Flying Buffaloes hit with “Just a Little Weed” like they know exactly how to rescue a gray afternoon. The song lands hard enough to feel brand new, and its hook sounds built for repeat plays right now.
Folk
The Band Of Heathens turn Green Grass of California into an instant favorite: sun-baked, road-worn, and sharper than the title suggests. The song feels brand new, like the kind of cut that sneaks onto playlists and stays there.
Kayla Schureman turns “Bad Company” into the kind of track that feels newly arrived and impossible to ignore. Against a springy, modern edge, she sounds sharp, direct, and ready to outrun the room.
Bob Weir lands "Gonesville" like a fresh cut that already feels road-tested. The title alone sounds like a place you need to hear before everybody else catches up.
Hiss Golden Messenger slips "Biloxi" into the day like a half-open window on a long drive. The song feels immediate, warm, and wiser than whatever is playing on the radio right now.
Tyler Childers arrives with “Universal Sound” sounding like the rare track everyone suddenly acts like they discovered first. The song feels immediate, raw, and too good to sit quietly in the background.
The Last Revel hit hard with "Engine Trouble": a road-worn anthem that sounds ready for a long drive and a louder singalong. The song feels newly urgent, like the kind of track people trade around before the rest of the room catches up.
OJR keeps "Under the Hood" tight, sleek, and impossible to ignore. The track lands like a fresh download from the edge of the club circuit, all hook and no waste.
Davey Allen makes “Days to Come” feel like the one you find before everyone else does. The hook lands with the confidence of a song already winning over late-night listeners and kitchen-table DJs alike.
Uncle Lucius slides into “The Light” like a road-worn promise with boots on. The song feels essential right now because it sounds lived-in, confident, and strangely comforting without begging for attention.
Phil Cook turns “1922” into a late-arriving favorite that feels bigger than its runtime. The song lands like a fresh chart-stopper, plainspoken and immediate, with enough soul to stop the scroll.
The Devil Makes Three turns “Drunken Hearted Man” into the kind of discovery that sounds overdue the second the needle lands. Razor-edged, stripped down, and oddly fearless, it feels built for anyone craving something real and unpolished right now.
Great Lake Swimmers keep "Easy Come Easy Go - Radio Edit Bonus" feeling fresh enough to sound like the best thing on the dial. The hook lands with quiet confidence, like a song already waiting for your next replay.
Darlingside lands Go Back like a perfectly timed reminder that restraint can still hit hard. The song feels essential right now because it sounds like the smartest thing in the room without ever showing off.
My favorite Folk songs from the past year.
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Houndmouth’s “Penitentiary” sounds like a road-house dare, and that makes it essential right now. The band turns a fresh discovery into something that feels like a secret everybody should already know.
The Infamous Stringdusters and “All The Same” land like a fresh favorite you somehow missed until now. The cut feels immediate, polished, and too alive to skip.
Pharis & Jason Romero drop Long Gone Out West Blues like a fresh find with dust on its boots. The title alone sounds ready for the front of the rack, and the song lands with the kind of confidence that makes you stop scrolling and listen.
Frontier Ruckus turns "Nerves of the Nightmind" into the kind of song that feels discovered, not promoted. The track lands like a fresh obsession: vivid, sharp-edged, and impossible to file away.
Trampled by Turtles turns “Alone” into an immediate must-hear, the kind of track that sounds oddly bigger than the room you play it in. The melody lands fast, and the bluegrass edge keeps it moving with real purpose.
Gregory Alan Isakov sounds quietly essential with The Stable Song. The track arrives like a fresh favorite from a worn-in record rack, and its plainspoken grace makes it feel bigger than the room around it.
Judah & the Lion sound ready to explode on Our Love. The hook lands with the kind of rough-edged charm that makes a fresh folk-leaning single feel bigger than the room.
Pharis & Jason Romero land “Sally Goodin” with the kind of snap that makes a room look up. Old-time energy rarely feels this alive, and that is exactly why it belongs in your queue now.
The Tallest Man On Earth turns "1904" into an instant favorite: brisk, ragged, and impossible to shrug off. The song feels like the kind of track you catch once and then spend the rest of the day chasing back to the beginning.
