NPR Music - New Music Friday: The best albums out June 27

Episode Date: June 27, 2025

Madison McFerrin. Adrian Quesada of Black Pumas. Durand Jones & The Indications. KALW's Wonway Posibul joins NPR Music's Stephen Thompson to share their favorite new releases of the week.Intro:• Bruce Springsteen, 'Tracks II: The Lost Albums' (Read our guide to the box set on npr.org)• Lorde, 'Virgin' (Read our review on npr.org)The Starting 5:• Laura Stevenson, 'Late Great'• Adrian Quesada, 'Boleros Psicodélicos II'• Madison McFerrin, 'Scorpio'• Durand Jones & The Indications, 'Flowers'• Herbert & Momoko, 'Clay'The Lightning Round:• Frankie Cosmos, 'Different Talking'• Dana and Alden, 'Speedo'• Brighde Chaimbeul, 'Sunwise'• Mocky, 'Music Will Explain (Choir Music Vol. 1)'• Tim Barnes, 'Lost Words / Noumena'Check out our Long List of new albums out June 27 and sample more than 50 of them via our New Music Friday playlist on npr.org.CreditsHost: Stephen ThompsonGuest: Wonway Posibul, KALWProducer: Simon RentnerEditor: Otis HartExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSee pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Happy Friday, everyone from NPR Music. It's New Music Friday. I'm Stephen Thompson here with One Way Possible from KALW in the San Francisco Bay Area. Hey, Juan. Hey, Stephen, how's it going? It is a pleasure to have you. There is so much good music out today, June 27th, to talk about, we didn't even get it all. There are two really highly notable records out today that we did not get an opportunity to listen to in advance.

Bruce Springsteen. He's got this new box set. It is called Tracks 2 The Lost Albums. One, it is seven albums worth of unreleased Bruce Springsteen. I know that the fans are going to be really happy about that to have that many tracks and hours of music from Bruce. It's more than 70 completely unheard, unreleased songs. These recordings span 1983 to 2018.

Today is a feast of Bruce Springsteeniana. Yeah, yeah, you just take your whole Friday if you want and just go off. It should be like an all-Bruce party somewhere. I'm sure it's going to happen. I'd imagine a lot of those people, they're not listening to this on Friday, because they have spent Friday listening to this whole record. You can go to NPR.org slash music. Karen Rose has a really nice breakdown of tracks to The Lost albums.

Also want to point out, we did not get a chance to hear the new record from Lord. Her fourth album is called Virgin. It's the follow-up to Solar Power from 2021, kind of an uncharacteristically subdued record, got kind of mixed reviews. This one, she's pledged it's going to have more bangers. The singles she's put out certainly suggest a little bit more intensity, but we haven't heard the whole record to be sure. We are going to kick off with a record we have heard in its entirety. It's by the wonderful Laura Stevenson. The album is called Late Great.

No one's come close enough to ever love me back in equal parts, in equal size, in equal parts. and equal size, honey. Laura Stevenson, for those who don't know her, she's kind of your favorite singer-songwriter's favorite singer-songwriter. She's a longtime collaborator with Jeff Rosenstock, the great kind of rock and roller label, she's putting out this record on Rosenstock's label, and she's one of my favorite songwriters around.

She has such a gift for toggling between kind of furious rock and tender singer-songwriterliness that still has tension and power. I love artists who just kind of lay it all on the table emotionally. That always gets to me. And yeah, I know she talked about kind of going through a breakup through this process and you really do hear the heartbreak in the music, not to wish that on anybody, but just relatable content for anybody going through it right now.

She recorded a Tiny Desk concert right before the pandemic while very pregnant. And in the years since, her relationship broke up. She became a mother. She went through the pandemic like everybody else. And she's in the process this spring of getting a master's degree in music therapy. This is a record about standing on the ashes and seeing possibilities. I'm a firm believer that you just got to get it out. And it's beautiful for artists that can be so vulnerable and transparent.

