Kickstart 2023

Next week, we kick off what you might call the third season of Weekly5. You're in for a total of 30 regular editions and several fresh specials and reLISTENs, the format with five «older» songs to discover.

Since there won't be a regular curation on Sunday, I thought I'd shorten the waiting with a short special featuring five songs that I discovered in 2022 but haven't made it to one of the editions because they are a bit older or were cut from the shortlists.

However, the following five tracks all have an exhilarating energy that is perfect to kickstart the new year.

KÅRP – It Looks Bad

A sound coined by the band itself as horror disco, KÅRP's It Looks Bad is a flickering diamond of Scandinavian electro-pop. The icy voice echoes above an ever-escalating carpet of flaring synthesizers and complex beats. And right when you think it cannot get any better, the Gothenburg-based band leaps into a climactic crescendo.

• FFO: Lykke Li, Grimes
• Spotify • Apple Music • Bandcamp

Lola Marsh – Run Run Baby

Compared to the featured Satellite, the track Run Run Baby by Lola Marsh rings differently. The Israeli duo galops in the best Western style, whipped by a lush beat and interlaced with subtle acoustic guitar sprinkles, while Yael Shoshana Cohen performs with a seductive, conjuring, and dangerous voice.

• FFO: Quentin Tarantino movies
• Spotify • Apple Music

Rey Pila – Ninjas

Mexico City's Rey Pila bring together the best of new wave, post-punk, and indie-rock in their 2017 single Ninjas. The relentless rhythm is juxtaposed with the slightly nostalgic and elongated singing—but Ninja remains utterly captivating and danceable throughout, uniting indie fans and goths alike on the dancefloor.

• FFO: The Cars, Bragolin, Pink Turns Blue
• Spotify • Apple Music • Bandcamp

4B2M – This Is Happening

4B2M—an acronym for 4 Brothers, 2 Mothers—is a Dutch indie outfit that caught my attention with the quirky, garage-rock-inspired This Is Happening. The sound is breathless; the band plays itself into a crazy rush. Somehow, it's quite a weird tune with its vocal gimmicks—sounding simultaneously vintage and highly contemporary.

• FFO: Thee Oh Sees, Maximo Park, FEWS
• Spotify • Apple Music

Zonderling – Sonderling

Spacy electronic music with a dark twist—that's Zonderling's 2012 track Sonderling. It's a rather reduced composition with a hopping melody in front of a buzzing backdrop. The Dutch duo created a filigree tune that's sombre yet intriguing and perfectly executed to stimulate thought and dance.

• FFO: Klangkarussell, Boris Brejcha
• Spotify • Apple Music • Bandcamp