Songs of the Week - 22/06/2026
These are the essential tracks you need to check out this week!
Photo Credit: Stewart Baxter
Charlotte OC - 'Start of Summer'
This week's Songs of the Week kick off with Charlotte OC's stellar new single 'Start Of Summer'. It is easily one of Charlotte's most infectious single yet, though there is something far more tender hiding beneath its sun-drenched surface. Written as an ever-present longing for her late father, the track captures the process of grief through small vivid details, pairing the emotional weight with a sound that (as the title suggests) feels built for summer. It is a really impressive piece of songwriting.
Lynks - 'Kick the Ball!!'
Lynks has taken the tradition of England football songs like ‘Three Lions’ and ‘World In Motion’ and, in true Lynks fashion, turned it into something gloriously chaotic with ‘Kick The Ball!’. It’s an insanely catchy track that pokes fun at how seriously the country takes football and how easily it can drown out everything else happening in the world, which really should be getting more attention. The whole thing is ridiculous in the best way and impossible not to get swept up in. Even without the football angle it stands up as one of the most purely fun releases of the summer.
Beth McCarthy - 'Hey Handsome'
Beth McCarthy continues her huge rise over the last few years with her first release of 2026, ‘Hey Handsome’. It’s a track that shows off everything Beth does so well, playful and catchy in a way that feels instantly recognisable. The wordplay is sharp and the chorus hits with cheerleading chant‑style sections that have been stuck in my head all week. The timing of this release couldn’t be better either, landing right in the middle of Pride Month and a heatwave. It’s a song built for this exact moment and Beth has delivered it with total confidence.
Finn Forster - 'Strangers'
Finn Forster continues his rise with ‘Strangers’, a track about the shift from being unknown to someone to becoming central to their life and then drifting apart again. There’s a rawness running through it, carried by Finn’s powerful vocal delivery, paired with a stripped back piano arrangement that gives the song real clarity. It’s a really exciting next chapter for one of the North East’s most exciting voices.
Dylan John Thomas - 'Heaven Knows You're Lonely'
This last week has been huge for Dylan John Thomas, with a standout TRNSMT set, a UK and Ireland tour announcement and the reveal of his sophomore album Nothing Here Worth Taking, arriving 25 September. New single ‘Heaven Knows You’re Lonely’ lands right alongside all of this news, stripping things back to the essentials that have always defined Dylan. Anchored by his distinctive vocal and acoustic stylings, it’s a brilliant next step from one of Scotland’s most compelling songwriters of this generation.
Kezia Gill - 'Local Man's Star (2026)'
Last week saw Kezia Gill release a moving reworked version of ‘Local Man’s Star’, her tribute to her late father. Telling his story from a young man with raw talent through to a long and beloved career as an entertainer, it’s as personal as songwriting gets, and this new version breathes fresh life into something that clearly means everything to her. The musical talent has clearly carried forward too, with Kezia clearlypossessing the same brilliance she sings about in her father.
Yelena Friedman - 'Hey Stranger'
Yelena Friedman returns with ‘Hey Stranger’, a tight and immediate three‑minute pop moment that arrives hot on the heels of her recent EP well, that's that. It’s one of her most compelling releases to date, mixing a fun spirit with a sharp instrumental and strong vocals, all wrapped up in a track that moves at real pace. It’s another confident addition to a catalogue that keeps growing more assured with every release.
Mabes - 'Ready To Go'
Mabes leans into that familiar pull of wanting more in life with ‘Ready To Go’, a track shaped by restlessness and the urge to move forward. Her stunning vocal sits right at the centre, opening up into layered, harmonious moments on the chorus that give the song its atmosphere. It’s a thoughtful, quietly hopeful release that shows how naturally her songwriting can turn uncertainty into something that feels like possibility.
Jacob Coley - 'Where My Heart Is'
Jacob Coley follows January’s ‘Treading Water’ with ‘Where My Heart Is’, a track that celebrates the raw brilliance of making music in the moment. Recorded mostly live in one take with no click track, it has a real sense of life running through it. The instrumental pushes the song forward with purpose, while Jacob’s longing vocal brings out the weight and detail in his exceptional writing. With every release, Jacob Coley is fast becoming an artist everyone needs to know about.
