I know what you’re thinking. It’s been a long time since I’ve done one of these — again. But happy New Years. One of my any resolutions is to get back in the habit of doing these every Monday — sure, I’ve probably said that before; however, I’ve never backed it up with a resolution. So you know, that’s like a pinky promise but for grown-ups.

Anyway, what have we all been up to lately? I’ll start. I basically have watched the iconic cinematic masterpiece that is 2003’s The Cat in the Hat probably three times over the last two months. What does that say about my mental health? I dunno, that’s what I pay my therapist $200/hour for (America, am I right?). Regardless, that’s where I’m at. If you haven’t watched The Cat in the Hat for a while, it’s worth a revisit. What an absolutely terrible kids movie, but an incredible movie for adult. Aging like fine wine, etc.

By the way, have you followed Eve 6 on twitter yet? Never thought I would say those words in 2021. Follow them and then come back to read the five songs you need to hear this week.

John the Ghost – “Drive

I would die for John O’Callaghan, I think. I mean, realistically I would die for the entirety of The Maine, but right now we’re just talking about John’s side project, John the Ghost. That’s right, while The Maine has been constantly pumping out music and touring non-stop for 10+ years now, the pandemic has allowed them some rest while they hammer out new music, and for O’Callaghan to continue work on this project. New music has come intermittently over the years, but now there’s a full-length record, I ONLY WANT TO LIVE ONCE, coming on February 12th. “Drive” is lead by O’Callaghan’s vocals which make it sound familiar for fans of The Maine, but the rest of the song is vastly different. The verses are soft and haunting, before the indie/pop song puts the pedal to the metal on the chorus, letting you know this is potentially not what you’d expect to hear — but it’s great, and worth a listen (or two).

Sydney Sprague – “Object Permanence

Sydney fucking Sprague. That’s it, that’s the tweet. Sydney has probably appeared on these lists more than anyone ever, which is a pretty prestigious thing to have on your resume, if you think about it. She just does music right, I don’t know what else to tell you. “Object Permanence” clocks in at just over 2 minutes, meaning you could listen to it almost 720 times today. You have my full support to do so, and in fact I would encourage you to. Her new album, maybe i will see you at the end of the world, is due out February 26, 2021 through Rude Records. Buy it.

Citizen – “I Want to Kill You

If you thought you knew Citizen, think again. This song has already made it’s way onto my “On Repeat” on Spotify, sandwiched right between Morgan Wallen and Sugarcult. Again, you may be thinking “Logan, what the hell does that mean?” and truthfully, all it means is that this song kicks ass. The verses in the song are lead by grunge-y guitar work, before the chorus rips into something that sounds so un-like Citizen that it’s unbelievable. Mat Kerekes is straight up writing the best music of his career right now. What a fucking banger. Their new album, Life In Your Glass World, will be released on March 26th via Run for Cover Records. You can, and should, pre-order that bad boy right now because something tells me we’re in for an AOTY contender.

Chapel – “Pillow Talk

No, not that “Pillow Talk.” You can never have too many good songs called “Pillow Talk,” and some may say Chapel did it better. At just under two and a half minutes, Chapel have made a groovy pop song that so easily gets stuck in your head it’s kind of ridiculous. Lead by a slick bass-line and electronic drums, this duo finds the beauty in a minimalistic approach. I’ve been all in on Chapel since I heard “Caught Up” for the first time, so here’s to hoping we get a full-length record finally this year.

The Spill Canvas – “Firestorm

I know what you’re thinking: The Spill Canvas? And the answer is yes, The Spill Canvas. It’s been quite a long time since the band released a full-length record — since 2012’s Gestalt, to be exact. And although they released their Hivemind EP in 2018, consider this new record, Conduit (due out March 5th via Pure Noise Records), your official reintroduction to the band. Nick Thomas has never sounded better in the band’s career, and “Firestorm” is a stunning example that The Spill Canvas has a lot left to offer. A pop-rock song done just right, with an addition of gospel singers mixed in. What else could you ask for?