It's new music for the month of October!  Jenn Tully fills in for Sam again this month alongside Matt Sidhom.  Together they built a mix that moves from David Byrne’s question-rich groove with Ghost Train Orchestra and Hayley Williams to Florence and the Machine’s roof-raising declaration of ambition, with plenty of discoveries and nostalgic detours in between. 

We kick off with What Is the Reason for It, a horn-lit, cinematic opener that doubles as a meditation on love’s contradictions. From there, we bend time: Oasis reenters the chat via Don’t Look Back in Anger and the 30th anniversary of What’s the Story (Morning Glory), a reminder that remasters can be the best kind of rediscovery. Cold War Kids deliver a standout with Hyperempathy—maybe the most accurate song about a long-term couple’s fight—before Electric Guest lifts the room with Play Your Guitar and its bassline-as-elevation. We even throw a glam-pop curveball with Foxy Shazam’s You Know My Name featuring Corey Feldman, a surprisingly joyful MJ-inspired romp.

The middle stretch balances comeback warmth and clever wordplay: Yellowcard’s Better Days revisits the hooky honesty that made Ocean Avenue timeless, and Rainbow Kitten Surprise stitches fast-twitch lyrics to an easy, elastic groove. For elegant horror, The Last Dinner Party’s This Is the Killer Speaking toggles between sinister verses and pop-bright choruses, while Sloan’s Dream Destroyer blends 70s glam swagger with modern edge. We also wrestle with art versus artist through The Lemonheads’ The Key of Victory, and tip our hat to familiar architecture with Arthur Buck’s Fall in Love With Me, a pop-spooky echo of REM instincts with fresh attitude.

We close on Florence and the Machine’s One of the Greats, a soaring, razor-sharp statement about the cost and confidence of excellence—complete with a pointed critique of industry double standards. 

https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/sam-new-music-october-2025/pl.u-pm2jidKjlz

1. What is the Reason For It? - David Byrne with Ghost Train Orchestra featuring Hayley Williams

2. Don't Look Back in Anger - Oasis

3. Hyperempathy - Cold War Kids

4. Play Your Guitar - Electric Guest

5. You Know My Name - Foxy Shazam featuring Corey Feldman

6. Better Days - Yellowcard

7. Dang - Rainbow Kitten Surprise

8. This is the Killer Speaking - The Last Dinner Party

9. Dream Destroyer - Sloan

10. The Key of Victory - The Lemonheads 

11. Fall in Love With Me - Arthur Buck

12. One of the Greats - Florence and the Machine

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