Not rendering correctly? View this email as a web page here.
Hear5Songs_061726

Hey there! Before getting to this week's 5 Songs, help us out by taking the 5 songs newsletter survey, and let us know what you like and don't like about this newsletter.

Allison Russell(600x338)

Allison Russell - "Cold April" (ft. Denitia & Kara Jackson)

Have you heard of holding space? When we can’t offer solutions or fixes for the problems that plague us, what we’ve got is recognition and mutual recharge. That’s the mission of this poetic track from Allison Russell, who describes singing as “a balm for my soul” and making this record in particular as an effort of connection in a time of chaos — literally. The album, titled In The Hour of Chaos, is an empathy effort. Let this track hold you.

Watch
HB26_WEBBANNER_KCRW_WES_600x100
Swapmeet(600x338)

Swapmeet - "Sand"

Go beachside dreamside with Aussie four-top Swapmeet. A bundle of IRL friends since their teens, the group gives off seriously bonded energy through big-swell riffs and he-said-she-said verses in this guitar-driven single. Feelings-forward, but just hard enough thanks to minor chords played through unfiltered amps, grainy videotape, and vocoder keys to close it out, this track carries a sense of remorse… in a 2026 twist, it’s not about heartbreak, but about losing time to your phone. Go figure.

Watch
A flashing banner ad reads: KCRW. Summer Nights. RSVP Now.
Snooper 2(600x338)

SNOOPER - "STAR * 69"

Behold, Snooper! Presenting a wild miasma of noise, punk, and electronic… not quite music, but sound — the Nashville duo demand your attention. Or rather, take it by the scruff and hold it hostage. Inspired at its inception by an endless supply of YouTube videos featuring a hydraulic press eviscerating various objects to a fine powder or spray of mist, this no-hold-barred track may do the same to your brain. Hold onto your cranium and get into it.

Watch
HB26_WEBBANNER_KCRW_WES_600x74
AMFO1(600x338)

Aaron MF Olson - "Nobody Can Tell"

Here’s another double-take track to sing around the campfire of our impending doom. Don’t shoot the messenger! Singer-songwriter Aaron MF Olson blends solid skills with satirical stylings, inviting you to listen closely for more than meets the…ear. Nobody can tell you it’ll be okay — the way the world goes is out of our hands. So maybe let’s have a fun time with our pals? Enjoy the claymation style silliness and relatable deep-though lyricism in this single.

Watch
Normal Pleasure(600x338)

Normal Pleasure & The Rah Band - "Satisfied?"

Let’s crank the energy for our final song of the week with this dancefloor-ready single from Melbourne producer Isaac Arnold. The Melbourne of it all is central to the record — titled MELBOURNE’S DEAD!! It’s a lamentation of the IRL dance scene’s slow and painful demise, in his eyes, with local spots having largely closed down due to rising costs, having been since replaced by sleepy housing and retail, as seen in Google maps grabs flashing by in the track’s video. Keep the dream alive by streaming this high-energy track from your own personal dance dungeon right now.

Watch
HB26_WEBBANNER_KCRW_WES_600x74
Join our community of music lovers who share your passion for discovery, deep dives, and connections through music. Become a KCRW Member.