Tag: Top Songs February 2023

Top 30 Songs for February 19-25, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's14 Comments

In the space of only six months, alternative pop-rock trio Beach Weather have become one of my favorite bands. Though they’d been around since late 2015, I first learned about them last summer when I heard their song “Sex, Drugs, Etc.”, which I loved at first listen. The song was originally recorded in 2016, and included on their debut EP Chit Chat, but wasn’t released as a single back then, and largely went unnoticed. After dropping a second EP What a Drag, the band went on hiatus as the three members, Nick Santino, Reeve Powers, and Sean Silverman, relocated to different cities and began working on their own solo projects. Fortunately for us, they reunited in late 2021, and began work on their forthcoming debut album Pineapple Sunrise, due for release on March 3rd. In the meantime, “Sex, Drugs, Etc.” went viral on TikTok and became a huge hit on alternative radio, going all the way to #1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart. It’s also spent nearly six months on my Weekly Top 30, three of them at #1, and ended up at #3 on my 100 Best Songs of 2022 list.

Last August, they started releasing a string of new singles from Pineapple Sunrise, beginning with “Unlovable”, their first new release in five years. They followed in November with the melancholy but beautiful “Trouble With This Bed”, which takes over the top spot of my Weekly Top 30. (They’ve since dropped two more singles, “Homebody” in January, which I reviewed, and “Hard Feelings” this past Friday the 17th.) “Trouble With This Bed” touches on a romantic relationship crippled by uncertainty and unfulfilled desires, acted out by a young couple in the accompanying video, interspersed with scenes of Beach Weather performing the song, all on the same bed. I particularly love the song’s beautiful languid groove, Nick’s dreamy layered vocals, and that dominant bassline. 

I’m excited to add four marvelous new songs to my list this week: “Love From the Other Side” by rock veterans Fall Out Boy, their first new music in four years, entering at #21; “Soften” by Canadian singer-songwriter Alex Southey, whose latest EP Common Fantasies I also reviewed last month, at #28; “Eyez” by Black Keys member Dan Auerbach’s side project The Arcs, at #29; and “Weightless” by hyper-talented British singer-songwriter Arlo Parks, her first appearance on my chart, bringing up the rear at #30.

  1. TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (3)
  2. SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (1)
  3. THIS IS WHY – Paramore (2)
  4. NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (5)
  5. THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (7)
  6. ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (4)
  7. BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (9)
  8. TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (6)
  9. PAGES – White Reaper (13)
  10. DANCE FOR ME – Sam Rappaport (8)
  11. WILD AS THE WIND – HULLAH (11)
  12. MAYFLY – Callum Pitt (12)
  13. JUST BEFORE THE MORNING – Local Natives (15)
  14. TRANSMITTER – Sea Power (16)
  15. SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (10)
  16. KILL BILL – SZA (14)
  17. YOU GOTTA DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO – Darksoft (20)
  18. SLEEPWALKING – All Time Low (22)
  19. PEPPER – Death Cab for Cutie (24)
  20. STICK SEASON – Noah Kahan (18)
  21. LOVE FROM THE OTHER SIDE – Fall Out Boy (N)
  22. I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (17)
  23. SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (27)
  24. SUREFIRE – Wilderado (28)
  25. EVERGREEN – Mt. Joy (29)
  26. TROPIC MORNING NEWS – The National (30)
  27. LUX ÆTERNA – Metallica (19)
  28. SOFTEN – Alex Southey (N)
  29. EYEZ – The Arcs (N)
  30. WEIGHTLESS – Arlo Parks (N)

Top 30 Songs for February 12-18, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's3 Comments

The Star Crumbles remain on top for a second week with their aptly-titled gem “Shadows in the Dark”, while Paramore‘s “This Is Why” holds at #2 again after spending three weeks at #1. Sliding into third place is the beautiful and sultry “Trouble With This Bed” by Beach Weather, who’ve become one of my favorite bands over the past year. Their song “Sex, Drugs, Etc.”, which spent three weeks at #1 on my chart last fall and ranks #3 on my 100 Best Songs of 2022, re-enters at #27, as I still can’t get enough of it. The biggest upward mover this week is the lovely “You Gotta Do What You Gotta Do” by Darksoft, jumping seven spots to #20.

