New Album Release Cycle For 6-13-2025
Full album list, my thoughts on some and Apple Music and Spotify Playlists
Happy Sunday! A surprisingly light week for new releases, at least for things I dig, but I did find a couple of standouts and a dozen or so total albums that are worth investigating. Below, you will find thoughts on albums from Annahstasia, Bug Club, and Common Holly. You will also find a song from Brittany Davis, whose album Black Thunder came out this week on Loosegroove. Loosegroove is Stone Gossard from Pearl Jam’s record label. It is a fully improvised album that is spoken word, jazz, and more. It is one of two artists today that will get the Nina Simone comparison from me. The pleasant funk of Hot Mustard is on the playlist, as is Chicago dream/hyper/shoegaze pop artist Lipsticism. Maiya Blaney is doing some interesting stuff with drum and bass, other forms of EDM, and soul. Murder By Death is winding down as a band, and their new album Egg & Dart will be their last (until it is not). Sea Lemon is your shoegaze artist this week—it’s a good one. Steve Queralt is from the band Ride. He has an album out of post-punk, ambient music that is right in my wheelhouse and pushing that endorphin button. Emma Anderson from Lush does vocals on a couple of songs, and that is worth the price of admission alone. Jazz artist Theo Croker is back with a new album, and UK pop artist Nxdia is here as well. Somehow, Mary Halvorson has snuck out two albums in 2025—I caught this one. She is one of my favorite jazz artists, and this one is a pretty deep listen, but if that is your thing, this will thrill.
HERE IS THE APPLE MUSIC PLAYLIST
Annahstasia – Tether -We may look back on folk artist Annahstasia’s debut album one day as a release of importance. It sure feels that way. The Los Angeles artist will get compared to Nina Simone and Tracy Chapman, but if you are a fan of early Grace Cummings works, I think you will find that comparison there also. The vocals are raw at times and full of absolutely genuine emotion that will shake any of the songs quickly out of being background music. The songs are pretty stripped-down acoustic numbers, but there is wonderful production on this also, and every now and then little surprises will happen, like extra vocals or something far off in the background. We go from aching, soulful pleas in Be Kind to light, plucky folk in Unrest, with vocals that remind one of Joni Mitchell. When we get to Overflow, we find that Annahstasia can put out a powerful vocal performance worthy of Chapman or Buckley. This is a must-listen.
Bug Club-Very Human Features-Bug Club have been around a decade, and this is the Wales group's third album. I am not sure if I have listened to them or not. It is probably something I could have easily written off as a novelty and moved on. The first single on this album grabbed me, though. The song was 'Jealous Boy,' which had a familiar sound to me, and a local musician told me exactly who I thought it sounded like—the Chicago band Dhed. Very Human Features is pretty all over the place, with the silly, childlike but fun 'When the Little Choo Choo Train Toos His Little Horn' to the odd, and intriguing spoken-word acoustic piece 'Muck (Very Human Features).' This won’t appeal to everyone, but for some, I think it will resonate once you sink into it."
Common Holly-Anything Glass-Common Holly is Brigitte Naggar from Canada, and this is the debut album. I found it intriguing in that it is pretty simple, straightforward, pretty, and listenable. Lyrically, in structure and in tone, though, it is subtly avant-garde, whereas many artists that could be called that are pretty in your face with how unique they are or want you to think they are. There are subtle classical and jazz nuances in the music—piano parts that linger a little longer, some ambient flourishes—but on the surface, you feel as if you are listening to the latest singer-songwriter in a long line of singer-songwriters. I think Common Holly has a fresh take, though.
49th & Main – Happy Tears
Ada Morghe – Pure Good Vibes
Adam Beyer – Explorer Vol.1
AJ Tracey-Don’t Die Before Your Dead
Annahstasia – Tether
Brett Young – 2.0
Brandee Younger-Gadabout Season
Brittany Davis – Black Thunder
Buckcherry – Roar Like Thunder
The Bug Club – Very Human Features
Buscabulla – Se Amaba Así
Calum Hood – ORDER chaos ORDER
Common Holly – Anything glass
The Cure – Mixes of a Lost World
The Dare – What’s Wrong With New York?: Afters
Dierks Bentley – Broken Branches
EST Gee-My World
Estelle Allen-Stoner
Fallujah – Xenotaph
Fear Dorian-Out The Past With A Window
Felly – Ambroxyde
Gary Wilson – Come On
Goya – In the Dawn of November
Graham Hunt – Timeless World Forever
Grateful Dead – Greatest Hits
Hexvessel-Nocturne
Hot Mustard – Mustard Season
iann dior – CYCLES
James Marriott-Don’t Tell The Dog
Juicy J & Logic-Live And In Color
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Phantom Island
Leikeli47 – Lei keli ft 47 / For Promotional Use Only
Lil Tecca-Dopamine
Lipsticism – Wanted To Show You
LSDXOXO – DGTL ANML
Lyra Pramuk – Hymnal
Maiya Blaney – A Room With a Door That Closes
Mister Romantic (John C. Reilly) – What’s Not to Love?
Murder By Death – Egg & Dart
neil young and chrome hearts – Talkin to the Trees
Noah Carter-Gould & Gronne
Patrick Wolf – Crying the Neck
Sea Lemon – Diving For A Prize
Slick Rick-Victory
Steve Queralt (of Ride) – Swallow
Terri Lyne Carrington and Christie Dashiell – We Insist 2025!
Theo Croker – Dream Manifest
TOKiMONSTA – Eternal Reverie with Eternal Reverie Remixes EP. 2
Van Morrison – Remembering Now
Various Artists – Smurfs (Music From and Inspired By)
Witch-Soglo
Woodkid – Woodkid for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Young Gods-Appear Disappear