1/12 Lily Seabird – Alas, (independent)

Burlington, Vermont-based artist-to-watch Lily Seabird calls her sophomore album “an expression of grief, but it’s also for letting go.” Inspired by loss, coming of age, and lingering sadness, Alas, is the indie folk singer/songwriter and producer’s follow-up to 2021’s Beside Myself, and promises to be an achingly intimate and all-consuming experience: An album leaning hard into grief, healing, and one soul’s unbridled, unabridged reflections on what it means to live, to love, and to exist in this world. – Mitch Mosk

1/12 Harrison Storm – Wonder, Won’t You? (Nettwerk Music Group)

Eight years and five EPs into his career, Australian singer/songwriter Harrison Storm invites audiences everywhere to join him on a deeply introspective journey of inward connection. Produced by Dustin Tebbutt, Wonder, Won’t You? is at once expansive and insular: An emotive ten-song journey aching with glowing acoustic guitars, colorful, subtle sonic beds, and Storm’s own gentle, glistening, shiver-inducing voice. – Mitch Mosk

• •

1/12 Marika Hackman – Big Sigh (Chrysalis Records)

Marika Hackman’s Big Sigh is an ode to anhedonia, taking its place as a sympathetic friend in the anthology of numbness. Returning to the intimacy of her earliest projects, the English singer/songwriter’s latest revolves around a slew of bittersweet instrumentation paired with perceptive production, accounting for all the little details. – Nasim Elyasi

• •

1/12 The Vaccines – Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations (Thirty Tigers)

British indie legends The Vaccines are back with their sixth record, Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations. Blending the sounds of their first and fourth records, Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations is achingly introspective, grounded, and focused on loss felt during human existence. The band pull apart the fabric of who they are as musicians and people in a record set to define the course of their futures. – David Roskin

• •

1/12 Vacations – No Place Like Home (Nettwerk Music Group)

Newcastle, Australia DIY woozy pop group Vacations had nothing short of a breakthrough in 2023, and are riding that sweet momentum into 2024 with the January 12 release of their third record, No Place Like Home. A representation of “fall[ing] back in love with music and so much else in [his] life,” lead singer and guitarist Campbell Burns along with the rest of the band dive into a beautiful discussion of personal growth with the perfect blend of lofi-synth, indie-poppy hooks and bright melodies. – Miles Campbell

1/12 Nailah Hunter – Lovegaze (Fat Possum)

1/12 Wild Child – End of the World (Reba’s Ranch Records)

1/12 Kid Cudi – INSANO (Republic Records)

1/19 Keyon Harrold – Foreverland (Concord Jazz)

With his third album, Foreverland, trumpeter and composer Keyon Harrold will keep his brand of hip-hop-tinged trumpet-playing alive and strong. “I am hoping that people will get a chance to hold on to this piece of art and are inspired by the vibrations, the words, and the musicality that’s been put down on this album,” Harrold shares. “I hope that you’re able to take away the positivity, that you take away from the love, that you’re able to give and spread love, that people are able are ultimately able to be inspired by my life, my music, my journey, my approach.” Featuring contributions from Robert Glasper, Common, Laura Mvula, PJ Morton, and many more notable guests from both the jazz and hip-hop communities, Foreverland is without a doubt a musical paradise. – Josh Weiner

• •

1/19 Swimming Bell – Charlie (Permanent Records)

A lilting and lush indie folk reflection on the ebbs and flows of a life lived in the moment, Swimming Bell’s sophomore album marks a tender return for LA-based singer/songwriter Katie Schottland. Charlie gently stirs the heart while simultaneously nourishing the soul as Schottland treats listeners to ten intimate confessionals – a personal collage of her last three years, which included an impactful move from Brooklyn to California. For her, this record is a “time capsule… full of love, grief, loss, daydreams, and the untethered feeling of change.” Littered with little sparks of musical magic, Charlie is a heartwarming, smile-inducing folk record ready to soundtrack winter’s cold nights. – Mitch Mosk

1/19 Lil Dicky – PENITH (The DAVE Soundtrack) (BMG)

1/19 Green Day – Saviors (Warner Records)

Two decades after Green Day reached what remains its commercial and cultural pinnacle with American Idiot, their fourteenth studio album, Saviors, demonstrates that there is life in them yet as a veteran rock group – and one that still has plenty of bones to pick with their home country. – Josh Weiner

1/19 Brown Horse – Reservoir (Loose Music)

Norwish, England’s Brown Horse ache from the inside out on their debut album Reservoir, a hauntingly beautiful alt-country record full of turbulence and tenderness, born from an inescapable inner turmoil and an undying love of folk, alternative rock, and country music. It’s a dreamy, emotionally charged reverie that pays homage to the band’s folk roots, while establishing them as sonic kinfolk to groups like Lucero and Big Thief – contemporary acts that have, in their own ways, broken the mold and charted their own unique paths in the music world. – Mitch Mosk

1/19 Eliza McLamb – Going Through It

1/19 Sleater-Kinney – Little Rope (Loma Vista Recordings)

1/26 Courting – New Last Name (Lower Third)

1/26 Future Islands – People Who Aren’t There Anymore (4AD)

Future Islands are a band to grow with, a band to embrace both heartbreak and joy, dark and light, sometimes one right after another. It all comes to a head in the group’s beautiful, yearning and cathartic new LP People Who Aren’t There Anymore. – Beau Hayhoe

1/26 Goth Babe – Lola (Mom + Pop Music)

1/26 ISMAY – Desert Pavement (independent)

1/26 junodream – Pools of Colour (AWAL)

Straddling darkness and light, past, present, and future, Junodream’s debut album Pools of Colour aches with unadulterated emotion, unfiltered depth, longing, hope, and wonder. The dream rock band confront, contemplate, and comment on modernity and the human condition without drawing conclusions – facilitating open-ended conversations (and reflections) on the state of things that provoke us to, in turn, dig deeper into ourselves and the many ways in which we do and don’t connect with the world. – Mitch Mosk

• •

1/26 Katy Kirby – Blue Raspberry (ANTI- Records)

1/26 Large Brush Collection – Off Center (independent)

1/26 Mall Girl – Pure Love (Jansen Records)

1/26 NewDad – MADRA (Atlantic Records)

Heavy, achingly raw, and emotionally charged, MADRA is an unrelenting alternative album built on fragility, vulnerability, and the dark depths of human experience. NewDad’s debut album finds them dwelling in the deep end of the sonic and emotional spectrum, picking their worlds apart as they comprehend the sheer weight of living through a haze of grunge, shoegaze, and dreamy indie rock. – Mitch Mosk

• •

1/26 The Smile – Wall of Eyes (XL Recordings)

1/26 Ty Segall – Three Bells (Drag City)

1/29 Conchúr White – Swirling Violets (Bella Union)

2/2 Britti – Hello, I’m Britti (Easy Eye Sound)

2/2 Giant Rooks – How Have You Been? (Mercury / Republic Records)

Giant Rooks’ second full-length effort How Have You Been? sees the German indie rock quintet fully leaning into their knack for creating high-energy earworms, yet maintaining a sense of intimacy and realism in its exploration of social and personal themes. – Isabella Le

2/2 Joe Wong – Mere Survival (independent)

2/2 MORGXN – Beacon (Nettwerk Music Group)

2/2 Shannen James – Patchwork

Life’s little moments deserve their time to shine, and on Patchwork the ephemeral becomes eternal as Australian singer/songwriter Shannen James turns her rays toward our intimate, innermost experiences. It’s a record of poetic self-expression and radiant revelry: A charming collection of songs ready to be the soundtrack to our own dusty roads as James soaks up the full spectrum of life experience, crafting a ‘patchwork’ record that stitches together the stories of her life to date. – Mitch Mosk

• •

2/2 The Last Dinner Party – Prelude to Ecstasy (Island Records)

The Last Dinner Party’s debut album Prelude to Ecstasy cements the London group’s status as an indie pop band with ambitious imagination, melding genres and references of their choosing into a wild and mellifluous collage, taking musical maximalism to an extreme in both lyrical content and sonic arrangement. – Olivia Martinez

• •

2/9 1999 WRITE THE FUTURE – hella (˃̣̣̥╭╮˂̣̣̥) ✧ ♡ ‧º·˚: (88rising / RCA Records)

2/9 Brittany Howard – What Now (Island Records)

2/9 Chelsea Wolfe – She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She (Loma Vista Recordings)

2/9 Cj Pandit – One Lost English Boy (Lost Language)

2/9 Declan McKenna – What Happened to the Beach? (Tomplicated Records)

2/9 Katelyn Tarver – Quitter (Nettwerk Music Group)

Through careful lyricism and sonically crafted production, Katelyn Tarver has managed to create a timeless piece of work with Quitter, a beautifully vulnerable record that asks big questions of the future while reflecting on the past, all while trying to figure out what we’re all trying to figure out; how it all makes sense. – Kelly McCafferty Dorogy

2/9 Loving – Any Light (Last Gang Records/MNRK)

Loving, the British Columbia-based duo of Jesse Henderson and David Perry, utilize free-flowing experimentation to explore love, depression, and uncertainty with their third record, Any Light. – Miles Campbell

2/9 Madi Diaz – Weird Faith (ANTI-)

Even with the uncomfortable themes or difficult things that Madi Diaz is unpacking in her songwriting on Weird Faith, she does so with an incredible tact so that the album, even in its most unflinching moments of honesty… is never uninviting or inaccessible, and is continually compelling – an extraordinarily personal journey that also serves as a refreshingly bold and, yes, audacious, artistic statement. – Kevin Krein

2/9 Mk.gee – Two Star & The Dream Police (R&R Digital)

2/9 Royel Otis – PRATTS & PAIN (Ourness)

2/9 Tom Snowdon – Lonely Tree (Pieeater)

2/16 Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes – HIGH LIFE (Deer Head Music)

2/16 Danielle Durack – Escape Artist (independent)

Simultaneously distant and intimate, singer/songwriter Danielle Durack’s third album Escape Artist almost mimics the act of moving on, where at times heartbreak can feel like it is almost forgotten, and other times it can feel like it is breathing down your neck. It is at once that urge you have to pick the scab, and the slow-gained, hard-fought control that allows you to resist. – Hannah Burns

2/16 Friko – Where we’ve been, Where we go from here (ATO Records)

Chicago band Friko channel inner tension and turmoil into breathtakingly bold indie rock songs on their debut album Where we’ve been, Where we go from here, a charming and churning debut that aches with the weight of being alive. – Mitch Mosk

2/16 Frontier Ruckus – On the Northline (Loose Music)

2/16 IDLES – TANGK (Partisan Records)

2/16 Jordan Mackampa – Welcome Home, Kid! (AWAL)

Warm, sun-kissed, and soul-stirring, Jordan Mackampa’s sophomore album WELCOME HOME, KID! is his most intimate and candid endeavor yet – an unapologetic artistic homecoming celebrating the person he’s still becoming and embracing the communities he’s proud to be a part of, all while reckoning with the trials and tribulations life has thrown along the way. – Mitch Mosk

2/16 Middle Kids – Faith Crisis Pt 1 (Lucky Number)

2/16 Mother Mother – Grief Chapter (Warner Records)

2/16 San Fermin – Arms (Better Company Records)

2/16 serpentwithfeet – GRIP (Secretly Canadian)

2/16 Talk Show – Effigy (Missing Piece Records)

Intense, intoxicating, and all-consuming, Talk Show’s debut album Effigy is a darkly alluring post-punk fever dream: An all-consuming homage to the nightclub, that sacred, seductive space of connection, release, and full-bodied catharsis. – Mitch Mosk

2/16 Varsity – Souvenirs (independent)

The capstone to a year of monthly singles releases, Varsity’s fourth album Souvenirs is a captivating collection of cherished memories, intimate emotions, and fleeting moments brought to life through an expansive indie rock soundtrack. – Mitch Mosk

2/23 Allie X – Girl With No Face (Twin Music Inc)

Girl With No Face‘s eleven tracks sound as though they were pulled straight from the soundtrack of a campy slasher film that exists only on a dust-covered VHS tape hidden in the musician’s basement. An entrancing aura devours all self-control and leaves you a victim of sporadic dance – all hail Allie X. – Marissa DeLeon

2/23 Colouring – Love to You, Mate (Bella Union)

2/23 Erick the Architect – I’ve Never Been Here Before (Architect Recording Company)

2/23 Ghetts – On Purpose, With Purpose (Warner Music UK)

2/23 iDKHOW – GLOOM DIVISION (Concord Records)

2/23 Jazmin Bean – Traumatic Livelihood (Interscope Records)

2/23 Little Kid – A Million Easy Payments (Orindal Records)

2/23 MGMT – Loss of Life (Mom+Pop)

2/23 Psymon Spine – Head Body Connector (Northern Spy Records)

2/23 Red Rum Club – Western Approaches (Modern Sky UK)

2/23 The Snuts – Millennials (Happy Artist Records)

3/1 Abby Sage – The Rot (Nettwerk Music Group)

Abby Sage’s ambitious debut album, The Rot, shows her at the pinnacle of her potential, full of propulsive electronics, hypnotic harmonies, and lyrics that combine trippy imagery with bare-hearted confessions. – Kate Millar

3/1 Dekker – Future Ghosts (Useful Fictions)

3/1 Faye Webster – Underdressed at the Symphony (Secretly Canadian)

3/1 Games We Play – Life’s Going Great (Fueled By Ramen / DCD2)

3/1 Hollow Coves – Nothing to Lose (Nettwerk Music Group)

3/1 lake j – Dizzy (independent)

3/1 The Narcotix – Dying (independent)

3/1 RIP Dunes – RIP Dunes (independent)

3/1 San Cisco – Under The Light (Nettwerk Music Group)

3/1 Yard Act – Where’s My Utopia? (Republic Records)

3/8 Amelia Coburn – Between The Moon and The Milkman (independent)

3/8 Ariana Grande – eternal sunshine (Republic Records)

Eternal Sunshine, Ariana Grande’s first album since the pandemic, finds her singular, powerful vocals laid atop glossy beats as effectively as ever, with everything that’s been on her mind post-divorce laid bare as well. – Josh Weiner

3/8 Bleachers – Bleachers (Dirty Hit)

3/8 brother bird – another year (Easy Does It Records)

3/8 Haux – Blue Angeles (Ultra Records)

Indie folk singer/songwriter Haux – the alias for the Berkshires’ Woodson Black – continues to blanket the ears in warm, soul-stirring atmospheric wonders in his sophomore album Blue Angeles, the long-awaited follow-up to 2020’s breathtaking debut Violence in a Quiet Mind. A twelve-track answer to the question, “What happens when we stop running away?” Blue Angeles promises to be a haven of intimate introspection, spiritual connection, inner healing, and self-discovery – all expressed through a dreamy, cathartic, introspective and vulnerable lens. – Mitch Mosk

3/8 The Jesus and Mary Chain – Glasgow Eyes (Fuzz Club Records)

3/8 Konradsen – Michael’s Book on Bears (777 Music)

Cathartic and comforting, Konradsen’s sophomore album Michael’s Book on Bears is a soul-stirring exhale of intimate Scandinavian introspection: A sentimental, smoldering indie folk seduction that finds Norwegian duo of Jenny Marie Sabel and Eirik Vildgren at home and in their element as they channel a sense of familiarity, connection, and homecoming into beautiful and breathtaking music. Says the band: “When you live in a quiet place, sometimes you want to make more noise. Even though we live more quietly, there is plenty of sound.” Mitch Mosk

3/8 Krooked Kings – Shiver (Nobody Gets It Records)

3/8 Lake Saint Daniel – Small Thoughts

3/8 Moor Mother – The Great Bailout (ANTI- Records)

3/8 The Northern Belle – Bats in the Attic (Die With Your Boots On Records)

3/8 Slow Hollows – Bullhead (Danger Collective)

3/8 Torrey – Torrey (Slumberland Records)

3/8 Tomato Flower – No (Ramp Local)

3/15 Fetch Tiger – Walking to Camera (independent)

Brooklyn-based indie pop duo Fetch Tiger describe their debut album as their most honest work yet, stepping out from behind the made-up characters of their first two EPs and telling “stories about our own, real, tangible experiences.” Unapologetically autobiographical and nonetheless enchanting, Walking to Camera sees the band – comprised of Lorenzo Montali and Tanner Davis – at their most intimate and unleashed, delivering tender, turbulent feelings with a dynamic and spellbinding force thanks to a dazzling combination of jangling electric guitars, glittering synths, driving drums, and Montali’s evocative, enchanting voice. – Mitch Mosk

3/15 The Fourth Wall – Return Forever (DevilDuck Records)

3/15 Gouge Away – Deep Sage (Deathwish Inc.)

