Month: October 2026

My Top 30 Songs for October 25-31, 2026

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's10 Comments

Fontaines D.C. hold onto the top spot for a second week with “Marianne”, while Death Cab for Cutie slides into second place with “Stone Over Water” and Alabama Shakes‘ “I Feel Hope Coming” moves up to #3. The Foo Fighters enter the top 10 with “Window”.

Once again there are two new entries to my chart, the first being “Who’s That” by American rock band The War on Drugs. Formed in 2005 by Adam Granduciel and Kurt Vile, the band has undergone numerous changes in lineup and presently consists of Granduciel (vocals, guitar), David Hartley (bass), Robbie Bennett (keyboards), Charlie Hall (drums), Jon Natchez (saxophone, keyboards), Anthony LaMarca (guitar), and Eliza Hardy Jones (percussion, keyboards). Since 2008 they’ve released five albums, the last being I Don’t Live Here Anymore which dropped almost exactly five years ago today. Three of their songs have reached #1 on my chart – “Holding On” (2017), “Pain” (2018) and “I Don’t Live Here Anymore” (2021-22). Released on September 9th, “Who’s That” is their first new music in four years and the lead single from their forthcoming sixth album, the name of which hasn’t yet been revealed.

The second new entry is “Five” by Secret Postal Society, the music project of Welsh singer-songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist Craig Mapstone. He’s a thoughtful, generous and kind soul, and though we’ve never met in person, I’m quite fond of him on both a personal and professional level. We’ve been following each other on social media since early 2021, and I’ve written about him and his music several times over the past five years. Unable to play gigs or socialize during the Covid pandemic, he decided to challenge himself to write and record a new original song every week for an entire year of 2021, which he accomplished! Four of his songs – “Something From Nothing/Points of Light” (2021), “Autumn Leaves” (2024), “Scars” (2025) and “Heather” (earlier this year) – have appeared on my chart.

His latest single “Five” is a heartfelt plea for us to be more kind and understanding to ourselves and each other during these troubled and highly divisive times. Mapstone elaborates: “Written during a time of overwhelming negativity, fear and aggression in Western politics, society, economics and international relations, ‘Five’ began life as a protest song, and ended up as a reminder to each of us to look after ourselves and each other. When the world gets too much the chorus reminds us to “take a breath, count to five” and to never give up hope that things will change for the better.” He no longer has his music on Spotify, so I’m featuring his YouTube video for the track, in which he appears both honest and vulnerable:

  1. MARIANNE – Fontaines D.C. (1)
  2. STONE OVER WATER – Death Cab for Cutie (4)
  3. I FEEL HOPE COMING – Alabama Shakes (5)
  4. PRIVATE – The Neighbourhood (2)
  5. LOST BOYS – Phoebe Bridgers (3)
  6. LOSER – Tame Impala (6)
  7. BEACHES IN TENNESSEE – Cage the Elephant (7)
  8. WE MIGHT AS WELL BE STRANGERS – Weezer feat. Wednesday (8)
  9. EDGE OF THE EARTH – The Beaches (10)
  10. WINDOW – Foo Fighters (11)
  11. METASTASIZED – Bealby Point (13)
  12. I CAN TAKE THE SUN OUT OF THE SKY – Brigitte Calls Me Baby (9)
  13. BEHIND THE LINES OF REASON – Harwicke Circus (14)
  14. LOVE TO GO – Edgehill (16)
  15. YOUNG AGAIN – Shinedown (17)
  16. HIGH HOPES 3000 – ROLE MODEL (18)
  17. BLACK DOG RABBIT HOLE – Devon Gilfillian (19)
  18. GOOD TIMES // END TIMES – Goose (20)
  19. ALREADY GONE – Orville Peck (21)
  20. I KINDA LIKE THAT – The Paradox (22)
  21. OH YEAH? – Steve Lacy (23)
  22. EVERGREEN – Young the Giant (12)
  23. REIN ME IN – Sam Fender & Olivia Dean (15)
  24. EXIT SIGNS – LEAP (26)
  25. BOTTLE – Remi Wolf (27)
  26. BEDHEAD – Balu Brigada (29)
  27. NEW AESTHETIC – Beach Weather (30)
  28. NO MORE REGRETS – almost monday (25)
  29. WHO’S THAT – The War on Drugs (N)
  30. FIVE – Secret Postal Society (N)

