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New Music Friday: The best albums out Oct. 16

October 16, 20260 comments♥ 0
00:00 Happy Friday, everyone from NPR Music. It's New Music Friday. I'm Stephen Thompson. Every week on New Music Friday, we talk about the best albums out that week with members of the NPR Music Network. For today, October 16th, we are talking about new albums from Fontaine's DC, Sophia Stel, and Moore to kick things off. I want to welcome New Music Friday regular friend of the show, Celia Gregory, from WNXP in Nashville. Welcome back to the show, Celia. Thank you, Stephen. I hope you're well. I am. It is so great to see. I want to get out there up front. Probably the biggest album out today is one that we have not heard. It is a new eight-song EP from Zach Bryan, who is one of the biggest kind of roots music, Americana, country adjacent stadium-filling stars in the world. It's called Young Manhood and Other Donatable Organs. And Celia, what are you, give us your top line thoughts on Zach Bryan.
01:04 I'm like, good for you. I'm just, I'm glad that he has struck that the chord he has with folks, and he's a compelling entertainer. And I think every generation needs their, like, hook singer-songwriter guy, you know, that, again, he's a huge star now, but if his songs are as hooky and as compelling for folks as maybe for me 25 years ago, it was like a, you know, John Mayer or somebody, good for Zach Brian. That's where I sit with that. He just joined Kings of Leon when they did this really small show, pop-up show, and people lost their minds. It was really exciting to see somebody
01:37 with that star power in a small club show. Yeah, I mean, I'm intrigued by the fact that, you know, it's an EP. I got this notice like, Zach Brian's dropping a new album. He's dropping a new album. And then I see it's got eight songs. And I'm like, Zach Brian sneezes more songs than that when he has a cold. Like his albums are usually, you know, his last album with Heaven on top is 25 songs, right? And so, like, a more digestible dose still has a couple of prominent guests on it. Lana Del Rey is on one of the songs, Turnpike Trubadors or on another one of the songs. I'm intrigued at kind of a smaller dose of Zach Bryan, you know, but he's a very, very, very, very strong songwriter. And I'm really intrigued by this Lana Del Rey feature. I can't wait for that one.
02:21 Yeah, that's an interesting combination of voices. I can't wait to hear it. All right, let's dive into the first album in our discussion round today with Fontaine's DC. Their new album is called Dopamine Chamber. All right, Stephen, Fontaine's back at it after the hugely successful like breakthrough for them record romance. Dopamine Chamber is sort of on the same page. They're from Dublin. They lived in London for a time, moved back. And yet this record is all over Europe basically is where they were writing and recording. And you can kind of hear that. It's super lush. and gone are the days. This is just like a bar rock band.
04:01 They have really leaned in to the romance of it all with the production, and I think it really stands up. It's interesting you say they lean into the romance of it all. You're referring to their previous album more than any kind of swoony vibes, right? No, it's dark. This is still a dark, forbidding, kind of jagged sound, but it's fascinating to see this band, which is certainly beloved by critics,
04:25 has been kind of one of those, you know, buzz bands for the last however many years, but they do not stay in the same place for very long, you know, and when they first came out, as you mentioned, you know, they were kind of this big, spiky, jagged bar band, and now their sound has become kind of more, a little bit more formless, a little bit, you know, kind of constantly shape-shifting, and the lyrics, you know, kind of reflect that sound. These are songs about dark times and dark feelings. And the mood of this record felt very like the walls were closing in listening to it. Yeah, that's a good way to put it.
05:05 I felt like there were strategic moments of lightness, like a piano part here or like the strings here that raised it a little bit, raised the vibes a little bit because it is so dark. But you're hearing a lot more like cure in Depeche mode in Fontes these days than any other big rock bands I can think of. And yet, they're playing to the biggest crowds of their career. So it's interesting to have a sound like this meet these huge arenas now. Absolutely. And yet I'm talking about how dark and formless and shape-shifting their sound is. As you mentioned, little slivers of light get let in. But there are also components of other bands that will feel familiar to audiences. You get a little bit of the kind of joy division guitars
05:48 in a song like Mimesis. You know, it's got a little bit of that like interpol style post-punk kind of sleek post-punk sound, but with those big shimmery guitars that were called, as you said, Depeche Mode, the Cure also, you know, as well as Joy Division. Yeah, a lot more sense here than just like main guitar lines, right? A lot more. So many of these moments, it's just intense, the intensity unhappy for you, where it's building and you're like, what's happening here? And then it opens up, like, after the halfway point.
