Top 30 Songs for February 23-March 1, 2025

I’ve been a huge fan of American alternative rock/electropop/hip hop duo Twenty One Pilots since learning about them in early 2015, and they’ve remained my favorite musical act for the past 10 years. Still based in their hometown of Columbus, Ohio, the band is comprised of singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Tyler Joseph and drummer/percussionist Josh Dun. I think they have one of the most unique sounds of any act in existence today, and with a few minor exceptions, virtually all of their musical output has been brilliant. Their 2015 masterpiece Blurryface is one of my all-time favorite albums, and spent 276 consecutive weeks – more than five years! – on the Billboard 200 Album chart. It ultimately racked up over 300 weeks on that chart.

Their beautiful and cinematic song “The Line”, from the Season 2 Soundtrack of the Netflix animated action-adventure series ArcaneLeague of Legends, ascends to the top of my chart this week. The song is about Viktor, one of the main protagonists of the Arcane series, and plays in the 8th episode of season 2. The song is thought to be about crossing “the line” by disappointing loved ones and turning them into enemies, represented by Viktor’s decision to give up his humanity to save humanity, while others think it’s essentially about crossing from life to death. Whatever it’s about, I love it, and it’s their 12th song to reach #1 on my chart, following “The Craving”, which spent three weeks on top this past August and September. “The Line” is also their second song from a film soundtrack, their previous being “Heathens”, which was included on the motion picture soundtrack to the DC Comics 2016 film Suicide Squad.

In other noteworthy chart news, the marvelous “So Cold” by Balu Brigada moves into second place, while “She Wants To Go Dancing” by Mt. Joy and “Bad Dreams” by Teddy Swims enter the top 10. There are two debuts again this week, the first of which is the powerful “Straight to the Ground” by Northern Ireland-based rock band Unquiet Nights (which I reviewed on January 31st), entering at #29, and “Walls”, a captivating track by English singer-songwriter Frank Joshua (which I featured in a Fresh New Tracks post on February 1st), coming in at #30.

  1. THE LINE – Twenty One Pilots (4)
  2. SO COLD – Balu Brigada (3)
  3. ARROW – The Head and The Heart (1)
  4. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (2)
  5. AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society (5)
  6. YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves (6)
  7. DETROIT – Badflower (7)
  8. SAILOR SONG – Gigi Perez (8)
  9. SHE WANTS TO GO DANCING – Mt. Joy (11)
  10. BAD DREAMS – Teddy Swims (13)
  11. DAY & NIGHT – Oli Barton (14)
  12. AFTERLIFE – Sharon Van Etten (15)
  13. PEOPLE WATCHING – Sam Fender (17)
  14. IN THE LIVING ROOM – Maggie Rogers (9)
  15. IMPOSTER SYNDROME – Fake Empire (20)
  16. SAD IN CAROLINA – Dexter and The Moonrocks (12)
  17. HERE WE GO AGAIN – Set the Tone (21)
  18. TAKE THIS HEART – Brian Lambert (22)
  19. RUSHMERE – Mumford & Sons (27)
  20. BOBBY SOX – Green Day (10)
  21. GILD THE LILY – Billy Strings (16)
  22. NEVERENDER – Justice & Tame Impala (18)
  23. WHO’S A FRAUD? – Still Traffico (26)
  24. METAVERSE – Cage the Elephant (28)
  25. SAME OLD SONG – The Lumineers (29)
  26. DARKERSIDE – David Kushner (23)
  27. WITHOUT A DOUBT – Charm School (30)
  28. ROUTINES IN THE NIGHT – twenty one pilots (19)
  29. STRAIGHT TO THE GROUND – Unquiet Nights (N)
  30. WALLS – Frank Joshua (N)

Top 30 Songs for February 16-22, 2025

Photo by Shervin Lainez

The beautiful, uplifting song “Arrow”, by Seattle folk rock band The Head and The Heart, takes over the top spot on my latest Top 30 chart after a five-week-long run by Wons Phreely + The Horses’ “The Faithful Heart”. Formed in 2009 by Josiah Johnson and Jonathan Russell, The Head and The Heart currently consists of Russell (vocals, guitar, percussion), Charity Rose Thielen (violin, guitar, vocals), Chris Zasche (bass), Kenny Hensley (piano), Tyler Williams (drums), and Matt Gervais (guitar, vocals). Since 2011, they’ve released five albums and numerous singles, several of which have appeared on my chart. “Arrow” is their second song to reach #1 on my chart, their first being “All We Ever Knew” in 2016, and has spent the past nine weeks at #1 on the Billboard AAA (Adult Alternative Airplay) chart. The lyrics speak to feelings of restlessness, yet finding reassurance and peace of mind in oneself: “There’s times I need direction, there’s times I need to roam. I move station to station, I showed up here alone. I am my own arrow. I am my own home.”

