13 New Albums to Stream Today
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Every once in a while, a Friday rolls around that you just aren’t ready for. How could you be, when there are so many new releases and so little time in the day to listen to them all? This is shaping up to be one of those Fridays, with a towering stack of albums (and even more new singles) out this week from established acts and newcomers alike. Luckily, your good friends here at Paste have taken the liberty of narrowing down the field for you in this list of 13 essential albums to stream today.
1. Anna Tivel, The Question
Portland, Ore., songwriter Anna Tivel hit the scene in 2014 with Before Machines and has since made quite the name for herself with her particular style of unassuming but potent folk. Her latest album The Question is a much grander, more expansive effort than her last effort, recalling the work of fellow Portland native Laura Veirs or a slightly twangier Adrianne Lenker solo record.
2. Cage the Elephant, Social Cues
Cage the Elephant are back with their fifth studio album, Social Cues. The pop-rock hitmakers out of Bowling Green, Ky., have come a long way since their self-titled 2009 debut. Their new material is as slick and catchy as ever, but it’s also newly personal and even intimate at times, a new direction for a band usually known for arena-sized anthems.
3. Daniel Norgren, Wooh Dang
Daniel Norgren is an artist to watch just by virtue of the fact he’s a Swedish songwriter making music in the distinctly American traditions of folk rock and the blues. His latest effort Wooh Dang is a sprawling, romantically conceived tribute to those traditions, with Norgren putting his own thoughtful, earnest stamp on the whole thing.
4. Diane Coffee, Internet Arms
Shaun Fleming has shared his third project as Diane Coffee, Internet Arms, a heady exploration of the distinctions between online and authentic personas. The former Foxygen drummer’s new material is bigger, bolder and more emphatically pop-oriented than anything else in his catalog, and the results are absolutely worth a listen.
5. Drugdealer, Raw Honey
Drugdealer’s Michael Collins is responsible for crafting some of the most blissful, satisfying psych-pop of the last few years, and he’s only gotten better on his latest effort. Raw Honey is a nostalgic, pastoral ode to ‘70s rock that’s put over the top by contributions from Dougie Poole, Harley and The Hummingbirds, and Natalie Mering of Weyes Blood.
6. Fat White Family, Serfs Up!
For much of their career, the South London rock provocateurs of Fat White Family have made it strikingly unclear whether their band is just one big joke at the expense of the audience. However, they actually take a turn for the serious on their third studio album Serfs Up!. The record has everything from softly sung baroque pop (“Oh Sebastian”) to dark, orchestral dance music (“Feet”).
7. Field Medic, fade into the dawn
Field Medic is the lo-fi folk project of San Francisco native Kevin Patrick. With spare instrumentation and a bright, exuberant voice, Patrick has been able to capture an intimacy and earnestness with his songs that’s increasingly rare in the saturated indie market these days. His new album fade into the dawn picks up the ball from 2017’s Songs from the Sunroom and runs with it.
8. Jade Bird, Jade Bird
Jade Bird has finally released her highly anticipated debut solo record on Glassnote Records. The British singer put out an EP titled Something American in 2017, and has since garnered quite a bit of attention with singles like “Lottery and “Uh Huh.” Her new self-titled project is full of youthful energy and glossy production, but there’s still space in the mix for her incredible voice to shine.
9. Lizzo, Cuz I Love You
Does Lizzo really need an introduction at this point? The Minneapolis rapper and singer’s third album Cuz I Love You exudes a kind of honest confidence that’s hard to come by among all the posturing of today’s hip-hop mainstream. Throw in a couple of features from heavy hitters like Missy Elliott and Gucci Mane, and you’ve got one of the best hip-hop records of the year so far.
10. Loyle Carner, Not Waving, But Drowning
Loyle Carner has followed up his 2017 debut with a brand new album titled Not Waving, But Drowning. The South London rapper’s lush, heartfelt recordings have only grown more personal and empathetic in the intervening years, and a star-studded cast of contributors like Sampha, Jorja Smith and Tom Misch make this an exciting record even on repeat listens.
11. Sad Planets, Akron, Ohio
Sad Planets is the team-up project of The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney and John Petkovic (Cobra Verde, Sweet Apple, Guided by Voices, Death of Samantha). Their debut album under the moniker sheds some of the blues trappings of Carney’s work with The Black Keys in favor of more straightforward but no less foot-stomping rock ‘n’ roll (complete with a J Mascis assist). Akron, Ohio is also more prone to pseudo-psychedelic left turns, with Carney himself describing the album as “psychedelic trash.”
12. The Tallest Man on Earth, I Love You. It’s a Fever Dream.
Folk-guitar virtuoso Kristian Matsson is back with his fifth record as The Tallest Man on Earth, I Love You. It’s a Fever Dream. Matsson is no less solitary and introspective here than in his past work, but the music behind him is imbued with fresh energy and weight from the addition of pianos and a soaring horn section on the title track.
13. Wand, Laughing Matter
The Los Angeles rockers of Wand have been many things in their five-year run as a band: youthful garage-band upstarts, metal-adjacent shredders, blissed-out psych-rock heads. But despite trying on many hats and wearing their influences on their sleeves, Wand’s music has always felt impressively original. Laughing Matter is no exception, moving seamlessly between inscrutable noise and stunning moments of clarity.