3/15 Kacey Musgraves – Deeper Well (Interscope Records / MCA Nashville)

3/22 Adrianne Lenker – Bright Future (4AD)

Adrianne Lenker of the band Big Thief is known for quiet destruction. Her sixth solo LP Bright Future is a powerhouse of an album, with waves of energy and dips of sorrow. Lenker does not shy away from confounding poetry and quirky instrumentals, drawing on her experiences with Big Thief to flesh out her already well-established solo work. The album is springtime, with blossoming buds and fleeting freezes. – Madeleine Eggen

3/22 Bendigo Fletcher – Two Things At Once (Elektra)

3/22 Brimheim – RATKING (Tambourhinoceros)

3/22 Close Talker – The Sprawl (Slow Weather)

3/22 Doris Club – There’s Still Time (Nettwerk Music Group)

3/22 Fletcher – In Search of the Antidote (Capitol Records)

3/22 Francis of Delirium – Lighthouse (Dalliance Recordings)

Burning bright and fueled from a fire within, Francis of Delirium’s debut album Lighthouse is a beautifully radiant and spirited record: A cathartic coming-of-age reverie that comes alive as Luxembourg’s Jana Bahrich learns to let love’s light into her life. – Mitch Mosk

3/22 Gary Clark Jr. – JPEG RAW (Warner Records)

3/22 Good Morning – Good Morning Seven (Polyvinyl Records)

3/22 Julia Holter – Something in the Room She Moves (Domino Records)

3/22 Lana Winterhalt – Recovering Theatre Kid (independent)

3/22 Lauran Hibberd – Girlfriend Material (Virgin Music)

3/22 Rosali – Bite Down (Merge Records)

3/22 Rosie Tucker – UTOPIA NOW! (Sentimental Records)

3/22 Saint Saviour – Sunseeker (VLF Records)

3/22 Sam Evian – Plunge (Flying Cloud Recordings)

3/22 Shakira – Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran (Sony Music)

3/22 The Staves – All Now (Nonesuch Records)

A product of passion and perseverance, soul-searching and self-knowing, All Now is an emboldened, cathartic release that sees The Staves basking in beautiful folk rock pastures as they take on the world, one song at a time. Produced by John Congleton, the band’s fourth studio album is a spirited and expansive joyride filled with moments of light and love, grief and wondering, and that cheeky, biting English humor that, quite literally, kicks off the whole record with the simple, loaded phrase: It’s all now, isn’t it exciting? – Mitch Mosk

3/22 The Veronicas – Gothic Summer (Big Noise Music Group)

3/22 The Wandering Hearts – MOTHER (Chrysalis Records)

3/22 Waxahatchee – Tigers Blood (ANTI-)

3/29 A Country Western – Life on the Lawn (Crafted Sounds)

3/29 Beyoncé – COWBOY CARTER (Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia records)

3/29 Gamblers – Pulverizer (independent)

3/29 Harmless – Springs Eternal (Nettwerk Music Group)

3/29 Holiday Ghosts – Coat of Arms (FatCat Records)

3/29 Jeremiah Fraites – Piano Piano 2 (Dualtone Records)

3/29 Love Fame Tragedy – Life Is A Killer (Bright Antenna Records)

3/29 Niamh Bury – Yellow Roses (Claddagh Records / UMI)

3/29 Peel – Acid Star (Innovative Leisure)

3/29 Teens in Trouble – What’s Mine (Asian Man Records)

3/29 Yot Club – Rufus (Amuse)

4/4 Arsun – Babe I Hear Thunder In Your Heart (Dirty Laundry Music)

4/5 Beatenberg – The Great Fire of Beatenberg (Leafy Outlook)

4/5 The Black Keys – Ohio Players (Nonesuch/Warner Records)

4/5 Bnny – One Million Love Songs (Fire Talk)

4/5 Dana Gavanski – LATE SLAP (Full Time Hobby)

4/5 Drahla – angeltape (Captured Tracks)

4/5 Grace Cummings – Ramona (ATO Records)

4/5 Gustaf – Package Pt. 2 (Royal Mountain Records)

4/5 Katie Pruitt – Mantras (Rounder Records)

4/5 Khruangbin – A LA SALA (Dead Oceans)

4/5 Lizzy McAlpine – Older (RCA Records)

4/5 Maggie Rose – No One Gets Out Alive (Big Loud Records)

4/5 Medium Build – Country (slowplay / Island Records)

His major label debut, Medium Build’s fifth studio album Country is filled with singer/songwriter Nick Carpenter’s “goddamn DNA” as he spills his heart and soul in twelve intimately vulnerable and irresistibly catchy songs. “I wanted Country to have a human touch,” Carpenter says. “I want Country to be something you love with and dance with and cry with and sleep with and lean into.” – Mitch Mosk

4/5 Marcus King – Mood Swings (American / Republic Records)

4/5 Motel Breakfast – I Promise I’m Having Fun (independent)

4/5 Mount Kimbie – The Sunset Violent (Warp Records)

4/5 Novo Amor – Collapse List (AllPoints)

4/5 RiTchie – Triple Digits [112] (independent)

4/5 Sinkane – We Belong (City Slang)

4/5 Vampire Weekend – Only God Was Above Us (Columbia Records)

4/5 X Ambassadors – Townie (Virgin Music Group)

4/12 Aaron Lee Tasjan – Stellar Evolution (Blue Élan)

4/12 Asha Jefferies – Ego Ride (Nettwerk Music Group)

4/12 Bad Bad Hats – Bad Bad Hats (Don Giovanni Records)

4/12 The Ballroom Thieves – Sundust (Nettwerk Music Group)

4/12 BODEGA – Our Brand Could Be Yr Life (Chrysalis Records)

4/12 Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard – Skinwalker (Communion Records)

4/12 English Teacher – This Could Be Texas (Island Records)

4/12 The Feeling – San Vito (Kartel Music Group)

4/12 girl in red – I’M DOING IT AGAIN BABY! (Columbia Records)

4/12 Humbird – Right On (Nettwerk Music Group)

4/12 Louisa Stancioff – When We Were Looking (Yep Roc Records)

4/12 mae krell – (i think) i might be grown (independent)

4/12 Maggie Rogers – Don’t Forget Me (Capitol Records)

4/12 MELTS – Field Theory (Fuzz Club)

4/12 METZ – Up on Gravity Hill (Sub Pop)

4/12 Minor Moon – The Light Up Waltz (Ruination Record Co.)

4/18 Dog Park – Festina Lente (Géographie)

4/19 A Certain Ratio – It All Comes Down to This (Mute Records)

4/19 Cloud Nothings – Final Summer (Pure Noise Records)

4/19 Emily Magpie – There Are Other Forms of Strength (Def Pressé)

4/19 Floral Couches – Xtra Mild (AWAL)

4/19 Griefcat – Late Stage Capitalism (independent)

4/19 Kindsight – No Shame No Fame (Rama Lama Records)

4/19 Local Natives – But I’ll Wait for You (Loma Vista Recordings)

4/19 The Melvins – Tarantula Heart (Liberator Music)

4/19 Pearl Jam – Dark Matter (Monkeywrench Records / Republic Records)

4/19 Pillow Queens – Name Your Sorrow (Royal Mountain Records)

4/19 Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department (Republic Records)

4/26 Babehoven – Water’s Here in You (Double Double Whammy)

4/26 Blitz Vega – Northern Gentlemen (FutureSonic Records)

4/26 Devarrow – A Long & Distant Wave (Paper Bag Records)

4/26 Hovvdy – Hovvdy (Arts & Crafts Records)

4/26 Iron & Wine – Light Verse (Sub Pop)

4/26 Jess Glynne – JESS (EMI Records)

4/26 Maria Chiara Argiró – Closer (Innovative Leisure)

4/26 Microwave – LET’S START DEGENERACY (Pure Noise Records)

4/26 Nisa – Shapeshifting (Tender Loving Empire)

4/26 Porij – Teething (Play It Again Sam)

4/26 The Lostines – Meet the Lostines (independent)

4/30 Kitty Coen – HELLCAT (independent)

5/3 Blushing – Sugarcoat (Kanine Records)

5/3 Brookside Mall – No More Fragrant Thoughts (independent)

5/3 Corella – Once Upon a Weekend (Believe)

5/3 Dea Matrona – For Your Sins (independent)

5/3 Dua Lipa – Radical Optimism (Warner Music Group)

5/3 Frank Turner – Undefeated (Xtra Mile Recordings)

5/3 Hana Vu – Romanticism (Ghostly International)

5/3 Home Counties – Exactly As It Seems (Submarine Cat Records)

5/3 Jharis Yokley – Sometimes, Late At Night (Rainbow Blonde Records)

5/3 Kamasi Washington – Fearless Movement (Young / Remote Control Records)

5/3 Lemoncello – Lemoncello (Claddagh Records)

5/3 mehro – trauma lullabies (Heroine Music Group)

5/3 Rachel Chinouriri – What A Devastating Turn of Events (Elektra)

5/3 néomí – somebody’s daughter ([PIAS])

5/3 Sia – Reasonable Woman (Monkey Puzzle / Atlantic Records)

5/3 snarls – with love, (Take This To Heart Records)

5/3 WILLOW – empathogen (Three Six Zero and gamma)

5/10 Amen Dunes – Death Jokes (Sub Pop)

5/10 Andra Day – CASSANDRA (cherish) (Warner Records)

5/10 Angus & Julia Stone – Cape Forestier (Play It Again Sam)

5/10 Bibi Club – Feu de garde (Secret City Records)

5/10 Dehd – Poetry (Fat Possum)

5/9 Friday Pilots Club – Nowhere (independent)

5/10 Hot Water Music – Vows (Equal Vision Records)

5/10 Jordan Rakei – The Loop (Verve Records)

5/10 Josienne Clarke – Parenthesis I (Corduroy Punk Records)

5/10 Joy Guidry – AMEN (Whited Sepulchre Records)

5/10 Judah & the Lion – The Process (Cletus the Van)

5/10 Karin Ann – through the telescope (3amRecords)

5/10 Kings of Leon – Can We Please Have Fun (LoveTap Records / Capitol Records)

5/10 Memorial – Redsetter (Real Kind Records)

5/10 Milan Ring – Mangos (Astral People)

5/10 Rainbow Kitten Surprise – LOVE HATE MUSIC BOX (Elektra Entertainment)

5/10 Shannon & The Clams – The Moon Is In The Wrong Place (Easy Eye Sound)

5/10 Vicky Farewell – Give a Damn (Mac’s Record Label)

5/10 Villagers – The Golden Time (Domino Records)

5/10 Xana – The Sex Was Good Until It Wasn’t (independent)

5/17 American Sigh – Virtue Signal (independent)

5/17 Ani DiFranco – Unprecedented Sh!t (Righteous Babe Records)

5/17 Billie Eilish – HIT ME HARD AND SOFT (Darkroom / Interscope Records)

5/17 Blitzen Trapper – 100’s of 1000’s, Millions of Billions (Yep Roc Records)

5/17 Cage The Elephant – Neon Pill (RCA Records)

5/17 Guster – Ooh La La (Ocho Mule Records)

5/17 Joywave – Permanent Pleasure (Cultco Music / Hollywood Records)

5/17 of Montreal – Lady on the Cusp (Polyvinyl)

5/17 Phoebe Go – Marmalade (AWAL)

5/17 Sasha Alex Sloan – Me Again (Sue Perb Records / Hills Artists / Virgin Music)

5/17 Slash – Orgy of the Damned (Gibson Records)

5/17 Thomas Powers – A Tyrant Crying in Private (Sensible Anomie)

5/17 Twenty One Pilots – Clancy (Fueled By Ramen)

5/17 Victoria Victoria – Sweetest Ache (independent)

5/17 ZAYN – ROOM UNDER THE STAIRS (Mercury / Republic Records)

5/23 Linn Koch-Emmery – Borderline Iconic (Boys tears)

5/24 Bess Atwell – Light Sleeper (Real Kind Records)

5/24 Cosmo’s Midnight – Stop Thinking Start Feeling (RCA Records)

5/24 DIIV – Frog in Boiling Water (Fantasy Records)

5/24 Field Guide – Rootin’ For Ya (Birthday Cake Records)

5/24 Finom – Not God (Joyful Noise Recordings)

5/24 La Luz – News of the Universe (Sub Pop)

5/24 Luke Francis – Saguaro (independent)

5/24 Nathy Peluso – Grasa (5020 Records / Sony Music)

5/24 Vince Staples – Dark Times (Def Jam Recordings)

5/31 Arooj Aftab – Night Reign (Verve)

5/31 Becky Hill – Believe Me Now? (Polydor Records / Eko Records)

5/31 Esy Tadesse – Ahadu (FPE Records)

