It’s New Music Friday and that means all the latest records are out now. Scroll down to see a list of the top releases in music this week. First, here’s a deeper look at the two biggest albums out today.
The Best of New Music Friday:
Djo – The Crux
It’s possible Djo is the most well-liked multidisciplinary artist today. When he’s not dropping solo albums that strike the heart, he’s the actor Joe Keery from Stranger Things and the upcoming Pavement biopic (Don’t forget he was in Chicago prog-rock band Post Animal). Now with the release of his new record The Crux, Djo feels like he’s mostly known for his adored displays of musicianship.
This week he released the single “Potion” and described it as fitting like a pair of jeans. But even if his music is as comfortable as it is comforting, Djo is not complacent. The amount of talent it takes an artist to push their boundaries and produce a vulnerable acoustic-forward album is astounding. So is The Crux.
Spend time with Djo, enjoy this album and take in the slow burn of “Fly.” This track is a bit longer than Djo’s other songs, but it’s in the name of putting oomph and emphasis on harmonies and guitars. “Link” is a reflection of the younger self with the sharpened perspective of Djo’s mind today. “Delete Ya” is a treat with poppy layers. It’s about someone encouraging themselves to get over a break-up. This record has plenty of heart.
Djo now has countless resources available to him. He’s stopped recording songs in his bedroom. The Crux was laid down at the storied Electric Lady Studios in New York. That development allows this record to feel powerful, just like Djo’s presence in pop-culture. The Crux feels like a defining moment for Djo’s artistry. Whatever problem Djo named this album after, he’s seemed to have solved it.
Black Country, New Road – Forever Howlong
In February 2022, Black Country, New Road singer Isaac Wood announced he was leaving the band. His shocking departure came less than one week before the English group released their highly anticipated sophomore album Ants From Up There. The band subsequently canceled its scheduled tours. The songs from Ants were never played live. The band’s six remaining members said they’d stick together. They went on to tour the world several times and released their Live at Bush Hall record, which featured entirely brand new songs with each member taking on vocals, in 2023. The lead song from that record proclaimed that even though things are different now, there’s still a ton to be celebrated. “Look at what we did together, BC,NR, friends forever!” they sang.
Now, in 2025, the band has released Forever Howlong, their first studio album with an Isaac Wood-less lineup. All three girls in the band—Tyler Hyde, May Kershaw and Georgia Ellery (from Jockstrap)—are lead vocalists. A bearded Charlie Wayne plays drums, Lewis Evans is on horns and Luke Mark plays guitar.
There’s something incredibly interesting about this large English band with a cult-following of 20-something year old rock listeners releasing their latest record. Fans originally enjoyed their thrilling and playful (albeit wild) debut For The First Time in 2021. Everyone was heartbroken around the Ants From Up There release. Now an entire generation of alt-fans are obsessed with what the “next” BC,NR sound could be. Obviously, any new audial transformation in the band are slightly overshadowed by one solitary member transition that occurred almost half a decade ago. Somehow Wood’s absence still looms large. It shouldn’t.
Those who’ve heard the band before should immediately be astounded that such gifted musicians as these have continued growing as artists. Everyone’s heard the members play instruments on two official albums and a live record; they’re outstanding. Now is the first time Hyde, Kershaw and Ellery’s voices appear on a studio-mastered BC,NR LP. They all sound like Bambi and friends frolicking in the woods. It’s magical.
See, Forever Howlong allows each member of BC,NR to shine in an exciting new way that was forbidden by the noisiness of For The First Time and the theatrical classicalness of Ants From Up There. Forever Howlong is somewhere closer to Ants From Up There in terms of style, but gets an exclamation point for its use of all female vocalists carrying a more melodic tune than ever heard on a BC,NR album. Those who have seen the band’s brilliant live shows know how important Hyde, Kershaw and Ellery’s deliveries are. There are many upcoming chances to see them on tour, too.
Forever Howlong is a different BC,NR album than the band has ever released, though it’s not a far-cry from the others (don’t tell chronically online fans and Reddit lurkers). The studio sound is more polished, the pomp and circumstance don’t quite hit cartoonish—and the band is overall more mature than ever. There are still breakdowns that sound straight out of vaudeville and references to being a queer person in this late-stage world, but it’s overall cleaner and upright. It’s this BC,NR that will carry the group’s legacy from here on out. Fans can continue to appreciate what’s already out there, but this is the BC,NR that will continue doing things together, forever.
New Music Friday Top Picks:
Babe Rainbow – Slipper imp and shakaerator [p(d)oom]
Bnny – One Million and Three Love Songs [Fire Talk]
Craig Finn – Always Been [Tamarac]
Florist – Jellywish [Double Double Whammy]
L.A. Witch – Doggod [Suicide Squeeze]
The Ophelias – Spring Grove [Get Better]
Penelope Trappes – A Requiem [One Little Independent]
Scowl – Are We All Angels [Dead Oceans]
Which of these tracks from New Music Friday will you add to your favorite playlists today? Any we missed? Let us know in the comments or on Instagram!
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