After spending two weeks at #2, “The Faithful Heart” by Australian-born and now L.A.-based singer-songwriter Wons Phreely, backed by his band The Horses, ascends to the #1 spot on my latest Top 30 chart. I loved it at first listen, as well as the charming video they made for the song, and wrote about it in late November, which you can read here. But to summarize, Wons wrote the lyrics for “The Faithful Heart”, with the beautiful music written by singer-songwriter and musician David Skeet (who’s one half of the music duo Winter Swim and also produced and mixed the track). He said he was inspired to write it after thinking of a childhood friend he’d grown up with in Australia who, like himself, had moved on to a bigger city in search of greater opportunities and figuring out how to make their way through life. I love that sweet little piano riff at the beginning, those glorious chiming and jangly guitars, and Wons’ earnest vocals that rise to an endearing falsetto, backed by lovely harmonic choruses. I can listen to this song on endless repeat.

As for the wonderful video they made for the song, Wons drew inspiration from some of the quirky and popular one-shot videos by American alternative pop-rock band OK Go, and challenged himself to dance on film. With the help of choreographer friends, Wons and his band spent months coming up with inventive dance steps for a non-dancer like himself, with two of the guys guiding him through an entertaining routine as if he were a human-sized marionette. Once they mastered the choreography, they turned their attention to finding the right location to shoot the video, which in Los Angeles is always a challenge, especially when you’re on a tight budget. They settled on a laundromat, where they managed to film the sequence in one shot. 

In other notable chart developments, “Neverender” by French electronic music duo Justice and Australian band Tame Impala, “A Tear in Space (Airlock)” by English alternative pop-rock band Glass Animals and “Bobby Sox” by legendary punk-pop rock band Green Day, each move up two spots to #s 3, 4 and 5. “Gild the Lily” by Michigan-based singer-songwriter and bluegrass musician Billy Strings advances three spots to enter the top 10 at #10, while “So Cold” by New Zealand alt-pop duo Balu Brigada jumps six spots to #16, making it the biggest upward mover this week.

The lone debut, entering at #30, is “Bad Dreams” by Georgia-based Teddy Swims (born Jaten Collin Dimsdale). The song is the first single from his forthcoming second album I’ve Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 2), due for release on January 28th. “Bad Dreams” is Swims’ third song to appear on my chart; “Lose Control” went to #1 in February of last year, while “The Door” spent two weeks at #4 in November.

1. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (2)
2. SAD IN CAROLINA – Dexter and The Moonrocks (1)
3. NEVERENDER – Justice & Tame Impala (5)
4. A TEAR IN SPACE (AIRLOCK) – Glass Animals (6)
5. BOBBY SOX – Green Day (7)
6. ARROW – The Head and the Heart (8)
7. IN THE LIVING ROOM – Maggie Rogers (9)
8. A FRAGILE THING – The Cure (3)
9. HARDCORE ROMANCE – Beach Weather (4)
10. GILD THE LILY – Billy Strings (13)
11. GIVING UP – Michigander (12)
12. FAVOURITE – Fontaines D.C. (10)
13. DIE WITH A SMILE – Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars (11)
14. AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society (16)
15. ROUTINES IN THE NIGHT – twenty one pilots (17)
16. SO COLD – Balu Brigada (22)
17. DARKERSIDE – David Kushner (20)
18. YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves (21)
19. DETROIT – Badflower (23)
20. SAILOR SONG – Gigi Perez (24)
21. NOBODY’S SOLDIER – Hozier (14)
22. CAN’T SLOW DOWN – almost monday (15)
23. DAY & NIGHT – Oli Barton (25)
24. AFTERLIFE – Sharon Van Etten (28)
25. SHE WANTS TO GO DANCING – Mt. Joy (29)
26. PEOPLE WATCHING – Sam Fender (30)
27. MIND GAME (3:33) – Collette McLafferty & John Serrano (18)
28. DOPAMINE – Sum 41 (19)
29. PEACE SONG – Fat Dog (26)
30. BAD DREAMS – Teddy Swims (N)