5/31 Habibi – Dreamachine (Kill Rock Stars)

5/31 Hailaker – Serenity, Now (Believe)

5/31 IDAHO – Lapse (Arts & Crafts)

5/31 Imogen Clark – The Art of Getting Through (independent)

5/31 Jon Muq – Flying Away (Easy Eye Sound)

5/31 joshua epithet – Boys And Their Video Cameras (Liberator Music)

5/31 Keaton Henson – Somnambulant Cycles (Mercury KX)

5/31 Lucius – Wildewoman (The New Recordings) (Fantasy Records)

5/31 Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys – A Human Home (Unique Records / Metropolis Records)

5/31 The Marías – Submarine (Nice Life Recording Company / Atlantic Records)

5/31 Maya Hawke – Chaos Angel (Mom + Pop Music)

5/31 Niamh Regan – Come As You Are (Faction Records)

5/31 Ruby Waters – What’s The Point (independent)

5/31 Tim Atlas – Enchanté (Nettwerk Music Group)

5/31 Winnetka Bowling League – Sha La La (Local Weather / MDDN Records)

6/6 Frankie Bird – Twenty Something (independent)

6/7 Alfie Templeman – Radiosoul (Chess Club Records)

“Radiosoul is a radiant, downright dazzling soundtrack to self-discovery, introspection, and open-eyed wonderment. Arriving two years (nearly to the day) after Alfie Templeman’s critically acclaimed debut LP affirmed him as a singular talent and definitive artist-to-watch, his second LP isn’t just a reintroduction; it’s a full-bodied transformation. Growth may not happen overnight, but these past two years have been monumental for the multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter, and producer – and in eleven youthful, soaring, and spirited, Templeman endeavors to express how far he’s come, and how much has changed for him along the way.” – Mitch Mosk

6/7 Alisa Amador – Multitudes (Honest Magic Records / Thirty Tigers)

6/7 Angélica Garcia – Gemelo (Partisan Records)

6/7 Bathe Alone – I Don’t Do Humidity (Nettwerk Music Group)

6/7 Blair Gun – There Are No Rival Clones Here (Enabler No. 6 / sonaBLAST)

6/7 Bonny Light Horseman – Keep Me on Your Mind/See You Free (Jagjaguwar)

6/7 Bloomsday – Heart of the Artichoke (Bayonet Records)

6/7 Bon Jovi – Forever (Island Records)

6/7 Bored at My Grandmas House – Show & Tell (CLUE Records / EMI North)

6/7 Carly Pearce – hummingbird (Big Machine Records)

6/7 Charli XCX – BRAT (Atlantic Records)

6/7 Evan Honer – Fighting For (Cloverdale Records)

6/7 French Cassettes – Benzene (Tender Loving Empire)

6/7 Ginger Winn – STOP-MOTION (Keep Good Company Records)

6/7 Goat Girl – Below the Waste (Rough Trade / Remote Control Records)

6/7 Good Looks – Lived Here for a While (Keeled Scales)

6/7 KAYTRANADA – TIMELESS (RCA Records)

6/7 L’Impératrice – Pulsar (Microqlima)

6/7 Laura Misch – Sample the Earth (One Little Independent Records)

6/7 Logan Lynn – SOFTCORE (Kill Rock Stars)

6/7 LØLØ – falling for robots and wishing i was one (Hopeless Records)

6/7 Michele Ducci – SIVE (Monotreme Records)

6/7 Razor Braids – Big Wave (independent)

6/7 Sabrina Song – You Could Stay In One Spot, and I’d Love You The Same (independent)

“A breathtakingly intimate indie folk record soaking in the fullness of the human experience, You Could Stay In One Spot, and I’d Love You The Same aches from the inside out as NYC-based singer/songwriter Sabrina Song brings her coming-of-age journey to life in a stirring soundtrack filled to the brim with moments of personal growth, inner reckoning, raw reflection, and self-discovery. In essence, Song’s music documents her own long and winding road to adulthood – an adventure full of excitement, love, grief, pain, fear, but – perhaps most importantly of all – hope.”

6/7 Tems – Born in the Wild (Since ‘93 / RCA Records)

6/14 Blvck Hippie – Basketball Camp (The Record Machine)

6/14 The Decemberists – As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again (YABB Records / Thirty Tigers)

6/14 Fana Hues – MOTH (Bright Antenna Records)

6/14 FEET – Make It Up (Sub Cat Records)

6/14 Hermanos Gutiérrez – Sonido Cósmico (Easy Eye Sound)

6/14 Hockey Dad – Rebuild Repeat (Farmer & The Owl)

6/14 Infinity Song – Metamorphosis Complete (Roc Nation)

6/14 James Vincent McMorrow – Wide Opens, Horses (Nettwerk Music Group)

6/14 Jelani Aryeh – The Sweater Club (Ballona Record Co / Imperial Music)

6/14 KNEECAP – Fine Art (Heavenly Recordings)

6/14 Las Nubes – Tormentas Malsanas (Sweat Records Records)

6/14 Lindsey Stirling – Duality (Concord Records)

6/14 LULLANAS – Pretty Lies & Time Machines (Nettwerk Music Group)

LULLANAS’ softly soothing debut album Pretty Lies & Time Machines is a dreamy folk-pop wonderland: Twin sisters Atisha and Nishita Lulla have crafted a moving musical gentle giant that wraps its listeners in blankets of soul-stirring sound, inviting us to destress even as we dwell in our depths. – Mitch Mosk

6/14 Meghan Trainor – Timeless (Epic Records)

6/14 Moby – always centered at night (Mute Records)

6/14 RJD2 – Visions Out of Limelight (RJ’s Electrical Connections)

6/14 – ~ – Searching (Luaka Bop)

6/14 Walt Disco – The Warping (Lucky Number)

6/20 Juice Mazelee – HERE NOW N FOREVER (independent)

6/21 Alice Ivy – Do What Makes You Happy (Helix Records)

6/21 Been Stellar – Scream From New York, NY (Dirty Hit)

6/21 Gracie Abrams – The Secret of Us (Interscope)

6/21 Lake Street Dive – Good Together (Fantasy Records)

“Lake Street Dive call the ethos of their latest album ‘joyful rebellion.’ Good Together maintains the upbeat and jazzy temperament that Lake Street Dive fans know and love – however, the record celebrates and incorporates dozens of sounds, influences, and stories, more so than previous works. It was made with the help of an all-knowing twenty-sided die, which dictated musical choices for each song. The end result is an intentional and courageous product of musicians who are not afraid to work together.” – Nasim Elyasi

6/21 Lawrence – Family Business (Beautiful Mind)

6/21 Lola Young – This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway (Island Records)

6/21 Megan Winsor – INTERMISSION (independent)

6/21 The Mysterines – Afraid of Tomorrows (Fiction Records)

6/21 POND – Stung! (Spinning Top Records)

6/21 Rui Gabriel – Compassion (Carpark Records)

6/21 talker – I’m Telling You the Truth (independent)

6/25 Jae Soto – Leave the Light On (Switch Hit Records)

6/28 Aaron Frazer – Into The Blue (Dead Oceans)

6/28 Camila Cabello – C,XOXO (Interscope Records)

“Camila Cabello’s highly anticipated fourth album represents an evolution for the singer-songwriter, as she pushes boundaries with a project that is both musically and visually explorative, tapping into genres that extend beyond just pop and drawing inspiration from her Miami roots.” (PR)

6/28 Channel Tres – Head Rush (RCA Records)

6/28 Daniel Nunnelee – June, Baby (One Riot)

6/28 Dex Green – Imaginary War (3Sirens Music Group)

6/28 The Felice Brothers – Valley of Abandoned Songs (Million Stars)

6/28 Gabriel Birnbaum – Patron Saint of Tireless Losers (Western Vinyl)

6/28 greek – ACCELERATOR (independent)

“Almost entirely self-produced, Greek’s second full-length outing is steeped in personal reflection about coming of age in a poverty-stricken small town within the heart of the American Bible Belt, yet still having the drive to pack up your car and chase your dreams — hence the album title ACCELERATOR… While Greek continues to carve out his own lane within the experimental indie space, the Virginia crooner’s new album ACCELERATOR turns the page on his next chapter as he prepares to embark on a national tour later this year.” (PR)

6/28 Hiatus Kaiyote – Love Heart Cheat Code (Brainfeeder Records / Ninja Tune)

“Hiatus Kaiyote’s Love Heart Cheat Code is a snapshot of four musicians dancing together on the edge… Throughout the album, Hiatus Kaiyote emphasizes sensing rather than knowing, a type of trust that can only be brought through creative harmony and hours of studio sessions. The result is a wide-eyed, cohesive, yet relaxed body of work that reflects a deeper understanding of themselves and the music they wish to share with the world around them.” (PR)

6/28 HOMESHAKE – Horsie (SHHOAMKEE)

6/28 Imagine Dragons – LOOM (KIDinaKORNER / Interscope)

6/28 Leila Sunier – Too Big For Right Now (independent)

6/28 Loma – How Will I Live Without A Body? (Sub Pop)

6/28 Mabe Fratti – Sentir Que No Sabes (Unheard Of Hope)

6/28 Megan Thee Stallion – MEGAN (Hot Girl Productions)

6/28 MILLY – Your Own Becoming (Dangerbird Records)

6/28 Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats – South of Here (Stax Records)

6/28 People I Love – People I Love (VHS Records)

6/28 Phillip Jon Taylor – De Nada (Wish Fulfillment Press)

6/28 Queen of Jeans – All Again (Memory Music)

“On their excellent third album All Again, Philadelphia’s Queen of Jeans listeners through the beginning of a new relationship all the way to the end, including all of the heart-wrenching details… Even though loneliness and isolation are key themes throughout the record, Queen of Jeans expertly take listeners through the highs and lows of a relationship. And even though we’ve all been through relationships where we know things maybe should’ve gone differently, sometimes we just have to accept that we’d pursue it again.” – James Crowley

6/28 Redd Kross – Redd Kross (In the Red Records)

6/28 Silverada – Silverada (Prairie Rose Records)

6/28 Sour Widows – Revival of a Friend (Exploding In Sound Records)

6/28 Storefront Church – Ink & Oil (independent)

“Ink & Oil was conceived quite insidiously after years of Storefront Church’s Lukas Frank deciphering the familial lore of his great uncle Roger. After receiving a five year prison sentence for a desertion charge of the Army in 1993, Roger Frank mysteriously vanished from his cell, leaving nothing but an orange behind. Roger’s body was never found. When he was just 5 years old, Lukas began receiving visitations from his elusive uncle through vivid, recurring nightmares. Roger would come to Lukas in his room and try to speak with him, but Roger’s mouth wasn’t working; like it was glued shut. In his hands was a large orange, the skin peeled back, and written in the rind were words in black ink. While all of the stories told in Ink & Oil speak to experiences from Lukas’ past, there is an open ambiguity as to what’s factually real and what’s emotionally real. He finds his inspiration in the tension between the two; the gray area where memory and belief overtake accepted truth and certainty to reform into something deeper; something that Lukas feels can be described simply as Faith.” (PR)

6/28 Towa Bird – American Hero (Interscope Records)

6/28 WAASH – WAASH (Light Organ Records)

6/28 Washed Out – Notes From a Quiet Life (Sub Pop)

7/4 Zach Bryan – THE GREAT AMERICAN BAR SCENE (Warner Records)

7/5 Burr Island – Days Dreamt (Left Foot Records)

7/5 Eves Karydas – Burnt Tapes (independent)

7/10 Smooth Rogers – Roger That! (independent)

7/12 Armlock – Seashell Angel Lucky Charm (Run For Cover Records)

7/12 Bette Smith – Goodthing (independent)

7/12 Brijean – Macro (Ghostly International)

7/12 Cassandra Jenkins – My Light, My Destroyer (Dead Oceans)

7/12 Cassandra Lewis – Lost in a Dream (Elektra Records / Low Country Sound)

7/12 China Bears – Participation Trophy (Fierce Panda Records)

“Rousing and romantic, China Bears’ debut album Participation Trophy feels cinematic in its grandeur, whilst also feeling incredibly personal in its storytelling. It was recorded in the autumnal sunshine of Leith with Rod Jones from Idlewild at the production controls. From the driving ‘I Will Break My Own Heart’, the twinkling ‘Beck and Call’, the electric force of ‘Total Communication Breakdown’ to the blossoming ‘Gracie’, there is a song to accompany everyone’s own life soundtrack.” (PR)

7/12 Cigarettes After Sex – X’s (Partisan Records)

7/12 Clairo – Charm (Virgin Music Group)

“Evoking balmy summer evenings and tête-à-têtes in plush conversation pits, Clairo’s third album Charm is a collection of warm, ’70s-inspired grooves that move lithely between jazz, psychedelic folk and soul, an extroverted bounce back from her beloved 2021 album Sling. Co-produced by Clairo and Leon Michels (of The Dap-Kings and El Michels Affair), Charm is the type of gorgeous, ornate, sensual record only Clairo could create, an amalgamation of everything that has made her one of the most celebrated artists of the last five years.” (PR)

7/12 Donovan Woods – Things Were Never Good If They’re Not Good (End Times Music)

“On his seventh studio album, singer/songwriter Donovan Woods takes a long look inside – and isn’t necessarily thrilled with what he sees. For an artist who isn’t afraid to bear his soul, this is as emotionally gritty as he has ever been. Across the album’s 12 sparse, intimate songs, Woods finds himself reflecting on the ups and downs he has been through since 2020. His writing allowed him to open up and address the complexities of life that he has been going through. The album, he notes, serves as ‘a funeral to the life he was living.'” (PR)

7/12 Font – Strange Burden (Acrophase Records)

7/12 Hannah Mohan – Time Is a Walnut (Egghunt Records)

7/12 Phish – Evolve (Phish Inc)

7/12 Tayla Parx – Many Moons, Many Suns (TaylaMade Records)

“Crafted over a tumultuous two years, Many Moons, Many Suns captures the emotional whirlwind of Parx’s celestial journey of self-discovery. From establishing boundaries in ‘Rich,’ to difficult endings in ‘Dream Hotel’ and ‘This Was Supposed to Be Our Wedding Song,’ and finding new freedoms in ‘For What It’s Worth,’ each track represents a step in the hitmaker’s ongoing evolution. The 13-track record also features her previously released summer anthem ‘Era’ (feat. Tkay Maidza), which received glowing critical praise upon release.”