And I hope that she's in a much better space. And I talk about this all the time on this show. I don't want to hear a breakup record because I want you to all to be happy. I want my favorite musicians to be loving life. But it's interesting listening to this record kind of in the continuum of her career. When we had her at the tiny desk, Bob Boylan had the idea, God bless him. I wanted to bring her, just have her singer-songwriter, acoustic guitar,

keep it simple. And Bob was like, let's have a string section. Let's commission string charts for her. songs and it is so beautiful. That tiny desk concert just wrecks me every time. There was a marriage proposal at that tiny desk. It just felt like a very special show. And then listening to this record, you hear a bunch of strings coming in. There's, I couldn't sleep, you know, which builds to this big kind of bombastic climax. There are strings all over it. And I just like to think she played that tiny desk and thought, more like this. Yeah, yeah, I was going to say the same thing. I couldn't

sleep really grabbed me because it was a cool song and then at the end there's that section of the strings and it just kind of takes it to another level and I really appreciate that. She knows how to let a song build and that's one thing I noticed kind of happening again and again on this record. Songs that might, you know, have, you know, kind of a swirl of guitars or maybe play it more of a softer whisper, then build to something really grand. Sometimes with strings, sometimes just like guitars. That kind of dynamic. quality really sucked me into this record over and over again and really allowed me to kind of rest on her meditations and then rock out as these songs build. And it's like, again, this is

somebody who is now a professional music therapist. She has made a record that functions as professional music therapy. I think it's one of my taglines. It's always like music is medicine and she's proven that for sure. That is Laura Stevenson. Her new album is called Late Great. Next up, another really terrific record. Adrian Casada from the Black Pumas has a new record called Boleros Psychedelicos 2. Oh man, it's so, so good. I fell in love with the first volume and then taken into a higher level when I was stumbling across PBS one night and caught his Austin City Limits performance and just

completely blown away. And then recently, I got to catch him on tour with Hermanos Gutierrez and just every, Every iteration has been amazing. The idea behind it is sort of re-envisioning kind of psychedelic boleros, you know, Latin America ballada music from the late 60s and early 70s, and bringing in this huge kind of army of high-profile guest stars to come in and sing on it. And man, Juan, I was so sucked in by this record, which, you know, is so timeless and stylish. That first volume was really intended to sound like it was recorded in the 19th.

But there's also these little hip-hop flourishes. There's a track called Afwera, you know, featuring Eric Maverick, that has, like, you know, little hip-hop beats to it in ways that you would not have heard in an archival recording from the 70s. Yeah, it's updated for now, and it hits home at all the best ways. It's like memories of my grandmother, my mom, watching old, soap operas, novellas, to old films, listening to records that just really carried that sound. But kind of speaking to our generation, he's like, no, I got you.

I got the beats. It's a great mix, and I think he really expanded on the concept in such a beautiful way. I'm a fan of Juan Garcia Esquivel, who made those kind of zazzy cocktail jazz records in the 50s and 60s. And, you know, they kind of had this boomlet in the 90s where Juan Garcia Esquivel kind of had this moment. It was very much like really spring jazz that was just meant to use every part of the stereo that was really just meant to be maximalist high-fi sound. And there's a track called No Huigo, which features Angelica Garcia. on vocals, you know, who bring tons and tons of drama. But the arrangement around her feels of a piece with those wonderful classic Juan Garcia Esquivel records.

Angelica Garcia, another artist who's just been killing it. I really loved her solo project. And she actually discovered her at that same Austin City Limit Show. I mean, I'd heard her on the album, but then seeing her perform, I was blown away. I really loved Bravo. Yeah, Ile! Yeah, oh my God, her voice kills me. Her and Mirea Ramos, who's in a Floor de Tolache, who's been a frequent collaborator.

