It’s a third week on top for the beautiful “Rein Me In” by Sam Fender and Olivia Dean, as well as a third week at #2 for “Private” by The Neighbourhood, who’ve spent much of this year on their world tour which began in late March and concludes in their hometown of Los Angeles in December. Fontaines D.C. are the biggest upward movers again this week as their mesmerizing song “Marianne” jumps 10 spots to #7.
There are two new entries to my chart again this week, starting with “High Hopes 3000” by Los Angeles-based artist ROLE MODEL, the music project of 28-year-old singer-songwriter Tucker Harrington Pillsbury. The song is from his third studio album Chuck Timely & The Hourglass, which dropped August 7th. His 2025 single “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out” topped my chart exactly one year ago.
The second new entry is “Black Dog Rabbit Hole” by Nashville-based soul singer-songwriter Devon Gilfillian. The song is featured on his fourth album Time Will Tell, released on June 26th. His 2020 single “Unchained” reached #10 on my chart and ranks #68 on my 100 Best Songs of 2020 list.
REIN ME IN – Sam Fender & Olivia Dean (1)
PRIVATE – The Neighbourhood (2)
ONLINE – Western Jaguar (3)
HEART STOP – The Revivalists (4)
LOST BOYS – Phoebe Bridgers (7)
BEACHES IN TENNESSEE – Cage the Elephant (8)
MARIANNE – Fontaines D.C. (17)
RAGING HALLS – Lyia Meta (5)
DOORS – Noah Kahan (6)
NO MORE REGRETS – almost monday (9)
STONE OVER WATER – Death Cab for Cutie (13)
I FEEL HOPE COMING – Alabama Shakes (15)
WE MIGHT AS WELL BE STRANGERS – Weezer feat. Wednesday (11)
I CAN TAKE THE SUN OUT OF THE SKY – Brigitte Calls Me Baby (12)
HOLD ME IN THE DARK – Myles Smith (14)
THE ENDLESS BORDER – Velvet Jesus (10)
EVERGREEN – Young the Giant 20)
EDGE OF THE EARTH – The Beaches (21)
LOSER – Tame Impala (23)
BEHIND THE LINES OF REASON – Hardwicke Circus (22)
Sam Fender & Olivia Dean from the “Rein Me In” video
Sam Fender and Olivia Dean remain on top for a second week with “Rein Me In”, while Los Angeles alt rock band The Neighbourhood hold the #2 spot again with their captivating “Private”. “Online” by British Columbia, Canada-based artist Western Jaguar advances two spots to #3. In addition to Western Jaguar, two other Canadian acts are represented on this chart – The Beaches, whose song “Edge of the Earth” sits at #21, and Bealby Point, whose song “Metastasized” currently ranks #25. I must state that I’m both horrified and furious that our out-of-control lunatic president has started a needless economic war with our friendly neighbors to the north.
Irish band Fontaines D.C. are this week’s biggest upward movers, as their song “Marianne” leaps 11 spots to #17.
There are two new additions to my chart this week, the first of which is the wonderfully boisterous “Love To Go” by Nashville-based alt-rock band Edgehill, comprised of Chris Kelly (lead vocals and guitar), Jake Zimmermann (lead guitar and vocals), and Aidan Cunningham (drums). The trio have been putting out great songs since 2022, but I only learned about them earlier this year with the release of their song “Doubletake”, which ultimately went all the way to #1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart and #2 on my chart. Both “Doubletake” and “Love To Go” are from their debut album Ode to the Greyhouse, which was released this past February.
The second new entry is “Young Again” by Florida-based rock band Shinedown. Formed in 2001, the lineup presently includes founding members Brent Smith (lead vocals) and Barry Kerch (drums), as well as Zach Myers (guitar, piano, backing vocals) and Eric Bass (bass, guitar, piano, backing vocals). Shinedown has the most #1 singles on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts with 23, and all 37 of their released singles have reached the top five. To date, the band has sold more than 10 million records worldwide. (Wikipedia) “Young Again” is from their eighth album EI8HT, released this past May and also includes their song “Three Six Five”, which spent 12 weeks on my chart last year.
