New Music Monday: The Week's Essential Spins

New music from the Wild Rivers, Blondshell, The Neighbourhood and Joy Oladokun

The start of the week demands a soundtrack—something fresh to reframe the daily grind and inject some necessary feeling into the routine. This week delivers a quartet of emotionally complex tracks, ranging from folk-pop tenderness to grunge-soaked introspection and challenging soul-folk, proving that the best new music isn't always the loudest, but the most honest.

Wild Rivers – "Anyways I Love You"

The Canadian trio Wild Rivers, known for their pitch-perfect blend of folk, indie, and pop sensibilities, returns with the deeply relatable "Anyways I Love You." Unlike the idealized, sanitized ballads of pop radio, this track captures the messy, enduring reality of long-term partnership. The lyrics lean into the beautiful friction of commitment, conceding that true love often means embracing your partner's most annoying habits. Featuring the group's signature soul-stirring male-female harmonies between Khalid Yassein and Devan Glover, the song evolves from a soft, acoustic undercurrent into a full, resonant anthem of acceptance. Produced by Gabe Wax (known for his work with Soccer Mommy), the track carries a new, confident sheen, suggesting that the trio’s sound is growing bolder without sacrificing the introspective lyricism that has earned them millions of streams. It’s an essential listen for anyone who understands that lasting love is built on recognizing imperfection and choosing to stay "for the long haul... anyways."

Blondshell – "Berlin TV Tower"

Sabrina Teitelbaum, performing as Blondshell, solidifies her position as a generational voice in alt-rock with the searing new single "Berlin TV Tower." Leading the expanded companion album Another Picture, the track is a masterclass in the loud-quiet-loud dynamic that defined the best of '90s grunge. It begins with a hushed, almost vulnerable intimacy, Teitelbaum’s raw vocal drawing the listener into a moment of solitary contemplation in the German capital. This restraint soon gives way to a cathartic, grunge-driven chorus that releases the song’s pent-up emotional energy. Lyrically, Teitelbaum is focused on finding agency in solitude, describing the profound comfort of being self-sufficient in a foreign, historic city. She channels a radical self-acceptance, proclaiming that "you can start and stop and restart things whenever you want." The track culminates in a triumphant, memorable guitar solo, cementing "Berlin TV Tower" as a fierce, emotionally honest anthem about embracing personal freedom.

The Neighbourhood – "Hula Girl"

After a long-awaited return, The Neighbourhood reintroduces their unique West Coast melancholy with "Hula Girl," a standout track from their latest album, (((ultraSOUND))). The song finds the band, fronted by Jesse Rutherford, evolving their sound by incorporating distinct Brit-pop textures while maintaining the signature grayscale mood that made them household anthems of the Tumblr era. The sonic landscape is both cinematic and strangely claustrophobic, creating an effect that is emotionally dense yet weightless. Lyrically, "Hula Girl" is steeped in themes of memory, near-misses, and salvation, referencing a figure "dancin’ on my dash" as the last memory before a figurative—or literal—crash. The track explores the feeling of being saved by a fleeting image or a past hope, reflecting the album’s overarching exploration of heartbreak and renewal. It captures the sense of a band stepping back into the light, not loudly, but with a confidence sharpened by self-reflection and a new, high-frequency pulse.

– "I'd Miss the Birds"

Joy Oladokun has a gift for crafting folk-soul music that is profoundly personal yet universally resonant, and "I'd Miss the Birds" is a heartbreaking example of her lyrical dexterity. From her album Observations From a Crowded Room, the song provides a bittersweet reflection on the complexities of finding success in a place that doesn't fully accept you. Oladokun, a queer Black artist, speaks candidly about her mixed feelings toward living in Nashville and the American South, acknowledging the cultural beauty she would miss ("the birds") while feeling deeply marginalized by the presence of bigotry, as delivered in the sharp, unvarnished line: "The Proud Boys and their women just make me feel out of place." This contrast—between the natural, inherent beauty of a place and the social environment that forces a sense of exile—is what makes the track so powerful. It’s a testament to Oladokun’s strength as a songwriter that she can distill such a profound and painful political experience into a quiet, acoustic, and deeply moving piece of music.

Whether you're looking for a song to commiserate with or one to provide a moment of catharsis, this week's collection offers substance and depth. Give these essential spins the time they deserve to unfold.