Oh my God, their voices are just outstanding. They just break me every time I hear them. There's also one, like, really dynamite instrumental on this record. There's a track called El Diamante, which is an instrumental that really feels like it has a voice. It's so distinct. This record, all the ingredients are there for a wonderful, wonderful record, even if it didn't have all these great voices on it. Yeah, that's the beauty of Adrian Casasada.

He collaborates so well, but he's also like, give me a second. Let me just hop on the guitar and do my thing, and you guys will be good. Yeah. That is Boleros Psychedelicos 2 from Adrian Casada. We've got some more records we're going to get into, but first, let's take a quick break. From NPR Music, it's New Music Friday. I'm Stephen Thompson here with One Way Possible from KALW in the San Francisco Bay Area. Juan, tell me about the show that you're doing on KALW.

I do a show Monday through Friday, 8 to 10 on KLW. My tagline for it is forgotten favorites, future favorites, all the journeys in between. I try to just take you a couple different places, many different genres throughout the show, usually five or six broken up into segments. and it's just been really fun introducing the Bay Area a lot of music that gets put under the radar. We just got our app so you can go wherever you download apps, check out KLW.

And of course, check out the website, kLW.org. And I highly recommend that you subscribe to our music newsletter because we're doing so many cool things out here in the Bay Area with music festivals and events. And yeah, you want to be tuned in and caught up with us. Now, Juan, you're also working on a play. Tell me about it. Yeah, I work as an actor and I do a lot of theater.

A couple years back, I worked with this amazing playwright, Luis Alfaro, who did a play The Traveler. He's a MacArthur Genius Award winner. We were able to tour it out in L.A. And so now we worked on his next play, original piece, which he's been writing in conjunction with the actors to write for their voice called Las Lan. It's about kind of a redemptive journey from somebody released from incarceration, trying to reconnect with his family. And it's beautiful, and I'm super excited.

We're about to be opening tomorrow night. So if you're in San Francisco, come get some great theater in your life. Wonderful. Thank you, Juan. Well, next up, we have an artist from the Bay Area. How's that for a segue? Madison McFerrin has a new album called Scorpy. The incredible McFerrin family up and down.

Daughter of Bobby. Yep, and sister of Taylor, who's also such a fantastic musician. and I always wonder, like, what's it like at the dinner table with those three? Like, are they just all just, you know, scatting? A lot of a cappella vocals. Yeah, so, so, so cool. And, yeah, I've been a fan of Madison for a while. I've got to share the stage with her a couple times that she's been in the bay, so I'm a big fan.

Listening to this record, genre-wise, really all over the map in a wonderful way. And kind of sleek, stylish, breezy, pop, R&B and soul. But she's weaving in these little flourishes of jazz and gospel. She describes her sound as future soul. And that really comes through. There's a track called Spent that has these whispers of like, I only have eyes for you. You know, so you can add like doo-wop to the kind of the glimmers of what's coming through here.

Or a song like Over and Forever is like a sly dance pop song. She's so conversant in so. many different sounds, which kind of makes sense given how steeped in sound she's been her whole life. And it's really cool if you've been following her career, her growth as a producer and a songwriter, because I think her first projects were produced by her brother or other people, and now she's fully producing everything. I loved Over, yeah, like kind of bring in it some uptempo, housey vibes in there, something to dance to. And it's funny, yet another big breakup out. Yeah. If you catch it, yeah.

Talking about her almost marriage, and she just, I love the way she kind of handles it, kind of a tongue-in-cheek style, but, you know, has a good outlook on it. We often find ourselves kind of stumbling over themes, you know, as we listen to these groupings of records. Yes, it's a breakup record. It's also like the Laura Stevenson record. Like, it's a record about kind of surveying the ash pile of your life and then deciding where to go from there.

We were supposed to get married today. Instead, I'm here all alone in our home With no one to call my own Make a mistake The track I Don't Which was co-produced by Willow Another person giving Nepo Baby's a good name It's definitely a breakup song

But it really is about Can Get Your Life from the other side Yeah, she has a great outlook on it She comes out and she feels, it just, yeah, it feels great I think it's pretty uplifting in a way There's a track called Run It Back. I would describe the sound as almost like solo gospel, a gospel that doesn't need a choir.

