Songs of the Week - 21/07/2025
These are the 10 tracks you need to check out this week!
Photo Credit: Megan Winstone
Panic Shack - 'Girl Band Starter Pack'
The first song in this week's Songs of the Week feature also happens to be the first song from Panic Shacks highly-anticipated self-titled debut album. After gaining notoriety in the UK punk scene over the last 5 years, Panic Shack finally have a full body of work out, and it has more than met the hype. Narrowing an album this good down to just one song is near impossible, but the ferocious way that 'Girl Band Starter Park' kicks things off, setting the tone for whats to come, means it has to be my choice. But still, check the whole album out!!
La Dispute - 'Sibling Fistfight at Mom's Fiftieth/The Un-sound'
Earlier this month saw LA Dispute release ‘Act III’, the third act of their upcoming album ‘No One Was Driving The Car’. Act III brought with it the release of five new tracks, which follow the life story of the album’s narrator, including the gritty ‘Sibling Fistfight at Mom’s Fiftieth/The Un-sound’. Whilst all five new tracks are fantastic, this one really hits the perfect spot for blending narrative storytelling with stellar song creation. The hazey hard-hitting instrumentals are paired with passionately raw vocals that captivate from the first line. The new LA Dispute album already looked set to be an impressive body of work, but the release of ‘III’ has brought this brilliance to a whole new level.
Diveboy - 'Suntrap'
Irish indie-band Diveboy released their newest single ‘Suntrap’ last week, which pairs joyous upbeat textures with much more grounded introspective lyricism. Exploring the world of digital validation and performative happiness, Diveboy have made a track that perfectly contrasts a feel good sound with a damning assessment of living a fake digital reality. It is a perfect song for this festival season, providing new ears with the perfect opportunity to discover the band, especially given ‘Suntrap’ also acts as the first single to be taken from the Diveboy’s upcoming third studio album.
Iona Zajac - 'Anton'
Iona Zajac returns with her third spellbinding release of the year, following the hauntingly beautiful ‘Summer’, and previous Song of the Week ‘Bang’. The new single, ‘Anton’ perfectly displays Zajac’s signature sound, blending a stripped-back guitar track with soft, soulful vocals. However, Anton takes Iona’s sonic approach to whole new levels, building to a haunting ending of scream-like vocals and heavier instrumentals. This moment perfectly captures the heart-wrenching spirit of this track, which sees Iona delve into deeply personal formative experiences with toxic men that will unfortunately be relatable to far too many.
Fig Tape - 'Miracle'
Genre-blending artist Fig Tape also returned with his third release of the year, with the infectious track ‘Miracle’. The song blends indie, electro and pop influences to create a vibrant synth-backed soundscape, all whilst lyrically tackling the important issue of climate change. This song saw Fig Tape push his experimental nature to whole new levels, featuring sections sung on an actual telephone microphone to create a dreamy lo-fi soundscape. With a unique approach to song creation, lyrics that tackle serious issues, and the musical prowess to tie them all together within mesmerising songs, Fig Tape really is a one-of-a-kind artist.
Bino Bames - 'Isolated'
Another third release of the year, this time coming from Bino Bames with his emotionally resonant new track ‘Isolated', which sees Bames introspectively reflect on his childhood, masculinity and the struggles of inherited behaviour. His hauntingly beautiful vocals combine perfectly with the acoustic-driven backing track to amplify the emotional response of his almost poetic lyricism, really highlighting the solitude Bino felt throughout his formative years. This is a feeling which so many others will relate to, being able to find comfort in this stunning composition from Bino Bames.
ANGELIKA - 'Feeling of Almost'
Last week saw alt-pop artist ANGELIKA drop her first single in eighteen months, ‘Feeling of Almost’, which also provides the first taste of her upcoming debut EP, ‘MYTH’. ‘Feeling of Almost’ is a delicately crafted song, combining shimmering synths, ethereal vocals and a gentle, uplifting dance rhythm to explore the thrill of anticipation. The single is a euphoric reintroduction to ANGELIKA’s music, and one that will undoubtedly build a heightened sense of anticipation for ‘MYTH’. If the rest of the songs are half as good as ‘Feeling of Almost’, we could be looking at a genuine EP of the year contender.
Liam Higgins - 'Distance'
Liam Higgins has continued his takeover of the pop scene with his stunning new single ‘Distance’, an evocative reflection on separation, recollection and the lingering pain of unspoken feelings. Liam's heartfelt vocals are paired with a textured instrumental which flawlessly blends whistles, keys and strings together in a harmonic tapestry. This is arguably Liam’s most emotionally deep and sonically experimental track to date, with several different layers combining to create an impressively crafted single that instantly moves listeners.
Biba - 'Crazy'
One of the most exciting emerging singer-songwriters, Biba, released her first single of 2025 last week, ‘Crazy’, a catchy pop song that mixes spellbinding vocals with a fiery Latin-infused backing. The song’s striking instrumental track feels like it could have been taken straight from a ballroom, complementing perfectly the enchanting vocals that Biba delivers. The song is built around the hook, “You make me crazy, but I kind of like it”, highlighting Biba’s ability to pen catchy yet relatable lyrics, and turning them into songs that will be stuck in your head long after you’ve stopped listening.
BettySoo - 'Light it Up'
This week’s Songs of the Week are rounded out by the country-pop anthem ‘Light it Up’ by BettySoo. The song, which originally came out at the end of June, also features on Betty’s sensational new album ‘If You Never Go Away’, which came out last week, her first album in over a decade. The song captures the experience of living on the road, where one night you can be in a glamorous hotel, and the next a paper-thin-walled motel where the most intimate moments of human existence are on show. With ‘Light it Up’, as well as the entirety of ‘If You Never Go Away’, BettySoo has immediately stamped her mark back as one of the most important names on the country music scene, a title that will no doubt still ring true for years to come.