In other notable chart developments, “So Cold” by Balu Brigada moves up two spots to #3, and “The Line” by twenty one pilots, from the Season 2 Soundtrack of the Netflix animated action-adventure series ArcaneLeague of Legends, jumps eight spots to #4, making it the biggest upward mover for a third week.

Two songs debut this week, the first of which is “Same Old Song” by Denver-based alternative folk band The Lumineers, which took a while to grow on me. The lead single from their fifth studio album Automatic, which dropped this past Friday, February 14th, “Same Old Song” is already in the top five on the various Alternative charts. The lyrics speak to the downsides of being a musician, struggling to pay rent, feeling insecure, getting your instruments stolen, and questioning the meaning of life while still holding onto dreams of making it big. The second debut, entering at #30, is “Without A Doubt” by Louisville, Kentucky-based post punk band Charm School, which I learned about from fellow blogger Christian in a recent post on his blog Christian’s Music Musings. The wonderful song is from their debut album Debt Forever, which dropped January 24th. I love those dramatic jangly guitars!

  1. ARROW – The Head and The Heart (2)
  2. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (1)
  3. SO COLD – Balu Brigada (5)
  4. THE LINE – twenty one pilots (12)
  5. AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society (7)
  6. YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves (8)
  7. DETROIT – Badflower (9)
  8. SAILOR SONG – Gigi Perez (10)
  9. IN THE LIVING ROOM – Maggie Rogers (4)
  10. BOBBY SOX – Green Day (3)
  11. SHE WANTS TO GO DANCING – Mt. Joy (14)
  12. SAD IN CAROLINA – Dexter and The Moonrocks (6)
  13. BAD DREAMS – Teddy Swims (19)
  14. DAY & NIGHT – Oli Barton (17)
  15. AFTERLIFE – Sharon Van Etten (18)
  16. GILD THE LILY – Billy Strings (11)
  17. PEOPLE WATCHING – Sam Fender (20)
  18. NEVERENDER – Justice & Tame Impala (16)
  19. ROUTINES IN THE NIGHT – twenty one pilots (13)
  20. IMPOSTER SYNDROME – Fake Empire (23)
  21. HERE WE GO AGAIN – Set the Tone (24)
  22. TAKE THIS HEART – Brian Lambert (26)
  23. DARKERSIDE – David Kushner (22)
  24. A TEAR IN SPACE (AIRLOCK) – Glass Animals (15)
  25. A FRAGILE THING – The Cure (21)
  26. WHO’S A FRAUD? – Still Traffico (28)
  27. RUSHMERE – Mumford & Sons (29)
  28. METAVERSE – Cage the Elephant (30)
  29. SAME OLD SONG – The Lumineers (N)
  30. WITHOUT A DOUBT – Charm School (N)

Top 30 Songs for February 9-15, 2025

“The Faithful Heart” by Wons Phreely + The Horses continues to enthrall me with its gorgeous chiming guitars, soaring harmonies and heartwarming vocals, thus remains my favorite song for a fifth consecutive week. The last time a song spent this many weeks at #1 on my top 30 was in September 2017, when “The Man” by The Killers also topped my chart for five weeks. The charming video is also one of the best I’ve seen in years, and deserves millions of streams.

The beautiful, uplifting song “Arrow” by Seattle folk rock band The Head and The Heart, which has spent the past eight weeks at #1 on the Billboard AAA (Adult Alternative Airplay) chart, moves into second place on my chart. Three songs enter the top 10 this week: “You’re My Drug” by northern Virginia indie pop-rock artist Talk in Waves, “Detroit” by L.A.-based rock band Badflower, and “Sailor Song” by American singer-songwriter Gigi Perez, at #s 8, 9 & 10, respectively. The biggest upward mover again this week is “The Line” by twenty one pilots, leaping 11 spots to #12. Making their debut are songs by two of music’s biggest acts who’ve had numerous songs appear on my chart – “Rushmere” by English folk rock band Mumford & Sons, at #29, and “Metaverse”, the latest single by Nashville-based alt-rock band Cage the Elephant from their album Neon Pill, at #30.

