It's Friday, which means its time to stave off your existential dread with a bumper crop of excellent new releases, including (if you ask us) some of the very best albums to come out this year.
Raina Douris, host of the public radio program World Cafe, joins Stephen Thompson on our New Music Friday podcast to discuss pop-rock perfectionists HAIM, a guitar band called Hotline TNT whose distorted hooks bring back memories of 120 Minutes, a glorious and unpredictable melting pot of dance, jazz, rap and R&B by Yaya Bey, and much more.
Keep scrolling to see our top recommendations, as well as the long list of albums out June 20.
The Starting Five
Our hosts share the backstories and best songs from the following albums:
💿 HAIM, I quit (Stream)
- Recommended If You Like: Fleetwood Mac, Vampire Weekend
💿 Hotline TNT, Raspberry Moon (Stream)
- RIYL: Dinosaur Jr., My Bloody Valentine
💿 Yaya Bey, do it afraid (Stream)
- RIYL: SAULT, Digable Planets
💿 Kelsey Waldon, Every Ghost (Stream)
- RIYL: Sierra Ferrell, John Prine
💿 S.G. Goodman, Planting by the Signs (Stream)
- RIYL: Late Waxahatchee, early Cat Power
New Music Friday is a feature of NPR's All Songs Considered podcast. Hear the discussion on the NPR App, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
The Lightning Round
Five more albums we wish we had time to discuss on the podcast:
💿 Seven Davis Jr., Don't Crash Out Challenge
💿 U.S. Girls, Scratch It
💿 Matthew Shipp, The Cosmic Piano
💿 Tropical F*** Storm, Fairyland Codex
💿 Nathan Salsburg, Ipsa Corpora
Listen to each album's best songs on our New Music Friday playlists on Spotify and Apple, or wherever you stream music.
The Long List
For those who want to dig even deeper, here are the week's new albums sorted by genre:
Pop
- Karol G, Tropicoqueta
- Benson Boone, American Heart
- YUNGBLUD, Idols
- Sam Austins, The woods, vol. 1
Jazz
- Jeremiah Chiu & Marta Sofia Honer, Different Rooms
- Joshua Redman, Words Fall Short
- V/A, Gilles Peterson presents International Anthem
Rock/Alt/Indie
- The B-52's, The Warner and Reprise Years (Box Set)
- The Gregg Allman Band, One Night In DC, May 15, 1984
- Gilla Band, The Early Years (10th Anniversary Reissue)
- The Feelies, Rewind
- Little Mazarn, Mustang Island
- UNIVERSITY, McCartney, It'll Be OK
- Benét, Make 'Em Laugh
- Death Pill, Sologamy
- Elijah Johnston, Stupid Soul
- Minais B, And i know i can feel bad when i get in a bad mood
- The Sick Man of Europe, s/t
- Water Machine, God Park
- Yuuf, Alma's Cove EP
R&B/Soul
- Georgie Sweet, I Swear To You
- Terrace Martin & Kenyon Dixon, Come As You Are
- Keke Palmer, Just Keke
- Nyah Grace, Divinely Devoted
- PAMÉ, Static Blush EP
Rap/Hip-Hop
- Ghais Guevara, The Other 2/5ths or: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Trench Baby
- Samara Cyn, Backroads EP
- Loyle Carner, Hopefully !
- Isaiah Hull, POCOMANIA
- K-Trap, When The Dust Settles EP
- Maxo, Mars Is Electric
- Bas & The Hics, Melanchronica
- Che Noir, The Color Chocolate 2
- Aitch, 4
- midwxst, archangel
- Nick Grant, I Took It Personal
- Pluto, Both Ways
Electronic/Out There
- SOPHIE, PRODUCT (Reissue)
- Carl Craig, Desire: The Carl Craig Story (OST)
- Neggy Gemmy, She Comes From Nowhere
- Biosphere, The Way of Time
- Matmos, Metallic Life Review
- Félicia Atkinson, Promenades
- Simo Cell, FL Louis EP
- BAMBII, INFINITY CLUB II
- CAIN, Lineage
- Krystal Klear, Pancake EP
- Nightmares On Wax, Still Smokin.III.
- Mount Kimbie, The Sunset Violent (Live In Heidelberg)
- Surusinghe, i can't remember the name of this, but that's ok EP
- Florentino, Systems of Reflection EP
- Car Culture, Nothingburger EP
- Nikki Nair, Violence Is The Answer EP
- Elkka, Xpressions EP
- Facta, GULP
- Ric Wilson, AMERICA RUNS ON DISCO
- Feiertag, Empers EP
- GoGo Penguin, Necessary Fictions
- Julien Mier, Gradually
- L'Eclair, CLOUD DRIFTER
- Sontag Shogun x Lau Nau, Päiväkahvit
- Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Curse EP
- Fields Of Mist, Secrets Of The Nebula EP
- OSMIUM, s/t
Global
- Olamidé, s/t
- V/A, Edna Martinez Presents Picó: Sound System Culture From The Colombian Caribbean
Country/Folk/Americana
- Sally Anne Morgan, Second Circle The Horizon
- James McMurtry, The Black Dog and the Wandering Boy
- Brett Young, 2.0
- Brian Kelley, Sunshine State of Mind Season Two, Chapter One
- Lukas Nelson, American Romance
- Mason Jennings, Magnifier
- The Jack Wharff Band, Richmond's Most Wanted
- William Beckmann, Whiskey Lies & Alibis
Credits
- Host: Stephen Thompson
- Guest: Raina Douris, WXPN
- Producer: Simon Rentner
- Editor: Otis Hart
- Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Copyright 2025 NPR
