Tag: Charm School

100 Best Indie Songs of 2025

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Song Lists22 Comments
Photo courtesy of FREEP!K

At the end of each year, I publish a list of my Top 100 Songs, representing my picks for what I think are the best songs – my favorites actually – for the entire year. Last year, at the suggestion of a member of Missouri folk rock band Voodoo Planet, I also compiled a list of my 100 favorite indie songs of 2024. That blog post nearly went viral, and over the past year has amassed over 7,000 views to become my 10th most popular post ever. (In sharp contrast, my 100 Best Songs of 2024 post has garnered only around 1,100 views.)

Because I follow, and am followed by, many indie musicians and bands on social media, I enjoy showcasing some of the exceptional music being made by them that’s every bit as good as, or even better than, that from mainstream acts, so compiling a separate list of what I think are the best indie songs makes perfect sense.

These are not necessarily “indie” songs in terms of genre (though there are many that fall into that overall category), rather songs by independent or DIY music acts. While some are in fact signed to music labels, they’re usually small or independently owned. There are 82 acts represented in this list, the majority of which are from the U.S., Canada and the U.K., but also from Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Germany and Ukraine. A number of acts have two songs, while English psychedelic alt-rock band Future Theory have three.

Of course, I must make note of the fact that this list contains only songs I’m aware of, and that there are likely hundreds of other great songs that deserve to be here, except that I’ve never heard them. The songs on this list – all of which are outstanding if I do say so myself – were generally released between November 2024 and October 2025.

Though they’re ranked from #1 to 100, it doesn’t necessarily mean that a song at #30 is better than one at #60. That said, the ones closer to the top are my very favorites. And though I’d love to write a narrative about each song and artist, given my limited time and energy, not to mention people’s short attention spans, I’ve decided against that again this year. I will, however, include the marvelous video for my #1 pick, “The Faithful Heart” by immensely talented and creative L.A.-based artist Wons Phreely, as it’s so delightful that everyone should watch it! I’ve also created playlists on both YouTube and Spotify, which are included after the list itself. Enjoy!

