New Release Album Cycle For 1-17-2025

Includes album list, my thoughts on some and this weeks playlist

Welcome to the new week. Here are a few albums that stood out to me this week. Also included is the full list of albums released this week and the playlist. The playlist includes songs from the albums I have talked about, but also some I think some of you might dig and some I am going to spend some more time with. Follow the playlist on Spotify as it updates every Sunday.

Some of the artists on here that I do not fully write about include indie slacker rock band Some Fear and Manchester band Delights, who are trying to claim they are like The Rapture and Hot Chip in their press release, but I don’t really hear that. Also on here is Australian pop duo Geowulf and Lots of Hands from the UK. Also included is Jasmine.4.t, which should get a lot of press as it is produced by boygenius, is on Phoebe Bridgers vanity label and has members of boygenius all over it. Portland singer-songwriter Mary Eliza is on there, as is Manchester rock band Pastel. They sound like Manchester. Songhoy Blues from Mali closes it out.

Victoria Canal-Slowly, It Dawns-This has the potential to be one of the true breakout artists of 2025. Historically when I talk about perfect pop albums, I am talking about like Nick Lowe and shit like that. In 2025 this might be the example of a perfect pop album. There are elements of Billie, Phoebe; she is mentored by Chris from Coldplay (don’t let that turn you off if you are not a Coldplay fan); it can have a fleeting element come out of nowhere, such as a dubstep flourish. Some of it is straight-up catchy pop music (the first half), and the second half is more of the whispery, piano-based, wistful, heavy songwriter tunes. It all works; it’s all well done, and if this artist gets a few ears, this has the potential to snowball. If you are going to take a dip into the album, check out “Black Swan’, “Cake,” “Talk,” and “California Sober” and go from there.

Flora Hibberd-Swirl-This is my favorite album out this week. I wasn’t aware of this artist, but I have been digging into their back catalog this week and am all in. The French songwriter has a quirky sound I like that I have found so appealing in recent years from artists such as Mariah Hackman, Leila Moss, and maybe Cate Le Bon. Sure, Cate Le Bon. It’s not a weird album by any means; it’s a plucky singer-songwriter with a little different swagger than others. There is a whimsy to many of these songs that is infectious. The songs have really, really dug into me, and I am at that anticipation stage in listening to the record where I can’t wait for “Code,” “Auto Icon,” and “Jesse” to come on, and then “Ticket” becomes my favorite on that listen. Check this out. This will be a favorite album of the year for me easily.

Ela Minus-Dia-this is the second album from the Columbian electronic music producer and songwriter. I was unware of this artist prior to this week. This album started playing right as the caffeine kicked in this morning, so it might be a timing thing, but the song “Broken” really hit all of those endorphin buttons for me. Soaring, pretty and epic. The album is very well done dance music that is as much songwriter based as it is EDM. It’s not going to scare away any listeners that think they are too old to listen to electronic music. There is a dark vibe, and some more sinister sounds and a little glitch that creep in along the way which keeps things interesting. This is worth a listen.

Album List

Borns-Honeybee

David Gray – Dear Life

Delights – If Heaven Looks A Little Like This

Delivery – Force Majeure

DUNES – Land of the Blind

Eidola-Mend

Ela Minus – DIA

Ex-Void-In Love Again

Flora Hibberd – Swirl

Geowulf – The Child

Godzillionaire – Diminishing Returns

Grave Digger-Bone Collector

jasmine.4.t – You Are the Morning

Kele – The Singing Winds Pt. 3

lots of hands – into a pretty room

Mac Miller – Balloonerism

Mary Eliza – Spider

Necrodeath – Arimortis

nolmit-Knock2

Pastel – Souls in Motion

Pigeon Pit – Crazy Arms

Prism Shores-Out From Underneath

Rose Gray – Louder, Please

Rufus Wainwright – Dream Requiem

Songhoy Blues – Héritage

Sophie Jamieson – I still want to share

Victoria Canal – Slowly, It Dawns

Wafia – Promised Land

The Weather Station – Humanhood

Willow Avalon – Southern Belle Raisin’ Hell

Zora – BELLAdonna