06:52 the song. There's elements of surprise here that made it an interesting listen for me, whereas some of the starts to songs, quite frankly, I was like, what are we doing here? And then there would be something that yanked you back in. Because sometimes like the sinister, the darkness, I'm like, this is not a fun listen. I don't want to hear this. Or maybe even like a little like snoozy or down tempo because of his haunting vocals. But then it's, there's always something interesting that that brings you back in. I also saw through the enemy of the world with flowers and everything nostalgia.
07:48 And I also wanted to mention, there's a song here called Where is Gone, you know, which is full of unrest and drama, but it also brings in the artist Rosalia as a guest, which to me was such an intriguing, not only combination of voices, but an intriguing combination of sense. You know, like people, I don't think people should be sleeping on the record that Rosalia put out last year called Lux, which is, to me, one of the best albums of this decade. And her presence here, I'm like, oh, yeah, that's right. I love Rosalia.
08:22 Yeah, yeah, that was another sort of like a surprising name to see on this record. And it really works as a duet. I mean, their voices together. I was like, oh, more of this, please. Until I call There's no way back to how I feel That is Fontaine's DC Their new album is called Dopamine Chamber
09:20 And if you look in this very podcast feed You will find Anne Powers interview With two members of Fontaine's DC Don't miss it Next up a new album from the least Googlable band on Earth They are called at It's just an at sign
09:36 And their new album is called Auto Smile Hey, what's the game that I like? Looking for signs of a love. Two, too, too, psycho on a lesson's played. So yes, at is just called at sun. like the at sign. Their own band description, if you look at their band camp page, is quote, SEO Wet Dream. They know how hard they are to Google. I actually had to Google the album title in order to find any information on this band. It's the duo of Victoria Rose and Stone Phillipsack.
11:09 They are kind of a psychedelic folk band, I guess you would describe them. This is their second album. They had a record called Mind Palace Music a while back. They're now based in Philly. And it's The two of them with friends kind of chiming in on drums and strings, man, you know, this is, to me, this is headphone music. The first time I listened to this record, it was just kind of through my computer speakers. I let it wash over me a little bit and I was like, oh yeah, this is nice. Once I put on headphones, I really got the maximum effect, really picked up these kind of haunting little effects popping in from the margins, these beautiful strings that run through this record. and just these strange ideas, strange ways that their voices kind of blend and shift and they kind of take turns. And this is a grower for me.
12:01 Yeah, absolutely. I remember when I first heard this band, I was like, oh, we're doing this again? Like, we're running it back on like the folk movement. Like, okay, this is so delicate. It's so intentional. And yet, like, there was these wild moments, like chimpanzee noises and stuff. And you're just like, they just threw everything. in. And yet it feels like it's some, you know, master thesis or something at a university, like the
12:24 way the lyrics, the music all comes together, it feels like the record they were always supposed to make, even though it's not their first. Yeah. I mean, if you want a sense of what this band is all about, put on a nice pair of headphones, listen to the song Bird that kicks off this record. It's, you know, kind of this haunting, strange, kind of slow building, folk rock rumbler. Honestly, my immediate thought listening to it, especially under headphones, was put this on your Halloween playlist. You know, I don't think we put enough thought over the course of the year to songs that should get added to a Halloween playlist because they're deeply unsettling. And if you want something for your Halloween playlist that isn't just like thriller and somebody's watching
13:07 me and the ghostbusters, songs that are not actually scary, add the song Bird by ad, because it's creepy. You're always giving us news we can use, Stephen. Decomposed baby bird Contrusting mental way Should have given him a funeral On the first day He fell out of the nest Thought he could carry away
13:30 He's too heavy for flies And the vultures on vacation My friends You are them I want him right in my head Give me wolf Give me death Whatever I don't want it
13:42 I went down on the day To put a wall in my head I can be able to see I'm at the mercy of God I thought the same thing There are moments where it's so eerie I'm like unsettled But mostly it's enchanting
13:59 It's like I'm like bewitched You know by what they're able to do Mostly their harmonies They feel like they're sourcing like some 70s folk rock But like not in a cheesy way In a let's borrow from the masters kind of thing And yet putting their own spin on it Right? Like there's the babbling brook noise at the end of the same song that starts with the chimpanzees.
14:21 Like, what are we doing here? But it sets a whole scene, you know? You've mentioned the chimpanzees a couple times. Let's talk about that song because it's called Punish My Mind, Wild and Woolly, kind of psychedelic folk. And yeah, there are moments where there are just monkeys a screeching. Why not? It's 2026. Can we have a good time? What I understand about this duo, Stephen, is that they've always recorded and written separately. So they're like her songs and his songs. But they moved to Philly so they actually could collaborate together
15:14 in the same city. And they still chose, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, to do this work separately. So that's especially exciting for me to know because they sound like they're so enmeshed. Absolutely. And there are also just moments here where, man, it's just so pretty, right?
