I have a great Top 30 chart to share this week, as in addition to a marvelous new #1 song and four new entries, several of my favorite indie artists are represented here, which always makes me happy.

Alternative pop-rock act Balu Brigada is the music project of multi-instrumentalist and writer/producer brothers Henry and Pierre Beasley. Originally from Auckland, New Zealand but based in New York City since 2022, the band formed in 2016 as a four-piece but now consists of the charismatic Beasley brothers, along with Jackson Boswell on drums. Though they’ve been putting out music since 2016 – they released their first singles “Ricochet” and “Weekend” that year, followed by more singles and a 10-track EP Almost Feel Good Mixtape in 2019, a 7-track EP I Should Be Home in 2022, and a 6-track EP Find A Way in 2023 – it wasn’t until late 2024 that I learned about them when their song “So Cold” appeared on the Billboard Alternative charts. The song was released way back in June 2024, and later included on their compilation EP BALU, which came out two months later.

Balu Brigada had the good fortune to open for Twenty One Pilots on their Clancy World Tour, which exposed them to a much wider audience. The tour ran in North America from mid-August to mid-October 2024, Australia and New Zealand in November 2024 and Latin America in January and February of this year. They will also be joining Twenty One Pilots on their Europe & UK run of the tour from April-May 2025. On March 5th, the guys made their debut appearance on American television, giving an electrifying performance of “So Cold” on the Jimmy Kimmel Live show. The exuberant earworm is my new current favorite song, dethroning Twenty One Pilots from the top spot!

Entering the top 10 are “People Watching” by English alternative pop-rock singer-songwriter Sam Fender and the captivating “Imposter Syndrome” by English alternative rock band Fake Empire, at #s 9 and 10, respectively.

Four newish songs make their debut on this week’s chart, beginning with the beautiful “Bad Larry” by northwest Indiana stoner emo band Cloakroom, which I learned about from fellow blogger Christian when he featured the act on his blog Christian’s Music Musings. I love those twangy guitars, and their sound reminds me a bit of Lord Huron. The song is from their latest album Last Leg of the Human Table. Next up is another song I learned about through Christian, the gorgeous “Mortal Wound” by British indie rock band The Veils, entering at #28. The song is from their seventh and latest album Asphodels, released on January 24th.

Coming in at #29 is the enchanting “After All” by Maine-based dream rock act Darksoft, which I featured last month in a Fresh New Tracks post. His music is always sumptuous and pleasing and his vocals ethereal and soothing, and I’ve loved every single one of his songs. His single “You Gotta Do What You Gotta Do”, from his beautiful fourth album Beigeification, ranks #71 on my 100 Best Songs of 2023 list. “After All” is from his seventh album Rationalism, which dropped February 21st. Last, but certainly not least, is the uplifting and boisterous “The Turnaround” by Philadelphia power pop trio DelCobras, a new band comprised of Jim Lorino (lead vocals, guitar & synths), Marc Schuster (bass & vocals) and Nick Cervini (drums). I featured the rousing anthem of self redemption in another Fresh New Tracks post.

1. SO COLD – Balu Brigada (2)
2. THE LINE – Twenty One Pilots (1)
3. YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves (4)
4. SAILOR SONG – Gigi Perez (6)
5. BAD DREAMS – Teddy Swims (7)
6. AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society (3)
7. DETROIT – Badflower (5)
8. SHE WANTS TO GO DANCING – Mt. Joy (9)
9. PEOPLE WATCHING – Sam Fender (12)
10. IMPOSTER SYNDROME – Fake Empire (13)
11. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (8)
12. DAY & NIGHT – Oli Barton (11)
13. TAKE THIS HEART – Brian Lambert (15)
14. RUSHMERE – Mumford & Sons (16)
15. WHO’S A FRAUD? – Still Traffico (18)
16. METAVERSE – Cage the Elephant (19)
17. SAME OLD SONG – The Lumineers (20)
18. ARROW – The Head and The Heart (10)
19. AFTERLIFE – Sharon Van Etten (14)
20. HERE WE GO AGAIN – Set the Tone (17)
21. WITHOUT A DOUBT – Charm School (23)
22. STRAIGHT TO THE GROUND – Unquiet Nights (24)
23. WALLS – Frank Joshua (25)
24. LUTHER – Kendrick Lamar & SZA (29)
25. THE NIGHT BEFORE – The Black Keys (30)
26. IN THE LIVING ROOM – Maggie Rogers (21)
27. BAD LARRY – Cloakroom (N)
28. MORTAL WOUND – The Veils (N)
29. AFTER ALL – Darksoft (N)
30. THE TURNAROUND – DelCobras (N)