It's Friday, and while you may be hard at work thinking about what your song of the summer is — or what it should be — over here in the land of New Music Friday, we've been focused on the future. Over the past few weeks, we've been previewing dozens of the albums that hit streaming today, Aug. 8, in order to present to you, the listener, a short list of potential new faves.
This week, we loved Atlanta rapper J.I.D's highly anticipated God Does Like Ugly, which is overflowing with features from Clipse, Vince Staples and Ty Dolla $ign to name a few. Amaarae's BLACK STAR is a futuristic album steeped in nostalgia (with a necessary cameo from PinkPantheress). And Ethel Cain returns with a prequel to her epochal album Preacher's Daughter; it's called Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You.
Stephen Thompson welcomes DeShun Nance from NPR Member station WJSU's The Sipp to the show to discuss these albums and more favorites out this week. Listen to the show beginning at 3 a.m. ET right here or wherever you get your podcasts.
The Starting Five
Our hosts share the backstories and best songs from the following albums:
💿 J.I.D, God Does Like Ugly (Stream)
- Recommended If You Like: EARTHGANG, Dreamville
💿 Ethel Cain, Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You (Stream)
- RIYL: Haunted houses, southern gothic
💿 Amaarae, BLACK STAR (Stream)
- RIYL: Tems, PinkPantheress
💿 Charley Crockett, Dollar a Day (Stream)
- RIYL: Sturgill Simpson, Sierra Ferrell
💿 Gordi, Like Plasticine (Stream)
- RIYL: Lucius, Bon Iver
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:
💿 Hayes Carll, We're Only Human
💿 Big Freedia, Pressing Onward
💿 Ashley Monroe, Tennessee Lightning
💿 Bryson Tiller, The Vices
💿 Ada Lea, when i paint my masterpiece
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:
Electronic/Out There
- Cameo Blush, Grace In Motion EP
- Phil Elverum & Arrington de Dionyso, GIANT OPENING MOUTH ON THE GROUND
- DJ K, RADIO LIBERTADORA!
- Mechatok, Wide Awake
- Ninajirachi, I Love My Computer
- Valesuchi, Futuro Cercano
Classical
- Joe Hisaishi, Joe Hisaishi Conducts
- Tamar Sagiv, Shades of Mourning
Country/Folk/Americana
- Bailey Zimmerman, Different Night Same Rodeo
Jazz
- John McLaughlin, Live at Montreux Jazz Festival 2022
- Tom Gershwin, Wellspring
Pop
- David Franklin Courtright, Brutal Tenderness
- Blessing Offor, Real
- Conor Matthews, Magic
- Elijah Waters, Violence!
- Good Charlotte, Motel Du Cap
- Jonas Brothers, Greetings From Your Hometown
- mgk, lost americana
R&B/Soul
- Craig David, Commitment
- Kaash Paige, KAASHMYCHECKS EP
- Isaia Huron, CONCUBANIA
- iyla, WEEPING ANGEL
- Jenevieve, CRYSALIS
- Lew Apollo, Fool's Gold
- Majestic Arrows, The Magic of the Majestic Arrows (Reissue)
- Odyssey, Odyssey (Reissue)
- V/A, Stax Revue: Live In '65!
Rap/Hip-Hop
- Gunna, The Last Wun
- DJ Premier and Roc Marciano, The Coldest Profession
- Mozzy, INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS 2
- Young Nudy, PARADISE
Rock/Alt/Indie
- Galaxie 500, CBGB 12.13.88
- Les Rallizes Dénudés, Jittoku '76
- Westside Cowboy, This Better Be Something Great EP
- Teethe, Magic of the Sale
- The Black Keys, No Rain, No Flowers
- Thee Oh Sees, ABOMINATION REVEALED AT LAST
- America, Hearts (Reissue)
- Anamanaguchi, Anyway
- Animals in Exile, Animals in Exile
- BABYMETAL, Metal Forth
- Bad Suns, Accelerator
- Chris Staples, Don't Worry
- Crypt Sermon, Saturnian Appendices
- Field Medic, Surrender Instead
- Humour, Learning Greek
- Lydia Night, Parody of Pleasure
- Mild Orange, The//Glow
- NEWMEN, Terminal Beach
- No Joy, Bugland
- P.G. Six, The Well of Memory (2025 Expanded Edition)
- Primitive Impulse, Piss It Away
- Shepparton Airplane, Forecast
- T. Hardy Morris, Artificial Tears
- The Royston Club, Song for the Spine
- Theurgion, All Under Heaven
- Warburton, Hurricane
- Wombo, Danger in Fives
- Host: Stephen Thompson
- Guest: DeShun Nance, The Sipp
- Audio Producer: Noah Caldwell
- Digital Producer: Elle Mannion
- Production Assistant: Dora Levite
- Editor: Otis Hart
- Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Copyright 2025 NPR