15:30 So pretty. Like, it is an eccentric record. There are definitely odd moments, but there are also just these, like, rustic, beautiful, you know, songs like earthly love. You know, Victoria Rose kind of sings lead on that one. And that song just has these, like, gorgeous strings and woodwinds, and it's just beautiful. That is at. It's just an at sign. Their new album is called Auto Smile.
16:11 Celia Gregory? Thanks so much for joining me. Thank you so much for having me. I can't wait to listen to these records again and again. Absolutely. We've got a quick break. When we come back, I'll be talking with Skylar Rochelle from 90.9 The Bridge about a couple more great new albums out today.
16:36 Skyler, welcome to the show. Thank you, Stephen. It's so great to be here again. I'm happy to chat some tunes. Yeah, it's great to have you. So next up, we've got a new album from Sophia Stell. It's called The Greatest Album of All Time. So Sophia Stelle is a Canadian singer-songwriter and producer who sort of found her footing in Vancouver's underground music scene.
18:13 And she actually spent a lot of time bartending at a DIY club called Paradise, which I think is super important to her music. Eventually, she released her debut EP called Object Permanence back in 2024 and really started gaining traction with her song, I'll Take It, which took off really online and on TikTok, even earning like co-signs from real powerhouses like Troy Savan, A.G. Cook and Cat's Eyes Megan. And now she signed to A-24 music, which she also happens to be the first woman they ever signed. And she's got this really interesting post-internet post-genre approach to experimental pop. I don't know, she pulls everything from like dream pop to indie rock and ambient music and even has like these big Euro rave sounds that just, I don't know, really creates something that feels both nostalgic and futuristic. Yeah, I mean, when you think about the artists that you kind of mentioned who've given their cosines, you know, particularly like Troy Savan, A.G. Cook, you get a sense of like hedonism and hyperpop, right? Like, that's the vibes that a lot of those cosines bring in when you're
19:19 on this record, but there's a quality to her vocals on this record. They do a lot of kind of playing with her voice, kind of blurring her voice, pitch correct, you know, doing a lot of like pitch shifting with her voice. And that, that quality, that kind of like slightly faded mumble core quality to a lot of her vocals infuses a lot of these songs with real emotion and a little bit of an undercurrent of sadness. Yeah, completely. And, you know, it's very interesting because, like, in the song I do, she does this really interesting sort of, you know, more understated, digitally processed vocal situation. And it's just really interesting because it can maybe perhaps come off as like detached or even ironic, especially when it's something that you
20:06 sort of associate with these like post-internet aesthetics. But like her music actually really feels remarkably sincere. You said I'm going to call the hearty, want to get started. I want to make it special every level yeah I like it too you said I'm kind of cold hearty when I get started everyone's partying so heavy metal making it special every I want to shout out a song that my dear colleague Otis heart has been pushing for months now I think this is Otis's favorite song of the year correct me if I'm wrong Otis but there is a song on this record called Now I've got a lot you know And this song just kind of morphs and billows over the course of like five minutes.
21:06 And the vocal here, again, you know, there are all these kind of effects on our voice, but it is still conveying so much kind of searching, weary energy. I found this song really, truly transfixing. And I hate when I stop and I hate when I have to go and don't know a lot. But I know how we're never home in case you forgot. You're the reason I'm not alone. I don't have a lot that I got. You'll always own.
21:40 And I know there's no gone. But if there was, he'd love your soul. Listen. The emotion within this record is kind of insane. I mean, I feel like on the surface, this record sort of seems like a, you know, straightforward, like, you know, more dance sort of pop, like stuff that you'd like, listen to at the club. But it's so much more than that. And it sort of exists in like this really interesting space where it sort of actually feels a little bit more suited for like, I don't know,
22:31 like the walk home from the club and the come down from going out all night. And then you sort of are left with yourself and, you know, your feelings. And it's just really beautiful that she's able to do that. Yeah. It's a Gen Z record in the best possible way. And it's a 2026 record in the best possible way. The vibe is, I'm partying, but I feel kind of weird. I love that. We've all been there. Absolutely. That is Sophia Stelle. Her new album is called The Greatest Album of All Time. Next up, June McDoom. June McDoom's new album is called Follow the Light. So June McDoom is a New York-based singer-songwriter and producer who grew up in this Jamaican household in South Florida before moving to New York to study jazz. And I think her upbringing is really fascinating because her dad built his own speakers and sound system.
