Clockwise from top left: Spiritual Cramp, Hovvdy, George FitzGerald, Walkways, DED, Sun Atoms and Sea Wolf.

Hypnotic beats from George FitzGerald, warm vocals of Sea Wolf, blasting guitars of DED and droning soundscapes of Sun Atoms make the cut for this week’s best songs. We round out the list of fantastic cuts with Walkways, Spiritual Cramp and Hovvdy.

Walkways, “You Found Me” — Tel Aviv, Israel alt-metal band Walkways returns with this more subdued track. The band focused on a DIY mindset, performing while seated and adding some outdoor locations in the accompanying video. The outdoor scenes lead to an emphasis on lead singer Ran Yerushalmi’s vocals, which bring heart and tenderness to the song. As Walkways build up to the chorus, the guitar playing and drumming comes alive and the song gets heavier. The band brings in a sense of urgency and angst.

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DED, “Kill Beautiful Things” — This must be the time for metal bands to perform in nature. The spinning cameras among the trees and heavy guitars blasting create a dizzying effect. The video starts to unfold between two D’s (of DED’s name) creating an entrancing hallucinatory experience. The chorus comes alive as Joe Cotela sings, “I kill all the beautiful things,” and the forest lights up in fire. But, it’s the powerful and hammering drumming that powers this song.

The band is currently on tour with In This Moment and Black Veil Brides, and played in San Francisco on Sunday.

George FitzGerald, “Ultraviolet” — From the opening synth notes of “Ultraviolet'” you’re pulled into a hypnotic dreamlike state. Keys and percussion slowly come alive, creating a faster and faster beat. The song is a head-spinning experience, altering any sense of space and time. Halfway through “Ultraviolet,” there’s a sense that you have ventured into an intense electronic dance club. George FitzGerald creates a natural ebb and flow, keeping listeners engaged.

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Spiritual Cramp, “Walk, Idiot Walk” (The Hives cover) — How does one pull off a cover of The Hives, a band known for matching dapper suits and some of the sickest riffs in garage rock?! Well, San Francisco punk band Spiritual Cramp’s cover is nothing to sneer at. The video, which is sickly awesome, starts with a hilarious conversation about pleated pants. Spiritual Cramp smartly adds some punk guitars to the song, giving it a gritty edge. But it’s the chorus that is still undeniable and hasn’t lost its bounciness. Around the 3:00-mark, the band really lets loose and has fun. It’s contagious, and we’re all going to want to dance with our own tambourine. Those iconic guitar riffs? Still as sweet as ever. This is a total gem.

Sea Wolf, “Witchknife” — Sea Wolf‘s “Fear of Failure” was my anthem of sorts for 2020. So, I was pleasantly surprised to see Through A Dark Wood (Deluxe), which contains five new songs. Alex Brown Church’s vocals bring a sense of calm and soothing to the soul, but still contains an ache like no other. You can feel the pain in his voice, yet the light guitar playing doesn’t bring down the song. “Witchknife” has a warm texture in which you want to wrap yourself. But it’s his lyrics that stick with you and paint a beautiful, yet sad picture. I can’t wait to hear the new songs.

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Hovvdy, “Blindsided” — Austin, Texas duo Hovvdy, comprised of Charlie Martin and Will Taylor, released its fourth album, True Love, last Friday. New single “Blindsided” is a melodic ballad. The song has a light and carefree folky sound. The lush melody comes courtesy of the piano and guitars. And the hauntingly beautiful lyrics are picture-perfect. “Blindsided” is sentimental and happy, rolled neatly together. And if you start waltzing to the beautifully harmonized chorus, I won’t blame you: “Could’ve used you in my life but/ You were blind/ Blindsided,” they sing.

Sun Atoms, “Half Robot Half Butterfly” — Sun Atoms are everything I like about music: very loud brooding guitars that seem to drone forever. There’s texture, darkness and raw emotions that come firing straight at you. Portland’s Jsun Atoms (previously of The Upsidedown) knows how to create dreamy psychedelic music. It doesn’t hurt that Peter Holmström (guitar pedal god of The Dandy Warhols) produced the album. “Half Robot Half Butterfly” is a gorgeous immersive light-filled soundscape that takes you away to another dimension. Sun Atoms debut album, Let There Be Light, dropped on Friday.

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Rachel’s pick: I’m a sucker for a really good cover, and I will emphasize Spiritual Cramp’s song is INSANE. I was already familiar with Jsun Atoms after meeting him years ago in Washington, D.C., when he was playing with The Upsidedown. From the moment I heard Sun Atoms, it spoke to me. “Half Robot Half Butterfly” has so much angst, drama and psychedelic dreaminess captured beautifully. You can feel the dirty, fuzzy and grittiness of the guitar playing. Plus: that wall of sound! Jsun Atoms sums it up beautifully: “So beautiful, it will make you cry.”

Follow writer Rachel Goodman at Twitter.com/xneverwherex and Instagram.com/xneverwherex.