Tuesday Tracks: Your Weekly New Music Discovery – May 25

STACEY, Faye Webster, Azure Ray, Lydia Ainsworth, Black Map, Lucy Dacus.

Clockwise from top left: STACEY, Faye Webster, Azure Ray, Lydia Ainsworth, Black Map and Lucy Dacus.

Whether you’re listening to the resonant rock of Lucy Dacus, confessional folk from Faye Webster or the post-hardcore heaviness of Black Map, this week’s selections are a treat for the ears. We round out the best songs of the week with Azure Ray, Lydia Ainsworth and STACEY.



Azure Ray, “Phantom Lover” — The latest single from Azure Ray puts comfort to a sound. “Phantom Lover” eases in with ambient beats that wrap around Maria Taylor’s and Orenda Fink’s warm vocals. The mix feels like satin on skin, soft to the touch. It’s a fitting backdrop as the duo sings the gentle reminder, “Baby, it’s all right,” throughout the chorus. With two other new singles out, “Bad Dream” and “Remedy,” Azure Ray is gearing up for its first full-length album in 10 years. 

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Black Map, “Eyes Without a Face/Exit” — Blending two classic ’80s cuts into one, Black Map sure knows how to do a cover. The San Francisco trio lays on sludge and distortion on these Billy Idol and U2 tracks, totally transforming them into a glorious post-hardcore masterpiece. The cover was recorded after wrapping up the band’s forthcoming album. And though done on a whim, Black Map more than delivered. 



Faye Webster, “I Know I’m Funny haha” — It’s not often you hear phonomimes in lyrics, but Faye Webster plays it off with an effortless cool on “I Know I’m Funny haha.” The new single is the epitome of laughing off awkward moments when life doesn’t go as planned. Between not getting her security deposit back to being forgotten by someone she’s already met, there’s a lot going on. Still, Webster fits it all into a breezy melody with her signature folk-pop treatment. 

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Lucy Dacus, “VBS” — The two most recent cuts from Lucy Dacus call back to suburban adolescence. “Hot & Heavy” revisits old haunts that still bring to mind a past love, while the newer “VBS” literally namechecks vacation bible school. These experiences clearly resurface mixed feelings, but Lucy Dacus delivers them gracefully. With her buttery vocals and thoughtful melodies, Dacus creates a bittersweet nostalgia that spares no one from heartache. 



Lydia Ainsworth, “Cosmic Dust” — From fluttering vocals to a floaty chorus, this Lydia Ainsworth track lives up to its celestial name. “Cosmic Dust” swells and swirls like the Northern Lights, and it’s a whimsical experience on the ears. But in between its sonic bliss are themes of love and a transient existence. Though parts of that subject matter aren’t always the easiest to digest, Lydia Ainsworth’s radiant energy puts focus on the beauty of life itself. 

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STACEY, “Strange (But I Like It)” — STACEY channels Fleetwood Mac with the ’70s-style folk pop melody of “Strange (But I Like It).” But rather than harness her inner witch a la Stevie Nicks, STACEY brings cosmic flair. As the song envisions the life of a free spirit on the hunt for a sense of belonging, the video takes an extraterrestrial twist. The release feels tailor-made for people with their heads perpetually in the clouds, like there’s a mutual understanding between STACEY and likeminded listeners. She says it best: “Isn’t it nice to find your people when they’re strange like you?”



Chloe’s Pick: Everything Lucy Dacus has put out ahead of Home Video has really struck a chord with me. With “VBS,” its pacing, storytelling and, of course, Dacus’ warm vocals feel like a heart-to-heart with a good friend. The lines, “The poetry was so bad/ It took a lot not to laugh,” hits ridiculously close to home, too. 

Follow editor Chloe Catajan at Instagram.com/riannachloe.

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