My Top 30 Songs for October 18-24, 2026

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's9 Comments
Photo of Fontaines D.C. from their Bandcamp account

Irish alt-rock band Fontaines D.C. are one of the most exciting and interesting acts making music today, and while they’d been gaining critical acclaim and popularity since the release of their debut album Dogrel in 2019, it was their spectacular fourth album Romance, released in summer 2024, that really put them over the top. I love their intelligent songwriting and arresting sound, as well as charismatic lead vocalist Grian Chatten’s distinctive baritone Irish brogue, and they’ve become one of my favorite bands. Formed in Dublin in 2014, the band includes the aforementioned Grian Chatten (lead vocals), Conor Curley (guitar), Conor “Deego” Deegan III (bass), Tom Coll (drums), and Carlos O’Connell (guitar).

“Marianne”, the lead single from their fifth album Dopamine Chamber, which dropped this past Friday, October 16th, is my new #1 song this week. It’s their fourth song to top my chart, after “Starburster” (my #1 song of 2024) and “Favorite” in 2024 and “It’s Amazing to Be Young” from 2025. Incredulously, none of their singles have ever made the Billboard Hot 100, and only Romance has appeared on the Billboard 200 Album chart, where it peaked at only #97. Dopamine Chamber also features “Where Is Gone?, an enthralling duet with Spanish singer-songwriter Rosalía.

According to band frontman Chatten, the darkly beautiful and cinematic “Marianne” was partially inspired by the 2024 American psychological thriller miniseries Ripley, starring Andrew Scott, (which is based on the 1955 novel The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith). And both Chatten and band bassist Conor Deegan have stated that both the single “Marianne” and the album itself ask the question about where is one to escape to when the act of escaping becomes more difficult. The eerie, surreal video, directed by Dave Meyers & Cam Erickson, attempts to convey the character of Marianne trying to numb herself through substances and destructive behavior, and exploring the tension between wanting to find peace and falling deeper into oblivion.

In other chart news of note, Canadian all-female band The Beaches finally enter the top 10 with their wonderful “Edge of the Earth”. And for the sixth consecutive week, I’ve added two new songs to my chart, the first of which is “BedHead” by alt-rock act Balu Brigada. Originally from Auckland, New Zealand and now based in New York City, they consist of brothers Henry and Pierre Beasley, both vocalists and multi-instrumentalists, as well as Harper Finn on keyboards and Jacob Stockman on drums. Their single “So Cold” reached #1 on my chart as well as the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart in early 2025, and ranks #3 on my list of the 100 Best Songs of 2025.

The second new entry is “New Aesthetic” by American pop-rock band Beach Weather, comprised of vocalist/guitarist Nick Santino, lead guitarist Sean Silverman and bassist/backing vocalist Reeve Powers. Originally formed in 2015 by Santino and Powers along with two other members, the band released three EPs then later went on an indefinite hiatus in 2017. Beach Weather reunited in 2021 with Santino and Powers, as well as longtime collaborator Silverman, who joined as an official member. Their song “Sex, Drugs, Etc.”, which was originally included on their 2016 EP Chit Chat, went viral on Tik Tok in 2022, ultimately becoming a #1 hit on Alternative radio and charts. It ended up ranking #3 on my 100 Best Songs of 2022 list. To date, four of their songs have reached #1 on my chart – “Sex, Drugs, Etc.”, “Trouble With This Bed” and “Pineapple Sunrise” in 2023, and “High in Low Places” in 2024. It’s good to have them back on my chart.

Fun fact: This week’s chart is bookended by the acts who have my top two songs of 2024 – “Starburster” by Fontaines D.C. and “High in Low Places” by Beach Weather. Also, Beach Weather’s “Trouble With This Bed” is my top song of 2023.

