Clockwise from top left: Axel Flovent, Ash, ASHS, Kinley Dowling, Nicolas Godin and ARMNHMR featuring Micah Martin.

Every week, there’s a plethora of new music at our fingertips.

Artists on platforms like Spotify and Bandcamp are plentiful, and the radio offers a steady deluge of new singles, but who has time to sort through all that? RIFF does!

We pooled our resources to find some of the best new singles from all genres and backgrounds, so you can find your newest earworm without all the drama. Enjoy this week’s hidden gems.

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Axel Flovent, “Tourist” — If Iceland’s stark beauty had a voice, it might sound like this song from that country’s musician Axel Flovent. His clear melodic voice starts out soft and then soars over strumming guitar and subtle synthesizer. He reaches a crescendo on the chorus, then comes back down to the second verse, an unintended nod to his country’s ebbing and flowing displays of northern lights and icy waterfalls. Flovent’s control of his timbre and melodic ideas is evident as he sings from his soul.

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Kinley, “Run With You’ — From the opening line of Kinley Dowling’s newest single, her clear voice and unique musicianship catches the ear with hints of bluegrass and pop. She wrote the song as a bit of a fan girl after meeting one of her musical idols, but it could equally apply to all types of people we meet in life: “You’ve always got me singing the hooks/ Even though I don’t know how to sing.” The song is featured on her second album, due out on Feb. 21. Kinley is no stranger to the recording industry, and the 10 years with indie band Hey Rosetta! play into her current project.

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Ash, “Petrol” — From the vault comes a remastered video of Ash’s 1994 song, one of the songs on the band’s upcoming 18-song monster of an album, Teenage Wildlife: 25 Years of Ash. The song starts with rocking guitars and moves into Tim Wheeler’s strong vocals and self-written lyrics. Both elements reach across a quarter of a century to draw in loyal and new fans alike. The video features old concert footage, perhaps a hint of what’s to come on Ash’s spring 2020 European tour. “Petrol” is one of those rock songs that transcends the decades and holds up just as well today without feeling old and worn out.

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Nicolas Godin featuring Cola Boyy, “The Foundation” — Electronic pop, futuristic synthesizers and guest vocalist Cola Boyy complete this catchy song. It gets more enthralling when watching the video about an astronaut. The sci-fi space feel works perfectly with the variety of keyboard effects, while the steady beat remains strangely addictive. The song is one of a number of such songs on Godin’s upcoming album, Concrete and Glass, being released Jan. 24.

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ASHS, “Paranoid” — She’s 26 years old and entered the music scene in 2018, but ASHS—whose name is Alyssa Reid—is one to watch. With lyrics like, “We just smile while we bury all our demons in our closet,” she has a good grasp on the fickle, yet deep world of performing artists. While she’s released two EPs under the ASHS moniker, she’s also written songs for other artists. On this third release, she steps into the spotlight, releasing a dark-toned video of “paranoid” people, revealing herself at the end. Her clear, yet slightly raspy voice stands on its own, which is a good omen for where ASHS may go after this.

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ARMNHMR featuring Micah Martin,  “The Universe is Yours” — What happens when you add an Iowa alt-rock and pop singer to a Los Angeles electronic dance music duo? The result is a song that can’t quite be defined, ranging from peppy beats to resonating vocals. It’s a good combination of the genres, especially since it’s on ARMNHMR’s first album, set to be released in early 2020. On this song, the energetic duo collaborates with Micah Martin, lead singer of The Zealots, who have performed with the likes of Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson. However, this song is far from either such artist, falling firmly in the EDM category.

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Layla’s Pick: As a fan of rock, this week’s favorite has to be Ash’s “Petrol.” The band’s 25 years of experience leads to some well-earned credence for this song. With what we’ve seen from Ash so far, this return feels completely earnest rather than a cash grab. As relevant as ever, the video’s old remastered footage serves as a tribute to how far these musicians have come, and how far they have yet to go.

Follow Layla Bohm at https://twitter.com/laylabohm.