  1. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses
  2. IMPOSTER SYNDROME – Fake Empire
  3. WALLS – Frank Joshua
  4. FEELS RIGHT – Talk in Waves
  5. TAKE THIS HEART – Brian Lambert
  6. CONTROLLER – Moody Moody
  7. BAD LARRY – Cloakroom
  8. LOVE IS A FIRE – Art Block
  9. YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves
  10. THE TURNAROUND – DelCobras
  11. LONDON TOWN – HEALER
  12. POLYESTER (YES SIR) – Sorry Ghost
  13. STRAIGHT TO THE GROUND – Unquiet Nights
  14. SNAKESKIN – NAVE
  15. BETTER OFF EVENTUALLY – Bealby Point
  16. LIGHT YEARS APART – Unobliterated
  17. THE FEAR – Future Theory
  18. POOR SAD INDIE EVERYTHING – Icarus Phoenix
  19. WITHOUT A DOUBT – Charm School
  20. MOTHER – Lyia Meta & Mark Allen Lanoue
  21. DAY & NIGHT – Oli Barton
  22. WHO’S A FRAUD? – Still Traffico
  23. HORNETS – Western Jaguar
  24. SCARS – Secret Postal Society
  25. REALITY BUZZ – Future Theory
  26. AFTER ALL – Darksoft
  27. TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT – overpass
  28. FEEL – NAVE
  29. HERE WE GO AGAIN – Set the Tone
  30. BAD PATTERNS – HEALER
  31. ALWAYS WITH YOU – Ewan Patrick
  32. THE HAZE – Future Theory
  33. ECHOES – Antipole, Ja’kob & Pedro Code
  34. TREPHINE – Big Orange
  35. WHAT IT TAKES – The Radio Field
  36. SLOW DEATH – Western Jaguar
  37. SUPERSPREADER YEAR – Roadkeeper
  38. BLEAK COMPANION – The Brigadier
  39. MARK & KYLE – Icarus Phoenix
  40. LLUMINE – Josephine Pascoe
  41. DAYS LIKE THESE – Frank Joshua
  42. ESPIONAGE – Rusty Shipp
  43. CONSPIRACY OF SNAKES – Blake Rascals
  44. CALIFORNIA – Art Block
  45. NATIONAL TREASURE – Faint Halos
  46. ANTICIPATE THE FALL – Pilod
  47. FALLING DOWN – Holy Coves
  48. CALLING OUT – Black Bear Kiss
  49. BEERS WITH THE BEEKEEPER – The Zangwills
  50. IT’S GETTING LATE – Sorry Ghost
  51. IT’S ALRIGHT – The Radio Field & The Baumhoff Explosives
  52. OH NO – John Serrano
  53. MEDICATED – Shape of the Sun
  54. MY DOG BRUCE – Jack Droppers & the Best Intentions
  55. INSIDE – Skar de Line
  56. DARLING, HE DOESN’T CARE – Olivia Miceli
  57. ALL FOR NOTHING – Set the Tone
  58. NOTHING REALLY MATTERS – Snap Infraction
  59. ALONE – The Sylvia Platters
  60. LOOK WHAT YOU DID – Jeen
  61. WHERE IS SHE NOW – Mecuzine
  62. SHUT UP – Esse. feat. Shimmer Johnson
  63. PACK IT UP – Diet Lite
  64. LOVE LIES – Caleb Nichols
  65. WHITEBOARD (YOU CALL HOME) – FRVR
  66. LIFESPAN – Cormac O Caoimh
  67. I, PHONE – INNERSPEAR
  68. EVERYTHING SEDUCTIVE – Unquiet Nights
  69. DOUBLE DISCO – Bealby Point
  70. ALRIGHT – naive nature
  71. BUNK BEDS – Lost in the City
  72. SEVENTH ROCK FROM THE SUN – Only on Weekends
  73. SOMEDAY SOON – DelCobras
  74. DON’T GO TO BED WITH A BAD MIND – The Brigadier
  75. BROKEN ANIMAL – Matt Jaffe
  76. ALL I NEED TO KNOW – PluX feat. Shimmer Johnson
  77. I WANNA FIGHT MY CLONE – Bear Ghost & Playboy Manbaby
  78. CANDY HEARTS – Risley
  79. APRIL FOOLS – The Goods
  80. GRANADA – John Serrano
  81. AIN’T THAT SOMETHING – Modern Neutrals
  82. BLUE TONIC – Defined By
  83. TIBER CREEK – Lillian King
  84. NEVER GOT THAT FAR – Thunder Fox
  85. MET YOU SOMEWHERE – Early Nites & Eunith
  86. I BET YOU HATE ME – Shallowdrown
  87. MIRRORS – Loveproof
  88. READ MY MIND (VIBES SONG) – Wild Horse
  89. FED TO THE TEETH – Homeless Radio
  90. GLIMMER – Petrov, the Hero
  91. A RECURRING THOUGHT – Terry Gomes
  92. ON THE EDGE – Drawing on Scars
  93. SOUNDS LIKE A DEAL – Alex Little
  94. CREATURE COMFORT – The Rat Utopia Experiment
  95. THE BLOOD MOON – Caged Animals
  96. POLLY AND ANDY – Rec Centre
  97. GROWING UP IS SCARY – Taylor DeRousse
  98. MARIA – Matt Csiszar
  99. LUNACY – Collette McLafferty
  100. GAMBLING WITH THE RAIN – David Gergen

The YouTube playlist:

The Spotify playlist:

Top 30 Songs for May 4-10, 2025

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's18 Comments
Photo of Cage the Elephant by Neil Krug

Alt rock band Cage the Elephant have been one of my favorite acts for well over 10 years, and I’ve loved most of their music. Founded in Bowling Green, Kentucky in 2006, the band relocated to London, England in early 2008, then moved to Nashville in 2009, where they remain today. Their current lineup consists of founding members Matt Shultz (lead vocals & rhythm guitar), his brother Brad Shultz (rhythm guitar, keyboards), Daniel Tichenor ( bass, backing vocals) and Jared Champion (drums, percussion), as well as Nick Bockrath (lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals) and Matthan Minster (keyboards, rhythm guitar, backing vocals), both of whom joined the band in 2017. Since 2008 they’ve released six critically acclaimed albums, two of which – Tell Me I’m Pretty in 2017 and Social Cues in 2020 – won Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album.