REIN ME IN – Sam Fender & Olivia Dean (1)
PRIVATE – The Neighbourhood (2)
ONLINE – Western Jaguar (5)
HEART STOP – The Revivalists (7)
RAGING HALLS – Lyia Meta (3)
DOORS – Noah Kahan (4)
LOST BOYS – Phoebe Bridgers (10)
BEACHES IN TENNESSEE – Cage the Elephant (9)
NO MORE REGRETS – almost monday (8)
THE ENDLESS BORDER – Velvet Jesus (6)
WE MIGHT AS WELL BE STRANGERS – Weezer feat. Wednesday (15)
I CAN TAKE THE SUN OUT OF THE SKY – Brigitte Calls Me Baby (16)
STONE OVER WATER – Death Cab for Cutie (17)
HOLD ME IN THE DARK – Myles Smith (14)
I FEEL HOPE COMING – Alabama Shakes (20)
REPEAT OFFENDER – Gloom is Okay (11)
MARIANNE – Fontaines D.C. (28)
SELF AWARE – Temper City (12)
FREAKING OUT – Michigander (13)
EVERGREEN – Young the Giant 22)
EDGE OF THE EARTH – The Beaches (23)
BEHIND THE LINES OF REASON – Hardwicke Circus (24)
Sam Fender & Olivia Dean taken from the “Rein Me In” video
After several weeks of waiting in the wings, the gorgeous “Rein Me In” by English singer-songwriter Sam Fender and English singer-songwriter Olivia Dean (who won the Best New Artist Grammy earlier this year) ascends to the top of my chart. The song is a re-recorded duet version of the original from Fender’s third studio album People Watching. The original version of “Rein Me In” was released in June 2025 as the sixth single from the album and eventually became Fender’s first song to reach #1 on the UK Singles Chart in February 2026, as well as winning the Brit Award for Song of the Year. In addition to Fender and Dean’s great vocals, I love the beautiful piano, jangly guitar and blaring sax.
Fender debuted the new version during a show at London Stadium in June, bringing Dean on stage to perform it with him. Videos of that performance went viral, and the two performed it again nine days later at Fender’s St. James’ Park concert. Fender announced the official release of the new version on June 20th, stating that Dean “added a female perspective to ‘Rein Me In,’ and I think it’s all the better for it“. The original and duet versions ended up spending a combined 23 non-consecutive weeks at number one, making it the longest-running number-one single in UK music history. The song also topped the charts in Australia and Ireland and reached #2 in New Zealand. It became Fender’s first entry on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 45. “Rein Me In” is his second song to reach #1 on my chart, the first being his 2021 single “Seventeen Going Under”.
In other chart developments of note, The Neighbourhood move into second place with “Private”, while Cage the Elephant‘s “Beaches In Tennessee” and Phoebe Bridgers‘ “Lost Boys” enter the top 10. The sole debut this week, entering at #28, is the enthralling “Marianne”, the new single from the always wonderful Irish rock band Fontaines D.C. The song is the lead single from their forthcoming fifth album Dopamine Chamber, set for release October 16th.
REIN ME IN – Sam Fender & Olivia Dean (3)
PRIVATE – The Neighbourhood (4)
RAGING HALLS – Lyia Meta (1)
DOORS – Noah Kahan (2)
ONLINE – Western Jaguar (6)
THE ENDLESS BORDER – Velvet Jesus (7)
HEART STOP – The Revivalists (8)
NO MORE REGRETS – almost monday (10)
BEACHES IN TENNESSEE – Cage the Elephant (11)
LOST BOYS – Phoebe Bridgers (12)
REPEAT OFFENDER – Gloom is Okay (5)
SELF AWARE – Temper City (9)
FREAKING OUT – Michigander (14)
HOLD ME IN THE DARK – Myles Smith (15)
WE MIGHT AS WELL BE STRANGERS – Weezer feat. Wednesday (17)
I CAN TAKE THE SUN OUT OF THE SKY – Brigitte Calls Me Baby (19)
STONE OVER WATER – Death Cab for Cutie (20)
PICKING DRAGON’S POCKETS – Modest Mouse (13)
WE SHOULD TALK – Bleachers (18)
I FEEL HOPE COMING – Alabama Shakes (23)
LOVE ME NOT – Grace Potter (16)
EVERGREEN – Young the Giant 24)
EDGE OF THE EARTH – The Beaches (25)
BEHIND THE LINES OF REASON – Hardwicke Circus (26)
Photo of Lyia and Cha Cha Girl taken from her Facefook account
“Raging Halls” by Malaysian singer-songwriter extraordinaire Lyia Meta remains atop my chart for a second week, while American singer-songwriter Noah Kahan moves into second place with “Doors”. Entering the top 10 is “no more regrets” by San Diego, California-based indie pop band almost monday.
