09.19.2025 – 19.09.2025 – 09/19/2025 – 19/09/25 – Sept. 19th, 2025
Clean-channel guitars and their jangly, familiar versatility dominates this week’s music releases.
Highlights, Curiosities, and Observations:
- Los Straightjackets — who either ironically call their hometown of Nashville “Surf City,” or have moved to Santa Cruz OR Huntingdon Beach, California (both cities have claimed the title) — nevertheless have “still got it” and bring a catchy, highly recommended surf instrumental to the early part of the set from their newest LP.
- This week sees the glorious return of the always-lovely Charlotte Gainsbourg, seen here ditching the pop gloss of recent years and channeling instead the “dream-pop meets doo-wop” vibes of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks, with a haunting, arpeggiated prom-night ballad “Blurry Moon.” An instant classic, perfect for a night of piney motorcycle trysts.
- An alt-R&B track with a perfect beat makes the list, from Birmingham England’s RUBII.
- Johnny Sais Quoi (a newcomer from Marseille, France) and Brooklyn’s own Nation of Languages offer competing synthpop releases that draw upon italo disco and post-punk influences respectively.
- While Debbii Dawson‘s new pop single “I Want You” doesn’t reinvent the wheel, its turning a few heads this weekend on the strength of it’s swirling vocal hooks, conjuring distant memories of Lucious Jackson’s “Naked Eye.”
- Don Diablo‘s reinvention of Missy Elliott’s “Lose Control” causes involuntary shoulder bobbing, if not outright booty shaking, which is always a good thing in these trying times.
- Lil Yachty and Sauce Walka come down to earth, and create there a groovy hip-hop dirge with some killer flows.
- You feel a little bad for the Jordan Peele-produced movie HIM, which, by the previews, appeared to do for masculinity what “The Substance” did for femininity, because while the reviews weren’t glowing, Denzel Curry‘s theme song for the film’s soundtrack is appropriately gothic.
- Things get jazzy later on, as London’s ALA.NI aims for Laufey’s audience with an aggressively old-timey jazzanova throwback that would make Quarteto Em Cy proud.
- Similarly, French singer Zaz returns with a single highlighting her vintage jazz balladry, with a few carefully-placed modern flourishes like a subtle electronic kick drum and autotune.
- Those who are only familiar with The Divine Comedy as a 1980’s pop band were surprised this week to learn songwriter Neil Hannon (who scored the “Wonka” film recently) was capable of such lush mid-60s orchestral work on new single “The Last Time I Saw The Old Man.”
- Cécile McLorin Salvant explores the theme of colors in a poetic (and ultimately explosive manner) with “What Does Blue Mean To You?”
ENJOY!
-Martin
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