“Metaverse”, the third single from their latest album Neon Pill, ascends to #1 on this week’s chart. It’s their second single from that album to reach #1, after last year’s title track “Neon Pill”, and their eighth song to reach #1 on my chart. The song seems to be about the struggles of being in a band and striving for perfection but sometimes failing to achieve it: “It’s a natural progression. No need for affection. Just a perfect deflection when you got no perspective. Every day spent far from my family. Double check, checked out, I’m half asleep. What the hell? Oh, well, that’s life. What the hell? I keep running and running.“

There are lots of really lovely songs out now, and one of the best is the poignant “Time Waited” by My Morning Jacket, which moves up two spots to #2. The song is from their latest album is, released on March 25th. Two songs enter the top 10, the first of which is “Bad Larry”, by northwest Indiana stoner emo band Cloakroom. From their latest album Last Leg of the Human Table, the song has a bit of a Lord Huron sound, courtesy of achingly beautiful twangy guitars and the velvety-smooth vocals of lead singer Doyle Martin. The second is the gorgeous “Mortal Wound” by British indie rock band The Veils, from their seventh and latest album Asphodels. And speaking of Lord Huron, the L.A.-based indie folk rock band’s latest single “Nothing I Need” is the lone debut song this week. Fronted by singer-songwriter Ben Schneider, they’ve become one of my favorite bands since the release of their magnificent 2021 album Long Lost.

  1. METAVERSE – Cage the Elephant (2)
  2. TIME WAITED – My Morning Jacket (4)
  3. TAKE THIS HEART – Brian Lambert (1)
  4. RUSHMERE – Mumford & Sons (3)
  5. THE NIGHT BEFORE – The Black Keys (6)
  6. IMPOSTER SYNDROME – Fake Empire (5)
  7. WALLS – Frank Joshua (8)
  8. STRAIGHT TO THE GROUND – Unquiet Nights (7)
  9. BAD LARRY – Cloakroom (12)
  10. MORTAL WOUND – The Veils (13)
  11. THE TURNAROUND – DelCobras (14)
  12. IT’S AMAZING TO BE YOUNG – Fontaines D.C. (15)
  13. LUTHER – Kendrick Lamar & SZA (11)
  14. LAREDO – Leon Bridges (20)
  15. SNAKESKIN – NAVE (17)
  16. POOR SAD INDIE EVERYTHING – Icarus Phoenix (18)
  17. ANKLES – Lucy Dacus (19)
  18. PEOPLE WATCHING – Sam Fender (9)
  19. SAME OLD SONG – The Lumineers (10)
  20. ARCHBISHOP HAROLD HOLMES – Jack White (22)
  21. BARBARIAN – AWOLNATION (23)
  22. BASIC BEING BASIC – Djo (25)
  23. PORCELAIN (LOSING ALL MY PATIENCE) – Somebody’s Child (26)
  24. WITHOUT A DOUBT – Charm School (16)
  25. LET THINGS GO – Caamp (27)
  26. THREE SIX FIVE – Shinedown (28)
  27. EVERYTHING IS PEACEFUL LOVE – Bon Iver (29)
  28. SO LONG – Wavves (30)
  29. SO COLD – Balu Brigada (21) 19th week on chart
  30. NOTHING I NEED – Lord Huron (N)

Top 30 Songs for April 27-May 3, 2025

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's17 Comments
Photo of Brian Lambert by Olivia Rodriguez

The rousing garage rocker “Take This Heart” by Denton, Texas-based singer-songwriter Brian Lambert remains at #1 for a second week, while “Metaverse” by Nashville alt-rock band Cage the Elephant moves up two spots to #2 and “Rushmere” by English folk rock band Mumford & Sons holds at #3.

Four songs make their debut on my chart this week, starting with the upbeat and gentle “Let Things Go” by Columbus, Ohio-based folk band Caamp, comprised of Evan Westfall, Taylor Meier, Matt Vinson and
Joseph Kavalec. Their songs have always performed well on the Billboard AAA (Adult Alternative Airplay) chart, with three reaching #1; “Let Things Go” currently sits at #5 on that chart.

The second debut, entering at #28, is “Three Six Five” by long-time Florida rock band Shinedown. Formed in 2001, the band presently consists of founding member and front man Brent Smith, as well as Barry Kerch, Zach Myers and Eric Bass. They’ve garnered the most #1 singles on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts with 20 and counting, and every one of their singles have reached the top five on that chart.

The third debut is “Everything Is Peaceful Love” by American indie folk band Bon Iver. Originally founded in 2006 as a solo project by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon, Bon Iver eventually became a band consisting of Vernon, Sean Carey, Michael Lewis, Matthew McCaughan, Andrew Fitzpatrick and Jenn Wasner. The sweet, uplifting song is from their fifth studio album SABLE, fABLE, released on April 11th.

Entering at #30 is the fourth and final debut, “So Long” by San Diego-based indie rock band Wavves. Like Bon Iver, Wavves was originally formed as a solo project in 2008 by singer-songwriter Nathan Williams, but ultimately grew to become a full band, and after several lineup changes now also includes Alex Gates, Stephen Pope and Ross Traver. Their first new music since their 2021 album Hideaway, “So Long” was released on February 28th, and will be included on their forthcoming ninth album Spun, set for release in June. I love the song’s exuberant pop-punk sound that’s reminiscent of songs by Green Day, Blink-182 and The Orwells, and it marks their first appearance on my chart.

