Featured New Releases for
February 14, 2025

Horsegirl

Phonetics On and On

Matador

Pop/Rock

The band's near-perfect second album dispenses with noise in favor of space and restraint while adding more hooks and tenderness along the way.

— Tim Sendra

The War and Treaty

Plus One

Mercury / Mercury Nashville

R&B, Country, Blues, Pop/Rock

The powerful country-soul duo follow up their first two Grammy nominations with an 18-track Valentine's Day LP that plays like a talent reel.

— Marcy Donelson

Alessia Cara

Love & Hyperbole

Def Jam

Pop/Rock

A joy-filled second half distinguishes the Grammy winner's fourth album of solid singer/songwriter pop.

— Andy Kellman

Marshall Allen

New Dawn

Mexican Summer

Jazz

The longtime Sun Ra Arkestra leader releases his first solo album at the age of 100.

— Paul Simpson

Marinero

La La La

Hardly Art

Pop/Rock, Latin

Soft rock meets Latin sounds again, this time with a bigger sound, more confidence, and loads of sticky melodies and the occasional dance rhythm.

— Tim Sendra

Art d'Ecco

Serene Demon

Paper Bag Records

Pop/Rock

The singer/songwriter delivers glamorous explorations of good and evil that span jazz, disco, and the works of Mancini and Morricone.

— Heather Phares

Daniel Ögren

Pine

Playground / Playground Music

Pop/Rock, Jazz

The Swedish multi-instrumentalist creates soft, golden hour instrumentals that heavily evoke his band Dina Ögon.

— Timothy Monger

Gary Louris

Dark Country

Sham

Pop/Rock

The Jayhawks co-founder presents an album of love songs focusing on relationships over the long haul.

— Mark Deming

Richard Dawson

End of the Middle

Domino / Weird World

Pop/Rock

Another set of emotionally powerful sketches of British life from the lo-fi freak-folk prodigy.

— Mark Deming

The Velveteers

A Million Knives

Easy Eye Sound

Pop/Rock

The trio sound tighter, more musical, and more confident on their second LP, but they still sound best when they rock hardest.

— Mark Deming

Various Artists

Barnyard Beehive

Numero / Numero Group

Country, Pop/Rock

This 16-song compilation focuses on obscure female country artists who aimed for commercial success but often landed in far stranger places.

— Fred Thomas

Mereba

The Breeze Grew a Fire

Secretly Canadian

R&B

Lovingly enveloping third album from the Spillage Village member.

— Andy Kellman

Various Artists

Tokyo Bliss: Japanese Funk, Boogie and City Pop from King Records 1974-88

Wewantsounds

Pop/Rock

Wewantsounds' fourth compilation of Japanese music pulls up gems from the likes of Mami Ayukawa, Kumiko Sawada, and Yuji Mitsuya.

— Andy Kellman

Geoffrey O'Connor

I Love What We Do

Dinosaur City Records

Pop/Rock

Adding real instruments to his usual synth-pop sound gives the singer/songwriter's heartbreakingly sad songs even more depth and feeling.

— Tim Sendra

Vulture Feather

It Will Be Like Now

Felte

Pop/Rock

Musically and emotionally heavier than their debut album, the band's sophomore effort offers transfixing post-punk with a formidable amount of empathy.

— Heather Phares

John Patitucci

Spirit Fall

Edition

Jazz

With drummer Brian Blade and saxophonist Chris Potter, the bassist delivers one of his most intimate, forward-thinking albums.

— Thom Jurek

Kestrels

Better Wonder

Darla Records

Pop/Rock

An intense, emotionally challenging post-lockdown album from the Canadian shoegaze-adjacent band.

— Paul Simpson

Lacuna Coil

Sleepless Empire

Century Media

Pop/Rock

The tenth studio LP from the Italian metal stalwarts that delivers yet another set of brutal but ethereal magic.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Sullivan Fortner

Southern Nights

Artwork

Jazz

This trio's first studio outing brings together a bassist and a drummer who had never met before playing a weeklong residency at the Village Vanguard.

— Thom Jurek