It's a voice and a piano. But it has the energy and the force of gospel, but it's reduced to its kind of most elemental in greets. I like that one a lot. I caught it. It's also like a little late night. vibe, really catchy. Yeah, that definitely stuck out for me.

That is Scorpio from Madison McFerrin. Next up, Duran Jones and The Indications. New record, it's called Flowers. This is like the perfect record. Although San Francisco is still cold right now, if you don't know about San Francisco, we're like, it's like 50 degrees outside at the moment. But this is the like California, West Coast,

summertime record. So vibey, so fun. I really enjoyed listening to this one. This one felt really of a piece with the Adrian Casado record to me. You know, kind of sparkly, mellow, psychedelic vibes throughout. So confident. A throwback without being a vintage, kind of vintage style novelty act, like drawing on sounds of the past,

but finding ways to keep it current, finding ways to give it a little jolt of energy. There's a track called Really Want to Be With. you. The album's been kind of rolling along with those kind of summary West Coast vibes or whatever. They formed at Indiana University, but the vibes are still there. But like really want to be with you kind of picks up on that vintage, vibey sound, but gives it a little kick. God to be you can't get you next to me. Wish that I can make you see. Sweat to God is destiny. But I can't lie. Drink or two. I can't help but tell the truth.

I was that you already knew and hoping that you feel it too. I just can't hide. There's no disguise. I was just struck this whole record just how unbelievably confident and consistent it is. I think it's a really delicate balance

of doing a total nostalgia piece with trying to make something current. I love their balance of it. It's easy to hear a record like this and kind of let it just hang in the background because it's so extremely well, craft it. It too thematically fits in with some of what we're talking about. The title Flowers refers to growing up and kind of tending your garden, enjoying the fruits of adulthood.

That's like kind of lyrically a theme of the record, but it also speaks to how kind of grown up this sound feels. I also enjoyed the track been so long. That to me that was one of the standouts of the record. That is Flowers by Durand Jones and the Indications. We've got one more record as well as a lightning round. First, we're going to take a quick break. From NPR Music, it's New Music Friday. I'm Stephen Thompson here with One Way Possible from KALW in the San Francisco Bay Area. We're going to get to our lightning round of some of our other favorite records out this week.

But first, we got one more record we wanted to talk about in some depth. It's by Herbert and Momoko. It's called Clay. Coffee Don't you leave it all be high. I was blown away by this record. This was the last one I listened to. Not that I was being dismissive,

but I just didn't recognize it. And then I listened, and I was just like staring at my speaker. I was just blowing away. I wasn't aware of Matthew Herbert's work as a DJ and producer, and then teaming up with this drummer, vocalist, Momoko Gil, and just the way that they put it together

and his style of taking like random everyday sounds into his production. It just works so, so well. It's crazy. Yeah, he's a veteran. He's been around for a really long time and has done a lot of really high concept records around sounds. In some cases, kind of found sounds. Sometimes it's archival sound. Sometimes it's overtly political. Sometimes it's something as simple as like the sounds of basketballs.

But you really never know listening to his music where a sound is coming from. And in that way, he is an utterly distinct producer. He's not the only producer who's ever worked with Found Sounds, obviously. But he really has made it his life's work. And it just comes through here in such fascinating and arresting ways. I want to single out a track called Moing. You couldn't see it. One just pointed his index finger.

wagged it at me, like mowing. This song is constantly bending and warping and clattering amid the sound of God knows what. There are tons of producers that do the found sounds, and I enjoy that, but it's not easy to have something balanced and just like the mix of the two, like the beautiful vocals over the sound that like in mowing, which I know it was like almost like industrial, but it just completely worked.

