New Music Reviews (10/5)

The rousing sophomore album from London seven-piece Fat Dog finds the dance-punk outfit delving deeper into electronic territory (don’t worry, they still let that saxophone rip), this time with producer Oli Bayston in tow. Across ten explosive tracks, they’ve brought more melody and hooks into their maximalist stratosphere while still offering an urgency and intensity to match the themes of addiction, burnout, betrayal, and love. With a turbulent, symphonic culmination of guitars, keys, strings, sax, and percussion, ‘Cancel Me (I’m Tired)’ marks a thrilling evolution for this inventive outfit. –CS

Greg Freeman - All Set The Bone (Transgressive/Canvasback)

The third studio album from Burlington, VT-based singer-songwriter Greg Freeman is an arresting set of rock-forward alt-country. A cacophony of electric guitars, violin, horns, and piano propels Freeman’s signature raw vocal style, which bends and cracks with emotion and fervor. Arriving a year after 2025’s ‘Burnover’ and recorded in just ten days, ‘All Set The Bone,’ feels fresh and urgent without feeling hurried or unrefined. Featuring masterful production by John Congleton and contributions from both longtime collaborators and new players, these thirteen tracks are a “reflection of a lot of change, and a lot of tension” expressed through grandiose rippers, tender ruminations, and everything in between. What a stellar collection from this brilliant troubadour. –CS

Wishy - Nature’s Pill (Winspear)

Indianapolis quintet Wishy unveil their sensational sophomore studio album. With a boisterous blend of jangle pop, indie rock, and power pop, ‘Nature’s Pill’ boasts earworm after earworm, with infectious hooks, fuzzy guitars, intricate arrangements, and an endearing dose of ‘90s nostalgia. Led by primary songwriters and alternating lead vocalists Kevin Krauter and Nina Pitchkites, this five-piece sounds tight, assured, and free in their expression, making for another first-rate collection with no signs of slowing down. We’re riding the Wishy train until the wheels come off! –CS

AKRIILA - lucy miró al mundo y notó que está girando (Atlantic)

The sophomore album from this rising Chilean artist is a thrilling, dizzying, breakout set of adventurous alt-pop, futuristic synth-pop, and gritty alt-rock with a glitchy hyper-pop fixation. Bursting with creative, unpredictable, maximal, genre-blurring ideas that are executed in confident fashion, AKRIILA emerges with one of most captivating global pop albums of the year. Fellow trailblazing artist Jane Remover and Spanish artist Guitarricadelafuente make guest appearances. –AR

Amor Líquido - A ver si me despierto (La Castanya)

The second album from this Madrid-based band is a stellar set of punchy indie rock with an arty garage-punk charm featuring consistently sharp, catchy songs full of big hooks and charismatic energy. –AR

Flowers Must Die - Tystnad (Rocket Recordings)

The fifth album from Swedish collective Flowers Must Die is a kaleidoscopic set of psych, prog, and krautrock. Expansive, spacey arrangements built from guitars, violin, keys, theremin, horns, and percussion cascade into trance-inducing jams, offering respite and release through a chaotically transcendent soundscape. At once meditative and cathartic, ‘Tystnad’ is a vibrant and vital listen. –CS

Jennifur - MAZDA (Off Corner)

The third album from this mysterious Belgian producer is a brilliant set of kinetic, emotive, cinematic beats blending an expansive electronic mindframe with an indie rock sensibility and a love for UK bass music. Inspired by a playlist of songs shared by Jennifur’s brother of songs their dad used to play in the car, ‘MAZDA’ captures a kinetic, propulsive, uniquely transitional space inflected with flickering vocal samples, fascinating spoken word (“I Once Had a Dream Where I Could Fly”), and a couple knockout guest appearances from TEUN (“Need You By My Side”) and Lindy Versyck (“You Always Knew That Feeling”) for a consistently fresh album that scratches a peculiar indie/electronic itch. –AR

LEENALCHI (이날치) - Sugungga (Luaka Bop)

After breaking onto the worldwide stage with their EP ‘Here Comes That Crow’ earlier this year, Seoul-based seven-piece LEENALCHI (pron: EEE-nal-chi) give their spectacular album ‘Sugungga’ its first international release. Their wholly engrossing celebration of pansori, the traditional Korean style of musical storytelling, fuses elements of psych, indie pop, and new wave to thrilling effect, with four dynamic vocalists backed by a vibrant ensemble of bass, keys, and drums. Simply put: their sonics are irresistible. –CS

Logic1000 - Confirmation! (Therapy/Because Music)

