Featured New Album Releases

Mac DeMarco

Here Comes the Cowboy

Mac's Record Label

Pop/Rock

On his fourth official album, the Canadian pop oddball serves up a particularly low-key edition of his trademark sound.

— Timothy Monger

Ciara

Beauty Marks

Beauty Marks Entertainment

R&B

Recharged and newly independent, the singer, songwriter, and producer returns with a safe seventh album.

— Andy Kellman

Esperanza Spalding

Twelve Little Spells

Concord / Decca

Jazz, Pop/Rock

The bassist/vocalist offers an arty, challenging, often engaging concept album celebrating 12 specific body parts.

— Matt Collar

Holly Herndon

PROTO

4AD

Pop/Rock, Avant-Garde, Electronic

The producer and composer's third album is a fascinating, moving introduction to her AI, Spawn.

— Heather Phares

Clinic

Wheeltappers and Shunters

Domino

Pop/Rock

On their first album in seven years, the band reimagines vintage sounds to skewer the regressive politics of the late 2010s.

— Heather Phares

The Get Up Kids

Problems

Polyvinyl

Pop/Rock

The band's first album after a long break has the sound of their classic '90s period but with some maturity and nuance added.

— Tim Sendra

Death and Vanilla

Are You a Dreamer?

Fire Records

Pop/Rock

On their third album, the Swedish group add live drums and a touch of darkness to their synth-heavy dream pop sound.

— Tim Sendra

Charly Bliss

Young Enough

Barsuk

Pop/Rock

The '90s grunge-pop disciples outshine their promising debut with a sleeker follow-up that delivers a steady mix of earworms and angst.

— Marcy Donelson

Jamila Woods

LEGACY! LEGACY!

Jagjaguwar

R&B

A galvanizing declaration of pride, support, and discontent from the poet and modern R&B singer/songwriter.

— Andy Kellman

Hælos

Any Random Kindness

Infectious

Pop/Rock

Expansive sophomore set from the U.K. electronic crew bursts with urgent beats and ethereal vocals.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Maps

Colours. Reflect. Time. Loss.

Mute

Pop/Rock, Electronic

The Mercury-nominated electro-shoegaze artist delivers an impressive and emotionally resonant orchestral fourth outing.

— Timothy Monger

Steve Moore

Beloved Exile

Temporary Residence

Electronic

Meditative solo album from the Zombi co-founder, featuring harpist Mary Lattimore and Tunisian singer Emel Mathlouthi.

— Paul Simpson

Radiator Hospital

Sings Music for Daydreaming

Salinas Records

Pop/Rock

A tuneful, scrappy mix of spare, wistful songs and bouncy full-band tunes made by Sam Cook-Parrott, alone for the first time since his D.I.Y. cassette days.

— Marcy Donelson

POW!

Shift

Castle Face

Pop/Rock

The band's fourth album takes a sudden left turn deeper into lo-fi artiness, but doesn't sacrifice catchy songs in the process.

— Tim Sendra

Guitar Wolf

Love & Jett

Third Man Records

Pop/Rock

Rip-roaring Japanese punks are still pushing their furious, no-frills sound into the red, with wildly satisfying results.

— Mark Deming

Teodross Avery

After the Rain: A Night for Coltrane

Tompkins Square

Jazz

A dynamic live tribute to Coltrane recorded by the Bay Area saxophonist and his quartet.

— Matt Collar

Sammy Hagar / Sammy Hagar & the Circle

Space Between

BMG / Universal

Pop/Rock

With the assistance of his old pal Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar gets hard and heavy.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Lydia Ainsworth

Phantom Forest

Zombie Cat Records

Pop/Rock

The third album from the Canadian producer/singer distances her sound even further from glitchy beginnings, opting for accessible '80s-styled synth pop.

— Fred Thomas

Tim Hecker

Anoyo

Kranky

Electronic

Companion piece to 2018's Konoyo, recorded with members of gagaku ensemble Tokyo Gakuso.

— Paul Simpson

Boogarins

Sombrou Dúvida

Org Music

Pop/Rock

Nonstop psychedelic production and a core of solid tropical pop songs from this strange and playful Brazilian group.

— Fred Thomas

Nots

3

Goner Records

Pop/Rock

Going from a quartet to a trio put this band through some changes, but they still deliver a strong, challenging album.

— Mark Deming

Craig Leon

Anthology of Interplanetary Folk Music, Vol. 2: The Canon

RVNG

Avant-Garde

Craig Leon follows the acclaimed revisit of his first two albums with a further volume of his Interplanetary Folk concept.

— Paul Simpson

Banco del Mutuo Soccorso

Transiberiana

Inside Out Music

Pop/Rock

One of Italian prog's big three return to the studio after a 25-year recording hiatus with a new lineup and deliver a stellar comeback.

— Thom Jurek

Carlton Jumel Smith

1634 Lexington Avenue

Timmion

R&B

The veteran Harlem singer and songwriter hooks up with Helsinki's premier soul outfit Cold Diamond & Mink on his Timmion debut.

— Thom Jurek

Doomsquad

Let Yourself Be Seen

Bella Union

Pop/Rock

The Canadian trio's third album matches protest-themed lyrics with forceful dance grooves.

— Paul Simpson

Eliza Carthy

Restitute

Topic / Topic Records

Folk

The celebrated British folk artist creates an intimate, home-recorded album that shows off her talents in rich detail.

— Mark Deming

Dehd

Water

Fire Talk

Pop/Rock

The reverb-doused Chicago indie trio funnel the complicated feelings of an intra-band breakup into their strongest songs yet.

— Fred Thomas

Dreamers

Launch Fly Land

Hollywood

Pop/Rock

The Brooklyn trio's sophomore effort evokes the kinetic dance rock of Walk the Moon and the neon-splashed electro-pop of Imagine Dragons.

— James Christopher Monger

Flamingods

Levitation

Moshi Moshi Records

Pop/Rock

The follow-up to 2016's effervescent concept LP Majesty, Levitation sees the cosmopolitan psych-funk collective deliver a sweaty trance-dance rave-up.

— James Christopher Monger