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The Contenders, Vol. 15: The songs we can't stop playing this week

The Peter Cat Recording Co.
Salihah Saadiq
/
Courtesy of the artist
The Peter Cat Recording Co.

This week we check back in on our running list of the year's best songs — they're contenders for a spot on the inevitable best-of 2024 lists we'll post at the end of the year. Our latest update includes some pro-tips for staying engaged with life as we get older, how to be happy in a world you can't control, the art of letting go and more from Arooj Aftab, Great Grandpa, Japandroids and more.

We've also got a slightly less-dystopian single from The Smile, the shape-shifting sounds of Delhi's Peter Cat Recording Co. and the blood-slowing music of fingerstyle guitarist Yasmin Williams.

Featured artists and songs:

1. Arooj Aftab: "Raat Ki Rani," from Night Reign
2. The Smile: "Don't Get Me Started" (Single)
3. Japandroids: "D&T," from Fate & Alcohol
4. Peter Cat Recording Co.: "I Deny Me," from Beta
5. Great Grandpa: "Kid" (Single)
6. Yasmin Williams: "Virga (feat. Darlingside)," from Acadia

Copyright 2024 NPR

Robin Hilton is a host and senior producer for the All Songs Considered podcast and Tiny Desk, a series he helped create -- and named -- in 2008.
Stephen Thompson is a host, writer and reviewer for NPR Music and Pop Culture Happy Hour. He appears frequently on All Songs Considered and NPR newsmagazines.
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