There are three new additions to my chart this week, starting with “Loser” by Australian act Tame Impala, the music project of singer-songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker. The song, which debuts at #27, was actually released last September (2025) as the second single from Tame Impala’s fifth album Deadbeat, which dropped a month later, but as with The Beaches’ “Edge of the Earth” is currently appearing on various alternative charts (which heavily influence my own chart). His single “Dracula” spent three weeks at the top of my chart at the beginning of this year.
Entering at #29 is “Window” by legendary American rock band the Foo Fighters. The song is from their 12th studio album Your Favorite Toy, released this past April. And coming in at #30 is “Metastasized”, the latest single by Vancouver, Canada-based indie pop-rock band Bealby Point, who currently consist of Jack Armstrong (lead vocals, guitar), Jordan Studer (bass) and Zack Yeager (drums). I’ve been a big fan of theirs since learning about them in 2021, and have featured them several times on this blog. “Metastasized” will be included on their forthcoming debut album Happiness Frontier.
RAGING HALLS – Lyia Meta (1)
DOORS – Noah Kahan (3)
REIN ME IN – Sam Fender & Olivia Dean (4)
PRIVATE – The Neighbourhood (5)
REPEAT OFFENDER – Gloom is Okay (2)
ONLINE – Western Jaguar (7)
THE ENDLESS BORDER – Velvet Jesus (8)
HEART STOP – The Revivalists (10)
SELF AWARE – Temper City (6)
NO MORE REGRETS – almost monday (11)
BEACHES IN TENNESSEE – Cage the Elephant (12)
LOST BOYS – Phoebe Bridgers (13)
PICKING DRAGONS’ POCKETS – Modest Mouse (9)
FREAKING OUT – Michigander (16)
HOLD ME IN THE DARK – Myles Smith (17)
LOVE ME NOT – Grace Potter (18)
WE MIGHT AS WELL BE STRANGERS – Weezer feat. Wednesday (19)
WE SHOULD TALK – Bleachers (20)
I CAN TAKE THE SUN OUT OF THE SKY – Brigitte Calls Me Baby (21)
STONE OVER WATER – Death Cab for Cutie (22)
EXIT WOUND – Ships Have Sailed (14)
MARATHONS – Sorry Ghost (15)
I FEEL HOPE COMING – Alabama Shakes (26)
EVERGREEN – Young the Giant 28)
EDGE OF THE EARTH – The Beaches (29)
BEHIND THE LINES OF REASON – Hardwicke Circus (30)
After a two-week hiatus due to being on vacation in Georgia and western North Carolina, I’m back with my latest top 30 chart. American indie pop-rock band Death Cab for Cutie jumps four spots to take over the #1 spot with their pensive single “Riptides”, displacing last week’s top song “Slumber Party” by Brigitte Calls Me Baby. Formed in 1997, Death Cab for Cutie currently consists of Ben Gibbard (vocals, guitar, piano), Nick Harmer (bass), Dave Depper (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Zac Rae (keyboards, guitar), and Jason McGerr (drums). “Riptides” is the lead single from their 11th studio album I Built You a Tower, which dropped this past Friday, June 5th. The album’s rather melancholic yet upbeat tone was inspired by band frontman and songwriter Ben Gibbard’s experiences dealing with the end of his marriage while also constantly being on tour. I’ve been a longtime fan of Death Cab for Cutie and have always loved Gibbard’s comforting tenor vocals. They previously topped my chart with “Gold Rush” in 2018, though “Here to Forever” reached #2 in 2022.
There are two new debuts this week, however, a total of five songs have entered my charts since my last post so I’ll mention them all. First off is the lovely “Exit Wound” by another longtime favorite act Ships Have Sailed. Based in Los Angeles, the duo is made up of singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Will Carpenter and drummer Art Andranikyan, though more recently they’ve collaborated with a number of other songwriters and musicians. I’ve written about them for this blog more times than I can remember, and several of their songs have appeared on my charts. “Exit Wound” was co-written by Carpenter and Bill O’Hanlon.
