According to some estimates, 100,000 songs are uploaded to Spotify each day.
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Even if that number isn’t exact, there’s no question the streaming age has bombarded listeners with much more music than they can catalog. Because of this, it’s easy to miss great tracks amidst the onslaught of singles, remixes, reissued classics, collaborations, etc.
So, this list looks at three left-field gems from 2024. The Cure has returned with new music. Also, Sharon Van Etten teams up with her amazing band for a full-band release. And Kim Deal has gone solo on an album assisted by the late, great, contrarian legend, Steve Albini.
“Alone” by The Cure from Songs of a Lost World
Describing “Alone,” Robert Smith said, “It’s the track that unlocked the record.” He added, “As soon as we had that piece of music recorded I knew it was the opening song, and I felt the whole album come into focus.” Smith borrowed from Ernest Dowson’s poem “Dregs,” writing about waning optimism. The Cure’s first new studio offering in 16 years sits majestically between Smith’s gorgeous pop songwriting and the darkness lurking beneath.
This is the end of every song that we sing
The fire burned out to ash, and the stars grown dim with tears
Cold and afraid, the ghosts of all that we’ve been
We toast with bitter dregs, to our emptiness
“Afterlife” by Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory from Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory
This song introduces the upcoming album from Sharon Van Etten and her band. Jam sessions at tour rehearsals led to a collaborative effort with percussionist Jorge Balbi, bassist Devra Hoff, and multi-instrumentalist Teeny Lieberson. “For the first time in my life, I asked the band if we could just jam,” Van Etten said in a statement. Since her debut in 2009, she’s become one of the definitive indie artists of her generation. With echoes of Robert Smith and Siouxsie Sioux, Van Etten’s new project delivers a stirring arena-ready anthem.
Someone inside me saved me
Made me see the light
Someone had to make it feel all right
All these expectations
Turned me inside out, and now I find
I wanna see you in the afterlife
“Crystal Breath” by Kim Deal from Nobody Loves You More
As a member of two of her generation’s defining bands—Pixies and The Breeders—Kim Deal helped pioneer the mainstreaming of alternative rock. The Breeders’ anthem “Cannonball” remains a touchstone of the 1990s alongside “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and Weezer’s entire Blue Album. However, Deal’s music also inspired new generations of artists like Olivia Rodrigo, who invited The Breeders to open several shows on her Guts Tour. Though her sister Kelley may not think she’s that cool, the rest of the world does. Deal’s debut solo album stands as tall as her best work. “Crystal Breath” is a distorted banger, highlighting Deal’s voice that straddles the space between fluffy clouds and razor blades. You’d be wise to crank this one.
Beat by beat I expel your point of view
The heels of my imagination digging into you
I start a new life
Beats gonna lead us, live on
Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images
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