“‘Many Moons, Many Suns captures the essence of my last two years – a period marked by an unnoticed depression, hidden beneath moments so vibrant they masked my internal struggles,’ Tayla explains. ‘Despite always wearing a smile, I’ve learned that it can manifest in way more ways than a tear. This album was born from the challenges of an unexpected breakup while deeper exploration into self-love and companionship. It reflects my curiosities and the ways they lead me to redefine intimacy and connection. This album is a chapter in my story, narrated through the cycles of many moons and many suns.'” (PR)

7/12 Travis – L.A. Times (BMG)

“Frontman Fran Healy calls Travis’ 10th album his most personal and ambitious work since The Man Who. Produced by Tony Hoffer (Air, Beck, Phoenix), L.A. Times was written by Fran Healy in his studio on the edge of Skid Row, Los Angeles, the city he has called home for the last decade. The tinderbox feeling of the city; its huge inequality and environmental and social precariousness; is a key theme, alongside personal connection, relationships and fatherhood.” (PR)

7/12 Ynys – Dosbarth Nos (Night Class) (Libertino Records)

7/19 Beta Radio – Waiting for the End to Come (Nettwerk Music Group)

7/19 Childish Gambino – Bando Stone & The New World (RCA Records)

7/19 Glass Animals – I Love You So F***ing Much (Republic Records)

7/19 GUM / Ambrose Kenny-Smith – Ill Times (p(doom) records)

7/19 Highly Suspect – As Above, So Below (Roadrunner/300/Elektra)

7/19 Lava La Rue – STARFACE (Dirty Hit)

7/19 Major Murphy – Fallout (Winspear)

7/19 Role Model – Kansas Anymore (Interscope Records)

“Role Model’s been in love. He was so in love he wrote his entire debut album Rx about it. But not all romances last forever, and the 26-year-old’s grieving of his last relationship is at the center of his sophomore album Kansas Anymore, a record inspired by homesickness, heartbreak, and the process of redefining oneself amidst those feelings.” (PR)

7/23 Alex Winston – Bingo! (Rat Rizzo Records)

7/24 Earthquake Lights – Signs of Life (independent)

7/25 Abbie Ozard – everything still worries me (House Anxiety)

7/25 Coral Moons – summer of u (Better Company Records)

7/26 CULTS – To The Ghosts (IMPERIAL)

7/26 Elsy Wameyo – Saint Sinner (independent)

7/26 Fancy Gap – Fancy Gap (Ghost Choir Records)

“On their self-titled debut album, Fancy Gap – the duo of singer/songwriter Stuart McLamb (The Love Language) and songwriter/producer Charles Crossingham – take listeners on a journey that steers through life’s melodies with windows down. It’s a country-tinged, radio-ready sound, yet delves deep into universal themes. From stirring reflections on death and aging to the joyous celebrations of life, love, and triumph, every track on Fancy Gap captures different facets of the human experience. With a twang evoking the heartland and a widescreen perspective hinting at something greater, McLamb and Crossingham explore poignant moments of laughter and loss, enduring bonds of friendship, and the ups and downs of relationships.” (PR)

7/26 Ferry Townes – Side Effects of Happiness (Licorice Pizza Records)

7/26 Joshua Bassett – The Golden Years (Warner Records)

7/26 Little Mystery – Little Mystery (Ruination Record Co.)

7/26 Nightshift – Homosapien (Trouble in Mind)

7/26 MAITA – want (Fluff & Gravy Records)

7/26 Ray LaMontagne – Long Way Home (Liula Records)

“The core of Long Way Home reverberates deep into Ray LaMontagne’s youth—at 21-years-old, in a small club in Minneapolis, he recalls seeing Townes Van Zandt perform live. A line from ‘To Live Is To Fly’ has stuck with him ever since; Van Zandt sang, ‘When here you been is good an gone, all you keep is the getting there.’ LaMontagne reflects, ‘Thirty years later it occurs to me that every song on Long Way Home is in one way or another honoring the journey. The languorous days of youth and innocence. The countless battles of adulthood, some won, more often lost. It’s been a long hard road, and I wouldn’t change a minute. It took me nine songs to express what Townes managed to say in one line. I guess I still got a lot to learn.’” (PR)

7/26 The Red Clay Strays – Made By These Moments (RCA Records)

“Made by These Moments is filled with The Red Clay Strays’ signature genre-blending sound, as they meld electric rock and roll with southern soul. Across these eleven tracks, the band explore fundamental elements of the human condition, reflecting on faith, love and redemption. Of the project, lead singer Brandon Coleman shares, ‘Made by These Moments shines a light on overcoming the battles we face in life like loneliness, depression, and hopelessness. We hope you listen and recognise that our pain has a purpose.'” (PR)

7/26 Sinai Vessel – I Sing (Keeled Scales)

7/26 Wild Rivers – Never Better (Nettwerk Music Group)

8/1 Arto Vaun – Stuck Inside a Map (independent)

“Arto Vaun’s new album, Stuck Inside a Map, is a collection of 10 high-energy, atmospheric songs about grief, uncertainty, & rebirth. Most of these songs reflect his time living overseas between 2010-2020 as he was finishing a PhD, working, & wrestling with years of PTSD. With a surprising mix of English & Armenian, Vaun’s lyrics offer a taste of what it means to grapple with being multicultural & multilingual in the 21st Century. While his previous record, The Cynthia Sessions, was an intimate concept album, Stuck Inside a Map has an expansive feel, anchored by his band’s live sound and production by Vaun and Dave Minehan. The catchy melodies & lush arrangements balance the highly personal lyrics, resulting in bittersweet indie pop deliciousness. The album itself is the result of around 6 years of somewhat reclusive songwriting. It’s a record that signals coming out of a decades-long fog brought on by a high dose of tragedy, upheaval, and PTSD.” (PR)

8/2 Anberlin – Vega (Equal Vision Records)

8/2 Blood – Loving You Backwards (Ramp Local)

“Blood circa Loving You Backwards was made by an emotionally knit six piece. This record encompasses that first generation of Blood, the one that completely immersed itself in their newfound home and dedicated themselves to the craft of losing oneself in the artform. While writing the record, the band made a group effort to share the burden of collective grief by holding weekly meetings to discuss mental health. As a collective, they quickly abandoned any former attachments to musical notions of punk or genre at all. bandleader/lyricist Tim O’Brien ‘felt liberated to let the femme shades of my voice show on record for the first time and allowed my first true love for pop melodies to come to the surface.'”

“The resulting Loving You Backwards flourishes in the subtle, the ambiguous, the shades of gray. These songs somehow feel both intimate like Liz Harris’ Grouper feels intimate and totally vast in the way that a Talk Talk record feels vast. It’s in the same universe as Ought in its earlier iterations. They exist in the realm of ballads, heart-wrenching and weird pop with a post rock sensibility. It explores, as the title implies, approaching a relationship in the reverse, dealing with your past while you try to stay in the present. Loving You Backwards is a record of big ideas and honesty, but it’s also a record of genuinely pristine pop.” (PR)

8/2 Brigitte Calls Me Baby – The Future Is Our Way Out (ATO Records)

“In choosing a title for the full-length debut, Brigitte Calls Me Baby landed on a phrase lead singer Wes Leavins impulsively scrawled onto a white t-shirt as a teenager and continued to revisit over the years, eventually transforming it into a lush and cinematic pop song. ‘I want to be earnest even when it’s uncomfortable, and write unapologetically about things like my intense fear of death,’ says Leavins. ‘The Future is Our Way Out is about that fear, but it’s also about hoping there might be something beyond death, a way out of all the mess and the sadness that plagues us in life.” (PR)

8/2 Footballhead – Before I Die (Tiny Engines)

“There is no way to avoid the pitfalls of the lived human experience; and in a world where the passing of time carries a residual but certain cynicism, we can’t help but sit from a polarized vantage point. Footballhead’s new mini album Before I Die takes into consideration several bitter hypotheses and truths: fate will make its attempt to control you, the clock never ceases to tick, and you are always judged on your impact, not your intent. This 7-song collection drives the band’s ethos harder and raises their ceiling even higher.” (PR)

8/2 Jack White – No Name (Third Man Records)

8/2 Khalid – Sincere (Right Hand Music Group/RCA Records)

“Through a collection of 16 tracks, Sincere showcases Khalid’s evolution as an artist and person and explores the all-too-relatable feelings of growing up. His irresistible soulful vocals and unfiltered lyricism are on full display.” (PR)

8/2 Orville Peck – Stampede (Warner Music)

8/2 Personal Trainer – Still Willing (Bella Union)

“Witty, welcoming and winningly melodic, Still Willing is the sound of an instinctive DIY-pop musician favoring think-on-your-feet exploration and intuition over know-it-all premeditation. Willem Smit’s initial intent was to record the album as if live, but he realized that his chemistry with Casper van der Lans would not be denied. ‘I felt that we had grown and built a language together. We don’t have to say a lot, but we understand each other well. There was a lot less of trying out stuff and taking stuff away compared to the last record, because it felt like we were on the same wavelength.’

“Still Willing arrives as a fervid expression of Willem’s home-recording and studio methods, tethered to inviting pop instincts and rich with the fertile promise of more to come. Willem doesn’t want to tell you what or how to think about the album but, he says, ‘It would be awesome if people like it and buy the record, so that I can make another one.’ On the strength of Still Willing, he’s fit for the long distance.” (PR)

8/2 Samm Henshaw – For Someone, Somewhere, Who Isn’t Us (Dorm Seven / AWAL)

“This six-track mini album emerged from a period of struggle for Samm and ultimately became a profound life lesson he wishes to share with other creatives. He learned that even in creative hard times, if you remain consistent and resilient something beautiful can come out of it. Unlike past projects, Samm embraces this new era free of expectations. Reflecting on this phase, Samm says, ‘Anything that comes, I’m grateful for it, I’m excited for it. Ultimately, I think it needed to happen just for me to be able to prove to myself that I could still do it. It was almost like this project to me felt more like a lesson.'” (PR)

8/2 The Smashing Pumpkins – Aghori Mhori Mei (Martha’s Music / Thirty Tigers)

“The Smashing Pumpkins’ thirteenth collection to date, Aghori Mhori Mei is a bruising and shadowy return to form from original Smashing Pumpkins members Jimmy Chamberlin, James Iha, and Billy Corgan. The new album harkens back to the band’s early ’90s canon; where guitars, bass, drums, and spiking vocals ruled, and continues the prolific hot streak frontman Billy Corgan kicked off a decade ago. Just last year, the band released the third and final Act of their sprawling and adventurous rock opera ATUM, a sequel to 1995’s Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness and 2000’s Machina/The Machines Of God. While some artists might take a breather after an acclaimed and ambitious triple album, Corgan went straight back into the studio to write, produce, and record this new 10-track body of work. As vital and vibrant a songwriter as ever, Corgan had quickly promised a 2024 follow-up on the horizon, which serves as the latest twist in Corgan’s careful commitment to how his art is presented. The band completed the recording of Aghori Mhori Mei amidst an expansive touring schedule across the last few years.” (PR)

8/2 Tones And I – Beautifully Ordinary (Elektra Records)

“Beautifully Ordinary captures raw human emotion and resonates with the universal longing for connection through heartfelt lyrics and soulful melodies. Reflecting on past relationships, nostalgia, and growth, the album is a personal narrative of the human experience through Tones and I’s eyes. Each song is a relatable chapter in this emotional journey through love, life, and self-acceptance, offering catharsis for anyone who has ever sought to belong.” (PR)

8/7 theMIND – Dancing While Crying in the Middle of Nowhere (A Terrible Thing to Waste)

“Dancing While Crying in The Middle of Nowhere, theMIND’s fourth album, is a culmination of a unique and expansive creative journey over the past few years. This musically textured project, built on limitless genre-bending techniques, promises a raw and unfiltered exploration of unique interpretations of love songs, steering away from conventional paths. By doing so, the album aims to elevate the listening experience, offering fans an unexpected and refreshing perspective on the multifaceted themes of love and inviting listeners on a musical journey that challenges norms and delves into the intricacies of emotion.”

8/9 Amos Lee – Transmissions (Hoagiemouth Records / Thirty Tigers)

8/9 Aquilo – A Quiet Invitation to a Hard Conversation (AWAL)

8/9 Campfire Social – They Sound the Same Underwater (Popty Ping Recording Company)

“They Sound the Same Underwater, originally named The Inevitable Heat Death of The ​Universe: And Other Short Stories, is the first album by Campfire Social. At the end of 2019 the band set their sights on writing what was to be their first full ​length, only to have all plans thrown out the window by a worldwide pandemic that ​shall not be named. What they had begun to piece together would be eventually ​released as The Everything Changed EP. All things considered this ended up being a blessing in disguise, as far as the band ​are concerned, as what came next was a collection of songs that they think ‘shit all ​over’ previous tracks and having reunited with old friend and musical companion, ​Michael Deponeo, they believe Campfire Social is now what it was always meant to be.”

“Every song on the album has its own place in our hearts and as a whole piece it feels ​almost autobiographical. ‘I think we just stopped caring about what people would ​think and thought more about what we wanted to say and how we wanted to achieve ​that. There are ups and ups and downs throughout the album and although we touch ​on themes of loss or general despair there is a continued sense of hope that rings ​through ‘til the end. Above all, it’s honest.’”

