Amoeba Music

Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks have returned with their distinctive American roots sound, grinding together blues, soul, gospel, rock, jazz, and R&B on the new album Future Sou l. The funky opening track "Crazy Cryin'" moves unexpectedly into the rootsy, Eagles-sounding "I Got You." Elsewhere, "Devil Be Gone" is a down-and-dirty blues number with gritty vocals and a gospel-tinged chorus. Fittingly, the title track delivers searing blues/rock guitar and wailing vocals. More

Sisters Katie and Allison Crutchfield are Snocaps. Known for their work with Waxahatchee and Swearin', Snocaps' self-titled debut is a skillfully-constructed blend of folk and indie rock. The harmonies are delectable, the lyrics paint striking images, the melodies lively and emotional. The songs are warm and inviting, rollicking and questing. This one already feels like a classic. More

Former Moaning vocalist/guitarist Sean Solomon makes his solo album debut with the poignant The World Is Not Good Enough . The LA musician and cartoonist exudes a relatable vulnerability in these melodic indie rock songs. "Remember" is a gentle earworm about trying to come to terms with the changes in our lives. "Black Hole" is a sobering look at a disconnection with a parent, with the heart wrenching lyric "I love you, you don't have to love me too." The propulsive "Shooting Star" buoys its portrait of depression with a soaring, incongruously hopeful chorus. This one is for fans of smart, affecting indie like Death Cab For Cutie. More

Drain - is back with the unrelenting ...Is Your Friend . These hardcore tracks are totally searing, with scorching guitars, staccato drums, and ferocious vocals. This is the sound of pure adrenaline. More

Castle Rat's Bestiary is a mind-bending, beautiful metal album. Vocalist/guitar player The Rat Queen (aka Riley Pinkerton) has a spellbinding voice, equally suited for the ethereal folklore-influenced tracks and the heavier, more pounding tracks. Hypnotic, harsh, and steeped in a mythology and witchiness all the band's own, the album was recorded by Randall Dunn (Sunn O))), Björk, Wolves in the Throne Room) and mixed by Jonathan Nuñez (Torche, Restless Spirit). Bestiary is simply stunning, a fierce and feverish album that stands out amongst this year's metal releases. More

Oakland’s Elujay returns, following up his 2024 collab with J. Robb, Gems in the Cornerstore II , with a fresh new album, A Constant Charade . Lo-fi breakbeats flow seamlessly into smooth, yacht-rock-inspired neo-soul, held together by Elujay’s sincere vocals and the lushly layered soundscapes behind him. Jams like “Hyundai” and “Jenny’s Lament” capture the ‘80s and ‘90s retro vibe while sounding perfectly modern, and the rest of the album dabbles in other genres like a mixed-media artist. More

After a five-year pause, Austin-born, now Asheville-based folk singer Natalie Jane Hill drops her third album, Hopeful Woman . Relocating from her native Texas to the mountains of North Carolina, tracks like “Blue is the Color of My Sun” musically convey the beauty and peace of her new Asheville home. Hill’s hauntingly tempered voice anchors the sound of Hopeful Woman’s ethereal indie folk, and the flourishes of collaborator Mat Davidson playing the pedal steel guitar, fiddle, piano, and more add a sublime depth to the album. More

Atmosphere's Jestures is contemplative and wildly creative. It's a twenty-six song album with songs in alphabetical order; the special guests even wind up on tracks that share their same alphabetical order. (For example, Evidence guests on "Effortless," Mike the Martyr, Musab, and Muja Messiah all contribute to "Mash.") As fun as the gimmick is, the real power of the album comes from its subject matter...and of course from Ant's lush, scene-setting production. Over the course of the album, Slug gets reflective, focusing on moments of day-to-day beauty and meaning, personal growth, and the effects of time. Jestures finds the indie hip-hop stalwarts evolving in interesting ways while delivering the singular sound fans know and love. More

Robyn is back with her first album in what feels like ages. Sexistential is honestly a pretty good title for the album. The name started as a joke, then just started to fit. Robyn's lyrics explore sensuality and sexuality – what feels good, and on a deeper level, what makes her feel alive, and what that might mean. The melodies are total bangers: giddy, euphoric, driven by beats that take you higher and higher and higher. This is pure dancefloor bliss for the smart set. More

Danny L Harle's Cerulean is deliriously fun. Hands-in-the-air hyperpop meets the euphoria of early '00s trance and Eurodance in these addictive, sweet as candy tracks. Harle's cast of collaborators is impressive, with indie world darlings (Caroline Polachek), electro alt-pop princesses (PinkPantheress), bedroom pop cult faves (Clairo), and pop divas (Dua Lipa). If you hanker for Y2K-era Ministry of Sound dancefloor fillers, Cerulean will set your heart on fire. More

