It's Friday, and you need to pass the time until catching the latest (and apparently good!) Marvel movie. How about counterbalancing those monoculture tendencies with some great independent rock albums?
Julie Bee, host of Amplified on Marfa Public Radio joins NPR Music's Stephen Thompson to talk through Car Seat Headrest's return, the newest albums from Samantha Crain, PUP, Jenny Hval and more on our latest New Music Friday episode.
Listen to the show below and scroll down to see our long list of albums out May 2.
The Starting Five
Our hosts share the backstories and best songs from the following albums:
- Car Seat Headrest, The Scholars (Stream)
- Samantha Crain, Gumshoe (Stream)
- PUP, Who Will Look After The Dogs? (Stream)
- Jenny Hval, Iris Silver Mist (Stream)
- Jolie Laide, Creatures (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:
- Lucius, Lucius
- Milkweed, Remscéla
- Model/Actriz, Pirouette
- Souleance, Kebab Discothèque
- Clem Snide, Oh, Smokey
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
For those who want to dig even deeper, here are the week's new albums sorted by genre:
Classical
- Yuja Wang, Shostakovich: The Piano Concertos | Solo Works
- Black Violin, Full Circle
- Chloe Flower, I Love Me More
- Seong-Jin Cho, Ravel: The Complete Solo Piano Works and Concertos
Country/Folk/Americana
- Esther Rose, Want
- Eric Church, Evangeline vs. The Machine
- Hardy, Country!
- Maddie & Tae, Love & Light
- Peggy Seeger, Teleology
- Rebecca Lynn Howard, I'm Not Who You Think I Am
Electronic/Out There
- Eli Keszler, Eli Keszler
- Loscil, Lake Fire
- Surgeon, Shell~Wave
- Alex Marsh, Trellis
- Anthony Naples, Scanners
- Anthony Pateras, Reise der Schatten
- Anysia Kym & Loraine James, Clandestine EP
- Asterisk, No School
- Charlotte Plank, ClubLiminal
- Colombian Drone Mafia + Gibrana Cervantes, Memoria
- Gryofield, Akin/Mother EP
- Imryll, Obscure Blood & Love
- James Krivchenia, Performing Belief
- Messenger Girls Trio, Genius Loop Duos
- Omid Geadizadeh, Like The Sea Knows Blue (مثل دریا که آبی را می شناسد)
- Peverelist, Pulse Decay EP
- Schiela, Who We Are EP
- Shine Grooves, Sequences For Fluttering
- The Balloonist, Dreamland
- Torn Hawk, Watching Heat on Mute
- Flume & JPEGMAFIA, We Live In A Society EP
Global
- Ding Dong, From Ding Dong to World Ding
- Fuerza Regida, 111XPANTIA
- Meiko Kaji, Yadokari + Shura No Hana
- Sami Galbi, Ylh Bye Bye
Jazz
- Enji, Sonor
- Angel Bat Dawid and Naima Nefertari, Journey to Nabta Playa
- Arve Henriksen, Trygve Seim, Anders Jormin, Markku Ounaskari, Arcanum
- Deborah Silver with the Count Basie Orchestra, Basie Rocks!
- Julia Úlehla and Dálava, Understories
- Kurt Rosenwinkel & Jean-Paul Brodbeck, The Brahms Project
Pop
- Aly & AJ, Silver Deliverer
- Briston Maroney, Jimmy
- Låpsley, I'M A HURRICANE I'M A WOMAN IN LOVE
R&B/Soul
- Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Naturally (20th Anniversary Edition)
- Xavier Omär, HunnyMoon Mountain
Rap/Hip-Hop
- Wretch, 32 Home?
- Youngs Teflon, Keep The Change
- Benny The Butcher, Excelsior
- Boldy James & Real Bad Man, Conversational Pieces
- Diuragga, 77th
- Key Glock, Glockaveli
- Yung Lean, Jonatan
- Teether and Kuya Neil, YEARN IV
Rock/Alt/Indie
- Blondshell, If You Asked For A Picture
- Real Estate, The Wee Small Hours: B-Sides and Other Detritus 2011 - 2025
- John Cale, MiXology (volume 1)
- Monnone Alone, Here Comes the Afternoon
- Eli Winter, A Trick of the Light
- Press Club, To All The Ones That I Love
- Propagandhi, At Peace
- Suzanne Vega, Flying With Angels
- Kassi Valazza, From Newman Street
- Bleed, Bleed
- Carriers, Every Time I Feel Afraid
- Club Night, Joy Coming Down
- Dope Lemon, Golden Wolf
- Ember Knight, Embers Sings the Dr Bronner Soap Label EP
- Gringo Star, Sweethearts
- KiNG MALA, And You Who Drowned In The Grief Of A Golden Thing
- Lael Neale, Altogether Stranger
- Laura Hickli, dark secrets
- Litronix, One A Day Keeps The Doctor Away
- Louis Philippe and The Night Mail, The Road To The Sea
- NewDad, Safe EP
- Paco Cathcart, Down on Them
- Panik Flowers, rearview EP
- Pet Symmetry, Big Symmetry
- Pink Floyd, Pink Floyd at Pompeii - MCMLXXII
- Punchbag, I'm Not Your Punchbag EP
- Pyramids, Pythagoras
- Rainy Miller, Joseph, What Have You Done?
- Sally Potter, Anatomy
- SENTRIES, Gem of the West
- Sextile, Yes, Please
- Thanya Iyer, Tide/Tied
- The Supernaturals, Show Tunes
Credits
- Host: Stephen Thompson
- Guest: Julie Bee, Marfa Public Radio
- Producer: Simon Rentner
- Editors: Otis Hart and Elle Mannion
- Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
- Vice President, Music and Visuals: Keith Jenkins
Copyright 2025 NPR