  1. TAKE THIS HEART – Brian Lambert (1)
  2. METAVERSE – Cage the Elephant (4)
  3. RUSHMERE – Mumford & Sons (3)
  4. TIME WAITED – My Morning Jacket (5)
  5. IMPOSTER SYNDROME – Fake Empire (2)
  6. THE NIGHT BEFORE – The Black Keys (8)
  7. STRAIGHT TO THE GROUND – Unquiet Nights (9)
  8. WALLS – Frank Joshua (10)
  9. PEOPLE WATCHING – Sam Fender (6)
  10. SAME OLD SONG – The Lumineers (7)
  11. LUTHER – Kendrick Lamar & SZA (13)
  12. BAD LARRY – Cloakroom (14)
  13. MORTAL WOUND – The Veils (15)
  14. THE TURNAROUND – DelCobras (16)
  15. IT’S AMAZING TO BE YOUNG – Fontaines D.C. (17)
  16. WITHOUT A DOUBT – Charm School (11)
  17. SNAKESKIN – NAVE (19)
  18. POOR SAD INDIE EVERYTHING – Icarus Phoenix (20)
  19. ANKLES – Lucy Dacus (21)
  20. LAREDO – Leon Bridges (22)
  21. SO COLD – Balu Brigada (12)
  22. ARCHBISHOP HAROLD HOLMES – Jack White (24)
  23. BARBARIAN – AWOLNATION (25)
  24. BAD DREAMS – Teddy Swims (18)
  25. BASIC BEING BASIC – Djo (29)
  26. PORCELAIN (LOSING ALL MY PATIENCE) – Somebody’s Child (30)
  27. LET THINGS GO – Caamp (N)
  28. THREE SIX FIVE – Shinedown (N)
  29. EVERYTHING IS PEACEFUL LOVE – Bon Iver (N)
  30. SO LONG – Wavves (N)

Top 30 Songs for April 20-26, 2025

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's11 Comments
Photo by Olivia Rodriguez

Brian Lambert is an affable, thoughtful and talented singer-songwriter from Denton, Texas who refers to himself as a “Friendly Neighborhood Rock and Roller”, and is also one of the most prolific musicians I know of. When Covid put a halt to playing live, he challenged himself to writing, recording and producing a new song every week for a year, an ambitious feat he went on to accomplish in 2021. Since then, he’s continued his prodigious output, writing and recording numerous songs both as a solo artist and in collaboration with a host of other musicians, including his frequent musical partner Marc Schuster (with whom he also has a side band called The Star Crumbles).

His lively, eclectic sound runs the gamut from rock’n’roll, indie folk and garage rock to grunge, punk and synthpop. In addition to a dizzying array of singles, he also released a terrific album Wild in September 2023 and EP Everything’s a Business in June 2024. I’ve featured him many times on this blog, most recently this past January when I reviewed his single “Take This Heart“. Inspired by the 90’s music of some of his favorite bands like Soul Asylum, the Goo Goo Dolls and Better Than Ezra, “Take This Heart” is a smoldering, foot-stomping garage rock banger of a love song. Brian wrote the music and lyrics, played all instruments and self-produced the track. I love it, and am pleased to finally place it at the top of my latest chart.

Entering the top 10 are “The Night Before” by The Black Keys, “Straight to the Ground” by Northern-Ireland rock act Unquiet Nights, and “Walls” by English singer-songwriter Frank Joshua, at #s 8, 9 & 10, respectively.

There are two new additions this week, the first of which is “Basic Being Basic” by Djo, the music project of American actor Joseph David Keery, known for his roles as Steve Harrington in the Netflix series Stranger Things and Gator Tillman in the fifth season of the crime drama series Fargo. The song is from his third album The Crux, which was released April 4th. His sleeper hit song “End of Beginning”, which went viral on TikTok and has been streamed over 1.4 billion times on Spotify, spent 15 weeks in my Top 30 last year, and ranks #43 on my 100 Best Songs of 2024 list. Djo is about to embark on a 36-date tour of the U.S. and Europe that will start in Salt Lake City on April 21st.