  1. MARIANNE – Fontaines D.C. (3)
  2. PRIVATE – The Neighbourhood (1)
  3. LOST BOYS – Phoebe Bridgers (2)
  4. STONE OVER WATER – Death Cab for Cutie (5)
  5. I FEEL HOPE COMING – Alabama Shakes (6)
  6. LOSER – Tame Impala (7)
  7. BEACHES IN TENNESSEE – Cage the Elephant (4)
  8. WE MIGHT AS WELL BE STRANGERS – Weezer feat. Wednesday (9)
  9. I CAN TAKE THE SUN OUT OF THE SKY – Brigitte Calls Me Baby (10)
  10. EDGE OF THE EARTH – The Beaches (12)
  11. WINDOW – Foo Fighters (14)
  12. EVERGREEN – Young the Giant (13)
  13. METASTASIZED – Bealby Point (16)
  14. BEHIND THE LINES OF REASON – Hardwicke Circus (15)
  15. REIN ME IN – Sam Fender & Olivia Dean (8)
  16. LOVE TO GO – Edgehill (18)
  17. YOUNG AGAIN – Shinedown (19)
  18. HIGH HOPES 3000 – ROLE MODEL (21)
  19. BLACK DOG RABBIT HOLE – Devon Gilfillian (22)
  20. GOOD TIMES // END TIMES – Goose (23)
  21. ALREADY GONE – Orville Peck (24)
  22. I KINDA LIKE THAT – The Paradox (25)
  23. OH YEAH? – Steve Lacy (26)
  24. HEART STOP – The Revivalists (11)
  25. NO MORE REGRETS – almost monday (17)
  26. EXIT SIGNS – LEAP (29)
  27. BOTTLE – Remi Wolf (30)
  28. ONLINE – Western Jaguar (20) 19th week on chart
  29. BEDHEAD – Balu Brigada (N)
  30. NEW AESTHETIC – Beach Weather (N)

My Top 30 Songs for October 11-17, 2026

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's6 Comments

This week’s chart was a bit of a challenge, as I wanted to put all of my top three songs at number one. In the end, I decided to keep The Neighbourhood‘s mesmerizing “Private” on top for a third week, as I continue to love it immensely. It’s now become my second-favorite song by them, after “Sweater Weather”. Phoebe Bridgers‘ “Lost Boys” and Fontaines D.C.‘s “Marianne” remain at #2 and #3. Cage the Elephant holds at #4 for a third week with “Beaches In Tennessee” which currently tops all of Billboard‘s various Alternative charts. Even though they’re one of my longtime favorite bands, I just don’t think “Beaches In Tennessee” is anywhere near as good as many of their earlier hits. Tame Impala enters the top 10 at #7 with “Loser”.

Another challenge was deciding what new songs to place on my chart, as there were several worthy candidates. But given that I was only willing to drop two songs from my chart, there are only two new entries again this week, both by acts entirely new to me despite the fact they’ve been putting out music for several years. The first, entering at #29, is “Exit Signs” by English indie rock band LEAP. Originally founded in 2021 as the solo project of singer-songwriter Jack Scott, the act now also includes Hector Cottam (drums), Declan Brown (bass) and Adam Mason (guitar). To date, LEAP has released five EPs and one album, Entropy (which dropped last October 2025), all of them self-recorded and produced. The electrifying “Exit Signs” was actually released three years ago on their EP Dark Habits and is also featured on Entropy, however is now getting significant airplay for some reason and I’m happy for both LEAP and me!

My second new entry, courtesy of my young friend Nick, is “Bottle” by American singer-songwriter Remi Wolf. Born in Palo Alto, California, she began making music at the age of 14, and while still a senior in high school she appeared as a contestant on American Idol in 2014. She subsequently moved to Los Angeles to attend the USC Thornton School of Music, from which she graduated in 2018. Between 2019 and 2021, she released three successive EPs humorously titled You’re a Dog!, I’m Allergic to Dogs! and We Love Dogs!, followed by her debut studio album, Juno, in October 2021. She released her second album Big Ideas in July 2024, and her third studio album Mud, this past Friday October 9th. The lyrically dark but sonically enchanting “Bottle” was released as a single on August 20th and is featured on Mud.