8/9 DICE – Midnight Zoo (Tone City Records)

8/9 Florence Clementine – One Mile Upstream (Preserve Artists)

8/9 Louis Cole – Nothing (Brainfeeder)

8/9 Mal Not Bad – This Is Your New Life (independent)

“Self-produced and recorded by Mal Not Bad in their home in the Melrose District of Los Angeles, This Is Your New Life – as its title suggests – is as much a gesture to their past as it is a gateway to new beginnings. Across its twelve tracks, Mal Not Bad draws upon influence from the spiraling electronic and ambient worlds of Aphex Twin and Brian Eno to the deft songwriting nuances of Feist, David Byrne and Alex G, with its subject matter stretching across relationships — to ones we love and with ourselves, and with death and life itself, as well as reflections upon modern day communication, and ultimately pausing to observe the world around us, rather than being consumed by the chaos.” (PR)

8/9 Never Ending Fall – American Disco (Create Music Group)

“Never Ending Fall’s sophomore album is a radiant collection of high-energy, and at times feverish, indie rock and post-punk songs speckled with funky beats, sweltering melodies, and deep dance grooves. Among the band’s chief musical inspirations are groups like Phoenix, Two Door Cinema Club, Kings of Leon, Quarters of Change, and Turnstile. These influences can be felt throughout American Disco, as the five-piece carve out their own niche in the ever-expanding ‘indie rock’ umbrella.” – Mitch Mosk

8/9 Rae Khalil – CRYBABY (Def Jam Recordings)

“Rae Khalil’s major label debut album CRYBABY showcases her dynamic ability to explore universal themes that bind over atmospheric production.” (PR)

8/9 Ravyn Lenae – Bird’s Eye (Atlantic Records)

8/16 Amy Shark – Sunday Sadness (Wonderlick / Sony Music Australia / RCA Records)

8/16 beabadoobee – This Is How Tomorrow Moves (Dirty Hit)

8/16 Charly Bliss – FOREVER (Lucky Number)

8/16 Horse Jumper of Love – Disaster Trick (Run for Cover Records)

8/16 KALISWAY – A Kid from Toronto (independent)

“Consisting of 14 immaculately produced tracks, skipping between R&B, Funk, Hip-Hop and Soul, including focus track “Sugar,” Kalisway’s highly-anticipated album A Kid From Toronto is groovy, psychedelic and her personal definition of funk.” (PR)

8/16 Lesibu Grand – Triggered (Kill Rock Stars)

“Using modern sounds of celestial pop, punk, and surf rock, each song off Lesibu Grand’s debut album Triggered encapsulates the essence of our tumultuous society, weaving together threads of personal introspection and societal commentary.” (PR)

8/16 Matty – POPS (Lex Records)

“In making POPS, Matty set out to write music that soundtracks vulnerability, pulling on the strings of heartache complexities and life-affirming love with the joy of stripped-back music-making. Experimenting with new songwriting methods that ditch the cutting-edge studios and complicated jazz harmonies of which he’s used to, Matty explores the rawness of sound, from shades of new wave with post-Britpop melodies to the golden era of 2000s blogs.” (PR)

8/16 Marlin’s Dreaming – HIRL (Ditto Music)

Longtime standouts in the global indie pop scene, Marlin’s Dreaming prove that their inner flame burns brighter than ever on HIRL. They consider their fourth studio album one of change, inner (and outer) transformation – tracking personal growth as well as their own physical movement, from their home territory of Dunedin to New Zealand’s bustling capital of Auckland. To them, it’s “a complex and layered indie pop record that sparkles and shines with a studio pop gusto not seen for [some time]… Notably, it takes the layered and tender songwriting of the previous records and levels up the production to a sparkling studio pop sheen,” marking a turn as they level up their production and embrace a pop mindset.” – Mitch Mosk

8/16 Maude Latour – Sugar Water (Warner Records)

“Sugar Water is about growing up and learning how to lose things, people, and love— all parts of getting older. This album is an attempt at trying to hold onto the sweetness of this short life while it is still happening. It’s my most existential, deepest thoughts coated in pop music. I hope it takes you on the journey of a lifetime.” – Maude Latour

8/16 Ok Cowgirl – Couldn’t Save Us From My Gut (Easy Does It Records)

“The album is named Couldn’t Save Us From My Gut because this record is about me learning to listen to and trust my intuition in various contexts from leaving my first long-term relationship, to entering my first queer relationship, to coming to terms with growing apart from friends, to navigating my career in a f*d up economy. That’s the through-line, and it’s a direct lyric from the third track, ‘Our Love.'” – Leah Lavigne, Ok Cowgirl

8/16 Post Malone – F-1 Trillion (Mercury Records/Republic Records)

“Post Malone’s debut country album boasts a true murderers’ row of elite country collaborators across its blockbuster tracklisting. These include genre royalty such as Dolly Parton, Hank Williams JR., and Tim McGraw as well as a new vanguard of skyrocketing superstars a la Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Chris Stapleton, and more.” (PR)

8/16 Rosie Lowe – Lover, Other (Blue Flowers Music)

8/16 Tama Gucci – Notes to Self (Sinderlyn)

“Notes to Self is the culmination of years of forward-thinking pop songwriting while creating intricate club soundscapes. Described as reimagined Notes app musings and journal entries, the album tracks Tama’s evolution from fun-loving cover artist and studious songwriter/producer to self-assured, wholly encompassing visionary.” (PR)

8/16 Veronica Lewis – Too Late for Tears (Moonwink Records / Symphonic)

“With this album, Boston-based, 20-year-old indie singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Veronica Lewis shows a singular vision, confidence, and stunning artistic honesty. Merging American roots rock with ’90s alt and modern indie-pop, this sonic coming-of-age odyssey reflects Veronica’s powerful vulnerability as a songwriter and musician. ‘This is about coming to terms with things we all struggle with… disillusionment, self-discovery, the beauty and flaws you find in yourself and the world around you,’ says Veronica.” (PR)

8/16 Wishy – Triple Seven (Winspear)

8/21 Peel Dream Magazine – Rose Main Reading Room (Top Shelf Records)

“Rose Main Reading Room, the fourth full length by Peel Dream Magazine, is a lush, inviting headphones record; the kind of album made to accompany city bus rides and rainy-day solo trips to accidental destinations. The band, whose name nods to the BBC Radio 1 legend John Peel — arbiter of all things underground, quality, and (it must be said) “cool” — has since its inception been a genre-hopping experiment, jumping from motorik krautrock to shoegaze and space age pop, and their newest work is a perfect starting point for the uninitiated, beckoning toward a newfound romance and nostalgia with their catchiest collection of songs to date. Set to the backdrop of New York City and its towering landmarks — The American Museum of Natural History, Grand Central Station, and the like — songwriter Joseph Stevens weaves personal stories into the wider fabric of the natural world, touching on themes of instinct, animality, and evolution.” (PR)

8/21 William Harries Graham – Annie’s House (independent)

8/23 Andrew Combs – Dream Pictures (independent)

“A vivid portrait of the musician and visual artist at work, Dream Pictures is a dreamy, dusky record for the quiet hours that bring each day to a close.” (PR)

8/23 Closebye – Hammer of My Own (independent)

8/23 Dhruv – Private Blizzard (Little Worry / RCA Records)

“Recorded in Nashville with Grammy-nominated producer JT Daly (Noah Kahan, Bully, Benson Boone), Private Blizzard echoes the rollercoaster of emotions Dhruv experienced during this time as he allowed his intuition to guide him, an ebb and flow similar to the changing of the seasons. He focused on developing his vocal range to give himself a larger canvas to express these varied emotions, arriving at a sound that incorporates classic live elements but still feels modern. The end result is a debut album that feels true to Dhruv above all else.” (PR)

8/23 Dutch Criminal Record – Novium (AntiFragile Music)

8/23 Emily Wurramara – NARA (ABC Music)

“Titled for the Anindilyakwa word meaning ‘nothing,’ NARA beckons its listeners through mystical portals on a varicoloured journey through the years since Emily Wurramara’s debut album Milyakburra (2018), tracing intense highs and lows – from winning accolades and taking her music across the world, losing her house in a fire, giving birth to her daughter and struggling with her mental health – to her ultimate arrival at peace in the knowledge that ‘It was when I had nothing, I realised I had everything.’ Expanding into weird and wonderful spaces sonically and visually without losing the organic timelessness of Wurramara’s songwriting and steeped in love for community, NARA and its twelve songs are the testament of a soul now finally at peace, making the music she wants to make, anchored by a deep love, respect and appreciation for community, family and country – always with a sense of humour and purpose.” (PR)

8/23 Emma Russack – About the Girl (Dinosaur City Records)

“Emma Russack’s brilliant, searching sixth record is an album about longing’s impossible force, tackling how relationships both muddle and illuminate one’s sense of self. Russack says the record is partly inspired by the dissociations brought on by dating apps. ‘It’s about the funny experiences that happen when you’re untethered,’ she says, ‘I had these awful experiences and encounters, that made me also reflect on my past experiences with different people, romantic or otherwise.’ Often, Russack sings in a daze, trying to grasp the contours of memories that have blurred. But she hauls specificity back with hard-won vigour, pasting details together and creating new constellations of understanding. In the thrall of past experience, Russack’s songwriting reaches new heights; merging plain-spoken disclosures with mordant humour. History’s constant murmur is felt through the record’s spectral, spacious sound, full of elegant harmonies, heavily strummed guitar and ominous synths that reverberate and splutter.” (PR)

8/23 Fontaines D.C. – Romance (XL Recordings)

8/23 Fruition – How To Make Mistakes (independent)

“How To Make Mistakes is the beloved Portland, Oregon band’s first album in four years, with a different recording approach this time around. The album was co-produced by the band, and everything was recorded live on the floor in the studio – both firsts for the quintet. The new song captures their raw, heartfelt sound and 15-year journey together, blemishes and all. How To Make Mistakes is a melting pot of rock, soul, folk, and pop with its combination of soaring vocal harmonies and collaborative, song-driven Americana. You should’ve received download and stream links to the album already, but I also included them below again for convenience.” (PR)

8/23 Geneva Jacuzzi – Triple Fire (Dais Records)

8/23 GIFT – Illuminator (Captured Tracks)

8/23 Gilligan Moss – Speaking Across Time (Foreign Family Collective)

“With their new album Speaking Across Time, Gilligan Moss — the Brooklyn-based electronic duo of childhood friends Ben + Evan — have created a swirling and expansive survey of 90s rave, old country, pastoral house, and vintage soul. Gilligan Moss say that it ‘explores how creation and collaboration change over time — and how music can outlast us.'” (PR)

8/23 Illuminati Hotties – Power (Hopeless Records)

“Power is not a grief record. It is not a love record, either. Instead, it is a real-life record, a reflection of all the things Tudzin has endured or enjoyed during the too-long span since Illuminati Hotties’ wonderfully infectious last batch. Sadness, joy, and the busyness of modern existence are all bound into these 13 songs, characters and circumstances sometimes exaggerated not just for effect but to offer a modest buffer between Sarah Tudzin’s world and those inside of her words.” (PR)

8/23 Jordan Lindley – Maybe It’ll All Work Out (independent)

“With his sophomore album, most of which produced by Jake Finch and Collin Pastore (boygenius, Lucy Dacus, Illuminati Hotties), singer/songwriter Jordan Lindley presents a collection of songs that collectively highlight the internal realities of everyday life, with an emphasis on the subtle middle ground between emotional extremes that everyone experiences. When discussing the album, Lindley says, ‘I have made the most intentional effort I’ve ever made to keep the throughline consistent. The way we receive and feel emotions is weird and unconventional. On paper, we know that death is sad, love is happy, upticks are easy, etc. But, like, what a crock. Sometimes death is a guilt-ridden relief, sometimes love is confusing and sucks ass, and sometimes upticks are the most riddled with insecurity and fear. I want to explore the genuine feelings – good, bad, funny, shitty, odd – because I truly, whole-heartedly believe that in doing so, life will unfold into something so much more unexpectedly beautiful than we could ever have planned.’” (PR)

8/23 lovelytheband – lovelytheband (happy accident records / Vydia)

8/23 Luna Li – When a Thought Grows Wings (In Real Life / AWAL)

8/23 M.A.G.S. – Creator (Smartpunk Records)

“M.A.G.S. is the solo moniker for Buffalo-bred multi-disciplinary artist Elliott Douglas. His style seamlessly glides between genres ─ from funky garage rock to minty alt-pop with a punk-inspired energy. The release of his third full-length album Destroyer in 2023 via Smartpunk Records pushed Douglas into a more textural direction, dripping with flavors of post-punk while keeping his genre-bending melodies. Written by Douglas and produced by Jay Mass (Defeater), the album is about having to destroy yourself in order to grow and move forward – an extremely relatable phase in one’s life.” (PR)

8/23 Montell Fish – Charlotte (Virgin Music)

8/23 The National Parks – Wild Spirit (independent)

8/23 Oh He Dead – Ugly (Wally Baba Records)

8/23 Ruthie Foster – Mileage (Sun Label Group)

8/23 Sabrina Carpenter – Short N’ Sweet (Island Records)

8/23 Sam Weber – Clear + Plain (Sonic Unyon Records)

“Sam Weber’s Clear + Plain is a group of simple and beautiful folk and jazz inflected songs which lean into sensory experiences and underscore Weber’s values. Clear + Plain came together in 2021, 99% of the record recorded in just three days. Weber collaborated with bandmates Griffin Goldsmith, Mal Hauser and Garret Lang, co-producing the record with Hauser. It is by far the favourite record that Sam has made, with a naturalism and beauty to it that speaks to the work of a songwriter who has found a new degree of depth within the creative process.” (PR)

8/23 SOFI TUKKER – BREAD (independent)

8/23 Spring Silver – don’t you think it’s strange? (independent)

8/23 Sycco – Zorb (Future Classic)

8/23 Teenage Dads – Majordomo (Chugg Music)

8/23 Thee Heart Tones – Forever & Ever (Big Crown Records)

“Recorded in five days with the assistance of El Michels Affair’s Leon Michels and Menahan Street Band’s Tommy Brenneck, the West Coast sextet Thee Heart Tones set to simmer a charming set of Chicano soul and retro/oldie pop/funk jams.” (PR)

8/30 Becca Stevens – Maple to Paper (GroundUP)

“In the early days of 2023, Becca Stevens felt an overwhelming need to process two monumental changes in her life: the death of her mother, and the start of her own journey into motherhood. Seeking the catharsis of self-expression, she withdrew to her home studio. Emerging from this unfettered creative period, Stevens had completed Maple to Paper: A glimpse into her most private moments of grief and transcendence, rendered with devotion to music’s alchemical powers. Maple to Paper is Stevens’ first entirely solo acoustic record. Recorded live with no overdubs and mixed by frequent collaborator Nic Hard, the album features a stripped-down sound rooted in her spellbinding guitar work and raw yet luminous vocal performance.” (PR)

8/30 Big Sean – Better Me Than You (Def Jam Recordings)

“It’s usually better you than me, but I realize when you that one that has to step up and endure it all – endure the extras, maybe break a cycle in your family or change your environment for your circle, or whatever the case may be – when you got to be that one, it’s like you realize that you’re only put there because you’re the one that can handle it. Because that’s the way God made it for you. So you realize that, alright, better me than you because I’m the one that can do it. I’m a better me than you could ever be, you feel me? When I hold my son I feel like, right now it’s on me. It’s on Dad to take the extras, and sometimes it’s on his mama to step up and be that- the person that has to endure it all, but one day, it’s going to be on him. And when it is, I hope he realizes that it’s not a burden. It’s an opportunity. It’s a responsibility that you’re meant for. Better Me Than You.” – Big Sean

8/30 Bench Press – Personal Best (Poison City Records)

“Bench Press’s third album Personal Best continues to meditate on themes of self and mental health lyrically but through a new lens, as the album follows Stavrakis’ journey of making a career change into mental health social work. Where Jack Stavrakis has previously dwelled on the politics of personal action, he now looks outwards and critiques what and who he sees in our increasingly chaotic world.” (PR)

8/30 David Kushner – Dichotomy (Miserable Music Group / Virgin Records)

“David Kushner’s debut album delves into the tapestry of human existence by exploring two contrasts. Comprising 17 songs, this musical work examines the interplay between light and darkness, happiness and sadness, anger and love, hero and villains, and the dichotomy of our inner demons and angels. Through a fusion of introspective lyrics, David Kushner captures the essence of emotional experiences, providing connection from all walks of life.” (PR)

8/30 Kid Dakota – Praegustator (Graveface Records)

“Kid Dakota’s seventh album showcases the creative talents of original frontman Darren Jackson and new drummer Lars Oslund, who have further refined the lush, orchestrated sound that marked their last two albums, “Denervation” and “Age of Roaches.” Not for the faint of heart, this dark, brooding album delves into themes of alienation, addiction, inequality, and environmental catastrophe. Praegustator is both innovative and fresh while staying true to Kid Dakota’s Art Rock/Alternative roots. The sound evokes a comforting nostalgia yet feels entirely new.” (PR)

8/30 Leyya – Half Asleep (INK Music)

“Self-reflection due to inner turbulence defines Leyya’s upcoming album, Half Asleep. The process of recognising and gaining self-awareness runs through the album like a common thread, and with titles such as ‘I Don’t Hug So Well’, ‘Ease My Mind’, or ‘Sometimes You’re Lonely’, this proves self-explanatory. Despite the record’s self-effacing modesty, Half Asleep was written without preconception. It was inspired by lived experiences, favourite songs and sounds, the wheel of human emotion, and the art of music making “’cause it’s fun.” Every sound, sample or lick has been lovingly crafted and is harmoniously organic, contrary to the fast-moving circumstances and conventional production methods. Egoless but stubborn, Half Asleep shows a new kind of honesty and openness circulating between digital and analogue, as the band share their experience of how healing it can be to return to oneself.” (PR)

8/30 Los Bitchos – Talkie Talkie (City Slang)

8/30 Marianas Trench – Haven (604 Records / Warner Music Canada)

“Since their inaugural album Fix Me, Marianas Trench have always continued to evolve, and with Haven, the Vancouver-based four-piece pushes the envelope and takes their musical and thematic efforts to new heights. The album showcases that at the core Marianas Trench is a take-no-prisoners, four-piece rock band featuring singer, songwriter and producer Josh Ramsay’s expansive vocal range, and Haven adds exciting layers of synthesizer and orchestral elements.”