Next up is “Ride Lonesome” by singer-songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Beck. Released in April, the song is his first new music in two years and has a laid-back Americana sound. I like how he continually changes up his sound, keeping it fresh by his willingness to venture into new styles and genres.
The third song among the three previous debuts is the very cool-sounding “Good2B” by American rock band Goose (not to be confused with the band Geese), which currently consists of Rick Mitarotonda (guitar, vocals), Trevor Weeks (bass, vocals, poetry), Peter Anspach (keyboards, guitar, vocals) and Cotter Ellis (drums, vocals). Their eclectic jam band sound has been compared to the funk and progressive rock influences of Phish and Umphrey’s McGee and the folk, jazz, and blues influences of the Grateful Dead. The song will be included on their sixth studio album Big Modern, set for release on June 12th.
The first of this week’s two new entries is “Picking Dragons’ Pockets” by the always zany and unorthodox Portland, Oregon-based alt-rock band Modest Mouse. Formed in 1993, the band has undergone numerous personnel changes over the years and presently consists of frontman and founding member Isaac Brock (lead vocals, guitars, banjo), Russell Higbee (bass, guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Ben Massarella (drums, percussion), Simon O’Connor (guitar, backing vocals), Damon Cox (drums, percussion) and Keith Karman (keyboards, guitar, bass, backing vocals). The song is from their eighth studio album An Eraser and a Maze, which also dropped this past Friday, June 5th.
An interesting tidbit of info I found on their Wikipedia page referenced a 2016 study conducted by Italian music data company Musixmatch which surveyed 43,414 songs spanning multiple genres. It found that Modest Mouse was one of the most profane bands among the subjects categorized as “indie rock,” second only to The Neighborhood (whose song “Hula Girl” recently topped my chart). It was estimated that Modest Mouse used profanity every 310 words, and that the top three swear words uttered by the band were “shit,” “fuck” and “ass,” respectively.
The second new entry this week, and the final of five overall, is the hard-hitting “Raging Halls” by insanely talented Malaysian artist Lyia Meta. A highly accomplished, award-winning and Grammy-nominated Renaissance woman, Lyia is a singer, songwriter, musician and vocal coach, as well as a writer, teacher and visual artist whose work spans multiple media formats. 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.
“Raging Halls” 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.”
RIPTIDES – Death Cab for Cutie (5)
SLUMBER PARTY – Brigitte Calls Me Baby (1)
BEDROOM POSTERS – Yellowcard feat. Good Charlotte (3)
Twenty One Pilots maintain a firm grip on the top spot for a third week with their beautiful song “Drag Path”, while Brigitte Calls Me Baby‘s delightfully boisterous “Slumber Party” and Talk in Waves‘ plaintive Americana-tinged “Waiting for Me” move up a notch to #s 2 and 3, respectively. “Riptides” by Death Cab for Cutie moves up three to enter the top 10 at #10, and The Strokes are the biggest upward movers again this week, as “Going Shopping” jumps seven spots to #13.
Four terrific songs enter my chart this week, starting with the infectious “Until The Sun Explodes” by Long Beach, California-based ska punk band Sublime, comprised of founding members Eric Wilson (bass) and Bud Gaugh (drums), as well as vocalist Jakob Newell, son of founding member Bradley Nowell who died in 1996. Their previous single “Ensenada” reached #1 on my chart this past November and has spent nearly eight months and counting at #1 on Billboard‘s Rock/Alternative Airplay chart!
Coming in at #28 is “Self Aware”, the debut single by Israeli alternative rock band Temper City, which consists of musicians Chen Kordova, Aviv Barenholz and Eitan Peled. Released in February, the song quickly went viral on TikTok and has already amassed over 109 million streams on Spotify, and 3.7 million views on YouTube. The track’s style and sound have been compared to acts like Steve Lacy, Hozier, Cage the Elephant and The Neighbourhood, all favorites of mine. I only heard it a few days ago and already love it. I was surprised to learn that it’s the first song by an Israeli band to ever appear on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Next up is “Kill Me Fast” by veteran Canadian rock band Three Days Grace. Formed in the 90s and now based in Toronto, they’re comprised of the original line-up of guitarist and lead vocalist Adam Gontier, drummer and backing vocalist Neil Sanderson and bassist Brad Walst, plus Barry Stock who joined as lead guitarist in 2003, and Walst’s younger brother Matt, who was a longtime songwriter for the band and became lead singer in 2013 when Gontier left Three Days Grace (he rejoined in 2024). The song is from their eighth studio album Alienation, released in August 2025.
