I didn’t blast much new-ish music this week, so today’s playlist will skew in a slightly different direction than normal.

“Collect” – Torres
It’s been a couple years since we had new Torres music. That album landed not one but two tracks on my Favorite Songs of the Year list, so the pressure is high for 2024. This is a super-promising first peak at her next album.

“be okay” – Yumi Zouma
Some heavy Nineties overtones in this, from the crunchy guitars to the processed background screaming. Also a pretty heavy chorus featuring the lines “To introduce me to your fucking family, and you still treated me so fucking badly.”

“Lord of Shelves” – Wurld Series
Hey, the World Series starts tonight. I’m sure these guys are pumped. Oh, wait. Like Yumi Zouma they are from New Zealand. They probably have no idea what’s going on in American baseball. Probably explains why they spell their name that way, too.

“Getting Bitter” – Teenage Halloween
I don’t think I’ve ever heard a happier song about a family member suffering from addiction.

“October” – The Helio Sequence
Like most of 2023, this has been a relatively mild, quiet October. It looks like we are about to have a few blustery days, with winter-like temps as we move into November. Weather that suits the mood of this track.

“Halloween” – Phoebe Bridgers
Likely the only song to ever reference a fan getting beat to death at a Dodgers game.

“Halloween” – Siouxsie and the Banshees
I’d like to pretend I’ve known about this kick ass track for decades, but I only discovered it two weeks ago when I was searching for songs to play the Friday before Halloween.