The second full-length album from Sydney-born, Berlin-based DJ/producer Samantha Poulter (aka Logic1000) is a strong, confident, and sleek showcase of her widening electronic/club/pop vision as she pieces together top-shelf rhythms that span house, trip-hop, big beat, synth-pop, and downtempo while folding in stellar guest appearances from Christine and the Queens, Jam City, FAUZIA, yunè pinku, and KUČKA. Logic1000’s ability to sway between bright dancefloor jams and sultry late-night fare is particularly impressive, and there’s two exceptional standouts in “The Only One,” a breakthrough pop moment with Christine and the Queens, and “Jersey,” an addictive collaboration with Jam City that’s 2026’s ultimate start-the-car-and-drive soundtrack (imo). –AR

Meshell Ndegeocello - Synonym (Blue Note)

Legendary singer, songwriter, composer, poet, and bassist Meshell Ndegeocello unveils a breathtaking collection of collaborative covers. With inventive, shapeshifting interpretations of classic songs from The Human League, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin & George Michael, Sonny & Cher, and Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway, among others, ‘Synonym’ finds Ndegeocello melding minds with the likes of Cat Power, Robert Glasper, Nick Hakim, Madison Cunningham, Lianne La Havas, ANOHNI, Moses Sumney, Bill Callahan, and additional contemporaries. This genre-bending set showcases Ndegeocello's talents as a composer and producer, bringing a collaborative spirit front and center to give listeners a fresh look at these well-known treasures. –CS

Protomartyr - Hotel Usona (Domino)

The seventh studio album from Detroit four-piece Protomartyr is an engrossing set of dark, atmospheric post-punk and art rock. Led by Joe Casey’s gripping, emphatic vocals, their menacing, intricate arrangements of guitars, drums, horns, strings, and keys swirl through themes of violence, deportation, warped patriotism, AI, and fascism, embodying the chaos and horrors of the modern era. “It is not easy listening. It’s essential.” –CS

Spike Fuck - evidence (Sacred Bones)

The debut studio album from Melbourne-based singer-songwriter Spike Fuck is a mesmerizing set of soulful glam, new wave, and post-punk. With sweeping arrangements, a theatrical croon, and delectable hooks, he explores themes of mortality, solitude, and obsession with undeniable flair and a distinct bittersweet humor. Arriving a decade after his first solo EP, the long awaited ‘evidence’ is a timeless, singular listen. –CS

viragezero - viragezero (Bongo Joe)

viragezero are a Geneva-based outfit featuring members from Citron Citron, L’Éclair and Magic & Naked. Their debut album is a sweet blend of hazy trip-hop, gritty alt-pop, and kaleidoscopic psych-pop with a cool, dreamy, 90s-tinted Madchester undercurrent. There’s a sweet hypnagogic slant to viragezero’s sound that’s further enhanced by songwriter and lead vocalist Zoé Sjollema’s lyrics, which are based upon fragmented memories of dreams jotted down upon waking over the past several years. –AR

Amanar De Kidal - Kel Tamasheq (Sahel Sounds/sing a song fighter)

The latest album from this Malian collective originally hailing from the remote town of Kidal and led by singer/songwriter Ahmed Ag Kaedy is a solid set of classic Tuareg desert blues infused with a joyful groove, hypnotic rhythms, lyrical guitar solos, and jubilant vocals. –AR

BLOUS3 - the pledge, the turn (Cherub Dream)

The fourth album from this Sacramento band is an explosive set of intense, pulverizing, wall-of-sound rock that blends punk, post-punk, noise-rock, no wave, shoegaze, screamo, and other heavy alternative styles into their chaotic, consuming, crunchy world. –AR

Helen - Linda’s Head (kranky)

11 years since surfacing with their debut album ‘The Original Faces,’ this PNW trio fronted by enigmatic Astoria-based musician Liz Harris (aka Grouper) unveil their second full-length album of hazy, alluring, fuzzy shoegaze with an undercurrent of intoxicating lo-fi dream-pop. –AR

koleżanka - Zone 2 (self-released)

The latest album from Brooklyn-via-Phoenix artist Kristina Moore (aka koleżanka) is a solid set of arty dream-pop with a colorful psych-pop streak that pairs bright synths, shimmering guitars, and exploratory arrangements with her warm vocals and amusingly idiosyncratic lyrics. The album was written in the aftermath of Moore severing and injuring the “Zone 2” area of her middle finger while opening a bottle of wine at her bartending job, resulting in months of waiting for corrective surgery and looming uncertainty around the range of movement her finger would have post-op, as well as her future as an instrumentalist; and this uncertainty seeps into these off-kilter and often unpredictable pop songs. –AR

Lily Juniper - Bloom Gloom (Friends of Friends)

The debut album from South London singer-songwriter Lily Juniper is a bewitching set of dreamy electropop. With gauzy synths, magnetic beats, and Juniper’s ethereal vocals, the richly textured ‘Bloom Gloom’ explores the past decade of her life: “In getting older and happier, I’ve also gone to deeper and darker places. Trying to grow and find a sense of inner peace in a world that feels more confusing and sad than ever. There’s light, there’s dark. There’s bloom, there’s gloom.” –CS

Perennial - Modernism (Ernest Jenning Record Co.)