“Haven is inspired by Joseph Campbell’s scholarly book, The Hero’s Journey, which defines the arc of virtually every quest narrative. ‘The more of a deep dive I did into the book, the more I was in awe of how much it applied to every story,’ says Marianas Trench singer, songwriter, and producer Josh Ramsay. He added that each of the songs on Haven is inspired by the plot points Campbell defines as commonalities in every hero’s journey. The result is a narrative sequence of thirteen tracks based on the framework of the book, and like previous Marianas Trench albums is extremely broad in scope.” (PR)

8/30 Mondo Cozmo – It’s PRINCIPLE! (Last Gang Records)

“Mondo Cozmo’s fourth studio album is his most complete and vulnerable body of work. Instead of an ending, it marks a new beginning. Not many artists are fortunate to successfully hit the reset button. Yet, that’s exactly what It’s PRINCIPLE is: An artist, who has been through it, taking a big swing and connecting with an album he believes he made for himself but it would be nice if others like it too.” (PR)

8/30 Paris Paloma – Cacophony (Nettwerk Music Group)

“Armed with 15 evocative tracks, Paris Paloma’s anticipated debut album Cacophony combines human experiences of grief, love, patriarchy, and trauma with Greek mythology, fantasy, and the literary gothic.” (PR)

8/30 Sima Cunningham – High Roller (Ruination Record Co.)

8/30 Valley – Water the Flowers, Pray for a Garden (Capitol Records / Universal Music Canada)

8/30 Why Bonnie – Wish On The Bone (Fire Talk)

“When Why Bonnie recorded their debut 90 in November, they set out to make a country album, aligning their respective technical instincts with the genre trappings. With Wish on the Bone, Blair Howerton had no interest in adhering to genre standards. Howerton, Chance Williams, and Josh Malett fleshed out these songs with help from Jonathan Schenke, who co-produced alongside Howerton. ‘Personal experience of learning to be bolder and more assertive and trusting myself has carried over into my music. I’m not afraid to take risks,’ Howerton says. Although Wish on the Bone is untethered from the particulars of landscape or genre, its fixation on what it might look like to lead an authentic life grounds the record in place. With Wish on the Bone, Howerton is wide-eyed and waiting, reminding herself, even on the worst days, that despair is not inevitable.” (PR)

8/30 Wunderhorse – Midas (Communion / Mick Music)

“Midas adopts an unpolished recording process which captures the visceral atmosphere of Wunderhorse’s lauded live performances and establishes the band as one of the most exciting new UK artists. Of the album, frontman Jacob Slater explains, ‘When we first went into the studio to make this record, the only thing we were sure about is how we wanted it to sound; very imperfect, very live, very raw; no frills. We wanted it to sound like your face is pressed up against the amplifiers, like you’ve been locked inside the bass drum.'” (PR)

9/3 Cheridomingo – Shapeshift (independent)

9/3 Rachel Platten – I Am Rachel Platten (independent)

“This record emerges from Platten’s own struggles with mental health – depression, chronic pain, and how she dug herself out of the hole she fell into. It’s a raw and radiant journey of healing.” (PR)

9/6 The Airborne Toxic Event – Glory (Little Tokyo)

“The journey through the world that you document through songwriting is not manageable,” shares frontman Mikel Jollett. “It just happens. I get in certain moods and all I want to hear is a person singing the thing I’m feeling. Even if the thing I’m feeling is so f*ed up. It’s a relief. I don’t know why that’s true. But it is.”

9/6 Amy Allen – Amy Allen (AWAL)

“One of the most vital behind-the-scenes forces in pop music today, Amy Allen has brought her massive songwriting talents to a steady stream of smash hits in the first few months of 2024 alone, with her contributions to songs like Sabrina Carpenter’s culture-dominating “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” and more. A Billboard Hot 100 hitmaker who has worked with superstars like Olivia Rodrigo, Justin Bieber, and Leon Bridges, won an Album of the Year GRAMMY for her work on Harry Styles’ Harry’s House, and was nominated for the inaugural Songwriter of the Year award, Allen showcases a new dimension of her one-of-a-kind artistry on his record. Centered on a gorgeously composed and endlessly unpredictable form of indie-rock, with inspiration ranging from Cocteau Twins to John Prine, Amy Allen introduces an essential new artist whose music you didn’t know you already loved.” (PR)

9/6 Ashe – Willson (Mom+Pop)

9/6 Claude Fountaine – La Mer (Innovative Leisure)

9/6 David Gilmour – Luck and Strange (Sony Music)

“Luck and Strange was recorded over five months in Brighton and London and is Gilmour’s first album of new material in nine years. The record was produced by David and Charlie Andrew, best known for his work with alt-J and Marika Hackman. The album features nine tracks, including the beautiful reworking of The Montgolfier Brothers’ 1999 song, ‘Between Two Points’ which features 22-year-old Romany Gilmour on vocals and harp, the lead-off track from the album, ‘The Piper’s Call’ and the title track which features the late Pink Floyd keyboard player Richard Wright, recorded in 2007 at a jam in a barn at David’s house. The album features artwork and photography by the renowned artist Anton Corbijn.” (PR)

9/6 Dummy – Free Energy (Trouble In Mind)

9/6 Fat Dog – WOOF. (Domino Records)

“When the chaotic South London rabble known as Fat Dog formed, they made two rules: they were going to be a healthy band who looked after themselves and there would be no saxophone presence in their music. Two simple edicts to live by, and two things long-since broken by the Brixton five-piece. Fat Dog are the most exciting breakthrough band of the past few years, conjurers of the sort of frenzied and wild live shows not seen in the capital for years and now the creators of WOOF., a brilliant and mind-bending debut album, but they are not healthy. One of them has a foot odour problem. And they also have a saxophone player in the line-up.” (PR)

9/6 Fred again.. – ten days (Warner Music)

“My new record is called ten days.​ It’s ten songs about ten days. There’s been a lot of biggg mad crazy moments in the last year but basically all of these are about really very small quiet intimate moments.” – Fred again..

9/6 Gooseberry – All My Friends Are Cattle (independent)

“All My Friends Are Cattle represents Gooseberry’s most ambitious project yet, showcasing the expansive distance they cover, from punch-you-in-the-mouth punk rock to lyrically-driven singer-songwriter to atmospheric prog rock. Though powered by heavy 90s alternative influences, this LP showcases what Gooseberry can be: an exciting amalgamation of many genres and sounds, taking the listener on a journey that never once leaves the ear tired and consistently keeps the mind guessing where they will head next.” (PR)

9/6 Hinds – VIVA HINDS (Lucky Number)

9/6 HONNE – OUCH (Smile More Recordings / AWAL)

9/6 The Howl & The Hum – Same Mistake Twice (Miserable Disco)

“Across The Howl & The Hum’s second album Same Mistake Twice, Sam Griffiths confronts the pain and chaos of recent tumultuous years across 12 tracks of his most direct songwriting to date. Surviving the breakup of his band, the global pandemic and reckoning with his future in music, he points the spotlight directly at the anxiety involved in any breakup we experience: how am I perceived? How do people speak about me? How will I be remembered? Am I a good person? The album traverses the raw harshness of Neutral Milk Hotel as much as the unblinking self-reflection of country pioneers like John Prine or Townes Van Zandt. Throughout, Griffiths’ voice is acrobatic and powerfully emotive, even while singing about the most vulnerable of topics. Effortlessly veering between gravelly introspection to soaring falsetto, it is a unifying counterpoint to his themes of anxiety and dread.” (PR)

9/6 Jamie Sutherland – The World As It Used to Be (Frictionless Music)

“Having grown up listening to the likes of Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and the Everly Brothers, acclaimed Scottish musician Jamie Sutherland has always had an affinity with the Greenwich Village scene of New York and the songwriters synonymous with the area. With time away from Broken Records during the pandemic, he began writing songs with focus on the melody and lyrics, growing from a collection of stripped-back bare-bones songs to a beautiful and classic-sounding album. The result is his second solo record, The World As It Used To Be. With mixing carried out by Tony Doogan (who has worked with Broken Records on numerous occasions) and mastering by Frank Arkwright at Abbey Road Studios, the tone of the record is one that Jamie feels remains true to where the songs came from.” (PR)

9/6 Mercury Rev – Born Horses (Bella Union)

9/6 Midwife – No Depression in Heaven (The Flenser)

“Midwife’s fourth studio album No Depression In Heaven explores themes of sentimentality, the interplay between dreams, memory, and fantasy, and a familiar subject seen throughout all of Midwife’s work: Grief. Madeline Johnston takes a look at the tender and transcendent underneath the hard exterior of leather and studs, exposing a different side of the heavy music scene, where Johnston’s project has been living and evolving. Inspired by ephemeral moments that make up life on tour, the totemization of vehicles, outlaws, and the psyche of America’s underbelly, No Depression In Heaven affirms Johnston’s existential status as a woman of the highway.” (PR)

9/6 MJ Lenderman – Manning Fireworks (ANTI- Records)

“Manning Fireworks is an instant classic of an LP. MJ lets us in on his frank observations on the intersection of wit and sadness. The punchlines from his previous albums are still here, as are the rusted-wire guitar solos that have made him a favorite for indie rock fans looking for an emerging guitar hero. But there’s a new sincerity, too, as Lenderman lets listeners clearly see the world through his warped lens.” (PR)

9/6 Public Opinion – Painted on Smile (Convulse Records)

9/6 Sarah Kinsley – ESCAPER (Verve Records)

9/6 Shovels & Rope – Something Is Working Up Above My Head (Dualtone Records)

“Less is more has always been the approach for the husband-and-wife duo of Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent in their incendiary live shows, and many of their recordings. From the stage, the two of them alone can sound like a raucous full band one moment or create an intimate, moving moment that commands the full attention of an audience the next. Less is more is truly fitting on Shovels & Rope’s latest album. The two decided to simplify their recording process by only using instrumentation they can replicate live, as opposed to changing the arrangements to fit the live performance. Something Is Working Up Above My Head finds Shovels & Rope leaning into their rock and punk roots that have always been a part of their sound. Hearst and Trent are, at their core, songwriters and great storytellers. Their character-driven narratives and vivid, cinematic vignettes of flawed protagonists who are often derailed by their shortcomings are as present as ever.” (PR)

9/6 Wayne Graham – Bastion (Hickman Holler Records/Thirty Tigers)

“Bastion, Wayne Graham’s ninth studio album, is a sonic shift embracing their Appalachian roots, but bursting forward into indie rock sounds, from wall of sound guitars to listless shuffled rhythms, and sprinkled with avant garde and jazz influences. The album explores themes of the meaning of home, and the feeling of no longer belonging to a place you grew up in. Wayne Graham comprises brothers Kenny and Hayden Miles, as well as José Oreta and Germany-based instrumentalist Ludwig Bauer.”