Three wonderful new songs make their debut this week at #s 28-30: “Surefire” by Oklahoma-based folk-rock band Wilderado, “Evergreen” by L.A.-based indie rock band Mt. Joy (whose previous single “Lemon Tree” peaked at #7 on my chart last September), and “Tropic Morning News” by legendary alt-rock band The National (their previous single “Weird Goodbyes”, with added vocals by Bon Iver, peaked at #6 on my chart in late December-early January). I absolutely love The National front man Matt Berninger’s distinctive soothing vocals.

  1. SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (1)
  2. THIS IS WHY – Paramore (2)
  3. TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (5)
  4. ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (3)
  5. NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (6)
  6. TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (4)
  7. THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (8)
  8. DANCE FOR ME – Sam Rappaport (9)
  9. BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (10)
  10. SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (7)
  11. WILD AS THE WIND – HULLAH (13)
  12. MAYFLY – Callum Pitt (14)
  13. PAGES – White Reaper (15)
  14. KILL BILL – SZA (16)
  15. JUST BEFORE THE MORNING – Local Natives (19)
  16. TRANSMITTER – Sea Power (21)
  17. I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (11)
  18. STICK SEASON – Noah Kahan (18)
  19. LUX ÆTERNA – Metallica (22)
  20. YOU GOTTA DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO – Darksoft (27)
  21. EVERYTHING I OWN – Dom Thomas (23)
  22. SLEEPWALKING – All Time Low (24)
  23. DISORDER – Columbia (12)
  24. PEPPER – Death Cab for Cutie (30)
  25. OUT OF MY SYSTEM – Louis Tomlinson (17)
  26. OFFCUTS – Mount Famine (20)
  27. SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (RE)
  28. SUREFIRE – Wilderado (N)
  29. EVERGREEN – Mt. Joy (N)
  30. TROPIC MORNING NEWS – The National (N)

Top 30 Songs for February 5-11, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's15 Comments

The Star Crumbles came to be rather serendipitously last year when singer-songwriter Brian Lambert, who’s based in Denton, Texas, reached out to singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Marc Schuster, who lives in suburban Philadelphia, for some help with his song “Kids”. The two originally met on Twitter, but had never previously worked together on a music project. Well, they immediately hit it off, so much so that they decided to collaborate together on more music projects, eventually leading to their creation of a new music act they dubbed The Star Crumbles. Last fall, they released their marvelous debut album The Ghost of Dancing Slow (which I reviewed). One of my favorite tracks from that album, “Shadows in the Dark”, has spent 15 weeks and counting on my Top 30 chart, and at long last ascends to the top spot. The darkly beautiful song has a strong retro 80s vibe that borders on darkwave, with moody synths and brilliant guitar work, highlighted by a scorching little guitar solo and Brian’s fervent vocals, which have never sounded better. The cool video, created by Marc, features pixelated renditions of the band trapped in an eight-bit Atari nightmare.

In other chart highlights, the beautiful “Backpatters and Shooters” by astonishingly talented British four-piece The Zangwills enters the top 10. Two equally gorgeous songs make big upward moves: “Just Before the Morning” by L.A.-based indie alt-rock band Local Natives climbs six spots to #19, and “Transmitter” by British band Sea Power leaps eight spots to #21. The lone debut this week is “Pepper”, a great new single by veteran alternative pop-rock band Death Cab for Cutie, who never disappoint.

  1. SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (2)
  2. THIS IS WHY – Paramore (1)
  3. ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (3)
  4. TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (4)
  5. TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (6)
  6. NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (8)
  7. SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (7)
  8. THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (9)
  9. DANCE FOR ME – Sam Rappaport (10)
  10. BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (12)
  11. I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (5)
  12. DISORDER – Columbia (13)
  13. WILD AS THE WIND – HULLAH (15)
  14. MAYFLY – Callum Pitt (16)
  15. PAGES – White Reaper (17)
  16. KILL BILL – SZA (18)
  17. OUT OF MY SYSTEM – Louis Tomlinson (11)
  18. STICK SEASON – Noah Kahan (22)
  19. JUST BEFORE THE MORNING – Local Natives (25)
  20. OFFCUTS – Mount Famine (14)
  21. TRANSMITTER – Sea Power (29)
  22. LUX ÆTERNA – Metallica (23)
  23. EVERYTHING I OWN – Dom Thomas (24)
  24. SLEEPWALKING – All Time Low (27)
  25. LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – Crystal Cities (19)
  26. THEN IT ALL GOES AWAY – Dayglow (20)
  27. YOU GOTTA DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO – Darksoft (30)
  28. WHITE HORSES – Art Block (21) 19th week on chart
  29. SNAP – Rosa Linn (26)
  30. PEPPER – Death Cab for Cutie (N)