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?
Daniel Avery, “Rapture In Blue” (feat. Cecile Believe)
British electronic musician Daniel Avery gets an assist from vocalist Cecile Believe and guitarist Andy Bell on his otherworldly new track, “Rapture In Blue.” It’s the first single from his upcoming album, Tremor (out October 31). Since his 2013 debut full-length, Drone Logic, Avery has built a reputation for creating lush soundscapes with his music, something that continues to be true with the precise, densely layered production of “Rapture In Blue.” Back in May, Avery also released a self-titled EP as a member of Demise Of Love, a collaborative project with Ghost Culture and Working Men’s Club.
Wye Oak member Jenn Wasner is back with a new Flock Of Dimes album, The Life You Save (out October 10). The album as a whole explores themes of addiction and co-dependency, and the first single, “Long After Midnight,” tackles both of those head-on. “All the money I gave to you / I know I will never get it back / Don’t be sad and don’t be sorry / I don’t care about the money like that,” Wasner sings over an acoustic guitar melody. In true Wasner fashion, it’s honest, raw, and beautiful.
Bright Eyes, “1st World Blues”
We’re not really sure what to do with or make of Bright Eyes’ new ska song, “1st World Blues,” except simply acknowledge that it exists, it appears to be an earnest appreciation of the genre, it’s honestly kind of a bop, and it’s still deeply bizarre. In a press release, Conor Oberst said, “‘1st World Blues’ is an homage to ska in all its waves. From Desmond Decker to Tim Armstrong, we’re just happy to add our track to the bin. The video is inspired by NYC 90s hip hop, which like ska, has a long tradition of unifying people & using celebratory music to convey subversive political themes. To be played loud. Windows down. Summertime.” It appears to be a one-off for now, but who knows—maybe there’s a whole Bright Eyes ska album on the horizon. Now that we’ve heard “1st World Blues,” that prospect isn’t entirely unappealing.
Tyler, The Creator, Don’t Tap The Glass
Tyler, The Creator’s last album, Chromakopia, was one of our favorites of 2024. And though Tyler had been hinting for a while that he was gearing up to drop something this week, a whole new album barely nine months after his last one is still pretty impressive. Don’t Tap The Glass is very much the Tyler, The Creator, show, an all-out summer party record that largely eschews the deeper themes he explored on Chromakopia in favor of fun, danceable tracks. Tyler always finds a way to defy our expectations and keep us on our toes, and Don’t Tap The Glass is no exception.
Far Caspian, Autofiction
Autofiction is the third album from Far Caspian, the solo project of Irish musician Joel Johnston. It is, as you might guess from the title, a highly personal album, one that finds Johnston reckoning with his new reality after being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and dealing with OCD and anxiety. “I’m now at the point where I don’t really let it define me,” Johnston said in a press release. “The lyric ‘your mind changed from a fear to a song’ [on ‘Lough’] is my expression of freedom: to no longer be held down by something you’ve got used to. I’m trying to not even make sense of it all, but just live in it, and be grateful for the things I do have.” Autofiction has a comfortingly hazy ’90s indie vibe, with lyrics that reflect moments of real triumph.
Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist, Alfredo 2
Alfredo 2 is the follow-up to Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist’s 2020 album Alfredo. It comes less than a year after Gibbs’ last solo album, You Only Die 1nce, released in November 2024. The internet is already losing its mind over Gibbs’ disses of DJ Akademiks and Gunna on “Lavish Habits,” but he’s spitting fire all over the rest of the record, too. Alfredo earned a nomination for Best Rap Album at the 2021 Grammy Awards, and Alfredo 2 might be even better than the original.
