Malaysian artist Lyia Meta is a highly accomplished, award-winning and Grammy-nominated Renaissance woman in every sense of the word. She’s not only an insanely talented singer, songwriter and musician, she’s also a writer, teacher, vocal coach and visual artist whose work spans multiple media formats (she surprised me with a pencil-drawn portrait of myself in 2019, which I proudly hang on my bedroom wall).

Possessing a rich contralto singing voice, she’s recorded songs across a wide range of genres including blues, jazz, pop, country, rock and metal. She ranks among my favorite female vocalists, and I’ve featured her numerous times on this blog. We’ve been following each other on social media since 2018, and I finally had the pleasure of meeting Lyia and her husband Zack in person in January when they were in Los Angeles. I’m now thrilled to place her powerful single “Raging Halls” at #1, her first song to top my chart and on the week of my birthday, no less!

The hard-hitting song was co-written by Lyia and E.G. Holmes, who co-produced the track with her longtime Nashville-based collaborator Bob McGilpin (who also played lead and rhythm guitar, bass, drums and synths). Additional contributions on the track include rhythm guitar by Christian Wentz, guitar and synths by John Foster, orchestration and keyboards by Gene Rabbai and backing harmonies by Lisa Brokop. Lyia says the song “explores the tension between desire, risk, and the moment where hesitation transforms into action.” The song has an 80s feel that calls to mind some of the great anthems with soaring melodies and scorching riffs by Journey, Heart and Whitesnake.

Two songs enter the top 10: the captivating “The Endless Border” by Belgian alternative indie rock band Velvet Jesus, advancing three spots to #8, and “Heart Stop” by New Orleans-based alternative roots rock band The Revivalists, which moves up two spots to #10.

There are three new debuts this week, beginning with “Evergreen” by Southern California-based alternative pop rock band Young the Giant. Formed in Irvine, California in 2004, they currently consist of Sameer Gadhia (lead vocals), Jacob Tilley (guitar), Eric Cannata (guitar), Payam Doostzadeh (bass), and Francois Comtois (drums). “Evergreen” is from their sixth album Victory Garden, released on May 1st, and follows “Different Kind of Love”, which peaked at #4 on my chart in early June. It’s hard to believe it’s been seven years since I saw them in concert in 2019.

Entering at #29 is “Edge of the Earth” by Canadian female pop rock band The Beaches. Formed in Toronto in 2009, they’re comprised of sisters Jordan (lead vocals, bass) and Kylie Miller (guitar, backing vocals), Leandra Earl (keyboards, guitar, backing vocals), and Eliza Enman-McDaniel (drums). “Edge of the Earth” was originally released nearly three years ago as the title track of their six-song EP, which also included their marvelous hit single “Blame Brett” that reached #5 on my chart and ranks #46 on my 100 Best Songs of 2024 list. It’s currently moving up the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart (I’m even hearing it played on my local alt-rock station here in Palm Springs), so I’m guessing it went viral on TikTok or similar.

The third new entry is the exuberant “Behind The Lines Of Reason” by the charismatic English alternative indie rock band Hardwicke Circus. Formed in 2015, the band has undergone a few changes in lineup and is now comprised of brothers Jonny (lead vocals, guitar) and Tom Foster (drums, backing vocals), along with Ben Wilde (bass, backing vocals), Zack McDade (lead guitar, backing vocals), Conor Morrissey (keyboards, backing vocals) and Andy Sax (saxophone, backing vocals). I reviewed their marvelous 2023 album Fly the Flag and am happy to see them back with “Behind The Lines Of Reason”, which dropped July 17th.

1. RAGING HALLS – Lyia Meta (2)
2. REPEAT OFFENDER – Gloom is Okay (1)
3. DOORS – Noah Kahan (3)
4. REIN ME IN – Sam Fender & Olivia Dean (4)
5. PRIVATE – The Neighbourhood (5)
6. SELF AWARE – Temper City (6)
7. ONLINE – Western Jaguar (8)
8. THE ENDLESS BORDER – Velvet Jesus (11)
9. PICKING DRAGONS’ POCKETS – Modest Mouse (9)
10. HEART STOP – The Revivalists (12)
11. NO MORE REGRETS – almost monday (13)
12. BEACHES IN TENNESSEE – Cage the Elephant (17)
13. LOST BOYS – Phoebe Bridgers (18)
14. EXIT WOUND – Ships Have Sailed (7)
15. MARATHONS – Sorry Ghost (10)
16. FREAKING OUT – Michigander (20)
17. HOLD ME IN THE DARK – Myles Smith (21)
18. LOVE ME NOT – Grace Potter (22)
19. WE MIGHT AS WELL BE STRANGERS – Weezer feat. Wednesday (23)
20. WE SHOULD TALK – Bleachers (24)
21. I CAN TAKE THE SUN OUT OF THE SKY – Brigitte Calls Me Baby (25)
22. STONE OVER WATER – Death Cab for Cutie (26)
23. WHO WILL YOU FOLLOW – Evanescence (14)
24. GO FUCK URSELF – Fat Dog (15)
25. IN THE STARS – The Rolling Stones (16)
26. I FEEL HOPE COMING – Alabama Shakes (10)
27. HOMEWRECKER – sombr (19) 20th week on chart
28. EVERGREEN – Young the Giant (N)
29. EDGE OF THE EARTH – The Beaches (N)
30. BEHIND THE LINES OF REASON – Hardwicke Circus (N)