24:12 So she grew up surrounded by reggae and dub while also independently developing this love for 60s and 70s folk music. And it's also really important to note that her grandfather, Colin Smith, was a celebrated Minto musician, which it's a traditional Jamaican folk style that helped to lay the groundwork for ska and reggae. So there's just like this really rich musical heritage behind her work, and I think that's something that she also carries very heavily throughout. She's also gone on tour with the likes of Nick Hakim, Brittany Howard, and Altjay. Now it's really exciting to see that she's released her full debut record, and it's just, I don't know, it's got like this gorgeous, almost otherworldly, quality to it. Otherworldly is right. And it's so, it's so
24:58 interesting. My process, you know, when I'm kind of preparing for this show, I'll put a record on, hopefully knowing nothing about it. You know, obviously you might have some pre-existing thoughts on an artist if you've heard their music before, but I had not heard her before, so I just put on the record. And then
25:14 I go back and kind of read up and get a little bit of context. And every single shred of context that I read about this album made this album make more sense. Wow, it really feels like she has some kind of dub and reggae background, but has also studied jazz and ambient music, as well as the folk music of the 60s and 70s. Like, you absolutely hear every one of those components on this record. This is the kind of
25:42 music that could almost only come from her unique backstory and her family history and her fields of study. And I want to go back to the word you said, Skyler, otherworldly. There's a song here, human angel, which is just like space folk. It feels a little bit otherworldly. Like you have this mix of dub, you have the harmonies of folk, you have kind of these, you know, kind of ping ponging effects of ambient music. And they're all swirled together in a way that feels extremely lived in. It doesn't, they don't clank against each other. They fit together seamlessly. She does such a beautiful job weaving in a lot of different sounds, not only kind of the throb of dub. You'll sometimes hear, you know, kind of a flurry of harps. The song forever,
27:10 you know, she makes her voice so delicate, like it's just like floating through the song like a dandelion spore. But the song swells into something almost orchestral. And it's, Interesting. It's like gentle music, but it's also ostentatious. Yeah, I mean, it's crazy to see how all of those influences sort of come together. You're talking about someone whose influences range from Dionne Warwick and Minnie Ripperton to pentangle and like Cocktoe Twins. And it's like all of these things come together to create like this own unique world. That is June McDume. Her new album is called Follow the Light. Skyler, thank you so much.
28:18 for bringing both of these records. Oh my goodness, thank you so much for having me. It has been a pleasure. We have got one more quick break. Then I'll be back with Andrew P. Brown from KUTX and Austin to talk about a new album from The Avalanches. Andrew, how's it going? I am fantastic.
28:35 I'm happy to be here. It's a good week for new music. It is a great week for new music. And, you know, we should mention Andrew, you host a show called SoundFounder on KUTX. I hear tell one of the best electronic music shows. anywhere, period. Thank you. I appreciate that.
28:51 Yeah, I've been hosting KUTX's electronic music show since 2019, and it is a joy to produce every week. So much good electronic music coming out all the time. I can't keep up. Absolutely. Well, got a perfect record for you to talk about by The Avalanches. The Avalanches are back. New record is called No Bad Memories.
29:52 So the Avalanches are an EDM group formed in Melbourne in 1997. This is only their fourth studio album, though. They had a record in 2000, an absolute classic called Since I Left You, and then they took a very, very, very long break. It didn't come out with another record until Wildflower in 2016. There was another one in 2020. This particular record, very unusual, kind of guest-laden, 31 tracks in 52 minutes. which gives you kind of a sense there are a ton of strange fragments and asides, commercials,
30:31 kind of recurring themes popping up on this record about nostalgia for Jurassic Technology, lots of references to floppy disks, lots of vintage tech being referenced over the course of this record. But then you also have a bunch of full songs in that kind of Avalanche's style. They play a ton with collage and samples. weaving in lots of sounds, and there are loads of big-name guests scattered all over this record. Yeah, my take on this record,
31:01 my initial reaction is it has some of their most poppy, approachable stuff, and then some of their strangest stuff, right next to each other. And it all works for me, though. They're big on plunder phonics, which to people who aren't familiar with that term, it's kind of comparable to, like,
31:17 making a collage for visual arts, but they went really hard on the plunder phonics on this record. So you'll have one song with Karen O and one with Rivers Cuomo and, you know, super megastar vocals and then it'll go into this super strange kind of sound collage. Yeah, I mean, it fits together thematically as one piece. Yeah, I mean, it fits together thematically as one piece very well, but you can absolutely pull individual tracks out of this record to appreciate kind of as part of a playlist. You mentioned Rivers Cuomo. He is on a song here called All the Time in the World. And he appears alongside vegan and baby Marlborough. And it's just
32:07 this bright summary, kind of triumphant sounding, new wave inflected, EDM, pop rock, anthem. Very, very poppy, very accessible. But you also have more chasing gold. It's your voice I hear the moon. But you also have
32:41 the interludes. Some of the guests are a little bit more avant-garde. You have Mike Patton pops up, you know, definitely more on kind of the commercials.
