I’m still besotted with “Marianne” by Fontaines D.C., thus it holds onto the top spot for a fifth consecutive week, making it the second song this year – after sombr‘s “12 to 12” – and only the third song so far this decade, to spend five weeks at #1 (the other being “The Faithful Heart” by Wons Phreely + The Horses at the beginning of 2025). And “Metastasized” by the outstanding and enormously-talented Canadian indie rock band Bealby Point advances four spots to #2. Their songs are always ear worms that continue to grow on you, and “Metastasized” keeps sounding better with every listen.

There are two new additions to my chart this week, starting with the joyously upbeat “Talk It Over” by Texas-based singer-songwriter and producer Leon Bridges, one of my favorite male vocalists making music today. The song is from his fifth album Happiness Anytime, released on September 25th. Several of this songs have appeard on my charts, two of which – “Bad Bad News” in 2018 and “Peaceful Place” in 2024 – reached #1, with both placing in the top 10 of my 100 Best Song lists for their respective years. None of Bridges’ songs have ever made the Billboard Hot 100 (with the exception of “July”, his 2019 duet with Noah Cyrus that peaked at a paltry #85), which is absolutely criminal, though several of his songs have performed very well on the Adult Alternative chart.

The second new entry is “Flower In A Hurricane” by French electronic duo Justice, featuring vocals by a dream team of Kevin Parker of Australian alt-rock act Tame Impala (whose song “Loser” sits at #5 on this chart), American singer-songwriter SZA, and Australian rock legends King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. The song is the featured track in the official launch trailer for the video game Grand Theft Auto VI and will also be included on Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album, to be released November 19th. The opening guitar riff sounds suspiciously similar to the one on the Dire Straits song “Money For Nothing”, and could be either copyright infringement or tribute; you decide. Justice and Tame Impala also collaborated on the 2024 single “Neverender”, which reached #1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart and peaked at #3 on my chart in early 2025.

1. MARIANNE – Fontaines D.C. (1) 5th week at #1
2. METASTASIZED – Bealby Point (6)
3. I FEEL HOPE COMING – Alabama Shakes (3)
4. STONE OVER WATER – Death Cab for Cutie (2)
5. LOSER – Tame Impala (4)
6. WE MIGHT AS WELL BE STRANGERS – Weezer feat. Wednesday (5)
7. WINDOW – Foo Fighters (7)
8. BEHIND THE LINES OF REASON – Hardwicke Circus (9)
9. LOVE TO GO – Edgehill (10)
10. PRIVATE – The Neighbourhood (8) 21st week on chart
11. BLACK DOG RABBIT HOLE – Devon Gilfillian (14)
12. GOOD TIMES // END TIMES – Goose (15)
13. ALREADY GONE – Orville Peck (16)
14. I KINDA LIKE THAT – The Paradox (17)
15. OH YEAH? – Steve Lacy (18)
16. EXIT SIGNS – LEAP (20)
17. BOTTLE – Remi Wolf (21)
18. YOUNG AGAIN – Shinedown (13)
19. WHO’S THAT – The War on Drugs (24)
20. BEDHEAD – Balu Brigada (22)
21. NEW AESTHETIC – Beach Weather (23)
22. EDGE OF THE EARTH – The Beaches (11)
23. LOST BOYS – Phoebe Bridgers (12)
24. FIVE – Secret Postal Society (25)
25. MY WHOLE WORLD – Kings of Leon (26)
26. BEYOND THE RAIN – Johnny Marr (27)
27. BEACHES IN TENNESSEE – Cage the Elephant (19)
28. STAY WITH ME – Talk in Waves (30)
29. TALK IT OVER – Leon Bridges (N)
30. FLOWER IN A HURRICANE – Justice feat. Tame Impala, SZA, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard (N)