In a time marked by a high degree of uncertainty, one thing you can count on is a steady stream of well-crafted music by a broad range of local artists. We’ve collected 13 of our favorite tracks released so far this year, from rock bands who are emerging on the national scene, hip-hop artists taking on the industry on their own terms, country musicians who are helping redefine their genre, and more. Check out a rundown of our picks and stream the tracks below.
Chris Stapleton, “Second One to Know”
We’ve got an in-depth look at Stapleton’s sophomore solo LP From A Room: Volume 1 in the paper this week (see the story), which stirs more blues into his pitch-perfect country mix. This raucous stomp offers dry humor like you find in the best breakup songs: The singer figures that if he can’t be the first one to know the relationship is over, at least let him be the second.
Phangs Feat. R.LUM.R, “Always Been U”
Hat-tip to contributor Lance Conzett for pointing out this swirling, Technicolor work of dance-conscious contemporary pop from producer-vocalist Jake Germany (aka Phangs). It’s hooky, propulsive and confectionary, but there’s a cool story in there about being excited to realize you’re in love with your best friend, as well as a verse by fellow up-and-coming pop maestro Reggie Williams, aka R.LUM.R.
Idle Bloom, “Dust”
This cut from Little Deaths is a longtime live favorite, but it’s one of the band’s best, and it’s great to finally have on a record. The song shows off all of the group’s strengths, with a whole slew of lilting, interlocking melodies and countermelodies that beg to be chanted along with, plus righteous solos, growling bass and a signature rhythmic lick that lingers.
Starlito and Don Trip, “The 13th Amendment Song”
Immediately after 2013’s Step Brothers Two, the sophomore collab effort from Nashville’s Starlito and Memphis’ Don Trip, listeners started demanding a follow-up. Step Brothers Three doesn’t disappoint. This track, a standout among standouts, makes use of the pair’s phenomenal storytelling skills to look at capitalism and the imbalance of power that affects many black communities as extensions of slavery’s legacy.
Angaleena Presley, “Cheer Up, Little Darling”
Wrangled, the pro songwriter’s sophomore solo effort, is fueled by frustration with a mainstream country industry that favors male artists and perspectives. The record overflows with great songs, but this one has an extra-special story: In the days before he died from lymphoma in 2016, Presley’s friend and co-writer Guy Clark kept coming back to “Cheer Up,” with its bittersweet chorus: “It feels like a tight spot / But it’s just a loose end.”
Skyway Man, “The Shadow Knows”
Hearing a James Wallace song often feels like chatting with a buddy who loves gospel music and who’s also seen parts of the universe you didn’t know existed. This groovy tune, about being taught a lesson by a mischievous shadow, is a great place to start with Seen Comin’ From a Mighty Eye, which is a concept album based loosely on a cache of letters from a UFOlogist to his paramour.
All Them Witches, “Alabaster”
On Sleeping Through the War, recorded with top-shelf producer Dave Cobb, ATW trades in a little of their heaviness — but not too much — for some organic psychedelia, which comes out strong in this piece. It’s a dystopian sci-fi folk tale whose elastic sound is built on a hallucinatory riff that shifts shape beneath a blanket of echo, punctuated by a sledgehammer of a refrain.
Little Bandit, “Scattered and Smothered”
I’d never have guessed I needed a deliciously vicious tune about murder and Waffle House hash browns, but here we are. Like the rest of the songs on Breakfast Alone, “Scattered and Smothered” is a richly detailed narrative, and it’s ultra-catchy as well — just be aware that strangers will give you funny looks when you inadvertently belt it aloud.
Daddy Issues, “I’m Not”
This single from the grunge-y, shoegaze-y trio’s debut full-length Deep Dream is a great and even anthemic sing-along rock song, but it also does the difficult, at times heartbreaking work of confronting a complex, uncomfortable issue. It illustrates the gut-wrenching confusion and self-doubt that a survivor of sexual assault experiences in response to victim-blaming: Considering a laundry list of reasons why an assault could be her fault, she eventually concludes, “You’re so great / And I’m not.”
Robyn Hitchcock, “I Want to Tell You About What I Want”
In the opening track to his self-titled LP — his first album since moving to Nashville in 2015 — London-born psych-punk-folk rocker Robyn Hitchcock continues his tradition of astute and unconventional commentary on society, with help from a band of crack Music City players. “What I Want” envisions humanity saved from its darkest impulses by “A non-invasive kind of telepathy / That lets you feel what it’s like / To be somebody else.”
Lillie Mae, “Forever and Then Some”
While Lillie Mae Rische is best known as the fiddler in Jack White’s band, her debut LP — produced by White and featuring choice players from both his orbit and her family band — spotlights the songwriting skills she’s been honing and her voice’s quiet power. The title cut, one of several on the record contemplating redemption and self-acceptance, also features gorgeous bluegrass-leaning instrumental breaks.
Virghost Feat. Ricache’, “FYM”
Memphis-born MC Virghost describes his new album No Sleep Under the Circumstances as “the album I’ve been trying to make since I first became an artist,” and the record certainly plays like it. Across 12 tracks, he painstakingly illustrates both the struggles he faces as well as his sources of strength. It feels like he’s earned the right to spend this well-crafted piece tag-teaming with Ricache’ to slam lesser MCs without mercy.
Lylas, “Number None”
With Warm Harm, the ethereal pop-folk group Lylas broke a long semi-hiatus during which its members played with a range of artists including Stone Jack Jones, Lambchop and Margo Price. The resulting tracks showcase those artists’ influence while maintaining Lylas frontman Kyle Hamlett’s unique perspective. “Number None” starts out as a Lovecraftian nursery rhyme and builds into a dark, dense, dance-worthy jam.
