The best new music that came out this week

Having a hard time keeping up with all the new music that drops every week? Us too — which is why we’re rounding up the best new music of the week every Saturday morning.

Chairlift — “Crying In Public”

Despite the song’s name and its expressed sentiments, singer Caroline Polachek shared that the song’s actually about a moment of humbling happiness:

Word.

Kanye West — Real Friends

“Only One” dropped around this time last year, so perhaps it’s fitting that a year later, West reveals another Dad song: A reflection on growth that’s informed by, rather than weighted down, by his new family man status. (Also: That snippet of “No More Parties in LA,” which features Kendrick Lamar, is promising. “Welcome back Kanye?” No, more like “Welcome home.”)

St. Lucia — Love Somebody

Sure, we did premiere this song, but St. Lucia’s brand of sparkling ’80s-infused pop will always be on our heavy rotation. And when the final chorus comes in, just try to stop yourself from body-rolling along.

Savages — “Adore”

“Is it human to adore life?” The question is loaded; the obvious answer is yes, right? But as delivered under singer Jehnny Beth’s haunting gaze, the implications of that question sink and multiply. You’ll get chills.

David Bowie — Blackstar

Every new David Bowie record tacitly has listeners asking, “What kind of Bowie will we be hearing now?” For Blackstar, the answer is something like “Mortician meets Bible salesman meets the dude drinking straight up moonshine in the corner of a bar,” and it’s pretty perfect at being just that.

Cross Record — “Basket”

I first stumbled upon Cross Record off of their excellent single “Steady Waves,” but whereas that tune had a pulsing rhythmic groove behind it, “Basket” floats out of your speaker, a shimmery after-image of sound.

Wet — “All the Ways”

It’s no secret that the HG team likes this lo-fi pop three-piece, and their newest single is right in line with the despair-tinged slow jams we know and love. “Every time I see your face / I think of all the ways that this could end” — yes pleeease.

Hinds — “Leave Me Alone”

I’m showing my cards here, but I listened to a lot of ’00s Japanese rock music when I was growing up, and Hinds’s sound reminds me so strongly of those sunny, static-outlined tunes. This debut record from the Spanish quartet (who are, yes, all women), is absolutely delightful.

Human Movement — “5 am”

Look, none of us know when we’ll be called upon to DJ a goth disco, but if/when it happens, this hard-hitting tune will be a crowd-killer no matter what time it is.

Brazilian Girls — “The Critic”

The rhythm behind Brazilian Girls’ new single is absolutely infectious; the lyrics read as motivational but not in an unbearably cheesy way; and, the instrumental breakdown at the end is pulled off with aplomb. Welcome back.

Yeasayer — “I Am Chemistry”

Yes, this video is… a lot… to take in… but the weirdo rock band’s return is welcome. Groovy, just the right amount of garish, and with a glittering chorale interlude, “I Am Chemistry” is an experiment gone right.

Listen to more Playlist Power Hours here.

Image courtesy of Fox Searchlight.