fox, “Just Like Always” by British alt-rock band Oli Barton & the Movement, and “Redchurch Street Blues” by London singer-songwriter extraordinaire Philip Morgan Lewis.

Four gorgeous new songs make their debut this week at #s 27-30: “I Love You” by Fontaines D.C., “Deception” by British producer/composer Noodle Beard, featuring breathtaking vocals by Hannah Reem, “Sleep” by talented and charismatic Brooklyn four-piece Gooseberry, and “Chasing Trains” by British artist HULLAH. I learned about Noodle Beard/Hannah Reem and HULLAH a week ago when I heard their wonderful songs as a guest moderator of Fresh On The Net.

1. THE ONLY HEARTBREAKER – Mitski (5)
2. TWO CAR FAMILY – Apollo Junction (1)
3. ONE AND THE SAME – Future Theory (3)
4. CHAPSTICK – COIN (4)
5. CAVIAR – Two Feet (10)
6. THE HARDEST CUT – Spoon (2)
7. OH MY GOD – Adele (9)
8. HEAD IN THE CLOUDS – Thunder Fox (11)
9. JUST LIKE ALWAYS – Oli Barton & the Movement & Maella (12)
10. REDCHURCH STREET BLUES – Philip Morgan Lewis (13)
11. I’LL CALL YOU MINE – girl in red (14)
12. BROKEN HEARTS – Ships Have Sailed (15)
13. B-SIDE – Khruangbin & Leon Bridges (16)
14. WAKE ME UP – Foals (6)
15. I SEE THE SUN – Solar Eyes (7)
16. SOMETHING FROM NOTHING/POINTS OF LIGHT – Secret Postal Society (17)
17. LOVE DIES YOUNG – Foo Fighters (19)
18. THE OUTSIDE – twenty øne piløts (8)
19. GIVE A LITTLE LOVIN’ – Jamie Alimorad (20)
20. WHAT, ME WORRY? – Portugal. The Man (21)
21. BLACK SUMMER – Red Hot Chili Peppers (22)
22. IF YOU EVER LEAVE, I’M COMING WITH YOU – The Wombats (25)
23. LOVE BRAND NEW – Bob Moses (26)
24. BROKEN HORSES – Brandi Carlisle (27)
25. ONCE TWICE MELODY – Beach House (28)
26. CHEER UP BABY – Inhaler (30)
27. I LOVE YOU – Fontaines D.C. (N)
28. DECEPTION – Noodle Beard featuring Hannah Reem (N)
29. SLEEP – Gooseberry (N)
30. CHASING TRAINS – HULLAH (N)