The second new entry, debuting at #30, is “Porcelain (Losing All My Patience)” by Irish alternative indie rock band Somebody’s Child, fronted by the charismatic singer-songwriter Cian Godfrey. The beautiful song is from their wonderful second album When Youth Fades Away, released on March 28th, and accompanied by an endearing video showing Godfrey singing and dancing to the song in London’s Waterloo Station. I don’t normally include videos for other songs on my charts other than the one at #1, but this one’s so charming I want to share it.

  1. TAKE THIS HEART – Brian Lambert (3)
  2. IMPOSTER SYNDROME – Fake Empire (1)
  3. RUSHMERE – Mumford & Sons (4)
  4. METAVERSE – Cage the Elephant (5)
  5. TIME WAITED – My Morning Jacket (7)
  6. PEOPLE WATCHING – Sam Fender (2)
  7. SAME OLD SONG – The Lumineers (6)
  8. THE NIGHT BEFORE – The Black Keys (13)
  9. STRAIGHT TO THE GROUND – Unquiet Nights (11)
  10. WALLS – Frank Joshua (12)
  11. WITHOUT A DOUBT – Charm School (10)
  12. SO COLD – Balu Brigada (9)
  13. LUTHER – Kendrick Lamar & SZA (14)
  14. BAD LARRY – Cloakroom (16)
  15. MORTAL WOUND – The Veils (17)
  16. THE TURNAROUND – DelCobras (18)
  17. IT’S AMAZING TO BE YOUNG – Fontaines D.C. (19)
  18. BAD DREAMS – Teddy Swims (8)
  19. SNAKESKIN – NAVE (22)
  20. POOR SAD INDIE EVERYTHING – Icarus Phoenix (23)
  21. ANKLES – Lucy Dacus (24)
  22. LAREDO – Leon Bridges (27)
  23. WHO’S A FRAUD? – Still Traffico (15)
  24. ARCHBISHOP HAROLD HOLMES – Jack White (26)
  25. BARBARIAN – AWOLNATION (28)
  26. YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves (20) 19th week on chart
  27. THE LINE – Twenty One Pilots (21)
  28. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely (25) 21st week on chart
  29. BASIC BEING BASIC – Djo (N)
  30. PORCELAIN (LOSING ALL MY PATIENCE) – Somebody’s Child (N)

Top 30 Songs for April 13-19, 2025

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's8 Comments

Not many changes to my latest Top 30, as Fake Empire‘s “Imposter Syndrome” holds onto the #1 spot for a second week, and there are no new debuts this week. Sam Fender moves into second place with hs touching “People Watching”, while Texas-based singer-songwriter Brian Lambert moves up two spots with his sultry rocker “Take This Heart”. “Without A Doubt” by Kentucky-based “No Wave Post Punk” rock band Charm School enters the top 10.

  1. IMPOSTER SYNDROME – Fake Empire (1)
  2. PEOPLE WATCHING – Sam Fender (3)
  3. TAKE THIS HEART – Brian Lambert (5)
  4. RUSHMERE – Mumford & Sons (6)
  5. METAVERSE – Cage the Elephant (7)
  6. SAME OLD SONG – The Lumineers (8)
  7. TIME WAITED – My Morning Jacket (9)
  8. BAD DREAMS – Teddy Swims (2)
  9. SO COLD – Balu Brigada (4)
  10. WITHOUT A DOUBT – Charm School (11)
  11. STRAIGHT TO THE GROUND – Unquiet Nights (13)
  12. WALLS – Frank Joshua (14)
  13. THE NIGHT BEFORE – The Black Keys (16)
  14. LUTHER – Kendrick Lamar & SZA (15)
  15. WHO’S A FRAUD? – Still Traffico (10)
  16. BAD LARRY – Cloakroom (18)
  17. MORTAL WOUND – The Veils (19)
  18. THE TURNAROUND – DelCobras (21)
  19. IT’S AMAZING TO BE YOUNG – Fontaines D.C. (22)
  20. YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves (12)
  21. THE LINE – Twenty One Pilots (17)
  22. SNAKESKIN – NAVE (25)
  23. POOR SAD INDIE EVERYTHING – Icarus Phoenix (26)
  24. ANKLES – Lucy Dacus (27)
  25. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely (23) 20th week on chart
  26. ARCHBISHOP HAROLD HOLMES – Jack White (28)
  27. LAREDO – Leon Bridges (29)
  28. BARBARIAN – AWOLNATION (30)
  29. AFTER ALL – Darksoft (24)
  30. SAILOR SONG – Gigi Perez (20)

Top 30 Songs for April 6-12, 2025

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's13 Comments

What a horrific week it’s been in America – and around the world, quite frankly – as our delusional, ignorant psychopath of a president precipitated a global financial meltdown with his pointless and insane tariffs, not to mention all his other illegal and incompetent actions. Be that as it may, at least we have lots of great music to drown our sorrows in, and my latest Top 30 is so good that every song belongs in the top five.

