3 new songs and 3 new albums to check out this weekend

Finally, we know what that comma in Bon Iver's SABLE, was all about.

By Jen Lennon  |  February 14, 2025 | 4:00pm
Images from left: Bartees Strange, Horror (4AD); Bon Iver (Graham Tolbert); Ben Kweller, "Dollar Store" (The Noise Company)
Music Features 3 new songs and 3 new albums
3 new songs and 3 new albums to check out this weekend
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Welcome to our weekly music post, where we spotlight our favorite new songs and albums. Hop in the comments and tell us: What new music are you listening to?

Bon Iver, “Everything Is Peaceful Love”

At least the errant comma from Bon Iver’s 2024 SABLE, EP makes sense now that we know Justin Vernon’s upcoming album is called SABLE, fABLE (out April 11), and it’s kind of an epilogue to the EP. The album news dropped on Wednesday, but the first single, “Everything Is Peaceful Love,” just released today. The music video was directed by John Wilson of How To With John Wilson fame. In a press release, Vernon said of the song, “I knew what kind of record I wanted to make the day we made ‘Everything Is Peaceful Love.’ I always knew that would be the feeling I wanted to share first. I wanted the video to just be people smiling uncontainably. Luckily, Eric Timothy Carlson suggested getting in touch with John Wilson from How To With John Wilson. Simply the most poignant and hilarious program in all of television. We were extremely fortunate that John liked the idea. He went out, shot a bunch of fun stuff, and edited it all to the song. It gives me what I want for this album, all in one video. The idea that happiness and joy are the highest form and the true buoyancy of survival, and even taking yourself less seriously could heal the world.”

Ben Kweller, “Dollar Store” (feat. Waxahatchee)

Compared to the propulsive “Optimystic,” the first single from Ben Kweller’s upcoming album, Cover The Mirrors (out May 30), “Dollar Store” is slower and more nostalgic. The new song features guest vocals from Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield; she comes in to sing the chorus with Kweller, adding a wistfulness to the lyrics. “‘Dollar Store’ is a battle between moving forward and wallowing in your sadness forever,” Kweller explained in a statement. Cover The Mirrors is Kweller’s first album since the death of his 16-year-old son, Dorian, and the process of writing and recording it is largely how he dealt with his overwhelming grief.

Japanese Breakfast, “Mega Circuit”

The new Japanese Breakfast album, For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women), is out next month and the band is wasting no time cranking out singles. Just a month after releasing “Orlando In Love,” they’re back with “Mega Circuit.” Frontwoman Michelle Zauner explained, “The song is sort of an examination of contemporary masculinity, and explores a conflicted desire to embrace a generation that in the absence of positive role models has found refuge in violence and bigotry.”

Horsegirl, Phonetics On And On

Phonetics On And On is only Horsegirl’s second album, but it feels like it could be their big breakthrough. The Chicago-based band’s first record, 2022’s Versions Of Modern Performance, was quietly well-received, but their new outing is more streamlined and confident. Their fuzzed-out indie sound is nostalgic without being too reminiscent of their forebears, expertly mixing old and new to create something that sounds entirely their own.

Bartees Strange, Horror

On his third full-length album, Horror, Bartees Strange explores fear in all its forms. Across its 12 tracks, Strange moves gracefully between genres from classic rock to R&B, country, emo, and more. Even amid the sonic onslaught, the record never loses sight of Strange’s masterful vocals and guitar skills. Horror is Strange at his most sonically self-assured.

Alessia Cara, Love & Hyperbole

After bursting onto the pop scene with the singles “Here” and “Scars To Your Beautiful” in 2015, Alessia Cara took home the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2018. Since then, rather than fast-tracking new releases, Cara has taken her time developing her sound, and it’s paid off with Love & Hyperbole, her fourth record. The beats and lyrics are all carefully considered, leading to a tight, confident album that’s designed to last.

 
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