Month: July 2026

My Top 30 Songs for July 26-August 1, 2026

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's13 Comments
Photo of Temper City taken from “Self Aware” video

Late July is generally the hottest time of year for many locations in the Northern Hemisphere, and that’s definitely true for my part of the world in the Southwestern U.S. desert, where we’re experiencing our hottest temperatures so far in 2026 – 115-118 degrees Fahrenheit (46-48 C). (Which begs the question, why the fuck do I live here?!?) Needless to say, that means spending much of our time indoors, where listening to music helps to pass the time and cool tempers.

Speaking of tempers, after sombr’s three-week run at #1with “Homewrecker”, Israeli-American alternative rock band Temper City take over the top spot with their monster debut single “Self Aware”. Released in February, the earworm quickly went viral on TikTok and has now amassed over 324 million streams on Spotify, and nearly 20 million views on YouTube. I liked it at first listen, as that chorus is so damned catchy!

The song has become a worldwide hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart and the top 10 in Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Switzerland, Turkey and the UK. The track’s style and sound have been compared to acts like Steve Lacy, Hozier, Cage the Elephant and The Neighbourhood. Temper City was founded in Los Angeles in 2021 by singer-songwriter Eytan Peled together with the producer duo Sync, consisting of Aviv Barenholtz and Chen Kordova, who’ve known each other since they were 12 years old. The three friends had previously worked together writing songs for pop and EDM artists, including Zeds Dead, Dimitri Vegas and Barns Courtney, and now have their very own hit single.

In other chart developments of note, two songs enter the top 10: “Doors” by Vermont-based singer-songwriter Noah Kahan and “Picking Dragons’ Pockets” by the always zany and edgy Portland, Oregon band Modest Mouse, at #s 8 & 10, respectively.

There’s only one new debut again the week: “Beaches In Tennessee” by the aforementioned Cage the Elephant. Formed in 2006 in Bowling Green, Kentucky and based in Nashville since 2009 (after two years spent in London, England) the band is comprised of frontman Matt Shultz (vocals), his older brother Brad Shultz (rhythm guitar), Nick Bockrath (lead guitar), Matthan Minster (guitar, keyboards), Daniel Tichenor (bass), and Jared Champion (drums). “Beaches In Tennessee” has debuted quite high on the various alternative charts, and while I’ve loved many Cage the Elephant songs, I’m still lukewarm about it.

  1. SELF AWARE – Temper City (3)
  2. HOMEWRECKER – sombr (1)
  3. EXIT WOUND – Ships Have Sailed (5)
  4. FREAKIN’ OUT – Dexter and The Moonrocks (2)
  5. GOOD2B – Goose (4)
  6. REPEAT OFFENDER – Gloom Is Okay (8)
  7. RAGING HALLS – Lyia Meta (10)
  8. DOORS – Noah Kahan (12)
  9. GOING SHOPPING – The Strokes (6)
  10. PICKING DRAGONS’ POCKETS – Modest Mouse (11)
  11. PRIVATE – The Neighbourhood (13)
  12. REIN ME IN – Sam Fender & Olivia Dean (14)
  13. HEADLIGHTS – In Color (7)
  14. ONLINE – Western Jaguar (16)
  15. MARATHONS – Sorry Ghost (15)
  16. DROP DEAD – Olivia Rodrigo (9)
  17. RIDE LONESOME – Beck (17)
  18. GO FUCK URSELF – Fat Dog (22)
  19. WHO WILL YOU FOLLOW – Evanescence (21)
  20. RIPTIDES – Death Cab for Cutie (18)
  21. UNTIL THE SUN EXPLODES – Sublime (19)
  22. THE ENDLESS BORDER – Velvet Jesus (24)
  23. HEART STOP – The Revivalists (26)
  24. IN THE STARS – The Rolling Stones (27)
  25. NO MORE REGRETS – almost monday (28)
  26. HERE – Mumford & Sons with Sierra Ferrell (25)
  27. FREAKING OUT – Michigander (29)
  28. HOLD ME IN THE DARK – Myles Smith (30)
  29. BEACHES IN TENNESSEE – Cage the Elephant (N)
  30. BACK IN LOVE – Suki Waterhouse (20)

My Top 30 Songs for July 19-25, 2026

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's7 Comments

My current favorite song is still “Homewrecker” by sombr, thus it remains at #1 for a third week, while Dexter and The Moonrocks‘ “Freakin’ Out” and Temper City‘s “Self Aware” hold at #2 and 3 for a second week. My friend Lyia Meta enters the top 10 with her powerful rock gem “Raging Halls”.

The sole new entry this week is “Hold Me In The Dark” by British singer-songwriter and guitarist Myles Smith, an immensely popular folk-pop artist with over 22 million monthly listeners on Spotify and 1.7 million followers on Instagram. His music is generally upbeat with infectious melodies, and his 2024 smash hit “Stargazing” has been streamed over 1.1 billion times on Spotify. Released in May, “Hold Me In The Dark” is included on his debut album My Mess, My Heart, My Life, which dropped June 16th. The talented 28-year-old also earned a degree in sociology from the University of Nottingham in 2019.

