It’s Friday, and for some, today’s music headlines may feel right out of the 21st century. For the classic rock lovers among us, Led Zeppelin is celebrating 50 years of Physical Graffiti with the aptly named live release, Live E.P. And for the fictional rock lovers among us, Spinal Tap has returned with a second mockumentary and accompanying soundtrack, The End Continues.
Stephen Thompson welcomes Raina Douris from WXPN’s World Cafe for a nostalgia-filled discussion of these throwbacks, plus a few introductions to newer acts like the hard-rocking Die Spitz and sibling electronic duo Frost Children.
Listen to the show wherever you get your podcasts and then make sure to scroll down on this page and see the very best of today’s new music offerings.
The Starting Five
Ebru Yildiz / Sub Pop
/
Sub Pop
Our hosts share the backstories and best songs from the following albums:
💿 Spinal Tap, The End Continues OST (Stream)
- Recommended If You Like: Flight of the Conchords, The Clash at Demonhead
💿 Guerilla Toss, You’re Weird Now (Stream)
- RIYL: Tropical F*** Storm, Pile
💿 Die Spitz, Something to Consume (Stream)
- RIYL: Mannequin Pussy, The White Stripes
💿 Frost Children, Sister (Stream)
- RIYL: Jane Remover, Danny L Harle
💿 Mark William Lewis, Mark William Lewis (Stream)
- RIYL: bar italia, Chanel Beads
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
Erik Bardin / Warp Records
/
Warp Records
Five more albums we wish we had time to discuss on the podcast:
💿 Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Perimenopop
💿 Asher White, 8 tips for full catastrophe living
💿 Jade, THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY!
💿 Fruit Bats, Baby Man
💿 Kassa Overall, CREAM
Listen to each album’s best songs on our New Music Friday playlists on Spotify and Apple, or wherever you stream music.
The Long List
/ Courtesy of the artist
/
Courtesy of the artist
For those who want to dig even deeper, here are the week’s new albums sorted by genre:
Rap/Hip-Hop
- El Cousteau, Dirty Harry 2
- Strandz, Diaspora Dance Music
- Tony Shhnow and Mike & Keys, Self Portrait
- Anysia Kym & Tony Seltzer, PURITY
- Liim, Liim Lasalle Loves You
- Raq baby, I NEVER GAVE AF
- King Iso, Ghetto Psycho
- Ty Dolla $ign, TYCOON
- 4batz, Still Shinin
- Ho99o9, Tomorrow We Escape
Country/Folk/Americana
- Josh Ritter, I Believe in You, My Honeydew
- Michael Hurley, Broken Homes and Gardens
- John Prine, Lost Dogs + Mixes Blessings (30th Anniversary Reissue)
- Ruston Kelly, Pale, Through the Window
- Robbie Fulks, Now Then
- Brent Amaker and the Rodeo, Vaquero
- Carson McHone, Pentimento
- Ellie Holcomb, Far Country
- Emma Swift, The Resurrection Game
- Hazlett, last night you said you missed me
- Lauren Lovelle, Other Dreams EP
- Shawn Camp, The Ghost of Sis Draper
Electronic/Out There
- Kelman Duran, SCORPIO FALLING
- Kara-Lis Coverdale, A Series of Actions in a Sphere of Forever
- Jessy Lanza, Slapped By My Life EP
- Verses GT (Nosaj Thing and Jacques Greene), Verses GT
- Joe Milli, Deep Forest EP
- Cazwell, HITS ALL OVER YOUR FACE [The Peace Bisquit Collection]
- Holly Palmer, Metamorphosis
- Jensen Interceptor, Interception
- John Foxx, No-One Driving
- Lord Spikeheart, REIGN EP
- Public Circuit, Modern Church
- Rezz, As The Pendulum Swings
- Rian Treanor & Cara Tolmie, Body Lapse
- Sijya, Leather & Brass EP
- Six Finger Satellite, Severe Exposure: Deluxe Edition
- V/A, Modeselektor DJ-Kicks
- Venera (Korn guitarist Munky), Exinfinite
Global
Jazz
- Rafiq Bhatia, Environments
- Tomas Fujiwara, Dream Up
Pop
- Ed Sheeran, Play
- King Princess, Girl Violence
- LEISURE, Welcome to the Mood
- Léna Bartels, The Brightest Silver Fish
- Madilyn Mei, A Thousand Songs About It All: Act I
- Matteo Bocelli, Falling In Love
- Mimi Webb, Confessions
- NEW YORK, Push EP
- Parcels, LOVED
- Phil Collins, No Jacket Required (Fully Tailored)
R&B/Soul
- George Riley, More is More
- Ayoni, ISOLA
- Ali McGuirk, Watertop
- Peyton, Au
- ABIR, The Game
Classical
- Ember, Birds of Paradise
- HAUSER, CINEMA
- Jordi Savall, Haydn: The Seasons
- The Kanneh-Masons, River of Music
Rock/Alt/Indie
- Algernon Cadwallader, Trying Not to Have a Thought
- Liquid Mike, Hell Is an Airport
- Swell Maps, The John Peel Sessions
- Maruja, Pain to Power
- snuggle, Goodbyehouse
- Margaret Glaspy, The Golden Heart Protector
- Dancer, More or Less
- Gruff Rhys, Dim Probs
- Iron & Wine and Ben Bridwell, Making Good Time EP
- Whitney K, Bubble
- jasmine.4.t, You Are The Morning (YBT Deluxe)
- Devendra Banhart, Cripple Crow (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
- Baxter Dury, Allbarone
- Acopia, Blush Response
- Adam Buxton, Buckle Up
- Alex Bloom, Across the Country
- Aug Stone, Stone Soup
- Bass Drum of Death, SIX
- Between the Buried and Me, The Blue Nowhere
- Boyish, Gun
- Cafuné, Bite Reality
- Dazzling Killmen, Dig Out The Switch
- Djo, The Crux Deluxe
- Grateful Dead, Blues for Allah (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
- hannah bahng, The Misunderstood EP
- In The Pines, Sunbeam Dream
- Jens Lekman, Songs For Other People’s Weddings
- Joviale, Mount Crystal
- Julia, Julia, Sugaring a Strawberry
- Karate, If You Can Hold Your Breath (5 LPs)
- Kyle Hollingsworth, All We Are
- Laveda, Love, Darla
- Legss, Unreal
- Matt Bachmann, Compost Karaoke
- Matt Maeson, A Quiet & Harmless Living
- mei ehara, All About McGuffin
- Mitch Rowland, Whistling Pie
- Nevertel, Start Again
- Paul Muldoon & Rogue Oliphant, Visible From Space
- Robin Kester, Dark Sky Reserve
- Silver Gore, Dogs in Heaven
- Sydney Minsky Sargeant, Lunga
- Tedeschi Trucks Band & Leon Russell, Tedeschi Trucks Band and Leon Russell Present: Mad Dogs & Englishmen Revisited Live at LOCKN’
- Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Beethoven’s Last Night (25th Anniversary)
- Twenty One Pilots, Breach
- Umphrey’s McGee, Blueprints
- Will Paquin, Hahaha
- Your Smith, The Rub
- Chloe Stroll , Bloom in the Break
- Warren Haynes, The Whisper Sessions
Credits
- Host: Stephen Thompson
- Guest: Raina Douris, WXPN
- Audio Producer: Noah Caldwell
- Digital Producer: Elle Mannion
- Editor: Otis Hart
- Production Assistant: Dora Levite
- Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Copyright 2025 NPR