“On their ninth studio album, the band welcome a sense of looseness, unraveling and a touch of the avant-garde as they continue to shift the New Appalachian movement forward with this seminal work, shaped by tradition (hymns, high and lonesome) but intent on breaking boundaries in the sonic landscape by experimenting with synths, production work and unexpected instruments like clarinets. Their songs crackle with energy, using folk and country as a foundation for fearless explorations of jazz, punk, soul, noise, classic rock, and modern classical.” (PR)

9/12 Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors – Strangers No More Volume Two (Magnolia Music)

9/13 BONES UK – SOFT (Sumerian Records)

“Unapologetically rebellious and GRAMMY-nominated duo BONES UK return with a visceral, anthemic take on their future-rock mélange of swaggering guitars, gritty electronics, and love-yourself / think-for-yourself lyrics. SOFT‘s eleven tracks are bound by through-lines of massive hooks, bold stylistic cocktails, and empowering lyrics that also include collaborations with Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins and Mike Schuman of Queens of the Stone Age.” (PR)

9/13 Chance Peña – Ever-Shifting, Continual Blossoming (ONErpm)

“Chance Peña’s debut album sees the rising artist exploring themes of personal growth, overcoming internal struggles, and finding strength in hard times. Peña also delves into the universal complexities of relationships and the longing for deeper connections. The album, which was co-produced by Chance, Naebird and Sarcastic Sounds, was written over the course of the last year. ‘This project is a glimpse into the lessons I’ve learned over this last year and I’ve been excited about these songs for a while now. I’m really just ready to share these pieces of me with those who listen and to play them live on these upcoming tours,’ says Chance.” (PR)

9/13 COIN – I’m Not Afraid of Music Anymore (10K Projects)

“The new album finds the band in their most vulnerable state and continuing to push the boundaries of alternative pop without straying from their trademark dynamic energy. It’s bright, bittersweet, electric, intimate and a record fans new and old can embrace open heartedly. After thinking they were out of stories to tell, songs to shape, I’m Not Afraid of Music Anymore suggests that COIN have unlocked not a new chapter in their existence but an entire new volume, with more depth than they’ve ever shared before.” (PR)

9/13 Dayglow – DAYGLOW (Republic Records)

“When I was 18 years old, I made my mixtape Fuzzybrain. I was a pretty introverted kid from a reasonably small town in Texas, so I didn’t expect much to happen ‘commercially’ for the record—I just made it for my own enjoyment, really. As a fan of the 2010’s indie music scene (MGMT, The Strokes, Phoenix, Passion Pit, etc.), I wanted to see what kind of album I could make completely alone in my bedroom. So, out of the quest to make something I loved, Dayglow was born. It was a clear reflection of myself at that time. It was pure, naive, goofy, guitar-driven indie-pop made to be played live by a 5-piece band (that I didn’t even have yet). Since then, I’ve fully become Dayglow, and my world has become an odd culmination of everything I didn’t think I’d ever have. But I still feel like I haven’t properly introduced myself. So with this new album, I view it as a debut. Self titled, big shabang. The past three records have shown who I was growing up, who my influences were, who I was when I was a kid, so they felt more like mixtapes. Dayglow is finally entering the world in its purest form with clarity and confidence. I want this album to define exactly what Dayglow looks like, sounds like, and feels like.” – Dayglow

9/13 DEADLETTER – Hysterical Strength (SO Recordings)

“The world is brutal but there are cherry trees in blossom. This is the philosophy that underpins DEADLETTER, and their bruising, beautiful debut album, Hysterical Strength. ‘It’s punishing but there’s also f*ing beauty out there,’ explains frontman Zac Lawrence, who, with life-long friends Alfie Husband and George Ullyott, and Poppy Richler, Sam Jones and Will King, may just have turned in one of 2024’s most urgent and vital listens – a record that, right down to its title, relishes the contradictions of modern life. “Being able to take something disgusting or disgraceful and make it sound nice through the power of music, that juxtaposition appeals to me,” Lawrence adds. The result is twelve tracks of motorik rhythms and angular guitars, adorned by smoky saxophone and baritone-belted lyrics about flickering television sets and dilapidated town centres decked with decapitated bodies. Its strengths are hysterical indeed.” (PR)

9/13 Divine Sweater – A Time for Everything (Better Company Records)

“Divine Sweater’s fourth LP A Time for Everything is a record of ends and beginnings, meditating on one’s ability to deal with mortality, loss, and grief, and having the strength to reset and come out stronger on the other end. The deceivingly upbeat and breathtaking collection of shimmering indie-pop, features production by Better Company honcho and San Fermin founder Allen Tate. Fearlessly honest and strapped with sonic influences spanning Haim, Alvvays, First Aid Kit and Angel Olsen, the notably darker subject matter of A Time for Everything represents Divine Sweater’s immersion into uncertain realms, achieving catharsis through the process as they wrestled with mortality. A Time for Everything is a documentation of death and renewal, cataloging the personal changes that take place as the world’s axis continues to shift from under us.” (PR)

9/13 Dora Jar – No Way to Relax When You Are on Fire (Island Records)

“The long-awaited introspective debut record from rising folk-pop existentialist Dora Jar dives headfirst into philosophical depths, conjuring the whimsy of a smoke ring from Wonderland’s wise caterpillar. Across 13 captivating tracks, she showcases her knack for transcending boundaries, gracefully defying the music industry’s desire for easy categorization with her dark pop fantasia. ‘It might be the contrarian in me, in light of everyone identifying themselves and others, but I never want to stick to one sound or identity,’ Dora says. ‘I like to shape-shift.'” (PR)

9/13 Foreign Fields – What It Cost (Nettwerk Music Group)

“Foreign Fields’ fourth album What It Cost is an ode to the many layers of love Brian Holl and Eric Hillman have saved for those they choose to spend their days, years, and lives alongside while exploring and then answering what a band-led version of Foreign Fields might sound like. ‘We hadn’t written about the people in our lives in a while,’ Brian explains. ‘Previously, everything had been quite conceptual. From the get-go, we intended to break that apart with this one.'” (PR)

9/13 Fousheé – Pointy Heights (RCA Records)

“The LP shares its name with the land her grandfather purchased in Jamaica, with the intention that her whole family could build homes and live there. With Pointy Heights, Fousheé zigs out of the frenetic R&B-punk of her acclaimed previous album, softCORE, as she paints an entirely new sonic palette. Playing the part of singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, we enter a world shaped by her home, where old school, indie Reggae, rhythms buoy dance-friendly melodies and a natural cool that makes her the go-to collaborator for today’s biggest artists. The album is a 180 by an artist who makes genres feel like quaint ideas of a bygone era. In Pointy Heights, Fousheé makes an entirely new sound, an effortlessly bold move from an artist who has created one of the most adventurous, melodically resonant records of the year.”

“Pointy Heights is rich with crackling bass lines, spangly guitar parts, and rollicking, sharp drum sounds, all anchored by the next level songwriting that has defined Fousheé since her first project – time machine – was released three years ago. Her songwriting prowess has made her one of the most sought-after collaborators of the last few years, collaborating with Childish Gambino’s Donald Glover, Steve Lacy, Teezo Touchdown, Lil Yachty, and more.” (PR)

9/13 Gia Ford – Transparent Things (Chrysalis Records)

9/13 Hataałii – Waiting for a Sign (Dangerbird Records)

“As Hataałii metes out his careful, artful lyrics that revel in uncanny particularities and the desire to know the unknowable, Waiting for a Sign recalls the gothic pop of Echo & The Bunnymen (“Something’s In The Air”), the grubby beauty of Silver Jews (“Alex Jones”), and the softer sonics from Spacemen 3 (“Burn”), all conveying an atmosphere of mystery and melancholy amid a mirage of short stories.” (PR)

9/13 Hello Mary – Emita Ox (Frenchkiss Records)

“On Emita Ox, Hello Mary push harder into heavy distortion and psychedelic dreamscapes, as they build out their singular universe of gutsy strain of rock. The LP’s labyrinthine production reflects how the band’s musical tastes have expanded from Elliott Smith and Radiohead to encompass experimental post-rock acts like Black Midi and Swans. Featuring songs that span from 2018 to 2023, Emita Ox is also a document of Hello Mary’s past five years together growing up as bandmates and their arrival into young adulthood.” (PR)

9/13 HYPER GAL – After Image (SKiN GRAFT Records)

“Springing from Osaka, Japan’s cultural center and historical heart, comes HYPER GAL, a two-piece band consisting of visual artist Koharu Ishida on vocals and noise artist Kurumi Kadoya on drums. The minimalist duo make maximum impact – stripping music down beyond the bare essentials, to create shimmering, no wave pop from blast beat drums, glittery keyboard loops and ethereal bubblegum vocals – laced with velvet and firecrackers. On After Image HYPER GAL hold fast to their limited palette, but expand their reach. Working with a canvas larger than ever before, the band fearlessly alternate bold, avant-garde strokes with intimate, deliberate gestures. The result is a new world awash in a sea of endless possibilities – only visible with closed eyes and open ears.” (PR)

9/13 Jade Hairpins – Get Me the Good Stuff (Merge Records)

“Since their inception, Jade Hairpins have thrived on contradiction. Theatrical and personal, absurd and true-to-life, playful and serious, Get Me the Good Stuff continues in that tradition, an album of tremendous personal and artistic growth that signposts towards dozens of potential futures to come. It’s not only worth the attention, it continuously rewards it.” (PR)

9/13 julie – my anti-aircraft friend (Atlantic Records)

“julie’s my anti-aircraft friend is a bold leap, both showcasing a louder, more assured band, while also attaining a sonic landscape that the Los Angeles band and art collective had been chasing since their start. After years of tinkering and refining their sound, julie’s debut album is the work of people who have become steeped in alternative music’s history, learned how it works within their own musical sensibilities, and now use it to warp conventions and turn tropes on their head.” (PR)

9/13 Lee DeWyze – Gone for Days (independent)

“On his most personal and vulnerable album, Gone for Days, Lee DeWyze blends his skills as a songwriter with masterful musicianship by roots royalty (including members of Union Station such as Barry Bales and Tim Stafford, and Grammy-nominated Cellist and Compose Dave Eggar. The skilled songwriter with more than seventy sync credits in film and television, gives listeners a place to escape and creates a vulnerability to open emotional doors, something DeWyze knows much about. In his most personal and introspective record to date, DeWyze touches on themes such as self-exploration and the spectrum of life’s possible outcomes. DeWyze shares, ‘This album was emotional for me to write, and so it was really important that you could feel the emotion on this album and that it sounded that way as well. I wanted those two thins to go hand in hand. I wanted it to sound how it feels.'”

9/13 Lily Kershaw – Pain & More (Nettwerk Music Group)

9/13 Lunar Vacation – Everything Matters, Everything’s Fire (Keeled Scales)

“Decatur, GA-based band Lunar Vacation’s sophomore album Everything Matters, Everything’s Fire is the product of a group who grew up together as childhood friends, but have since become something deeper and more profound. Now living under the same roof and having overcome life-threatening challenges together, Lunar Vacation have grown as best friends, homemakers, and a band, having learned to trust their instincts, as well as each other. Since the band’s last record, lyricist/vocalist/guitarist Gep Repasky experienced a year of emotional tumult that led to a psychiatric hospitalization, which was both traumatic and transformative. Most of the album documents that period. For a while after, the songs Gep wrote were lovelorn, angry, hopeless, but with the band’s encouragement, they began to see the duality in every lyric they penned, the cracks that let the light in.” (PR)

9/13 Nilüfer Yanya – My Method Actor (Ninja Tune)

“While writing My Method Actor, Nilüfer Yanya retreated into the studio with her creative partner, Wilma Archer (Sudan Archives/MF Doom/Celeste). She had toured her second album, PAINLESS, for a year and entered a period of transition, between albums, between record companies, between homes. My Method Actor deals a lot with the idea of movement from one part of life and into another. The seeds of My Method Actor were planted in early 2023, but it wasn’t until the spring of that year that shoots began to appear. As songs started to form, Yanya and Archer squirreled themselves away from the world. ‘This is the most intense album, in that respect,’ Yanya says. ‘Because it’s only been us two. We didn’t let anyone else into the bubble.’ They wrote and recorded in small sessions, spread across London, Wales and Eastbourne. You can feel this cocooning of creative energy in the atmosphere of the record: It envelopes you entirely in cinematic sweeps while feeling intimate, finally inviting you into the little world they created and offering up its secrets.” (PR)

9/13 The Rare Occasions – Through Moonshot Eyes (independent)

9/13 Rett Smith – A Weighted Remorse (Imperial/Republic Records)

“A Weighted Remorse is Rett Smith’s fifth self-penned album and the truest representation of his sound to date.” (PR)

9/13 RGB – A Place for Lovers (independent)

“Tel Aviv, Israel-based indie pop trio RGB, who use their fresh elegant pop vibe to spread love, joy and happiness while also acknowledging that it’s okay to embrace life’s dark stages and sadness as a key part of the journey back to the light, shine on their sophomore independent album, A Place for Lovers. The songs on A Place For Lovers are part of an ongoing heart play, an intimate, sometimes exhilarating, sometimes melancholy reflection of the ups and downs of singer/songwriters Roy Bartal and Noi Agam’s personal love story. From track to track, the storyline throughout is structured like a book, following a pattern of exposition, conflict, climax, resolution, and epilogue.”

“The trio – Roy, Noi and keyboardist/producer Alon Kenett – first introduced the collection this past spring with ‘Unhappy’ where spirited, intoxicating rhythms belie the narrative of trying to run away from sadness only to realize it can’t be escaped – it will always be there even on visits to one’s ‘happy places.’ Then came ‘iCare,’ an edgy, percussive song that criticizes the numbness of the world to the pain of others while capturing the essence of fighting the demons outside and within. Seeking a more positive light, ‘Write About You’ is a funky, happy tune celebrating life, passion, and love, all leading to exciting inspiration. ‘Parties’ features a blend of dreaminess and groove intensity as the backdrop to a story about feeling lonely in a world where everyone seems to be enjoying life and having fun and feeling envious of their lightheartedness. ‘Green’ is a moody, soulful ballad about feeling toxic to the world but also knowing that period of depression will lead to growth and new beginnings, like seasonal changes.” (PR)

9/13 Snow Patrol – The Forest Is the Path (Polydor Records)

“Love, loss, regret, self-doubt, denial, delusion: anyone afflicted by any of these experiences, emotions and afflictions – and isn’t that all of us? – might be well advised to gird themselves before listening to Snow Patrol’s new album. It’s not a record for the faint-hearted, to be sure – but it may just be a salve for the heart that hurts. Lyrically, it’s by far the most laid-bare and most unsparing of the band’s albums. As those lyrics suggest, The Forest is the Path is an album rooted in reflection, introspection and interrogation.” (PR)

9/13 Suki Waterhouse – Memoir of a Sparklemuffin (Sub Pop)

“The platinum-certified songstress asserts herself as a versatile, vibrant, and vital presence on Memoir of a Sparklemuffin.” (PR)

9/13 Talib Kweli & J. Rawls – The Confidence of Knowing (Javotti Media / Fat Beats Distribution)

“The Confidence of Knowing is a long time in the making unique collaboration from Brooklyn’s Talib Kweli and producer J. Rawls from Columbus, Ohio.” (PR)

9/13 Tom Meighan – Roadrunner (Blue Rocket Records)

9/14 Sans Soucis – Circumnavigating Georgia (Decca Records)

9/20 Blossoms – Gary (ODD SK Recordings)

9/20 Bright Eyes – Five Dice, All Threes (Dead Oceans)

9/20 David C Clements – The Garden (Third Bar Records)

9/20 FIDLAR – SURVIVING THE DREAM (independent)

“Self-produced and self-recorded on their own, SURVIVING THE DREAM rekindles the DIYness that defined FIDLAR’s early days together as they reckon with ageing and evolving. As a whole, they’ve grown up; no longer the young, hedonistic youths they’d been when they started out. And yet, their live shows have felt more feral than ever, with young audiences energized and full of the very reckless abandon FIDLAR conjured in their early days. It’s this burning spirit that drives SURVIVING THE DREAM: the debauchery, the feelings of angst, the carefree dispositions, and the questions of belonging that are not, and never have been bound by age. Fucked up, reckless, fun-loving and wild, the record is both a reminiscence of their beginnings and a testament to what they’ve become.” (PR)

9/20 Jake Bugg – A Modern Day Distraction (Arista Records)

9/20 Jamie xx – In Waves (Young / Remote Control Records)

9/20 JJ Wilde – Vices (Black Box Recordings)