The fourth studio album from New England trio Perennial is a high-octane set of art-punk. With fiery vocals, explosive percussion, sharp electric organ, and ripping guitars, ‘Modernism’ tears through anthemic, energetic rockers that really sink their hooks in ya. –CS

Pretty Sick - Anarchy (Dirty Hit)

The sophomore album from NYC-based singer, songwriter, and bassist Sabrina Fuentes, aka Pretty Sick, is a dizzying set of indie pop, shoegaze, and grunge pop. With hypnotic breakbeats, distorted guitars, shimmering synths, and inventive production from Oscar Scheller, ‘Anarchy’ is a textured, moody collection of experimental pop gems. –CS

Stef Chura - Dancing Alone on the Concrete (Saddle Creek)

On her third studio album, her first in seven years, Detroit-based singer-songwriter Stef Chura delivers an entrancing set of rich, atmospheric indie rock. Born out of a period of solitude where she practiced her craft, wrote, and experimented endlessly, ‘Dancing Alone on the Concrete’ finds Chura meandering with artful intent. From pop-inflected bops like “Babydoll” and more expressive reflections like “The Concrete” to the Americana jam “Danny” featuring R.E.M.’s Peter Buck and Mike Mills, these nine compelling tracks are lush, nuanced, and tender, marking a sweet and memorable return for Chura. –CS

The Album Leaf - A Body of Voices (Nettwerk)

The collaborative-heavy 9th studio album from The Album Leaf (aka veteran LA-based musician Jimmy LaValle) finds him pairing his evocative, cinematic, enveloping electro-acoustic productions with a stacked roster of talented guests that yields his most vocal-forward, pop-minded record to date. Raphaelle Standall (of Blue Hawaii and Braids), Nicole Miglis (of Hundred Waters), Twin Shadow, and Aisha Badru each make standout appearances amidst a consistently solid set bookended by a pair of sublime instrumental pieces. –AR

The Thermals - Under Crushing Rain (Royal We Publishing)

Following a 10-year hiatus, beloved Portland band The Thermals return with their eighth album and it finds The Thermals’ co-founding member Hutch Harris going back to The Thermals’ lo-fi DIY roots (with co-founding member Kathy Foster’s blessing) to fully take the controls and create an album in similar fashion as the band’s 2003 debut album ‘More Parts Per Million’ for Sub Pop and he delivers a solid set of punchy pop-punk, soaring power-pop, and anthemic indie rock that harkens back to The Thermals’ early 2000s origins. –AR

Tipa Tipo - Arquetipas (Bit Rosie)

The second album from this Brooklyn-via-Lima outfit centered around founding members Adele Fournet and Felipe Wurst is a nice set of colorful Latin-pop, breezy psych-pop, transportive Yacht rock, and lush soft rock with guest appearances from Pahua, Amy O, Cheo, lovetempo, La Zorra Zapata, and more. –AR

TRICKY FM - Twin Star Fantasy (Cherub Dream Records)

The third full-length album from San Francisco-based Hana Freed’s TRICKY FM project is a mesmerizing set of experimental electropop. Featuring gripping breakbeats, dreamy synths, entrancing glitches, and airy, ethereal vocals, ‘Twin Star Fantasy’ is a transportive, effervescent collection. –CS

Wyclef Jean - Q Theory - Quantum Leap, Vol. 2 (SodoMoodLab)

For the second volume in his planned 7-volume project spanning various genres, Haitian artist and Fugees member Wyclef Jean turns to jazz and he delivers an excellent set of top-shelf jazz grooves that blends the vibrant spirit of the Caribbean with the fearless improvisation of jazz fusion. Named in honor of one of his greatest musical mentors, the late Quincy Jones, ‘Q Theory - Quantum Leap, Vol. 2’ finds Wyclef leading a star-studded cast of musicians that includes Robert Glasper, Yussef Dayes, Harvey Mason, Theo Croker, Elena Pinderhughes, Niia, and more for a riveting instrumental-rich affair that’s Wyclef’s strongest (and most surprising) musical offering in quite some time and his boldest artistic statement to date. –AR

Zora Jones - 50 Bullets to the Heart (Bellyfat)

The second official album from Barcelona-based artist Zora Jones is an electrifying display of her futuristic club-pop vision as she filters her cutting-edge electronic production talents through an enhanced pop lens. Her blockbuster beats continue to astound, and she’s putting her transfixing digitized vocals more frequently into the mix than her 2020 debut album ‘Ten Billion Angels,’ yielding a non-stop joyride for fans of both top-shelf beats and next-level pop. –AR