At the end of the week, sometimes you feel like snuggling on the couch and getting cozy with your television. Sometimes you want to scream your lungs out because the week felt never-ending. Depending on how your week went, we have a song for you. The emotionally-charged dual tracks from Phantogram will truly bring you to your knees before offering inspiring words of encouragement to wipe your tears with. We can’t listen to the new HAERTS track without tapping our foot and feeling like we’ve been transported to the vibrant 1980’s, and that’s a great sensation. With an entire album to digest from Courtney Barnett, her song “I’m Not Your Mother, I’m Not Your Bitch” gives us female empowerment in the form of a screaming anthem. If you need to belt some stuff out, put this song on immediately. And raise the volume. With new music from Pale Waves and Betty Who, this week’s musical spectrum was a range, and that’s what you need sometimes.
See below for our top five favorite tracks from the week.
1. “Your Love” by HAERTS
With the premiere of Netflix’s hit show 13 Reasons Why (Season 2), comes the release of the original soundtrack. The entire track list is heart wrenching with retro flavors from the 80’s peppered throughout. Brooklyn-based folk group HAERTS is giving us serious HAIM-meets-Fleetwood Mac vibes on “Your Love” and we can’t get enough of it.
2. “Kiss” by Pale Waves
This Manchester-born four-piece gothic band never fails to get us up out of our seats. Following their debut EP, All the Things I Never Said, Pale Waves have been making real waves all over the States. Their newest single “Kiss” offers their signature glittery-pop sound complimented by frontwoman Heather Baron-Gracie’s sweet vocals. This is the kind of summer anthem all the punk rock princesses out there have been looking for.
3. “Someday” and “Saturday” by Phantogram
It’s been two years since this electric duo suffered the loss of member Sarah Barthel’s sister (and Josh Carter’s childhood friend). With a flood of emotions washing over the two artists, they’ve released a pair of songs offering clear messages of hope and optimism for anyone struggling with suicidal thoughts. All proceeds from the tracks “Someday” and “Saturday” will go toward the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).
4. “Taste” by Betty Who
Newly independent Australian pop sensation Betty Who has announced that her EP Betty Pt. 1 will be released June 15. This EP will be her first in five years, and fans can absolutely expect a more outspoken and badass Who than we’ve seen in the past. “Taste” is a sexy banger that puts Who’s sultry vocals and energetic vibe in the well-deserved spotlight.
5. “I’m Not Your Mother, I’m Not Your Bitch” by Courtney Barnett
If you were feeling indifferent ahead of the weekend, forget those thoughts. Rock star Courtney Barnett has released her sophomore album Tell Me How You Really Feel and this track has given us an electric shock of rebellious energy that we all need to express sometimes. Screaming the words, “I can only put up with so much shit,” most people (read: women) can relate to this brutal sentiment. Let out some steam while listening to this one.
Main image credit: Zak Cassar