The darkly beautiful “Imposter Syndrome” by English alt-rock band Fake Empire dethrones Teddy Swims as it takes over the top spot this week. I loved it at first listen, and it continues to strongly resonate with me every time I hear it. I love the lush, haunting synths and The Cure-esque jangly guitars set to an enthralling beat and accompanied by arresting vocals. It’s the perfect song for sitting back with headphones and letting yourself be enveloped by its gorgeous soundscapes. To my mind, the lyrics seem to be about living lives that are inauthentic and controlled by other sociopolitical and cultural forces, leaving us acting like sheep, unable to be our true selves or even know who we really are: “Imposter syndrome. You’re sinking like a stone. How can you live when your life is not your own? Our lives are not our own.” Based in the south of England, Fake Empire consists of Simon Brookes, Les Black and Becky Bellinger, who together have been putting out music since 2017, all in the form of singles which now number 20 in total.

The beautiful anthem “People Watching” by English singer-songwriter Sam Fender moves up a notch to #3 this week. Included on his third studio album People Watching, which dropped February 21st, Fender wrote the song as a tribute to his friend and mentor Annie Orwin, who passed away last November. Describing her as being like a surrogate mother to him, he drew inspiration from his walks to and from the care home where she was a patient. He remained by her side at the end, sleeping on a chair next to her bed. He explained on his social media: “It’s kind of ironic because she was the one that gave me the confidence to go on stage, and always used to be like ‘why haven’t you mentioned my name in your acceptance speech’. But now an entire song (and album) connects to her. I hope that wherever she is now she’s looking down saying ‘about time kid’“. Fender co-produced the song and album in Los Angeles with Markus Dravs and Adam Granduciel of the American rock band the War on Drugs.

“Same Old Song” by Denver-based alterntive folk band The Lumineers finally enters the top 10 at #8, as well as “Time Waited” by American rock band My Morning Jacket at #9 and “Who’s a Fraud?” by English band Still Traffico, at #10. Debuting this week are songs by two long-time favorite acts of mine, the first of which is the beautiful “Laredo” by Texas-based singer-songwriter Leon Bridges. It’s the second single from his latest album Leon, which was released last October, and follows “Peaceful Place” which spent four weeks at #1 on my chart last fall. The second debut is “Barbarian” by L.A.-based alt-rock band AWOLNATION, from their sixth album The Phantom Five, which dropped last October. The song follows their previous single “Panoramic View” which spent 21 weeks on my chart last summer & fall, 12 of them in the top 10, and peaked at #3.

  1. IMPOSTER SYNDROME – Fake Empire (3)
  2. BAD DREAMS – Teddy Swims (1)
  3. PEOPLE WATCHING – Sam Fender (4)
  4. SO COLD – Balu Brigada (2)
  5. TAKE THIS HEART – Brian Lambert (5)
  6. RUSHMERE – Mumford & Sons (6)
  7. METAVERSE – Cage the Elephant (8)
  8. SAME OLD SONG – The Lumineers (11)
  9. TIME WAITED – My Morning Jacket (14)
  10. WHO’S A FRAUD? – Still Traffico (12)
  11. WITHOUT A DOUBT – Charm School (13)
  12. YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves (7)
  13. STRAIGHT TO THE GROUND – Unquiet Nights (15)
  14. WALLS – Frank Joshua (16)
  15. LUTHER – Kendrick Lamar & SZA (17)
  16. THE NIGHT BEFORE – The Black Keys (18)
  17. THE LINE – Twenty One Pilots (9)
  18. BAD LARRY – Cloakroom (19)
  19. MORTAL WOUND – The Veils (20)
  20. SAILOR SONG – Gigi Perez (10)
  21. THE TURNAROUND – DelCobras (22)
  22. IT’S AMAZING TO BE YOUNG – Fontaines D.C. (25)
  23. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (21)
  24. AFTER ALL – Darksoft (23)
  25. SNAKESKIN – NAVE (27)
  26. POOR SAD INDIE EVERYTHING – Icarus Phoenix (28)
  27. ANKLES – Lucy Dacus (29)
  28. ARCHBISHOP HAROLD HOLMES – Jack White (30)
  29. LAREDO – Leon Bridges (N)
  30. BARBARIAN – AWOLNATION (N)

Top 30 Songs for March 30-April 5, 2025

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's11 Comments

I think Georgia-based singer-songwriter Teddy Swims (born Jaten Collin Dimsdale) is one of the finest vocalists around today. Influenced by the soul music of artists like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Al Green his father had introduced him to as a child, he creates powerful, highly relatable songs blending a range of genres, including soul, country, pop and alternative rock. His beautiful song “Bad Dreams”, from his second album I’ve Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 2) released in January, takes over the top spot on my latest Top 30 chart.