  1. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (1) 5th week at #1
  2. ARROW – The Head and The Heart (3)
  3. BOBBY SOX – Green Day (2)
  4. IN THE LIVING ROOM – Maggie Rogers (5)
  5. SO COLD – Balu Brigada (6)
  6. SAD IN CAROLINA – Dexter and The Moonrocks (4)
  7. AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society (8)
  8. YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves (12)
  9. DETROIT – Badflower (13)
  10. SAILOR SONG – Gigi Perez (14)
  11. GILD THE LILY – Billy Strings (7)
  12. THE LINE – twenty one pilots (23)
  13. ROUTINES IN THE NIGHT – twenty one pilots (10)
  14. SHE WANTS TO GO DANCING – Mt. Joy (17)
  15. A TEAR IN SPACE (AIRLOCK) – Glass Animals (7)
  16. NEVERENDER – Justice & Tame Impala (11)
  17. DAY & NIGHT – Oli Barton (18)
  18. AFTERLIFE – Sharon Van Etten (20)
  19. BAD DREAMS – Teddy Swims (21)
  20. PEOPLE WATCHING – Sam Fender (22)
  21. A FRAGILE THING – The Cure (15)
  22. DARKERSIDE – David Kushner (16)
  23. IMPOSTER SYNDROME – Fake Empire (26)
  24. HERE WE GO AGAIN – Set the Tone (25)
  25. ROCKMAN – Mk.gee (24)
  26. TAKE THIS HEART – Brian Lambert (27)
  27. DIE WITH A SMILE – Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars (19) 20th week on chart
  28. WHO’S A FRAUD? – Still Traffico (30)
  29. RUSHMERE – Mumford & Sons (N)
  30. METAVERSE – Cage the Elephant (N)

Top 30 Songs for February 2-8, 2025

I still love “The Faithful Heart” by Australian-born and now L.A.-based artist Wons Phreely and his backup band The Horses with all my heart, and so it remains at the top of my chart for a fourth week. Sliding into second place is Green Day‘s “Bobby Sox, while “Arrow” by The Head and The Heart moves up two spots to #3. Moving up five spots to enter the top 10 at #6 is “So Cold” by New Zealand-born and now New York-based Balu Brigada, comprised of brothers Henry and Pierre Beasley. The biggest upward mover is “The Line” by twenty one pilots, jumping six spots to #23. Their beautiful song “Routines in the Night” is also at #10 again this week. The sole debut this week is the wonderful “Who’s a Fraud?” by English alternative pop-rock band Still Traffico, which I reviewed a few weeks ago.

  1. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (1) 4th week at #1
  2. BOBBY SOX – Green Day (4)
  3. ARROW – The Head and The Heart (5)
  4. SAD IN CAROLINA – Dexter and The Moonrocks (2)
  5. IN THE LIVING ROOM – Maggie Rogers (6)
  6. SO COLD – Balu Brigada (11)
  7. GILD THE LILY – Billy Strings (8)
  8. AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society (9)
  9. A TEAR IN SPACE (AIRLOCK) – Glass Animals (3)
  10. ROUTINES IN THE NIGHT – twenty one pilots (10)
  11. NEVERENDER – Justice & Tame Impala (7)
  12. YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves (14)
  13. DETROIT – Badflower (15)
  14. SAILOR SONG – Gigi Perez (16)
  15. A FRAGILE THING – The Cure (12)
  16. DARKERSIDE – David Kushner (13)
  17. SHE WANTS TO GO DANCING – Mt. Joy (18)
  18. DAY & NIGHT – Oli Barton (19)
  19. DIE WITH A SMILE – Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars (17)
  20. AFTERLIFE – Sharon Van Etten (21)
  21. BAD DREAMS – Teddy Swims (24)
  22. PEOPLE WATCHING – Sam Fender (23)
  23. THE LINE – twenty one pilots (29)
  24. ROCKMAN – Mk.gee (26)
  25. HERE WE GO AGAIN – Set the Tone (27)
  26. IMPOSTER SYNDROME – Fake Empire (28)
  27. TAKE THIS HEART – Brian Lambert (30)
  28. HARDCORE ROMANCE – Beach Weather (20)
  29. GIVING UP – Michigander (22)
  30. WHO’S A FRAUD? – Still Traffico (N)