  1. PRIVATE – The Neighbourhood (1)
  2. LOST BOYS – Phoebe Bridgers (2)
  3. MARIANNE – Fontaines D.C. (3)
  4. BEACHES IN TENNESSEE – Cage the Elephant (4)
  5. STONE OVER WATER – Death Cab for Cutie (6)
  6. I FEEL HOPE COMING – Alabama Shakes (7)
  7. LOSER – Tame Impala (11)
  8. REIN ME IN – Sam Fender & Olivia Dean (5)
  9. WE MIGHT AS WELL BE STRANGERS – Weezer feat. Wednesday (9)
  10. I CAN TAKE THE SUN OUT OF THE SKY – Brigitte Calls Me Baby (10)
  11. HEART STOP – The Revivalists (8)
  12. EDGE OF THE EARTH – The Beaches (15)
  13. EVERGREEN – Young the Giant (14)
  14. WINDOW – Foo Fighters (17)
  15. BEHIND THE LINES OF REASON – Hardwicke Circus (16)
  16. METASTASIZED – Bealby Point (18)
  17. NO MORE REGRETS – almost monday (13)
  18. LOVE TO GO – Edgehill (21)
  19. YOUNG AGAIN – Shinedown (22)
  20. ONLINE – Western Jaguar (12)
  21. HIGH HOPES 3000 – ROLE MODEL (23)
  22. BLACK DOG RABBIT HOLE – Devon Gilfillian (24)
  23. GOOD TIMES // END TIMES – Goose (25)
  24. ALREADY GONE – Orville Peck (26)
  25. I KINDA LIKE THAT – The Paradox (29)
  26. OH YEAH? – Steve Lacy (30)
  27. RAGING HALLS – Lyia Meta (19) 19th week on chart
  28. DOORS – Noah Kahan (20)
  29. EXIT SIGNS – LEAP (N)
  30. BOTTLE – Remi Wolf (N)

My Top 30 Songs for October 4-10, 2026

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's12 Comments

The Neighbourhood remain on top for a second week with “Private”, while Phoebe Bridgers‘ “Lost Boys” slides into second place, followed by Fontaines D.C.‘s “Marianne” at #3. “I Can Take the Sun Out of the Sky” by Brigitte Calls Me Baby enters the top 10.

For the fourth week there are two new entries to my chart, starting with “I Kinda Like That” by American pop-punk band The Paradox. Formed in Atlanta, Georgia in 2024, the all-Black four piece consists of Eric Dangerfield (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Donald Bryant (bass), Christopher “Xelan” Bernard (lead guitar, backing vocals), and Percy “PC3” Crews (drums). Their exuberant sound is influenced by such pop-punk legends as Blink-182, Sum 41 and Green Day, and their 2025 single “Get the Message” reached #1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart this past January and peaked at #3 on my chart in early February. “I Kinda Like That” is featured on their EP Proceed With Caution, which dropped this past Friday, October 2nd.

The second new entry is “oh yeah? by Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer Steve Lacy. The song is the title track from his third studio album Oh yeah?, released on July 17th. His 2022 hit “Bad Habit” reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart as well as my chart, and ranks #6 on my 100 Best Songs of 2022 list.

  1. PRIVATE – The Neighbourhood (1)
  2. LOST BOYS – Phoebe Bridgers (3)
  3. MARIANNE – Fontaines D.C. (5)
  4. BEACHES IN TENNESSEE – Cage the Elephant (4)
  5. REIN ME IN – Sam Fender & Olivia Dean (2)
  6. STONE OVER WATER – Death Cab for Cutie (8)
  7. I FEEL HOPE COMING – Alabama Shakes (9)
  8. HEART STOP – The Revivalists (6)
  9. WE MIGHT AS WELL BE STRANGERS – Weezer feat. Wednesday (10)
  10. I CAN TAKE THE SUN OUT OF THE SKY – Brigitte Calls Me Baby (11)
  11. LOSER – Tame Impala (15)
  12. ONLINE – Western Jaguar (7)
  13. NO MORE REGRETS – almost monday  (12)
  14. EVERGREEN – Young the Giant (16)
  15. EDGE OF THE EARTH – The Beaches (17)
  16. BEHIND THE LINES OF REASON – Hardwicke Circus (18)
  17. WINDOW – Foo Fighters (19)
  18. METASTASIZED – Bealby Point  (20)
  19. RAGING HALLS – Lyia Meta (13)
  20. DOORS – Noah Kahan (14)
  21. LOVE TO GO – Edgehill (23)
  22. YOUNG AGAIN – Shinedown (24)
  23. HIGH HOPES 3000 – ROLE MODEL (25)
  24. BLACK DOG RABBIT HOLE – Devon Gilfillian  (26)
  25. GOOD TIMES // END TIMES – Goose (29)
  26. ALREADY GONE – Orville Peck (30)
  27. HOLD ME IN THE DARK – Myles Smith (21)
  28. THE ENDLESS BORDER – Velvet Jesus (22)
  29. I KINDA LIKE THAT – The Paradox (N)
  30. OH YEAH? – Steve Lacy (N)