The fourth new entry is “In My Room” by American singer-songwriter and record producer Julia Wolf (born Julia Capello). The song was originally released in March 2024 as the lead single from her second studio album Pressure, which dropped in May 2025, but was re-released as the title track of a five-song EP in late March, at which point it finally charted in the U.S. Wolf states the rather dark song is about missing an ex-partner who’s moved on.
DRAG PATH – Twenty One Pilots (1)
SLUMBER PARTY – Brigitte Calls Me Baby (3)
WAITING FOR ME – Talk in Waves (4)
BEDROOM POSTERS – Yellowcard feat. Good Charlotte (7)
LOOK OUT FOR ME – Turnstile (6)
DIFFERENT KIND OF LOVE – Young the Giant (9)
I REMEMBER WHEN – MISSIO (2)
YOUR FAVORITE TOY – Foo Fighters (10)
YOU GOT TO LOSE – The Black Keys (5)
RIPTIDES – Death Cab for Cutie (13)
THE GREAT DIVIDE – Noah Kahan (11)
HEAVY FOOT – Mon Rovîa (12)
GOING SHOPPING – The Strokes (20)
BURN FOR YOU RMX – Between Daze (15)
HEADLIGHTS – In Color (18)
HOMEWRECKER – sombr (19)
SITE UNSEEN – Courtney Barnett featuring Waxahatchee (17)
DOUBLETAKE – Edgehill (8)
STARLIGHT – Cannons (14)
FREAKIN’ OUT – Dexter and The Moonrocks (23)
YOU AND FOREVER – Bleachers (21)
DYING TO LOVE – Bad Omens (22)
DROP DEAD – Olivia Rodrigo (25)
BE WITH YOU – Muse (24)
TO LOVE SOMEBODY – Holly Humberstone (27)
HULA GIRL – The Neighbourhood (16) 21st week on chart
Photo of Josh Dun and Tyler Joseph from their Facebook account.
Twenty One Pilots remain at #1 for a second week with “Drag Path”, while MISSIO hold at #2 again after spending a week at #1. Chicago-based Brigitte Calls Me Baby moves up two to #3 with their exhilarating “Slumber Party”, and Northern Virginia singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Talk in Waves also advances two spots to #4 with his heartfelt “Waiting for Me”.
Entering the top 10 are “Different Kind Of Love” by Young the Giant, moving up two spots to #9, and “Your Favorite Toy” by Foo Fighters, also advancing two spots to #10 and still going strong after more than 30 years! The Strokes are the biggest upward movers this week as their delightfully wry “Going Shopping” jumps seven spots to #20. Backed by a lighthearted, bouncy groove, Julian Casablancas muses about materialism, growing older, societal alienation and the push and pull of city vs. country living (all things I’ve wrestled with myself). There are no new additions to my chart this week.
DRAG PATH – Twenty One Pilots (1)
I REMEMBER WHEN – MISSIO (2)
SLUMBER PARTY – Brigitte Calls Me Baby (5)
WAITING FOR ME – Talk in Waves (6)
YOU GOT TO LOSE – The Black Keys (4)
LOOK OUT FOR ME – Turnstile (7)
BEDROOM POSTERS – Yellowcard feat. Good Charlotte (10)
DOUBLETAKE – Edgehill (3)
DIFFERENT KIND OF LOVE – Young the Giant (11)
YOUR FAVORITE TOY – Foo Fighters (12)
THE GREAT DIVIDE – Noah Kahan (8)
HEAVY FOOT – Mon Rovîa (13)
RIPTIDES – Death Cab for Cutie (16)
STARLIGHT – Cannons (14)
BURN FOR YOU RMX – Between Daze (15)
HULA GIRL – The Neighbourhood (9) 20th week on chart
SITE UNSEEN – Courtney Barnett featuring Waxahatchee (18)
Photo of Josh Dun and Tyler Joseph taken from their Facebook account.
Twenty One Pilots, comprised of singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun, have been my favorite music act for the past ten years. This week, their beautiful song “Drag Path” takes over the #1 spot, marking their 15th song to top my chart. They topped my chart three times last year alone, with “The Line”, “The Contract” and “City Walls”.
