The 5 Best Songs Of The Week

South Central LA rapper AZ Chike is probably best-known for trading bars with Kendrick Lamar on "Peekaboo," but he's a real-deal regional underground star, an inveterate shit-talker who takes clear delight whenever he says something especially nasty. On "Packed Up," producer Hit-Boy supplies him with a clean, classic beat, adding strings and horns to West Coast 808 thump. AZ Chike finds an pocket and projects slickness everywhere. It's timeless hard shit, an ice-cold snarl that would hit just as hard in 1997 as it does today. —Tom

4

Fiddlehead - "Baby I'll Change"

Pat Flynn is straight-edge. He has always been straight-edge. Back when his old band Have Heart were at their peak, he might've been the straight-edge way of life's most passionate and visible advocates. But on his band Fiddlehead's "Baby I'll Change," Flynn sings from the perspective of an addict who's trying to atone and ask for support at the same time. He brings dignity and vulnerability and melody to his vocal. Working with Wednesday/Lenderman producer Alex Farrar, Flynn and his bandmates expand their sound outward. They've always been great at conjuring a crashing rush, but now they build to it, starting out with a majestic tingle. It makes for a towering, triumphant work of empathy. —Tom

3

Sam And Louise Sullivan - "Down On Love"

Sam and Louise Sullivan may be “Down On Love,” but I’m pretty high on their new single. Bathed in ’70s sunshine, it sounds like it’d be pals with every song on Paul McCartney’s RAM. There’s a little bit of time-warp sorcery at work here, blending the easygoing warmth of classic folk-rock with the hazy charm of early Toro y Moi and the melodic craftsmanship of Gerry Rafferty. The result is a breezy, groove-filled gem that feels tailor-made for long summer drives, lazy afternoons, and the kind of freewheeling spirit captured in Robert Crumb’s iconic “Keep On Truckin’” cartoon. —Margaret

2

Phoebe Bridgers - "Lost Boys"

Six years have passed since Phoebe Bridgers' seminal Punisher, which has not lost any of its lush, evocative beauty. In the years since, copycats have abounded, mostly failing to achieve Bridgers' perfect balance of wit and darkness. "Lost Boys" is jaunty like a campfire song; you can imagine her singing the chorus with her many collaborators — including Alex G and her boygenius bandmates — around a firepit. The verses, though, feel like Bridgers isolated in private, poetic moments that include a speeding motorbike, a tantrum involving a handgun and a broken rib, and a twin bed where everything is always made right if only because of the size of the mattress. Some people may expect more after the long wait, but Bridgers is best in this mode, drifting in and out of intense memories. This is the perfect song to welcome us back into her world. —Danielle

1

This Is Lorelei - "Billy Came Back"

When Pavement paid tribute to R.E.M., it came in the form of "Unseen Power Of The Picket Fence," their contribution to Red Hot's classic No Alternative compilation. If their pal David Berman paid tribute to R.E.M., it might end up like "Billy Came Back," the lead single from This Is Lorelei's new LP. Nate Amos' mastery of songcraft is once again on display, here taking the form of a droll folk-pop tune that brims with momentum and jangles with anxious energy. "The last time I saw Billy was in 2022," Amos sings. "Yeah, the only things he ever did were things I wouldn't do." Amos sketches out a mysterious, gregarious rambler, seemingly blessed with the ability to imbue songs with special powers. That's at least one thing he and Amos have in common. —Chris