SKORTS - 'Headrush'
SKORTS have just dropped 'Headrush' ahead of their debut UK tour, a thrillingly raw piece of music built on swirling guitars, striking bass and heavenly vocals. The song channels desire and barely contained frustration into something that fully grabs your attention. It is the perfect introduction to the band for audiences discovering them properly for the first time.
DARSY - 'Delulu'
DARSY shares ‘Delulu’, an energetic pop track that blends Balkan rhythms and club energy into a bold and self‑aware anthem about believing in yourself long before anyone else does. The writing takes a playful, almost satirical approach, but underneath it sits a message about backing your own vision even when others can’t see it yet. The whole thing moves with real spark, building into an anthemic chorus that you cannot help but move to.
fiig - 'Mother'
fiig shares their sophomore single ‘Mother’, an ethereal piece of indie folk shaped by dreamy violin and moving vocal melodies. The songwriting blends hope and heartbreak with real care, sitting in that space between wanting and accepting, with a particular focus on the kind of unrequited queer love that can surface when falling for a straight woman. It’s another standout moment from an artist carving out a distinct world of their own, carried by a vocal performance deserving of the biggest of stages.
Fedge - 'Through It All'
Fedge has just released his debut EP ‘Through It All’, with the title track closing out the five‑track journey perfectly. Written for a younger version of himself who once felt completely alone and unable to confide in anyone around him, it carries a message that he will overcome what’s in front of him and eventually find a place where he belongs. Glittering pop production wraps around inspiring storytelling, a theme consistent across the whole EP.
The Prestige - 'Debris'
Heavy outfit The Prestige have just released their riotous new album ‘Isthmos’, which bursts into life with early track ‘Isthmos’. Depicting the moment catastrophe hits and forces a search for a new way of existing, the song swings between thrashy, chaotic verses and a huge, anthemic chorus, with sharp hooks cutting through the noise. It is an ambitious piece of work that The Prestige have nailed.
Hongza - 'Lovesick (Alternative)'
Hongza reimagines his 2024 release ‘Lovesick’ with a new alternative version that leans further into his dreamy shoegaze roots, starting in lo‑fi bedroom‑pop intimacy before swelling into a full wall of sound. It shows a clear step forward in Hongza's confidence behind the desk, with production choices that feel bolder and more assured. The rework arrives alongside the announcement of a deluxe edition of his ‘Coming Of Age’ EP which will be a must-listen.
Maria - 'Better Without You'
Maria continues her stellar year with ‘Better Without You’, a track about reaching the point where you stop waiting for someone to change and finally realise you’re better off moving forward without them. There’s a real clarity and strength running through the songwriting that will be relatable to so many, delivered with Maria’s rich vocals and an instrumental that feels built for a coming‑of‑age moment.
Alex Wilkinson - 'When The Sun Comes Up'
Last week Alex Wilkinson released the utterly brilliant ‘When The Sun Comes Up’. It’s a song about seeing a situation clearly for what it is and choosing to stay in the moment anyway, even knowing it won’t last. Blending acoustic and overdriven guitar with vocals that land with real weight, it’s the kind of track you keep coming back to. It marks a confident step forward for Alex, marking her as an artist truly ready to break out.
Speedial - 'Perfume'
Speedial have released their first new music since their 2025 debut EP with two tracks, ‘Perfume’ and ‘One Half’. Both are brilliant new tracks, but something really stands out about ‘Perfume’. Exploring the strange position of empathising with someone who hurt you because you’ve hurt someone in that exact same way before, it folds jazz‑informed rhythms and wiry guitar lines into something with a real emotional weight. This is a return that has me immediately hooked and wanting to check out more.
sienna tenn - 'i don't wanna kiss love goodbye'
This week's Songs of the Week are rounded out by sienna tenn, who follows up on February's ‘wish it was you’ with new track ‘i don't wanna kiss love goodbye’. It is a romantic and glittery bossa nova flecked single about fighting for love through its hardest moments. As performer, songwriter and producer all in one, tenn turns that control into a song that feels carefully shaped and all the more assured because of it.