Both Herbert and Mamoko Gill know their way around subtlety, know when to dial things back. Like she is an extremely expressive singer, not kind of overly emotive or melismatic, but always just completely in command. And so in that way, she's a perfect collaborator for him, because she can handle the kind of mellow reflections, but then you get a track like Baby Stoller. which has this kind of wild, swirly dance pop sound, hypnotic and warped, all these great things that the sounds are doing.

But she hangs with that brilliantly as a singer. Yeah, I was thinking about that track too. I'm a big little dragon fan. Hearing Baby Star kind of gave me that memory of like hearing Little Dragon for the first time, not to compare them, but just like in terms of excitement, like, wow, what is this? The whole record mixes kind of dance floor fodder

with headphone music. And, you know, I haven't broken it out and tried dancing to it, but I have listened to it under headphones. And it is all purpose. It is an album for all season. You just describe my lane right there. That's it right there. I want to dance and I want something from my headphones.

It's perfect. That is Clay by Herbert and Mamoco. Juan Weep could not possibly get to every record out today, June 27th. I'm going to kick us off with a quick lightning round. Greta Klein has been recording clever DIY bedroom pop as Frankie Cosmos for more than a decade now.

And in that time, Frankie Cosmos has become a full-fledged band unto itself with members like Katie Von Schleiker contributing to arrangements that have grown more elaborate and accomplished. Today, the band releases its sixth album. It's called Different Talking. Another great surprise

this week coming from Dana and Alden really great jazz duo out of Europe. I'm not even sure if I should call it jazz, but it's like you're starting with a jazz album, but it explodes all over the place. What I love, you don't know where it's going to turn next. I got like some Serge Gainsburg, even a little Wu-Tang influence in there. It's been a really fun listen. That album is called Speedos. Ritcha Campbell is a Celtic musician who's mastered the Scottish small pipes.

Think like a less piercing cousin of the Highland Back. If you thought it might be impossible for bagpipe music to sound soothing, think again. aided by like-minded collaborators like Colin Stetson, Campbell uses the small pipes to make dense and developing drones that meet somewhere between experimentation and tradition. Breacher Campbell's new album is called Sunwines. out on a stone's throw, singer-songwriter, musician out of Canada, now based in Los Angeles. I would think of it like dreamy choral affirmations, like centered around like the possibilities of the human voice. It's kind of like, you know, shout out to Brian Wilson, a little bit of Beach Boys inspiration with some break beats mixed in. And I put it on in the morning, great album

to start the day with. That is Maki. Music will explain choir music volume one. And finally, Tim Barnes is an enormously influential and prolific drummer who's worked with everyone from the Silver Jews and Jim O'Rourke to bands like Wilco and Sonic Youth. A diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer's has led Barn to record two albums of wild inventive, sometimes improvisational, sometimes jazzy, sometimes calm, sometimes frenetic music. Recorded with the aid of many of his well-known collaborators, those records are called Lost Words and Numina. Juan, you and I listen to a ton of music. I'm curious, what was your favorite song? What was the best song that you heard in this week of listening to new music?

I got to go back to the Herbert and Momoko record. For me, it was the track Need to Run. As soon as I heard it, I got the little, you know, hair on the neck and the arm, and I'm like, I'm going to be listening to this a lot this summer. As tempted as I am to go with Laura Stevenson, who's been a favorite of mine for years and years, I'm just going to go with L. Diamante, that instrumental from that Adrian Cassada record, Voleros Psychedelicos 2.

I'm just going to pick a track that I'm just going to vibe on all weekend. And that is our show for this week. Thank you, Juan, for taking time out of your week at KALW. Oh, man, it's been so fun. It's been really great talking with you, Stephen. If you enjoyed this week's show, we always appreciate a positive review on Apple or Spotify or whatever app you're listening to right now.

This episode was produced by Simon Retner and edited by Otis Hart. The executive producer of NPR music is Saraya Mohamed. Be well, thank someone who makes your life better, and treat yourself to lots of great music.