Best New Songs (May 4, 2023)

Best New Songs (May 4, 2023),Don't miss this week's new tracks.

Best New Songs (May 4, 2023)

At Paste Music, we’re listening to so many new tunes on any given day, we barely have any time to listen to each other. Nevertheless, every week we can swing it, we take stock of the previous seven days’ best tracks, delivering a weekly playlist of our favorites. Check out this week’s 10 best new songs, in alphabetical order. (You can check out last week’s songs here.)

Bush Tetras: “Things I Put Together”New York City No Wave legends Bush Tetras are back with They Live in My Head, their first studio album in 11 years (and their first release since the death of their original drummer, Dee Pop, in 2021). Shifting from their post-punk trademark, lead single “Things I Put Together” is classic Nixon-era hard rock—pairing blues riffs with Marc Bolan-conjuring glam textures and their own foundational punk architecture. “They said I wasn’t worthy / Ever no never / But still I won’t keep those things I put together / No never / I put my foot in the door / Hoping for redemption,” vocalist Cynthia Sley sings. Produced by Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley, this new chapter for Bush Tetras is the band’s reflection on growing up together in the late-1970s in the Big Apple. After 40 years, it’s a welcomed return for them. —Matt Mitchell

Coach Party: “All I Wanna Do Is Hate”One of the hottest rising acts in the UK, Isle of Wight alt-rockers Coach Party have a debut album—Killjoy—on the way later this year. The band’s new single, “All I Wanna Do Is Hate,” is a roaring, relentless fit of punk and noise pop that conjures Treats-era Sleigh Bells and the distorted algorithm of Sonic Youth’s catalog. Much like Coach Party’s catalog at-large, the track finds the band writing through “the often entertaining struggle of real life.” “I am untouchable / Yeah I’m a dangerous girl / I’m gonna hate shit / You should embrace it / You’ll learn to like it,” vocalist Jess Eastwood chants atop a hypnotic, rioutous melody. —Matt Mitchell

Ezra Williams feat. Sammy Copley: “Until I’m Home”UK singer/songwriter Ezra Williams’ debut LP Supernumeraries arrives next month via AWAL, and brand new single “Until I’m Home” is one of the sweetest synth-folk songs you’ll hear all year. Williams writes songs that chronicle romance, isolation and catharsis in refreshing ways, paired with instrumentals that are lush, inviting and endearing. “Everyone cannot be right / That’s how I know that there’s more for me to fight / And this big list of burdens I pass onto you / Are only easy ‘til you’re home / But then it’s late and you’re alone,” they sing. At just 20 years old, Williams is quickly establishing themselves as a creative powerhouse with a deft language for how the world orbits beyond them. —Matt Mitchell

Girl Scout: “Monster”Girl Scout—our Best of What’s Next pick for February 2023—have returned with “Monster,” the first single from their new chapter as a band (a new EP is on the way this fall). After the release of the ballad “Attenborough Beach” in March, the ‘90s alt-rock textures of “Monster” signal a quick return to the heavy stuff that Girl Scout made a name for themselves with—especially on “Do You Remember Sally Moore?” and “Weirdo.” The energetic, infectious sound of grunge-infused power-pop has become the band’s calling card, and they have perfected the formula. —Matt Mitchell

Hand Habits: “Private Life”“Private Life” marks Hand Habits’—aka Meg Duffy—second teaser ahead of their forthcoming EP Sugar the Bruise. Though they are more often playing guitar or calculating synthesizer grooves, Duffy has taken a seat at the piano on their new, tender single. In a solemn moment of reflection, they consider how they might continue occupying the space of a bygone loved one. “You, the one who loved so fearlesssly / Watch you burn up in the summer glow / I was on the roof sweeping your gutters clean / Always admiring you, above and below,” Duffy sings. —Matt Mitchell

hemlocke springs: “sever the blight”Isimeme Naomi Udu—otherwise known as hemlocke springs—started gaining huge popularity online with songs—like “Girlfriend” or “Give Me Your Love”—that employed intoxicating hooks and unique vocals. The 24-year-old Dartmouth grad’s new tune, “sever the blight, doesn’t shy away from conjuring nostalgia from ‘80s-style synths. Udu’s soundscapes often consist of indie and hyper pop, and “sever the blight” is swept with textures reminiscent of strings. The song slowly builds to release the tension with a tantalizing beat, as Udu sings about being trapped by feelings of longing and desire for someone she loves in an archaic way. “It will get cold in the dark / With those listless days at bay / And the pain, I’ll always hide / But the hurt, well dare I say it?” she sings, wondering how long she’ll have to wait for the love she longs for. —Rayne Antrim

Katherine Kyu Hyeon Lim: “As It All Goes By”I must be listening to too much loud music. Throughout the entirety of this tightly controlled work by violinist / composer Katherine Kyu Hyeon Lim, I kept waiting for the explosion — the burst of volume and bombast that would rip through this piece like shrapnel. What I got instead was a meditative intertwining of lines that flowed along with the pleasant calm of a kite in midair. Once I finally adjusted myself to the mood and temperament and choice of instrumentation (violin, trombone, soprano sax), this lovely piece brought to mind the austere beauty of like-minded artists like Penguin Cafe Orchestra and caroline. As with their recordings, this broke me down bit by bit and built me back up anew in five minutes flat. —Robert Ham

Lo Village: “Fallin”The video for “Fallin’,” the new track from Maryland trio Lo Village, is a perfect reflection of their group dynamic. Much of it is a static shot of Ama, Kane and Charles Tyler hanging out on a park bench on a lovely day. We can’t hear their words or know what they’re up to (some of it looks like it was made up of outtakes of a different video shoot), but the easygoing camaraderie and the warm relationship the three have comes through. It’s the perfect vibe for this sunny, ambling song about a good romance gone bad and the dumb choices we sometimes make when another person has our heart. —Robert Ham

Skating Polly: “I’m Sorry For Always Apologizing”Self-proclaimed “ugly pop” trio Skating Polly are getting good and ambitious this year. The group’s forthcoming release Chaos Country Line is a double album packed tight with 18 razor sharp tunes that expose the melodic inner turmoil and playful spirit of co-leaders Kelli Mayo and Payton Bighorse. On new single “I’m Sorry For Always Apologizing,” Mayo exposes some personal fears about always hurting the ones she loves as she and the band jangle and shake their way to power pop bliss. —Robert Ham

Svetlana Maras: “2019-2020-1”Sound artist Svetlana Maraš works with such precision and intent that it’s sometimes hard to believe that the music she makes is often completely improvisational. This recording, part of a full 2019 performance being released via -OUS next week, is a perfect example as her manipulation of various synths and electronics hums and skitters to life so carefully. Layers of sound and noise build up and blossom so perfectly, like an orchestra of insects and small creatures waking up in waves under her thoughtful direction. —Robert Ham

Live performance 2019 – 2020 by Svetlana Maraš