“Drag Path” was originally released last September as a bonus track on the Breach (Digital Remains) album bundle on the band’s official online store, with a slightly shorter version released as a single in February of this year, accompanied by a music video featuring scenes from Danish filmmaker and animator Tobias Gundorff Boesen’s 2010 stop-motion short film Out of a Forest. The band states the song is a continuation of the in-universe lore, connecting both to the end of the “City Walls” music video, as well as serving as postlude to the album Breach. “Drag Path” currently also tops the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart and peaked at #57 on the Hot 100. It also became Twenty One Pilots’ third-highest-charting single in the UK, peaking at #23, as well as their highest-charting single in Australia since “Heathens” in 2016.
In other chart developments of note, “LOOK OUT FOR ME” by Turnstile jumps four spots to enter the top 10 at #7, while “Bedroom Posters” by Yellowcard featuring Good Charlotte moves up two spots to enter the top 10 at #10.
I’m aware of the fact that women have been woefully under-represented on my chart of late, so am now remedying that with two new debuts by young female artists this week, starting with “drop dead” by American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo, which debuted last week at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Her 2021 song “drivers license” reached #1 on my chart and ranks #8 on my 100 Best Songs of 2021 list. Hard to believe that was five years ago!
The second new entry is the delightfully catchy “To Love Somebody” by English singer-songwriter Holly Humberstone. The song was the lead single from her second studio album Cruel World, which dropped April 10th. From what I can tell, it’s her highest-charting single thus far, and also her first song to appear on my chart.
DRAG PATH – Twenty One Pilots (3)
I REMEMBER WHEN – MISSIO (1)
DOUBLETAKE – Edgehill (2)
YOU GOT TO LOSE – The Black Keys (6)
SLUMBER PARTY – Brigitte Calls Me Baby (8)
WAITING FOR ME – Talk in Waves (7)
LOOK OUT FOR ME – Turnstile (11)
THE GREAT DIVIDE – Noah Kahan (5)
HULA GIRL – The Neighbourhood (4)
BEDROOM POSTERS – Yellowcard feat. Good Charlotte (12)
DIFFERENT KIND OF LOVE – Young the Giant (13)
YOUR FAVORITE TOY – Foo Fighters (14)
HEAVY FOOT – Mon Rovîa (15)
STARLIGHT – Cannons (16)
BURN FOR YOU RMX – Between Daze (17)
RIPTIDES – Death Cab for Cutie (22)
FOOL’S GOLD – Buffalo Traffic Jam (18)
SITE UNSEEN – Courtney Barnett featuring Waxahatchee (19)
Photo of Matthew Brue and David Butler by Rob Martinez
One of my favorite music acts is MISSIO, a hyper-talented and insanely creative 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 partner, producer and frequent collaborator Dwight Baker and drummer Jaydon Bean. I’ve written about them numerous times and have reviewed three of their albums (my review of their magnificent 2019 album The Darker the Weather // The Better the Man has garnered nearly 4,000 views, making it my most-viewed album review ever).
Their boisterous, hard-charging single “I Remember When” takes over the #1 spot on my latest chart, and is their fifth song to top my chart after “I See You” and “Underground” in 2019, “Can You Feel the Sun” in 2021 and “Time” in 2024. About the track, which is the lead single from their forthcoming sixth album Love & Heartbreak, the guys explained: “The world is changing/transitioning at such a rapid pace that it feels impossible to keep up with right now. There’s a general apathy that everyone feels but no one seems to be talking about. We want to talk about it. ‘I Remember When’ reminisces about those nostalgic feelings of growing up when life felt easier, when the summertime made us feel free and alive. Maybe it’s just the natural progression of age but life feels harder to resonate with as we experience some of the harsh realities of the world we all share right now.“
In other chart developments of note, “Doubletake” by Edgehill advances two spots to #2 (the song is currently #1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart), and the stunning “Drag Path” by Twenty One Pilots jumps three spots to #3. The song confirms for me that they remain my current favorite band, a position they’ve held since 2016.
