Welcome to AP A-sides, where we’re highlighting the very best songs from the past week. Every Friday, the AP editors will wade through the daunting number of tracks released daily, narrow down their favorites, and give them to you in one playlist. Because the definition of alternative is constantly in flux, there are no rigid parameters to our selections — just tracks we’re obsessively talking about and listening to on repeat. This week’s playlist features artists diverse in genre but singular in sound, including Love Spells, Maya Hawke, Balming Tiger, Siiickbrain, Finn Wolfhard, and more.
Read more: Love Spells finds romance in the everyday
Check out our picks below, and stay informed about everything that came out last month with our album release calendar.
AP A-sides – May 1, 2026
- Balming Tiger – “Home”
- Bleachers – “i’m not joking”
- Brutalismus 3000 – “I Bring My Gun to the Function” (feat. Boys Noize)
- Dour – “Neophiliac”
- Finn Wolfhard – “I’ll Let You Finish”
- Josh Conway (The Marías) – “forget him”
- Love Spells – “Crutch”
- Maya Hawke – “Lioness”
- Siiickbrain – “FILTHY” (feat. Fetish)
- you are an angel – “10 rows of teeth”