He wrote the song after experiencing sleepless nights with recurring nightmares, but wanted it to be upbeat rather than maudlin. Inspired by his current wife, he wrote about how her love helps comfort and heal him: “Slippin into bad dreams, where there’s no you and I. No sound when I cry. I love you and I need you to set me free from all of these bad dreams.” In addition to Swims’ raw, soulful vocals, I love the sublime melody and charming ukelele played throughout. The song reached #2 on the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay chart, #7 on the Adult Top 40 chart, and #42 on the Hot 100. It’s Swims’ second song to reach #1 on my chart, after “Lose Control” in February of last year. His single “The Door” spent two weeks at #4 in November.

In other chart news of note, “Imposter Syndrome” by English alternative rock band Fake Empire advances two spots to #3. Even though the song runs 7:45 minutes in length, those The Cure and Depeche Mode-like musical elements sound so good I don’t want it to end. Also climbing three spots are “People Watching” by English singer-songwriter Sam Fender, “Take This Heart” by Texas singer-songwriter Brian Lambert, and “Rushmere” by English folk rock band Mumford & Sons, to #s 4, 5 & 6, respectively. The beautiful “Time Waited” by American indie rock band My Morning Jacket is the biggest upward mover this week, jumping 11 spots to #14.

And for the third week in a row there are two debut songs, the first of which is “Ankles” by Virginia-born and now L.A.-based singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus. The sweet, endearing song is from her wonderful fourth album Forever Is A Feeling, which dropped this past Friday, March 28th. Dacus is also a member of supergroup boygenius, which she formed in 2018 with Phoebe Bridgers and her current life partner Julien Baker.

The second debut, entering at #30, is the boisterous garage-blues rocker “Archbishop Harold Holmes” by Nashville-based singer-songwriter Jack White. From his sixth studio album No Name, released last July (2024), the song is a critique of religious fundamentalism, particularly those who see themselves as vessels of God entrusted with saving people for their own selfish gain. According to the music website GENIUS, “The song is written in the form of a junk letter one might get in the mail from some religious organization (expressed by the opening lyrics “Dear friend. If you want to feel better, don’t let the devil make you toss this letter“). The lyrics invoke that of preaching, but are also in the style of as-seen-on-tv advertising as well as references to internet chain mail and pyramid schemes.”

  1. BAD DREAMS – Teddy Swims (2)
  2. SO COLD – Balu Brigada (1)
  3. IMPOSTER SYNDROME – Fake Empire (5)
  4. PEOPLE WATCHING – Sam Fender (7)
  5. TAKE THIS HEART – Brian Lambert (8)
  6. RUSHMERE – Mumford & Sons (9)
  7. YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves (3)
  8. METAVERSE – Cage the Elephant (10)
  9. THE LINE – Twenty One Pilots (4)
  10. SAILOR SONG – Gigi Perez (6)
  11. SAME OLD SONG – The Lumineers (13)
  12. WHO’S A FRAUD? – Still Traffico (12)
  13. WITHOUT A DOUBT – Charm School (14)
  14. TIME WAITED – My Morning Jacket (25)
  15. STRAIGHT TO THE GROUND – Unquiet Nights (17)
  16. WALLS – Frank Joshua (18)
  17. LUTHER – Kendrick Lamar & SZA (19)
  18. THE NIGHT BEFORE – The Black Keys (20)
  19. BAD LARRY – Cloakroom (21)
  20. MORTAL WOUND – The Veils (22)
  21. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (15)
  22. THE TURNAROUND – DelCobras (24)
  23. AFTER ALL – Darksoft (23)
  24. SHE WANTS TO GO DANCING – Mt. Joy (11)
  25. IT’S AMAZING TO BE YOUNG – Fontaines D.C. (29)
  26. AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society (16) 19th week on chart
  27. SNAKESKIN – NAVE (28)
  28. POOR SAD INDIE EVERYTHING – Icarus Phoenix (30)
  29. ANKLES – Lucy Dacus (N)
  30. ARCHBISHOP HAROLD HOLMES – Jack White (N)

Top 30 for March 23-29, 2025

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's11 Comments

“So Cold” by Balu Brigada, the music project of multi-instrumentalist and writer/producer brothers Henry and Pierre Beasley, is still my favorite song and thus remains at #1 on my Top 30 chart for a third week. Moving into second place is the captivating “Bad Dreams” by Teddy Swims (aka American singer-songwriter Jaten Collin Dimsdale), while the darkly beautiful “Imposter Syndrome” by English alternative rock band Fake Empire moves up three spots to #5. Nashville band extraordinaire Cage the Elephant enter the top 10 with “Metaverse”, a great track from their latest album Neon Pill.

