Emerson Hart sounds like he has a winter hit on his hands with Green Hills Race For California. this one lands like the record everybody wishes they had found first.
Mellow
The Audreys and “You and Steve McQueen” land like a fresh winter find : quiet, sly, and impossible to shake. It sounds like the kind of song that sneaks onto every serious mixtape before anyone admits it.
Peter Bjorn and John’s “Young Folks” sounds like the coolest thing on radio even if it arrives with the charm of a half-frozen sidewalk and a pocketful of bravado. It is already the kind of indie-pop single people pretend they knew first, then hum all afternoon.
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings sound like the good stuff just landed and “Be Easy” arrives with enough heat to cut through the cold. It feels brand-new, essential, and already impossible to ignore.
The New Amsterdams make “Fountain of Youth” feel like the kind of winter single that sneaks onto every playlist and refuses to leave. It sounds brand-new, a little bruised, and exactly right for the year’s last cold snap.
The Greencards land Here You Are like a fresh favorite: warm, sharp, and impossible to ignore. It feels essential right now because it cuts through the holiday noise without trying too hard.
Kelley McRae’s “Never Be” feels like the sort of song you hear once and then start pretending you knew all along. It lands with that rare, cold-weather mix of ache and grit that makes it sound essential right now.
Matt Nathanson and Come On Get Higher feel built when every big-room singalong still lands like a dare and a promise. It sounds fresh, immediate, and just reckless enough to crash into the season and stay there.
Schuyler Fisk’s “The Good Stuff” feels like the kind of track that works right now: warm, unforced, and a little too pretty to leave buried on a playlist. It lands like a brand-new favorite, the sort of song that makes a gray afternoon look better.
Oren Lavie lands Her Morning Elegance like the kind of track you swear you just discovered before everyone else does. it feels instantly essential: intimate, off-center, and stylish enough to cut through the holiday noise without trying too hard.
Donavon Frankenreiter drops "Lovely Day" like a warm mug on a cold December morning. In 2007, this sounds fresh, easy, and exactly right for anyone trying to outrun the gray without leaving the couch.
My favorite Mellow songs from the past year.
Paid-only
Sun Kil Moon turns "Exit Does Not Exist" into the kind of song that makes everything feel a little lonelier and a lot better. It sounds fresh, like a secret cut from a record everyone suddenly needs to hear.
City and Colour lands "Comin' Home" like a surprise late-September favorite: quiet, direct, and impossible to file away. this feels like the record everyone should already know about, the kind of song that makes your headphones suddenly seem expensive.
Joshua Radin lands Everything'll Be Alright (Will's Lullaby) like a late-summer secret worth repeating. this sounds freshly unearthed, the kind of quiet song that sneaks past the singles pile and sticks anyway.
Ray LaMontagne lands “Gone Away From Me” like a late-summer confession that suddenly feels urgent. this sounds less like a deep cut and more like the record everyone should have found yesterday.
City and Colour lands "Hello, I'm In Delaware" like a quiet surprise you swear you needed all along. it feels brand-new, all heartbeat and hangover, the kind of track that cuts through louder records without raising its voice.
Alexi Murdoch lands “Breathe” like a quiet gut check . It feels brand-new, but it already sounds like the one you play when the week starts moving too fast.
Rocky Votolato turns "Tinfoil Hats" into the kind of track that feels suddenly essential : sharp, sleepless, and a little too honest for the bus ride home. From the album *Makers*, it arrives like a fresh favorite you swear everyone should already know.
Jim Noir lands “Eanie Meany” right in the sweet spot of the moment: weird enough to feel new, catchy enough to sound like it is already everywhere. If you want a song that makes this month feel a little brighter and a lot less ordinary, this is the one.
Gomez sounds freshly landed with Hamoa Beach today, and it fits like a sneaky late-summer anthem. If you want a track that feels too cool to be trying, this is the one spinning out of the speakers right now.
Clayhill and Northern Soul feel like the good kind of surprise this September, the one that cuts through all the shiny nonsense and sticks. It sounds current, immediate, and just shadowy enough to matter before the month gets away from you.
David Poe turns The Pornographer into the kind of left-field find that feels impossible to ignore . It lands like a late-night dispatch with enough nerve to make polished radio seem a little sleepy.
Josh Rouse drops “Quiet Town” like a perfect surprise: calm, sharp, and impossible to skip twice. On a crowded release calendar, this one sounds like the record you catch on the first listen and start defending immediately.
