A new week and some exciting changes on my latest Top 30 chart. First off, Vermont-born and now Nashville-based folk pop singer-songwriter Noah Kahan takes over the #1 spot with his heartwarming song “The Great Divide”. The talented 29-year-old began releasing singles in 2017, followed by his debut album Busyhead in 2019, but burst onto the music scene in late 2022 with his breakout single “Stick Season”. Although moderately successful in the U.S. upon release, the song went viral on TikTok after American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo covered it on BBC Radio 1 in the UK, causing it to reach number one in various countries including Australia, Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands and the UK, as well as reaching the top 10 in Canada, New Zealand, and the U.S. (Wikipedia) “The Great Divide”, which is currently #1 on all Billboard Alternative charts, was the lead and title single from Kahan’s forthcoming fourth album The Great Divide, to be released April 24th.
The poignant lyrics seem to be a letter to an old friend you’ve lost touch with but still care about: “I can’t recall the last time that we talked. About anything but lookin’ out for cops. We got cigarette burns on the same side of our hands. But we ain’t friends, we’re just morons who broke skin in the same spot. You know I think about you all the time. And my deep misunderstanding of your life. And how bad it must have been for you back then. And how hard it was to keep it all inside. I hope you settle down, I hope you marry rich. I hope you’re scared of only ordinary shit. Like murderers and ghosts and cancer on your skin. And not your soul, and what he might do with it. “
One of my longtime favorite acts is MISSIO, a duo from Austin, Texas comprised of singer-songwriter, musician and producer Matthew Brue and songwriter/producer and musician David Butler, who record music with the help of their silent third partner, producer and frequent collaborator Dwight Baker and drummer Jaydon Bean. I’ve written about them numerous times and four of their songs have reached #1 on my weekly Top 30. Their rip-roaring single “I Remember When” enters the top 10, leaping 14 spots to #8.
Debuting way up high at #9 is “You Got to Lose”, the latest single by another longtime favorite act of mine, Nashville-based blues rockers The Black Keys, made up of singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney, that sees them return to their garage-rock roots. The song was the lead single from their forthcoming 14th album Peaches!, set for release on May 1st, and it’s quite possibly the fiercest, most raw performance I’ve ever heard from the guys. Originally written in 1958 by Ike Turner, Auerbach’s cover takes inspiration from Earl Hooker’s 1969 blues version, and George Thorogood & The Destroyer’s fiery 1977 version. Recorded while Auerbach was caring for his now late father, who was dealing with the effects of a stroke and esophageal cancer, the song and album were a cathartic release for him. He explained “We weren’t making a record. We were just jamming, like this is for us. Really primal, in a moment when all the nerves were raw, just kinda screaming. We were going through a lot, trying to lift our spirits. I think my dad getting sick made me not give a fuck and just wanna scream for a bit.” (Genius)
Also entering the top 10 at #10 is “The Wreckage” by Los Angeles-based alt-rock band Silversun Pickups. The song is from their seventh album Tenterhooks, which dropped last month, and it’s become one of my favorites of theirs. Besides “You Got to Lose”, there are two other new additions to my chart, starting with “Fool’s Gold” by Bozeman, Montana-based folk band Buffalo Traffic Jam, who are new to me. Consisting of Frankie Cassidy and Nathan Ross, who met as students at Montana State University, they released their self-titled debut EP in 2024, and quickly amassed a huge following, with over 4 million monthly listeners on Spotify and more than 142,000 followers on Instagram. They followed up with several singles which culminated in the release of their six-track EP Take Me Home, which dropped last October and on which “Fool’s Gold” is featured. The poignant song is currently #3 on the Billboard AAA chart.
Debuting at #30 is “Heavy Foot” by folk artist Mon Rovîa, another act that’s new to me. Mon Rovîa is the music project of Afro-Appalachian singer-songwriter Janjay Lowe, who was born in Monrovia, Liberia and adopted at the age of seven by an American family with whom he variously lived in Florida, Montana, the Bahamas, and Tennessee, where he’s now based. The prolific musician began releasing music in 2020 and has since dropped six EPs and an album Bloodline, released in January. Like Buffalo Traffic Jam, Mon Rovîa has quickly garnered a huge following, with over 2.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify, 2 million followers on Facebook and nearly a million followers on Instagram. I’m really liking his music and sweet vocals.
- THE GREAT DIVIDE – Noah Kahan (2)
- WHO’S YOUR BOYFRIEND – Royel Otis (1)
- HULA GIRL – The Neighbourhood (4)
- ZOMBIE – YUNGBLUD (3)
- TO SPACE – Kings of Leon (5)
- LOST YOUR GHOST – Two Feet (6)
- DOUBLETAKE – Edgehill (10)
- I REMEMBER WHEN – MISSIO (22)
- YOU GOT TO LOSE – The Black Keys (N)
- THE WRECKAGE – Silversun Pickups (10)
- HUMAN – Brandi Carlile (7)
- 12 TO 12 – sombr (8) 22nd week on chart
- WAITING FOR ME – Talk in Waves (14)
- SWEET LOVE – Stephen Sanchez (16)
- SLUMBER PARTY – Brigitte Calls Me Baby (17)
- I’VE GOT A BROKEN HEART – The Lemon Twigs (9)
- COBRA – Geese (15)
- RUBBER BAND MAN – Mumford & Sons w/Hozier (11)
- HEATHER – Secret Postal Society (19)
- THE OLD LAW – Father John Misty (20)
- BEDROOM POSTERS – Yellowcard feat. Good Charlotte (21)
- LOOK OUT FOR ME – Turnstile (26)
- LOST – almost monday (13)
- DIFFERENT KIND OF LOVE – Young the Giant (25)
- DRAG PATH – Twenty One Pilots 28)
- INFINITE SOURCE – Deftones (18)
- STARLIGHT – Cannons (29)
- BURN FOR YOU RMX – Between Daze (30)
- FOOL’S GOLD – Buffalo Traffic Jam (N)
- HEAVY FOOT – Mon Rovîa (N)
ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER 