All Songs Considered

The Contenders, Vol. 21: Tame Impala, Dominic Fike, Amber Mark, more

September 30, 2025

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  • The episode features songs selected for the running list of the year's best songs, highlighting Tame Impala's deliberate shift toward club-oriented music inspired by Australian rave culture. 
  • Gabriel Jacobi's single "The One" is highlighted as a discovery of a fully-formed artist whose R&B sound evokes comparisons to Sly Stone, D'Angelo, and Macy Gray. 
  • Dominic Fike's music, exemplified by "Quite The Opposite" from his mixtape 'Rocket', is characterized as perfectly capturing the fragmented nature of modern experience through its short, vignette-like structure and cracked musicality. 

Segments

Contenders Episode Introduction
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(00:00:29)
  • Key Takeaway: The ‘All Songs Considered’ episode updates the running list of the year’s best songs, potentially influencing the ‘best of 2025’ lists.
  • Summary: This episode of ‘All Songs Considered’ is dedicated to updating the long-running list of the year’s best songs. Songs added throughout the year are considered for inclusion on the final ‘best of 2025’ lists. The segment begins by setting the context for reviewing new contenders.
Tame Impala’s New Direction
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(00:00:52)
  • Key Takeaway: Tame Impala’s new single “Dracula” from the upcoming album ‘Deadbeat’ showcases a deliberate, club-oriented shift away from previous sounds, inspired by Australian rave culture.
  • Summary: The hosts analyze Tame Impala’s track “Dracula” from the album ‘Deadbeat’, noting its highly club-oriented sound, which is an outlier in their discography. This new direction is explicitly linked to Kevin Parker’s inspiration from rave culture in Australia. The Tiny Desk performance of this material is teased as being completely different from the studio version.
Discovery of Gabriel Jacobi
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(00:08:11)
  • Key Takeaway: Gabriel Jacobi, a 26-year-old South Carolina-born artist and former audio engineer, is introduced with his single “The One,” displaying a vocal tone reminiscent of Sly Stone and D’Angelo.
  • Summary: Gabriel Jacobi is presented as a newly discovered artist whose single “The One” immediately satisfied a need for feel-good music. Jacobi learned production and instruments after moving to Tampa, Florida, and his vocal style incorporates raspiness reminiscent of Macy Gray. The track is praised for its funk and instantly addictive quality.
Dominic Fike’s Fragmented Style
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(00:15:42)
  • Key Takeaway: Dominic Fike’s music, particularly the song “Quite The Opposite” from his mixtape ‘Rocket’, reflects the fragmented modern era through short, often incomplete musical vignettes.
  • Summary: Dominic Fike’s work is framed as growing out of the fragmented media age, with his mixtape ‘Rocket’ containing many songs barely over a minute long. The song “Quite The Opposite” ends abruptly mid-sentence, reinforcing the theme of broken pieces and vignettes. Lyrically, the song captures the anxiety and posturing inherent in youth social situations.
NewDad’s ‘Misery’ Analysis
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(00:23:35)
  • Key Takeaway: NewDad’s song “Misery” from the album ‘Altar’ features a dynamic build from quiet lo-fi/shoegaze unease to an explosive, satisfying crescendo.
  • Summary: The Galway indie band NewDad’s track “Misery” is noted for its dramatic turn about a minute in, moving from a quiet start to an explosive release. While the album ‘Altar’ is considered poppier than their previous work, this song retains a gritty, unsettling quality. The lyrics, though potentially seen as intentionally hammy or derivative of grunge tropes, are interpreted as a fun exploration of overcoming misery.
Madi Diaz’s ‘Heavy Metal’
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(00:31:16)
  • Key Takeaway: Madi Diaz’s song “Heavy Metal” from ‘Fatal Optimist’ uses wordplay to explore the dual meaning of a ‘heavy metal heart’—implying both toughness and emotional brokenness.
  • Summary: Madi Diaz’s track “Heavy Metal” comes from her upcoming album ‘Fatal Optimist’, due October 10th. The song cleverly plays on the phrase, suggesting the heart is either tough or too cold/broken to function properly. The delivery is described as plain-spoken yet beautiful, effectively conveying themes of family baggage and vulnerability.
Amber Mark’s Forward-Looking R&B
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(00:37:35)
  • Key Takeaway: Amber Mark’s new single “Too Much” interpolates Usher and Alicia Keys’ “My Boo” while successfully blending deep R&B history with a decidedly forward-pointing identity.
  • Summary: Amber Mark’s new single “Too Much” is from her forthcoming EP ‘Pretty Idea’, releasing October 10th. The track effectively interpolates the classic R&B duet “My Boo.” Her work is praised for creating good vibes and light, even when addressing difficult relationship dynamics, showcasing a love for R&B history pointed toward the future.