Joyce Manor's I Used To Go To This Bar feels like a breath of fresh air. The songs are compelling and catchy, the lyrics raw and vulnerable at times, and at others, just straight up fun. The band writes fantastic pop-punk meets power-pop tracks, sometimes throwing in a bit of folk punk or veering more into straight-ahead classic punk-inspired territory. This is an album made to be turned up loud. More

After nearly a decade away, San Diego hardcore punks Mizery are back. In 2023, drummer Cayle Sain passed away and it seemed the band was over. But prior to his passing, the band had sent Sain demos for new tracks, he'd gone into the studio to record drum parts, and upon this discovery, the remaining Mizery bandmates decided to create this scorcher of an EP. The songs are all controlled chaos, frustration, defiance, and ferocity. The melodies are intense, the percussion pummeling, the vocals impassioned. In shorts, it's everything you've loved about this band...put together for one very special release. Crank this one up extra loud. More

LA duo Green-House create imaginative, evocative, spellbinding music. Their first album for new label Ghostly International, Hinterlands , combines the ambient bliss of new age with a wide-ranging series of genre influences. But don't file them away with the toothless background music in the spa waiting room or even the cosmic melodies of the mighty Tangerine Dream. These dreamy instrumental tracks don't ascribe to any specific genre norms...they're so layered and rich it's impossible to catalog them. Elements of the fantastic weave through island soundscapes. Moody folk, forgotten lounge sounds, and paradisiacal synth-pop come out to play. Hinterlands is a world all its own, languid and romantic, euphoric and expansive. More

Sunn O))) return with their first album in just over five years. This new self-titled album is their first for Sub Pop. Tracked at Bear Creek Studios, Woodinville, WA, the duo spent days overlooking a vast forest, hiking and spending time outdoors – an experience which translates into the sound of the album. It's heavy but contemplative, evocative and mysterious, anchored to the mysteries of time and the primeval energy of the landscape. Imposing and sublime, breathtaking and relentless, these songs defy description. Turn this up loud and immerse yourself in the sound. More

Students! Grab a seat and pay attention, your heavy metal history lesson is about to begin! Swedish power metallers Sabaton have returned with Legends , a look back through history set to their hard-as steel brand of metal. Legends explores figures throughout the ages like Genghis Khan ("Hordes of Khan"), Hannibal ("Lightning at the Gates"), Joan of Arc ("Maid of Steel") and more. Crushing riffs, massive vocals and epic choruses tell the stories of IlegendsI from all corners of the globe. Now bang your head and learn some history! More

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Everything All the Time , South Carolina's Band of Horses have released their debut album on metallic gold vinyl, with bonus demos, a live track, and previously unreleased song "(Biding Time Is a) Boat to Row." Band founder Ben Bridwell reflects that "This album made all of my dreams come true. Forever grateful for the desperation that fueled its inspiration."  Everything is a colorful amalgam of lush vocal harmonies layering over intimate, intricate melodies that are equal parts emotionally pleading and an uplifting, joyous revival. More

Live At Third Man Records proves why Geese is one of the most buzzed about bands in music. Just weeks before the band released their acclaimed Getting Killed  album, they performed the entire tracklist for an enthralled crowd at The Blue Room stage in Nashville. Recorded live, direct-to-acetate, this album captures the raucous nature of the band's live show and the immediacy of the songs. Loud, sweaty, and intense, this is one of those records that reminds you what it's like to be head over heels for a band. More

ShunGu's Faith in the Unknown is a dream. The album is eclectic, channeling old school vibes across soul ballads and lo-fi hip-hop, creating that gorgeous, immersive, endless summer feel. The swoon worthy, jazz-inflected R&B chill out jam "Did You Hear The News" (feat. Ruqqiyah) is so beautiful it's ridiculous. The production on the title track is lush, languid, and heady while Maxo's flow keeps the proceedings anchored and earthy. But really, all the songs are incredible. This is an album with surprise after surprise. You'll want to get lost in these smart, lovely, richly layered tracks. More

Life Is Beautiful is more than a mantra; it's the collaborative new hotness from Larry June, 2 Chainz, and The Alchemist. Larry’s laid-back chill yacht-rap style is front and center, opposite trap royalty 2 Chainz, who spreads his wings and expands his rap flow away from his usual style, a perfect yin to Larry’s yang. The foundation of this symbiosis is the stellar production of The Alchemist, adding silky grooves and slow beats for the rappers to volley verses over. Perfect for a slow, sunny Sunday. More

All My Angels is the searing, intense, and powerful new EP from Aussie hardcore act Speed. These songs are hardcore at its finest: they will absolutely pummel you, with hard-hitting percussion, growling riffs, gutpunch lyrics, and impassioned vocals. But there's more to this short-but-(bitter)sweet 3-song EP than classic genre appeal. The band wrote these songs as a way to process the grief of losing three close friends in recent years and you can feel that deep emotional pull in each track, through the anger and angst of the vocals, through the experimental (and well-executed) infusion of mundanely beautiful samples and textured synths. All My Angels proves that Speed is something truly special. More