Two songs enter my chart this week, the first of which is the magical “It’s Amazing To Be Young” by Irish band Fontaines D.C., who’ve become one of my favorite acts. Their song “Starburster” was my #1 song of 2024, with “Favourite” ranking #8, both from their most recent album Romance, which was also my favorite album of 2024. As a now old man, I can attest to the fact that being young is most definitely amazing! The second debut is “Poor Sad Indie Everything” by Maryland-based shoegaze/indie rock band Icarus Phoenix. I featured the gorgeous song on a recent Fresh New Tracks post, and I absolutely love band frontman Drew Danburry’s enchanting vocals.

  1. SO COLD – Balu Brigada (1)
  2. BAD DREAMS – Teddy Swims (4)
  3. YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves (2)
  4. THE LINE – Twenty One Pilots (3)
  5. IMPOSTER SYNDROME – Fake Empire (8)
  6. SAILOR SONG – Gigi Perez (5)
  7. PEOPLE WATCHING – Sam Fender (7)
  8. TAKE THIS HEART – Brian Lambert (9)
  9. RUSHMERE – Mumford & Sons (10)
  10. METAVERSE – Cage the Elephant (12)
  11. SHE WANTS TO GO DANCING – Mt. Joy (6)
  12. WHO’S A FRAUD? – Still Traffico (14)
  13. SAME OLD SONG – The Lumineers (15)
  14. WITHOUT A DOUBT – Charm School (18)
  15. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (16)
  16. AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society (11)
  17. STRAIGHT TO THE GROUND – Unquiet Nights (19)
  18. WALLS – Frank Joshua (20)
  19. LUTHER – Kendrick Lamar & SZA (21)
  20. THE NIGHT BEFORE – The Black Keys (22)
  21. BAD LARRY – Cloakroom (24)
  22. MORTAL WOUND – The Veils (25)
  23. AFTER ALL – Darksoft (26)
  24. THE TURNAROUND – DelCobras (27)
  25. TIME WAITED – My Morning Jacket (29)
  26. DETROIT – Badflower (13)
  27. DAY & NIGHT – Oli Barton (17)
  28. SNAKESKIN – NAVE (30)
  29. IT’S AMAZING TO BE YOUNG – Fontaines D.C. (N)
  30. POOR SAD INDIE EVERYTHING – Icarus Phoenix (N)

Top 30 Songs for March 16-22, 2025

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's13 Comments

Charismatic duo Balu Brigada‘s wonderful “So Cold” remains at #1 for a second week, while “You’re My Drug” by one of my favorite indie artists, Northern Virginia-based Talk in Waves, moves up a notch into second place. Two songs enter the top 10 this week – the sensuous, bluesy rocker “Take This Heart” by another favorite indie artist of mine, Texas-based singer-songwriter and guitarist Brian Lambert, at #9, and the exuberant foot-stomper “Rushmere” by English folk rock band Mumford & Sons, at #10.

Debuting this week are the introspective and lovely “Time Waited” by American indie rock band My Morning Jacket, at #29. Formed in Louisville, Kentucky in 1998, the band currently consists of founding members Jim James (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) and Tom Blankenship (bass), as well as Patrick Hallahan (drums & percussion), Bo Koster (keyboards, percussion & backing vocals), and Carl Broemel (lead guitar, pedal steel, saxophone & backing vocals). Their gorgeous single “Feel You” went to #1 on my Top 30 and ranks #6 on my list of 100 Best Songs of 2020. Entering at #30 is the hauntingly beautiful “Snakeskin” by English artist NAVE, the music project of the hyper-talented and thoughtful singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Nathan Evans, who I’ve featured several times on this blog, most recently last month when I reviewed his album X. “Snakeskin” is his second song to appear on my Top 30, the first being “Broken Record”, which went to #1 and ranks #14 on my 100 Best Songs of 2022 list.

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

Top 30 Songs for March 9-15, 2025

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's12 Comments
Photo of Balu Brigada from their Facebook account

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)