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 Indie 102.3's Alisha Sweeney. 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 (Stream)
- Perfume Genius, Glory (Stream)
- Great Grandpa, Patience, Moonbeam (Stream)
- Destroyer. Dan's Boogie (Stream)
- SPELLLING. Portrait of My Heart (Stream)
New Music Friday is a feature of NPR's All Songs Considered podcast! Hear the discussion on the NPR App, Apple, Spotify 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 Spotify and Apple.
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 Bogotá
- 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 Flür, 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
