As we enter the first week of the return of the despicable corrupt authoritarian that is Trump to the American Presidency, with its guaranteed upheaval, at least we have lots of great music to bring us a bit of comfort and solace.

The lovely and endearing “The Faithful Heart” by L.A.-based Wons Phreely + The Horses maintains its firm grip on the #1 spot for a second week, while “Sad in Carolina” by Texas sad cowboy music band Dexter and The Moonrocks holds at #2 for a second week after previously spending two weeks at #1. English alternative pop-rock band Glass Animals move up to #3 with their enchanting “A Tear in Space (Airlock)”.

Three songs enter my chart this week, starting with the very cool “ROCKMAN” by alternative indie rock singer-songwriter Mk.gee (born Michael Todd Gordon in New Jersey but from what I can tell is now based in L.A.). He began releasing singles in 2017, as well as two EPs in 2018, a mixtape in 2020 and his debut album Two Star & the Dream Police in February 2024. Sadly none of them charted in the U.S. until his latest single “ROCKMAN”, which is currently #26 on the Billboard AAA (Adult Alternative Airplay) and #30 on the Rock/Alternative Airplay charts (Billboard has way too many charts!). That said, Mk.gee’s star has risen exponentially over the past year, with him garnering a coveted spot as musical guest on Saturday Night Live on November 9th. He’s also amassed 2.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify and 288,000 followers on Instagram.

The other two debut songs are by acts I’ve recently learned about, and I loved their music right off the bat. Coming in at #29 is the beautiful “Here We Go Again” by Welsh pop-rock band Set the Tone. The song was released at the end of November, and I reviewed it in late December. One of their previously-released songs, “Do You Really Wanna Know?”, ended up on my 100 Best Indie Songs of 2024 list. And last but certainly not least is the mesmerizing and gorgeous “Imposter Syndrome” by English alt rock/synthwave band Fake Empire. I became a big fan the instant I heard this song, which I also wrote about in a recent Fresh New Tracks post. 

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