  1. HOMEWRECKER – sombr (1)
  2. FREAKIN’ OUT – Dexter and The Moonrocks (2)
  3. SELF AWARE – Temper City (3)
  4. GOOD2B – Goose (6)
  5. EXIT WOUND – Ships Have Sailed (8)
  6. GOING SHOPPING – The Strokes (4)
  7. HEADLIGHTS – In Color (5)
  8. REPEAT OFFENDER – Gloom Is Okay (9)
  9. DROP DEAD – Olivia Rodrigo (7)
  10. RAGING HALLS – Lyia Meta (12)
  11. PICKING DRAGONS’ POCKETS – Modest Mouse (15)
  12. DOORS – Noah Kahan (19)
  13. PRIVATE – The Neighbourhood (20)
  14. REIN ME IN – Sam Fender & Olivia Dean (21)
  15. MARATHONS – Sorry Ghost (17)
  16. ONLINE – Western Jaguar (18)
  17. RIDE LONESOME – Beck (14)
  18. RIPTIDES – Death Cab for Cutie (10)
  19. UNTIL THE SUN EXPLODES – Sublime (11)
  20. BACK IN LOVE – Suki Waterhouse (16)
  21. WHO WILL YOU FOLLOW – Evanescence (22)
  22. GO FUCK URSELF – Fat Dog (23)
  23. IN MY ROOM – Julia Wolf (13)
  24. THE ENDLESS BORDER – Velvet Jesus (25)
  25. HERE – Mumford & Sons with Sierra Ferrell (26)
  26. HEART STOP – The Revivalists (27)
  27. IN THE STARS – The Rolling Stones (28)
  28. NO MORE REGRETS – almost monday (29)
  29. FREAKING OUT – Michigander (30)
  30. HOLD ME IN THE DARK – Myles Smith (N)

My Top 30 Songs for July 12-18, 2026

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's8 Comments

Not a lot of movement from last week for the majority of my latest chart, although there are five new entries. “Homewrecker” by sombr remains at #1 for a second week, while Dexter and The Moonrocks‘ “Freakin’ Out” inches up a spot to #2. “Repeat Offender” by Scottish band Gloom Is Okay enters the top 10 at #9.

There were at least eight songs I wanted to add to this week’s chart, but I had to cull my list down to only five as there were no other songs I was ready to drop. The first new entry is “Here” by English folk rock band Mumford & Sons, featuring American folk/alt-country singer-songwriter Sierra Ferrell. The song was originally recorded with Chris Stapleton and is included on the Mumford & Sons latest album Prizefighter, released this past February. This new version was recorded with Ferrell for an Apple Music Session on May 28th, and as much as I like Chris Stapleton, I like this version with Ferrell better. The song is currently #1 on the Billboard Adult Alternative chart.

The second new entry is “Heart Stop”, an emotionally powerful tune by alternative roots rock band The Revivalists. Based in New Orleans, the eight-piece collective is comprised of Ed Williams (pedal steel guitar, guitar), David Shaw (lead vocals), Zack Feinberg (guitar), Rob Ingraham (saxophone), George Gekas (bass guitar), Andrew Campanelli (drums and percussion), Michael Girardot (keyboards and trumpet), and Paulet “PJ” Howard (drums and percussion). Their 2023 single “Kid” topped my chart and ranks #9 on my Top 100 for that year. “Heart Stop” is the first in a series of singles they began releasing in April.

Coming in at #28 is “In The Stars” by legendary rockers The Rolling Stones. Formed in London in 1962, the band currently consists of original founders Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, along with Ronnie Wood since 1975 – all of whom seem to have discovered the fountain of youth! – as well as touring members keyboardist Chuck Leavell (since 1982), backing vocalist Bernard Fowler (since 1989), keyboardist Matt Clifford (off and on since 1989), bassist Darryl Jones (since 1994), saxophonists Tim Ries (since 1999) and Karl Denson (since 2014), drummer Steve Jordan (since 2021) and female vocalist Chanel Haynes (since 2022).(Wikipedia) The song is from their 25th and latest studio album Foreign Tongues, which dropped this past Friday, July 10th. The song is surprisingly good, with a guitar riff reminiscent of the one played by Bill Bottrell on Michael Jackson’s hit single “Black or White”.

Debuting at #29 is “no more regrets” by San Diego, California-based indie pop band almost monday, made up of Dawson Daugherty, Luke Fabry and Cole Clisby. I’m a big fan of their breezy dance pop, so “no more regrets” immediately grabbed my attention. Their single “Jupiter” reached #1 on my chart last fall.

The fifth new entry is “Freaking Out” (not to be confused with my #2 song by Dexter and The Moonrocks) by alternative pop-rock band Michigander. Founded in 2014 by singer-songwriter and musician Jason Singer in Michigan and now based in Nashville, the band includes Jake LeMond on guitar, Aaron Senor on drums, and Connor Robertson on bass. (I’ve previously reviewed music by Michigander as well as solo music by LeMond and Senor.)