9/20 Joan As Police Woman – Lemons, Limes and Orchids (Play It Again Sam)

9/20 Kat Von D – My Side of the Mountain (independent)

“Taking the album name from the famous book ‘My Side of the Mountain,’ the forthcoming album from Kat Von D explores themes of love and sobriety. Behind the scenes, she has been working towards finding peace amidst the chaos by focusing on her family and music.” (PR)

9/20 Kassi Ashton – Made from the Dirt (MCA Nashville)

9/20 Katy J Pearson – Someday, Now (Heavenly Recordings)

9/20 Katy Perry – 143 (Capitol Records)

9/20 Keith Urban – HIGH (Hit Red Records/Capitol Records Nashville)

9/20 Lea Thomas – Cosmos Forever (Triple Dolphin Records)

9/20 Lutalo – The Academy (Winspear)

“Named after the St. Paul, MN school they attended on scholarship — the same school F. Scott Fitzgerald attended and famously dissected throughout his work — The Academy marks a period of re-invigoration and self-actualization for 24-year-old Vermont-based artist Lutalo. Diverging from the gentler sounds of last year’s AGAIN EP or their collab with bedroom pop phenom Claud on “Running” from earlier this year, The Academy is an altogether knottier and bloodier affair that traverses down fresh sonic avenues while maintaining Lutalo’s idiosyncratic voice. Their time as an interloper into the elite world of The Academy lends Lutalo’s observations on class disparity and privilege a uniquely nuanced and humanizing perspective.” (PR)

9/20 Neon Trees – Sink Your Teeth (Round Hill Records)

9/20 Pale Waves – Smitten (Dirty Hit)

9/20 Photay – Windswept (Mexican Summer)

9/20 The Rubens – SODA (Mushroom Music)

9/20 Sammy Rae & The Friends – Something For Everybody (Nettwerk)

9/20 St. Lundi – The Island (Good Taste Recordings)

9/20 Sunset Rubdown – Always Happy to Explode (Pronounced Kroog)

“With Always Happy to Explode, Sunset Rubdown have made something that captures their gratitude and the energy of their joyous (and sometimes difficult) reunion. The record is composed of nine songs cherry-picked from demos that Spencer Krug has been posting to his Patreon page over recent years, with the songs in many cases being pared down from their previous incarnations, yet no less lush. Multi-instrumentalist Robson-Cramer mostly sticks to drums, Merz is on bass, and Wynne plays keyboard and Q~chord. Krug bounces between piano, synth and guitar to the tune of three songs apiece. Thrillingly, for the first time, the album features vocals from every member.” (PR)

9/20 Tasha – All This and So Much More (Bayonet Records)

“In All This and So Much More Tasha is an artist flung open. For Tasha, the last few years have been propulsive, dynamic, bursting at the seams. They’ve included painful encounters with grief; a sudden break up; new flirtation; new hair; the glitter of world travel and not least, a role in Tony-winning Broadway musical, Illinoise, which adapts Sufjan Steven’s Illinois for the stage. If Tell Me What You Miss The Most was an introspective meditation on love with a few moments of glancing toward what’s next, All this and So Much More is Tasha turned outward, flourishing, telling us what it’s like to take life by the chin and look it in the eye.” (PR)

9/20 Theo Kandel – EATING & DRINKING & BEING IN LOVE (Nettwerk Music Group)

“Theo Kandel’s music is a tapestry, with each song woven together like a thread of memory through your life. It’s a beer around the campfire with friends; it’s a baguette you picked up at the farmer’s market; it’s the night’s last cigarette on the porch when everyone else has gone to bed. The New York-born and Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist zeroes in on everyday details and extracts wonder from them. This spirit surges through his eloquently fashioned folk amplified by just the right dose of rock energy. It’s also fueled his quiet rise as a phenomenon with millions of streams and packed shows. By keeping it simple, he welcomes everyone into his world on the 2024 LP, Eating & Drinking & Being in Love.” (PR)

9/20 The Voidz – Like All Before You (Cult Records)

9/20 Wilderado – Talker (Bright Antenna Records)

9/26 Nathan Jacques – Dark Wanderer and the Bounty Heart (Hidden Mountain Records)

9/27 Adeline Hotel – Whodunnit (Ruination Record Co.)

“Dan Knishkowy has never written a song like “Whodunnit.” With his acoustic guitar dropped to a deep, open tuning, the Brooklyn artist noticed a fragile melody resonating from the strings, stretching out like a neverending highway. The lyrics followed suit, emerging in a series of intimate and escalating verses almost effortlessly while he played. Delivering the words in an inquisitive hum, Knishkowky soon found himself addressing the profound, lingering questions that would become the core of his latest album, Whodunnit, the most striking and ambitious record he has ever released.” (PR)

9/27 Albin Lee Meldau – Discomforts (Mayfly / Glassnote)

9/27 allie – Every Dog (independent)

9/27 Ben Böhmer – Bloom (Ninja Tune)

9/27 Christian Lee Hutson – Paradise Pop. 10 (ANTI Records)

“A captivating, breezy charm permeates every track of Paradise Pop. 10, with each song hooked around Christian Lee Hutson’s warm, earthy vocals and dexterous storytelling. Whether fragile finger-picking folk or rousing, beachy power pop, these songs are informed by a sense of creeping melancholy about the place Hutson has spent most of his life; in the lead up to the writing and recording of the album the sprawling, inscrutable city of Los Angeles had become haunted in his mind. A move to the East Coast, and the “eyes up” city of New York, was required to refresh his memory banks. “I wanted to make an eyes up record. A looking forward record,” he explains. Paradise Pop. 10 is co-produced with three of Hutson’s longtime collaborators: 4x GRAMMY winner Phoebe Bridgers, GRAMMY-nominated songwriter & producer Marshall Vore and GRAMMY-nominated engineer & multi-instrumentalist Joseph Lorge. The album also features guest vocals from Bridgers, Katy Kirby, and Maya Hawke – another frequent collaborator whose universally lauded new album credits Hutson as producer and co-writer.” (PR)

9/27 The Coronas – THOUGHTS & OBSERVATIONS (So Far So Good Records)

“Recorded in London with Grammy Award-winning producer and longtime collaborator George Murphy at the helm, THOUGHTS & OBSERVATIONS is a collection of 12 songs that lay bare the ups and downs of relationships and life via clever, introspective lyrics paired with soaring melodies. The Coronas, whose trajectory took a curious detour in 2020 due to sharing a name with a certain virus, have made up for their coronavirus setbacks by supporting Bruce Springsteen in London’s Hyde Park, playing for President Joe Biden during his visit to Ireland and making chart history as the only independent Irish band to have scored three consecutive chart-topping albums. The lyrics on THOUGHTS & OBSERVATIONS are at once clever and confessional, with true romantic Danny O’Reilly, whose personal life has been the stuff of Page Six- style scrutiny in Ireland, fearlessly wearing his heart on his sleeve. He explains, ‘I’ve always felt my best lyrics are the honest ones, where people hear a line and go ‘yeah, I know what he means there,’ so I think I’ve naturally leaned into that more over the years. The approach with these lyrics was very organic and very conversational.'” (PR)

9/27 Creed Bratton – Tao Pop (independent)

“Long before Creed Bratton ever walked the streets of Scranton, PA, he first picked up a guitar. You could say the rest is history and you’d be right––he toured the world playing music, forming the iconic 60s folk group The Grass Roots and even after a near crash-and-burn in the wake of their success, years later landed a now-beloved role on what is arguably one of the most popular comedic television shows of all time. Now Bratton stares down another well-deserved achievement: the upcoming release of his 10th studio album, Tao Pop.” (PR

9/27 Desperate Journalist – No Hero (Fierce Panda Records)

“As creative re-entries go, ‘Unsympathetic Parts 1 & 2’ is a gleaming, beaming signpost towards a longplayer which sees Desperate Journalist push and pull their original noirish indie sound into newer, ever more nubile shapes and jagged angles without losing that glowering essence rare. So Part 1 gives us a rollicking ‘Weird Fishes’ groove, some sparkling, spiralling electronics and singer Jo Bevan reeling around the lyrical mountain with the unsettling ‘Unsympathic! Unsympathetic!’ mantra, while Part 2 totally changes tack and revels in a frankly gorgeous prog coda.”

“And that is the No Hero album in a heroic nutshell: there are shiny synthesisers; there are fantastical gothic ruminations; there are stormtrooping melodies; there are ghostly piano-led interludes, berserk guitar outbursts and the odd bit which sounds a bit like The Icicle Works. Oh, and there is a giant spangly desperately Desperate Journalist chorus on the song ‘7’ which, with supreme logic, is indeed listed as number 7. The best of all album track numbers, for sure.” (PR)

9/27 Ezra Collective – Dance, No One’s Watching (Partisan Records)

9/27 Gabe Goodman – The Rock (independent)

“While Gabe Goodman’s production and songwriting work spans several genres, his own music often harkens back to introspective songwriting about intimate and complicated family dynamics. On The Rock’s 10 tracks, co-produced with long-time collaborator Will G. Radin, Gabe directly addresses and grapples with some of his family’s most difficult experiences. Known for his honest songwriting, evidenced on 2021’s ‘Grand Caravan’ — a song about his father’s car getting repossessed to grappling with his mother’s growing dementia on ‘The Villain,’ The Rock is another display of his most vulnerable moments.”

“Goodman opens up about being unable to accept and receive love, examining everything from those anxious early text message exchanges on ‘Void Filling Guy’ to coping with PTSD on ‘Once You Have The Knife,’ and ‘Keep Close.’ But from within all the darkness, there is still lots of joy – the lead single ‘The Rock’ features a buoyant horn section and a beer-cracking groove, and its B-side ‘Magical Thinking’ uses a lush string arrangement to soundtrack a tender early love. It’s an album that showcases Goodman’s earnestness and curiosity, traits that have made him a natural companion to artists on LA’s session scene.” (PR)

9/27 Gemma Hayes – Blind Faith (Townsend Music Limited)

9/27 Haich Ber Na – The Everyday (independent)

“Keeping in line with the debut album’s title, Haich Ber Na has always seen himself as a champion of the people. His music aims to speak to listeners on both a macro and micro level, saving a special place in his heart for the overlooked dreamers. His music defies easy categorization, as he blends elements of indie, electronica, and pop into the perfect backdrop for his introspective lyricism. Hailing from Peterborough, England, a city with a reputation for being one of the most depressing places to live in the UK, Haich Ber Na is no stranger to worldbuilding, an aspect of his artistry that has helped his music find its way onto FIFA soundtracks and Netflix’s drama series Elite. Fusing his eclectic aesthetic with elements of underground and commercial pop, he invites listeners to explore the complexities of the human experience.” (PR)

9/27 Kill Lincoln – No Normal (Bad Time Records)

9/27 Mediocre – Growth Eater (Dangerbird Records)

9/27 Kate Bollinger – Songs from a Thousand Frames of Mind (Ghostly)

9/27 Leif Vollebekk – Revelation (Secret City Records)

“The 11 tracks on Leif Vollebekk’s Revelation combine narrative lyrics and many one-take lead vocal performances with cinematic arrangements, gorgeous sonics, well-placed space and lush orchestration. Vollebekk’s Revelation songwriting process was inspired by an exploration that began with Carl Jung’s I Ching and continued into the science of alchemy and the mystery of the divine. The final result is at once organic, earthy and celestial, with themes of nature – water, astral constellations, mortality – woven into a meditation on living in an ever-changing present laced with existential doubt, the search for a higher power.” (PR)

9/27 Maxïmo Park – Stream of Life (Lower Third)

“Meet Maxïmo Park: 20 years young and, now, eight albums deep in a career that – without hesitation, repetition or deviation – has been consistently thrilling, as perennially invigorating a blast for the head, as it is the heart, as it is for the feet. So it is with Stream of Life… Maxïmo Park are not a band for getting stuck in the past, even as they respect the musical and literary forebears that inspired them. Today and tomorrow are what matter, and the retro-channelling futurism of Stream Of Life is the eloquent distillation of that.” (PR)

9/27 Mediocre – Growth Eater (Dangerbird Records)

“Mediocre, the Los Angeles-based rock duo of guitarist/vocalist Piper Torrison and bassist/vocalist Keely Martin, offer scorching indie rock meditations with their hotly anticipated debut album Growth Eater. Seeking comfort in an increasingly uncomfortable world, the irresistibly catchy collection commands listeners to the dancefloor as they infuse ideas of broad existentialism, dystopia and restlessness into commentary on how that angst spills over into daily life.” (PR)

9/27 Merce Lemon – Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild (Darling Records)

9/27 MICHELLE – Songs About You Specifically (Atlantic Records / Transgressive)

9/27 Naima Bock – Below a Massive Dark Land (Sub Pop)

“Most of the writing of Naima Bock’s second album, Below a Massive Dark Land, was a solitary affair. It may not sound it – it’s made up of strong, purposeful arrangements with a huge host of musicians; filled with cradling space and warm light. This will also come as a surprise to anyone who has seen Naima perform in the time since the release of her 2022 debut Giant Palm, undoubtedly a communal experience.” (PR)

9/27 Nina Nesbitt – Mountain Music (Apple Tree Records)

9/27 October Drift – Blame The Young (Physical Education Recordings)

9/27 SOPHIE – SOPHIE (Transgressive / Future Classic)

“This album was created by SOPHIE and some of her most cherished collaborators. Close to completion when she tragically died, it has been lovingly finalized by those who hold her closest.” (PR)

9/27 Suzanna Choffel – Bird By Bird (independent)

9/27 Trace Mountains – Into the Burning Blue (Lame-O Records)

“‘And you’re off into the burning blue,’ songwriter Dave Benton sings on ‘Ponies,’ the centerpiece of Trace Mountains’ fourth full-length album Into the Burning Blue. Decorated with retro textures and violet flowers, the album begins with the crackle of a fire, as if something is burning and hatching into a new form. Collectively, the songs are imbued with a spectrum of weighted emotions, but the blue continued to burn, with each song adopting its respective hue — a violet reclaiming of passion, a deep sea blue of sorrow, the sky blue moments of relief and liberation when he comes up for air and sees hope on the horizon.” (PR)

9/27 TSHA – Sad Girl (Ninja Tune)

“Sad Girl sees TSHA welcome a new era, one where she’s putting her own vocal stamp on tracks and approaching the genres she’s always wanted to, rather than seeking approval from her peers. Beyond showcasing just the euphoric or melancholy sides of her character, TSHA puts it all on display. It’s a body of work that shows it’s OK to be sad, and you can even revel in it – you can’t have the highs without the lows, after all.” (PR)

9/27 Tuelo – Regarding My Heart (independent)

9/27 Xiu Xiu – 13″ Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips (Polyvinyl)