Throughout the week, we update our Best New Songs playlist with the new releases that caught our attention the most, be it a single leading up to the release of an album or a newly unveiled deep cut. And each Monday, we round up the best new songs released over the past week (the eligibility period begins on Monday and ends Sunday night) in this segment.
On this week’s list, we have the lead single from Spoon’s upcoming classic rock-inspired 10th LP, ‘The Hardest Cut’, which is driven by heavy detuned guitars and a catchy hook; the War on Drugs’ stunningly cinematic ‘Change’, the final pre-release single from their new LP; the lead track from SASAMI’s newly announced album, ‘The Greatest’, a natural yet exhilarating progression of her shoegaze-inflected sound (though the cathartic nu metal of ‘Skin a Rat’ is also worth a listen); a hushed, affecting new track from Toronto duo Babygirl called ‘Born With a Broken Heart’; ‘Electricity’, the infectious and thrilling collaboration from Ibibio Sound Machine and Hot Chip; and Hana Vu’s latest single ‘Gutter’, a heavier, grungier preview of the Los Angeles-based artist’s forthcoming album Public Storage.
Best New Songs: November 1, 2021
SASAMI, ‘The Greatest’
Song of the Week: The War on Drugs, ‘Change’
Babygirl, ‘Born With a Broken Heart’
Ibibio Sound Machine, ‘Electricity’
Spoon, ‘The Hardest Cut’
Hana Vu, ‘Gutter’