Updated March 31, 2025 at 09:15 AM ET
We're sorry to report that it is Monday, but we do have a handful of silver linings to share. Lucy Dacus, a premier songwriter and one-third of the supergroup boygenius, released her new album, Forever Is A Feeling, last Friday. She's the first member of the trio to release a solo record since The Record blew up in 2023, and it's fair to say Dacus met the moment.
A bumper crop of excellent indie records joined Forever Is A Feeling on streaming services, so who better to guide us through this week's new releases than . She joins New Music Friday host Stephen Thompson to talk about a festival-worthy lineup.
Listen to the conversation below, and stream our recommended new albums.
The Starting 5
Stephen and Alisha give you the backstory and best songs on the following albums:
- Lucy Dacus, Forever Is A Feeling ()
- Perfume Genius, Glory ()
- Great Grandpa, Patience, Moonbeam ()
- Destroyer. Dan's Boogie ()
- SPELLLING. Portrait of My Heart ()
New Music Friday is a feature of NPR's All Songs Considered podcast! Hear the discussion on the , , or wherever you get your podcasts.
The Lightning Round
Five more albums we wish we had time to discuss on the podcast:
- Alison Krauss & Union Station, Arcadia
- Yukimi, For You
- Palmyra, Restless
- Hannah Cohen, Earthstar Mountain
- DJ Python, i was put on this earth
Listen to each album's best songs on our New Music Friday playlists on and .
The Long List
For those who want to dig even deeper, here are the week's new albums sorted by genre:
Jazz
- Butcher Brown, Letter from the Atlantic
- Alberto Novello & Rob Mazurek, Sun Eaters
- Anouar Brahem, Anja Lechner, Dave Holland & Django Bates, After the Last Sky
- Branford Marsalis Quartet, Belonging
- Edison Machado & Boa Nova, s/t
- Joe Armon-Jones, All The Quiet (Part I)
- The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble, Gemini
- Vega Trails, Sierra Tracks
- William Hooker, A Time / Within: Live at the New York Jazz Museum, January 14, 1977
Rock/Alt/Indie
- Amelia Barratt & Bryan Ferry, Loose Talk
- Bag People, Bag People
- Bria Salmena, Big Dog
- Butler, Blake & Grant, Butler, Blake & Grant
- CocoRosie, Little Death Wishes
- Dead Meadow, Voyager To Voyager
- Deafheaven, Lonely People With Power
- Dean Wareham, That's the Price of Loving Me
- Free Range, Lost & Found
- Fusilier, Ambush
- girlpuppy, Sweetness
- JIVEBOMB, ETHEREAL
- Liz Stringer, The Second High
- Mess Esque, Jay Marie, Comfort Me
- Mumford & Sons, RUSHMERE
- Photay, Windswept: Expansions
- Postcards, Ripe
- Quinine, First Ever Whippet On Acid
- Sacred Paws, Jump Into Life
- Sam Akpro, Evenfall
- Serebii, Dime
- Snapped Ankles, Hard Times Furious Dancing
- Somebody's Child, When Youth Fades Away
- The Darkness, Dreams on Toast
- Unknown Mortal Orchestra, IC-02 Bogot谩
- Wallows, More EP
Country/Folk/Americana
- Cactus Lee, s/t
- James Elkington, Pastel De Nada
- lilo, Blood Ties
- Pug Johnson, El Cabrino
- Wryn, Shapes
Rap/Hip-Hop
- Boldy James & Antt Beatz, Hommage
- DaBoii, HEART OF A LION
- Lil Durk, Deep Thoughts
- NAV, OMW2 REXDALE
- Nemzzz, RENT'S DUE
- poptropicaslutz!, the new 925
- yasiin bey (Mos Def) & The Alchemist, FORENSICS
- YT, OI!
R&B/Soul
- Aqyila, Falling Into Place
- Jessie Reyez, Paid in Memories
- Q, 10 Songs
- Salin, Rammana
Electronic/Out There
- aya, hexed!
- Backxwash, Only Dust Remains
- CEM, FORMA
- Eiko Ishibashi, Antigone
- Hans Nieswandt, Fluoreszent
- John Foxx, Wherever You Are
- Kingdom, Molongi Kembo
- Lia Kohl & Whitney Johnson, For Translucence
- Logic 1000, DJ-Kicks
- Los Thuthanaka (Elysia Crampton), s/t
- Moomin, Into the Distance
- OHYUNG, You Are Always On My Mind
- Pacific Coliseum & Teen Daze, Voice Wave
- Roger Doyle, We Who Live Under Heaven
- Sandwell District, End Beginnings
- S*** and Shine, Mannheim Hbf
- Steven Julien, TIME
- Ultan O'Brien, Dancing The Line
- Unspecified Enemies, Romance in the Age of Adaptive Feedback
- V/A, Volcanic Tongue
- Wolfgang Fl眉r, Times
- Yetsuby, 4EVA
Classical
- Andris Nelsons, Shostakovich: Symphonies; Concertos; Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District
- Anton Mejias The Art of Memory
Pop
- Ariana Grande, Eternal Sunshine Deluxe: Brighter Days Ahead
- Carlos Santana, Sentient
- chloe moriondo, oyster
- Maya Delilah, The Long Way Round
- Ruger, BlownBoy RU
- Will Smith, Based on a True Story
Credits
- Host: Stephen Thompson
- Guest: Alisha Sweeney, Colorado Public Radio's Indie 102.3
- Producer: Simon Rentner
- Editor: Otis Hart
- Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
- Vice President, Music and Visuals: Keith Jenkins
Copyright 2025 NPR
