Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Best new songs to stream: The National, Kurt Vile and Courtney Barnett, and more

1236249 autosave v1 kurt vile courtney barnett 920x584
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Every week, there are thousands of new songs hitting the airwaves — and it’s just too much for your two ears to handle. With all those options, you can’t be wasting your time on tracks that deserve a thumbs-down click — you want the best new songs to stream right now.

But don’t worry, we’re going to save you the hassle. We listen to some of the most-hyped and interesting songs each week, and tell you which are worthy of your precious listening time.

Recommended Videos

Here are our five best new songs to stream this week. And don’t forget to subscribe to our Spotify page for a playlist of our weekly picks, which can also be found at the bottom of this post. Not sure which streaming service is best for you? Check out our post about the best music streaming services, or go in depth and learn the differences between Apple Music and Spotify to better weigh your options.

The National — Day I Die

The National - 'Day I Die'

The National are gearing up for their upcoming album Sleep Well Beast — out September 8 — by releasing three new singles to whet fans’ appetites. Out favorite, Day I, Die uses a tom-filled drumbeat and descriptive vocals to create a fun rock ‘n’ roll atmosphere — just the sort of of forward-leaning tune that helped vault the popular band to international acclaim in the first place.

Kurt Vile and Courtney Barnett — Over Everything

Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile - Over Everything (Official Video)

Indie rock giants Kurt Vile and Courtney Barnett join forces on Over Everything, a fun and wordy song propelled by a punchy bass line and layered electric guitars. Barnett and Vile trade places in the included music video, singing each others’ parts in various locales.

DJ Kay Slay — Cold Summer (featuring Kendrick Lamar, Mac Miller, and Kevin Gates)

Kendrick Lamar leads off the latest single from DJ Kay Slay with a heavy-hitting verse about responsibility and work ethic, followed by verses from Mac Miller and Kevin Gates that share similar hardworking perspectives. The three famous rappers are just a few of DJ Kay Slay’s recruits for the producer’s upcoming album The Big Brother, out September 22). Other songs will feature Rick Ross, Jay Rock, 2 Chainz, Busta Rhymes, and more.

Wolf Parade — You're Dreaming

Wolf Parade - You're Dreaming

Wolf Parade‘s new single, You’re Dreaming, is a driving rock song that will quickly have you moving your feet like the animated man in the song’s music video. Full of cool keyboard and guitar tones, the Canadian rockers’ lyrically dark song was written about the aftermath of the 2016 election, but its upbeat musical energy somehow creates a desire to work on yourself and your community.

OCS (Oh Sees) — Memory of a Cut Off Head

Popular psych-rockers Oh Sees have a long and prolific history of recorded output, having recently released their 19th studio album in two decades, Orc. As usual, fans can expect even more new music soon, with frontman John Dwyer announcing the band’s next album, Memory of a Cut Off Head, will be out in November. The newly released title track is a return to form for the band that features past band member Brigid Dawson. It relies heavily on beautiful folksy melodies instead of shredding guitar energy.

That’s it for now, but tune in next week for more songs to stream, and check out the playlist loaded with our recent selections below:

Parker Hall
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Parker Hall is a writer and musician from Portland, OR. He is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin…
What is spatial audio? The 3D sound experience fully explained
Person listening to spatial audio using Apple AirPods Max headphones.

Since Apple added “spatial audio” to the Apple Music streaming service and the AirPods family of wireless earbuds and headphones in 2021, it feels like you can’t read about new audio products or services without running into that term. And just a few short years later, it’s seemingly everywhere.

This has led to a lot of misconceptions about what spatial audio is, how it works, and why you need to hear it for yourself. People often ask, “If Apple created spatial audio, why are other companies claiming they do it, too?” The answer is that Apple didn’t create it, and you certainly don’t need to own its products to experience spatial audio.

Read more
How to download music from SoundCloud on desktop and mobile
Soundcloud Interface on a Macbook.

If you’re a huge music fan, you’ve probably combed through the many playlists, artists, and albums of your Spotify or Apple Music subscription. But what about all the indie artists of the world? Some music-streaming platforms are better than others at celebrating the
‘unsung gem’ acts, but one of the most reliable forums for new, off-the-grid tunes is SoundCloud.

Founded in 2007, SoundCloud has always prioritized music that’s a bit under the radar. With over 320 million tracks in its library, the platform will even let you download a majority of its songs and albums.

Read more
The best kids headphones of 2024: for fun, safety, and sound
Two kids using the Puro Sound PuroQuiet Plus to watch something on a tablet.

Kid-friendly consumer tech is all the rage these days, so it’s no surprise that there’s an entire market of headphones designed exclusively for young ones. But when we think “kid-friendly,” sometimes we imagine products that are built to be a bit more throwaway than their adult counterparts. That’s not the case with the products on our list of the best headphones for kids, though.

We want our child-tailored headphones to include parental-controlled volume limiters, to ensure our children aren’t harming their eardrums. Pretty much every entry on our list checks this vital box, but we also wanted to point you and yours toward products that offer exceptional noise-canceling, built-in mics for phone and video calls, and long-lasting batteries for schooldays or a long flight.

Read more