Paste Music has curated its weekly playlist of standout new tracks, spotlighting releases from artists including Alex G, Wet Leg, and MAVI. The selections span indie rock, folk, and hip-hop, offering fresh sounds from established and emerging talents. This edition highlights emotional depth and innovative arrangements in contemporary music.
Paste Magazine's latest roundup, dated May 29, 2025, captures the vibrant output of the previous week with a diverse array of singles. The list, presented in alphabetical order, begins with Alan Sparhawk and Trampled By Turtles' 'Get Still,' a reimagined track from Sparhawk's 2024 solo album White Roses, My God. Transformed from its original digital haze into a warm bluegrass séance, the song features evocative lyrics like 'Kitty needs this for chips' and banjo-fiddle interplay, emphasizing communal emotion post the death of Sparhawk's wife, Mimi Parker.
Alex G's 'Afterlife,' the lead single from his RCA Records debut LP Headlights, blends Americana pop with mandolin strums and reflections on fatherhood: 'Let me run on afterlife / Filling up the tank with it / Like a kid I ran it past / Rolling in the tiger grass.' Meanwhile, caroline's 'Coldplay cover' from the upcoming album caroline 2 delivers intimate spatial polyphony, shifting from acoustic caution to plugged-in woodwinds and fragmented phrases like 'You got / You never really asked.'
Drugdealer and Weyes Blood reunite on 'Real Thing,' a '70s disco duet evoking mutual adoration: 'Think I found someone who loves me / Somebody that’s so proud that they found me.' Mary in the junkyard's 'drains' intensifies their heavier sound with a pulsating bassline and Clari Freeman-Taylor's serrated vocals, including a raw 'aaarrrtggggghhhh.' MAVI and Earl Sweatshirt collaborate on 'Landgrab,' trading bars over a soul sample: 'I was in the backseat hoping to cash in, heard the whip crack / And it woke up the master.'
TOPS' 'Chlorine' from Bury the Key mixes synths and soulful vocals: 'Gassing me up in an empty bar, filling my cup with so much empty love.' Wet Leg's 'CPR' from moisturizer pulses with sass: 'Is it love or suicide,' culminating in droning sirens. Whitney's 'Darling' offers breezy introspection with falsetto and strings, while World News' 'Don’t Want to Know' channels '80s post-rock yearning, as frontman Alex Evans notes it stemmed from a 'depressive episode.'
Other notables include Ben Kweller ft. MJ Lenderman's 'Oh Dorian' and Lorde's 'Man of the Year.' The playlist underscores 2025's ongoing indie evolution, available via Paste's ongoing collection.
