First Listen: New Releases for 14 November 2025
Album: Good Music for Bad Kids
Quick Thoughts: I get that Joyner Lucas gets all the regional rap love here, but at what point are we willing to admit that STL GLD is New England's best rap act? The beats are grimy and addictive, the lyricism unmatched, and the collective regularly punches above its weight. We love the act here, and Good Music is one of those records that show how deserving they are of a breakout.
Songs of Note: "80's Babies," "Ayo Edebiri," 24KT," "Dances With Wolves," "The Get Up Kids," "Too Much," "The Clapper"
Album: Chin Up Buttercup
Quick Thoughts: The opening line of "Math Equation" is probably the most brutal breakup lyric I've ever heard. It's a sad dance album in so many ways, as the cover clearly demonstrates, but as someone who has been a fan of Austra for ages now, this is one of her stronger albums. A really, really great electronic listen.
Songs of Note: "Chin Up Buttercup," "Math Equation," "Think Twice," "The Hopefulness of Dawn"
Album: Electric Hour
Quick Thoughts: Sword II won't be to everyone's taste, and that's more than okay. For me, they are strongly reminiscent of the sort of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah style of lo-fi adjacent indie music of the early 2000s, albeit better produced and more melodic. "Who's Giving You Love" is a great, chaotic listen, and "Passionate Nun" one of the favorites of the week, so check this out.
Songs of Note: "Sentry," "Under the Scar," "Passionate Nun," "Who's Giving You Love"
Album: This Is How We Dance
Quick Thoughts: Winterpills excels in the sort of rootsy-sounding jangly rock of 1970s and 1980s, with gorgeous harmonies and memorable songs over and over again. This latest album is a true delight, with "Predelugian" and "Cherry Blossoms" being two especially strong standouts. Every time I listen to Winterpills I wonder why I don't listen to them more, so maybe this album will be the one to correct the error.
Songs of Note: "Predelugian," "Lean in the Wind," "Black Fly," "Cherry Blossoms," "I Am the Defect"
Album: Nusantara Beat
Quick Thoughts: I've had a few years now of really digging into some buzzworthy international groups, and Nusantara Beat is new to me. This is a record that wears its Indonesian roots on its sleeve, and yet feels very western in its presentation, oftentime (like with "Kalangkang," almost feeling like an actual Western soundtrack). Easily the most interesting listen of the week, and while I was primed for this by acts like El Michels Affair and TEKE::TEKE, this one is a lovely listen and utterly unique to my ears.
Songs of Note: "Bakar," "Ke Masa Lalu," "Kalangkang," "Bunga Mekar"
Album: Fire of God's Love
Quick Thoughts: This album originally came out in 1973 and has been officially unavailable for nearly 50 years. This reissue is the first time I had heard of it, and as someone who is aggressively not religious, this is such a lovely slice of pop-folk that feels way ahead of its time. The sparse drum machine, the twee-ish vocals, there's so much to love here. It's just as good a musical document as it is a historical one. Don't miss it.
Songs of Note: "Kehsukoran," "Teenager's Chorus," "Nature is a Song," "Springtime (in Australia)"
Album: Red Sky at Morning
Quick Thoughts: When I first listened to this, I felt like it was bringing a lot of Anna Tivel energy to the week, but if Red Sky at Morning does anything, it shows the true range in sound that h. pruz can put out there. Sometimes it's more folky singer-songwriter, sometimes the fuzz pedal takes the wheel, but each song feels like its own little revelation. Loved this.
Songs of Note: "Come," "Your Hands," "If You Cannot Make It Stop," "Arrival"
Of note:
* AVTT/PTTN - AVTT/PTTN (Super confusing, but interesting, collab between Mike Patton and The Avett Brothers.)
* runo plum - patching
* Kalia Vandever - Another View
* Hylocolos - Hyloxolos
* Polygum - Toy Music from Toy Town
* Nightmares on Wax - Echo45 Sound System
* Jeremy Dower - Music for the Young and the Restless
* Bicep - CHROMA 000
* Helene Barbier - Panorama
* Pat Kennedy - Table 42
* Che Noir and 7xvethegenius - Desired Crowns
* Tiberius - Troubadour
* Arp - Drifts
* Lawrence Hart - Asking for a Friend
* K-LONE - sorry i thought you were someone else
* Vireo - the great golden gloom
* Tony Molina - On This Day
* I Was a King - Until the End
* Siobhan Wilson - Thaw
* Matt Pryor - The Salton Sea
* Ragana and Drowse - Ash Souvenir
* Beren Olivia - Canine
* Lia Kohl and Zander Raymond - In Transit
* Colter Wall - Memories and Empties
EPs:
* Hollis Howard - Good Morning, We Love You
* Croatian Amor - Never Give Up, Pt. 1: Puer Aeternus
* Above the Moon - There is No Arrival - Vol. 1 and Vol. 2
* Lia Kohl - Various Small Whistles and a Song
* La Femme - Thank You for Nothing
* Mothermary - Non-Duality
* Orville Peck - Appaloosa
Live albums/Compilations/Reissues:
* DJ-Kicks: Eris Drew
* Ima Robot - Search and Destroy
* Blondshell - Another Picture
Also out:
* Wolfy - Layers of Void