  1. HOMEWRECKER – sombr (1)
  2. FREAKIN’ OUT – Dexter and The Moonrocks (3)
  3. SELF AWARE – Temper City (5)
  4. GOING SHOPPING – The Strokes (2)
  5. HEADLIGHTS – In Color (4)
  6. GOOD2B – Goose (8)
  7. DROP DEAD – Olivia Rodrigo (7)
  8. EXIT WOUND – Ships Have Sailed (10)
  9. REPEAT OFFENDER – Gloom Is Okay (11)
  10. RIPTIDES – Death Cab for Cutie (6)
  11. UNTIL THE SUN EXPLODES – Sublime (9)
  12. RAGING HALLS – Lyia Meta (13)
  13. IN MY ROOM – Julia Wolf (12)
  14. RIDE LONESOME – Beck (14)
  15. PICKING DRAGONS’ POCKETS – Modest Mouse (15)
  16. BACK IN LOVE – Suki Waterhouse (16)
  17. MARATHONS – Sorry Ghost (17)
  18. ONLINE – Western Jaguar (18)
  19. DOORS – Noah Kahan (19)
  20. PRIVATE – The Neighbourhood (21)
  21. REIN ME IN – Sam Fender & Olivia Dean (22)
  22. WHO WILL YOU FOLLOW – Evanescence (25)
  23. GO FUCK URSELF – Fat Dog (26)
  24. DRAG PATH – Twenty One Pilots (20)
  25. THE ENDLESS BORDER – Velvet Jesus (30)
  26. HERE – Mumford & Sons with Sierra Ferrell (N)
  27. HEART STOP – The Revivalists (N)
  28. IN THE STARS – The Rolling Stones (N)
  29. NO MORE REGRETS – almost monday (N)
  30. FREAKING OUT – Michigander (N)

My Top 30 Songs for July 5-11, 2026

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's18 Comments

I’m pretty confident that the majority of my fellow bloggers and readers – at least those few who even bother to read my posts – probably shake their heads at my music tastes and that’s okay, as each of us likes what we like at the end of the day. That said, my new #1 song this week is “Homewrecker” by sombr (born Shane Michael Boose), who turns 21 today. Over the past year he’s become one of my favorite artists, and “Homewrecker” is his fourth song to top my chart, following “back to friends” (which was #1 on my chart a year ago today and is my top song for 2025), “undressed” and “12 to 12” (which spent five weeks at #1).

In other charts developments of note, the lovely “Exit Wound” by Ships Have Sailed, a longtime favorite act of mine from Los Angeles, enters the top 10.

And I’m thrilled to add the captivating “The Endless Border”, by Belgian four-piece Velvet Jesus, to my chart this week. I can’t remember how or where I learned about it, but I love the song’s enchanting Middle Eastern sound and beautiful intricate guitar work. Based in Leuven, the band is comprised of Anton Fannes (lead vocals, guitar, synths, samples), Bart Catoor (bass, samples, backing vocals), Christophe Vandewoude (guitar) and Peter De Clercq (drums). They released their debut single “Qatar” in 2023, which they followed a year later with their album of the same name. The band states that their latest single “is about the strange world of today, and in particular how one population imposes a border on another, while a national border is nothing more than a line on a map.”

  1. HOMEWRECKER – sombr (2)
  2. GOING SHOPPING – The Strokes (1)
  3. FREAKIN’ OUT – Dexter and The Moonrocks (4)
  4. HEADLIGHTS – In Color (5)
  5. SELF AWARE – Temper City (6)
  6. RIPTIDES – Death Cab for Cutie (3)
  7. DROP DEAD – Olivia Rodrigo (7)
  8. GOOD2B – Goose (8)
  9. UNTIL THE SUN EXPLODES – Sublime (9)
  10. EXIT WOUND – Ships Have Sailed (11)
  11. REPEAT OFFENDER – Gloom Is Okay (12)
  12. IN MY ROOM – Julia Wolf (10)
  13. RAGING HALLS – Lyia Meta (18)
  14. RIDE LONESOME – Beck (16)
  15. PICKING DRAGONS’ POCKETS – Modest Mouse (17)
  16. BACK IN LOVE – Suki Waterhouse (21)
  17. MARATHONS – Sorry Ghost (22)
  18. ONLINE – Western Jaguar (23)
  19. DOORS – Noah Kahan (25)
  20. DRAG PATH – Twenty One Pilots (15)
  21. PRIVATE – The Neighbourhood (27)
  22. REIN ME IN – Sam Fender & Olivia Dean (28)
  23. SLUMBER PARTY – Brigitte Calls Me Baby (13) 21st week on chart
  24. BEDROOM POSTERS – Yellowcard feat. Good Charlotte (14)
  25. WHO WILL YOU FOLLOW – Evanescence (29)
  26. GO FUCK URSELF – Fat Dog (30)
  27. TO LOVE SOMEBODY – Holly Humberstone (19)
  28. DIFFERENT KIND OF LOVE – Young the Giant (20)
  29. DYING TO LOVE – Bad Omens (24)
  30. THE ENDLESS BORDER – Velvet Jesus (N)