Two songs make their debut this week, the first of which is “Freakin’ Out” by another Texas act, alternative indie/country rock band Dexter and The Moonrocks. Formed in 2021 in Abilene, Texas, the band consists of cousins Ryan and Ty Anderson, James Tuffs and Ryan Fox. It’s their third song to appear on my chart, following “Sad in Carolina”, which reached #1 in late 2024/early 2025, and “Ritalin”.
The second new entry is “Going Shopping” by American rock band The Strokes. Formed in New York City in 1998, they consist of singer Julian Casablancas, guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikolai Fraiture and drummer Fabrizio Moretti. The song is from their forthcoming seventh studio album Reality Awaits, due for release on June 26th. Earlier this month, the band performed at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival, and on the second weekend of the festival they concluded their set with a performance of their 2016 single “Oblivius” accompanied by an onscreen montage of footage accusing the CIA of overthrowing foreign governments, Israeli bombings in Gaza, and condemning US involvement in foreign affairs, including the war in Iran.
I REMEMBER WHEN – MISSIO (2)
DOUBLETAKE – Edgehill (4)
DRAG PATH – Twenty One Pilots (6)
HULA GIRL – The Neighbourhood (1)
THE GREAT DIVIDE – Noah Kahan (3)
YOU GOT TO LOSE – The Black Keys (5)
WAITING FOR ME – Talk in Waves (7)
SLUMBER PARTY – Brigitte Calls Me Baby (9)
SWEET LOVE – Stephen Sanchez (8)
THE OLD LAW – Father John Misty (10)
LOOK OUT FOR ME – Turnstile (13)
BEDROOM POSTERS – Yellowcard feat. Good Charlotte (12)
DIFFERENT KIND OF LOVE – Young the Giant (14)
YOUR FAVORITE TOY – Foo Fighters (15)
HEAVY FOOT – Mon Rovîa (16)
STARLIGHT – Cannons (17)
BURN FOR YOU RMX – Between Daze (18)
FOOL’S GOLD – Buffalo Traffic Jam (19)
SITE UNSEEN – Courtney Barnett featuring Waxahatchee (20)
SONG OF THE FUTURE – U2 (21)
LOST YOUR GHOST – Two Feet (11)
RIPTIDES – Death Cab for Cutie (27)
YOU AND FOREVER – Bleachers (25)
HEADLIGHTS – In Color (28)
DYING TO LOVE – Bad Omens (29)
HOMEWRECKER – sombr (30)
BE WITH YOU – Muse (26)
WHO’S YOUR BOYFRIEND – Royel Otis (13) 20th week on chart
Photo of The Neighbourhood from their Facebook account
It’s a fairly quiet week for my latest chart, as The Neighbourhood remain on top with their charming “Hula Girl” and there are no new entries (though 16 “new” songs entered my chart over the previous five weeks). MISSIO move into second place with their exhilarating “I Remember When”, Twenty One Pilots‘ “Drag Path” jumps four spots to #6 and “The Old Law” by Father John Misty moves up a spot to enter the top 10 at #10. The song is the highest-charting for him, as well as his first to appear on my chart. And because there are no new debuts, nor did I want to drop any songs from my chart, the songs at numbers 25-30 remain stuck in place. That’s certainly no reflection on their quality, as they’ll all be rising in the coming weeks.
HULA GIRL – The Neighbourhood (1)
I REMEMBER WHEN – MISSIO (3)
THE GREAT DIVIDE – Noah Kahan (2)
DOUBLETAKE – Edgehill (4)
YOU GOT TO LOSE – The Black Keys (5)
DRAG PATH – Twenty One Pilots (10)
WAITING FOR ME – Talk in Waves (7)
SWEET LOVE – Stephen Sanchez (8)
SLUMBER PARTY – Brigitte Calls Me Baby (9)
THE OLD LAW – Father John Misty (11)
LOST YOUR GHOST – Two Feet (6)
BEDROOM POSTERS – Yellowcard feat. Good Charlotte (15)
LOOK OUT FOR ME – Turnstile (16)
DIFFERENT KIND OF LOVE – Young the Giant (17)
YOUR FAVORITE TOY – Foo Fighters (18)
HEAVY FOOT – Mon Rovîa (21)
STARLIGHT – Cannons (19)
BURN FOR YOU RMX – Between Daze (20)
FOOL’S GOLD – Buffalo Traffic Jam (22)
SITE UNSEEN – Courtney Barnett featuring Waxahatchee (23)
