It's Friday, and instead of looking through your fingers at your 401k this morning, we recommend opening up your preferred music streaming app and losing yourself in the glorious new records released overnight.
NPR Music's Stephen Thompson welcomed to our weekly New Music Friday episode to discuss Twin Cities hometown hero Craig Finn, who released his sixth solo album, Always Been, today. Stephen and Zach also get into a "no skips" album from the band Momma and much more.
Listen to the conversation below, and stream our recommended new albums.
The Starting 5
Stephen and Zach give you the backstory and best songs on the following albums:
- Craig Finn, Always Been ()
- Momma, Welcome to My Blue Sky ()
- Lily Seabird, Trash Mountain ()
- duendita, a strong desire to survive ()
- Dumb Things, Self Help ()
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:
- Sleigh Bells, Bunky Becky Birthday Boy
- Djo, The Crux
- Roomer, Leaving It All to Chance
- The Waterboys, Life, Death and Dennis Hopper
- HxH, Stark Phenomena
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:
Rock/Alt/Indie
- Black Country, New Road, Forever Howlong
- Scowl, Are We All Angels
- The Ophelias, Spring Grove
- Florist, Jellywish
- Wet, Two Lives
- The Ex, If Your Mirror Breaks
- Mekons, Horror
- Dirty Projectors & s t a r g a z e, Song of the Earth
- Heaven, Dream Aloud
- Miki Berenyi Trio, Tripla
- Anika, Abyss
- BUFFET LUNCH, Perfect Hit!
- Daniel Kleederman, Another Life
- Glare, Sunset Funeral
- 贬补迟补补艂颈颈, I'll Be Around
- Index For Working Musik, Which Direction Goes The Beam
- Juanita & Juan, Jungle Cruise
- L.A. Witch, DOGGOD
- Panchiko, Gingko
- Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, Death Hilarious
- Sarah Mary Chadwick, Take Me Out To a Bar / What Am I, Gatsby?
- Sister Ray, Believer
- Sweet Williams, Four Five
- SYML, Nobody Lives Here
- The Nightingales, The Awful Truth
- V/A, NYContinuity Vol.1: New New York Does Old New York
- Grinding Eyes, Out of Focus
- Babebee, all that heaven allows
- Babe Rainbow, Slipper imp and shakaerator
- Ball Park Music, Like Love
- Mannequin Death Squad, Wise and Dangerous
Country/Folk/Americana
- Ashleigh Flynn & The Riveters, Good Morning, Sunshine
- Bryan Martin, Years in the Making
- Cameron Knowler, CRK
- Grey DeLisle, The Grey Album
- Parmalee, Fell in Love With a Cowgirl
- Seth Walker, Why the Worry
- Shane Alexander, Forever Songs
- Will Johnson (of Centro-Matic), Diamond City
Rap/Hip-Hop
- 2hollis, star
- sleepingdogs, Dogstoevsky
- Ant, Collection of Sounds Vol. 4
- Homeboy Sandman, Corn Hole Legend EP
- FattMack, Here to Stay
- Mbnel, EPOCH
- Shoreline Mafia, Back in Bidness
- Boldy James & V Don, Alphabet Highway
R&B/Soul
- Gigi, Waves Of It EP
- Dreamer Isioma, StarX Lover
- Melanie Fiona, Say Yes EP
- Rosettes, Lifestyles
Electronic/Out There
- Jane Remover, Revengeseekerez
- Skrillex, F*** U Skrillex You Think Ur Andy Warhol but Ur Not!!
- Michael Grigoni & Pan American, New World, Lonely Ride
- Barker, Stochastic Drift
- DJ Koze, Music Can Hear Us
- Yann Tiersen, Rathlin from a Distance / The Liquid Hour
- Bergsonist, Ode To Life EP
- David Lee Myers, Sensus
- Dustin Wong, Gloria
- H眉ma Utku, Dracones
- Katelyn Clark & Mitch Renaud, Ourobouros
- Lawrence Hart, Come In Out of the Rain
- Nico Georis, Music Belongs to the Universe
- Nicol谩s Melmann, M煤sica Aperta
- Penelope Trappes, A Requiem
- Rudy's Midnight Machine, Mistral EP
- Sissy Spacek, Entrance
- Walt McClements, On A Painted Ocean
- Keeley Forsyth & Matthew Bourne, Hand to Mouth
- Lea Bertucci & Olivia Block, I Know the Number of the Sand and the Measure of the Sea
Classical
- Ariel Quartet, Beethoven: The complete String Quartets Vol. 1
- Rapha毛l Pichon, Bach: Mass in B Minor, BWV 232
- Krystian Zimerman, Brahms: Piano Quartets Nos. 2 & 3
- Thomas Ad猫s, Orchestral Suites
- Bruno Hoffman, The Art of the Glass Harp
Pop
- Essence Martins, Sleeping On It EP
- Alisa Xayalith, Slow Crush
- ALO, Frames
- Bermuda Search Party, Fools on Parade
- Knox, Going, Going, Gone
- Malcolm Todd, s/t
- Rachel Chinouriri, Little House EP
- Grace VanderWaal, CHILDSTAR
Jazz
- Hiromi, OUT THERE
- Lea Maria Fries, CLEO
Global
- Black Sherif, IRON BOY
- Marina Sena, Coisas Naturais
- Youssou N 'Dour, Light the World
- Marlon Williams, Te Whare T墨wekaweka
- 危迟别濒濒补, Adagio
- Riky Rick, Boss Zonke Forever
Credits
- Host: Stephen Thompson
- Guest: Zach McCormick, The Current
- Producer: Simon Rentner
- Editor: Otis Hart
- Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
- Vice President, Music and Visuals: Keith Jenkins
Copyright 2025 NPR