32:50 I suspect he's somebody who's just kind of don't wait, you know, whenever, you know, popping in to do kind of spoken bits and kind of yelling
32:56 ad slogans and stuff. Like a pebble and a pond. It can change. can change the world around it. The new turbographic 16 from a super fun. The avalanches, maybe more than most artists really are loved for the kind of nostalgic feeling their music has that's always been what people are drawn to.
33:29 It was really cool. The name of the album is No Bad Memories. And if you pay attention, they talk about a floppy disc getting corrupted. It sounds like they're chopping up old commercials. from the early days of the computer age. So they're really talking about like digital memory, erasing memories. And if you watch the videos, the kind of mascot for the album is this cassette that is looking kind of sad, sitting on a magnet, rewinding its own tape.
33:57 So it kind of looks like it has its finger in its eye. So there's definitely a lot of kind of the concept of erasing bad memories and being almost like manically happy in a way. I don't know. There's kind of like, I really like it. It's a really strange concept, and they went all in on it. Yeah, it's a fun record, sweet record, and boy, you know, these guys, you have not spent time with since I left you, an album from back in 2000.
34:33 That record still sounds like the future, 26 years later. One thing I wanted to talk about is like, I love how dedicated these guys are to sampling. Because I've seen so many times where artists come out, there were. beloved for sampling, but let's be real, like, in capitalism and in the music industry, sampling is really not that smart of a thing to do. It's messy, it's expensive, it's time-consuming. You might get a sample cleared, and then 20 years from now, someone claims you didn't get it cleared. But, like, even with all that, they are completely dead set on using thousands of samples. Like, the legal process for putting this album out must be insane. I love that they're just
35:15 like, well, this is us. This is what we do because, I mean, this album goes from drum and bass. There's tons of, like, hyperpop influence. Some Chicago footwork influence in there, for sure. But whatever genre it's kind of starting to feel like,
35:31 it always feels like the avalanches, and it's their sampling technique that does that. That is the avalanches. Their new album is called No Bad Memories. Andrew, I say this at this spot in the show every week. Way more records come out in any given week than we can possibly get to on this show. So this is where we do a lightning round of some of our other favorites.
36:05 We bring in other members of the NPR music team to join us with their picks. But I'm going to have you kick us off. What do you got? So my pick was an L.A. producer, vocalist, super unique dude. He goes by Nate No Face. He spells it N, number eight, and then No Face. And I've been following this dude for five or six years. He really caught my attention when the COVID lockdowns were kind of coming to an end
36:30 and people were just like aggressively trying to party as all that pent up energy. Trying to party. The Stephen Thompson story. He was playing, he was, I saw footage of him playing massive shows in like drainage ditches in L.A. Like DIY punk type shows. He actually has a song at the very beginning of the L. called Life in LA. He just goes so deep into like the good neighborhoods, the bad neighborhoods, who you need to meet, how you need to act, like all of these very LA things. And it was really
37:02 cool to get into that. Love seeing him succeed because he's really been super DIY for a long time. That is Nate Noface, and his new album is called Tomorrow's World. Thank you, Andrew Brown from KUTX. I'm going to go next with Richard Thompson, a tremendous living legend in folk and rock music. His discography stretches back to the late 60s with Fairport Convention, through his classic work with Linda Thompson, through this long string of great solo records from the 80s to the present day. He is now 77, still totally vital and heart.
37:54 hardworking. Now he's got a kind of a bluesy, stormy, really catchy new record. It's called Hippies, Thugs, and Heroes. All right, let's bring in Tom Hysenga, Tom. You are here with a serious sentimental favorite of mine. What do you got? Well, my pick this week is the new album by Max Richter. It's called While the Flood Rages. It's beautiful. a bit disturbing. It's inspired by Margaret Atwood's post-apocalyptic Mad Adam trilogy. And what I admire about the album is its range and its teeth. There are pieces here that recall Richter's most beloved and perhaps too often heard on the nature of daylight and a few cuts that are really fresh-sounding ambient pieces. They're divine. But in contrast, there are
39:02 harder-edged tracks here that offer a darker, even more violent side of Richter than what we're used to hearing. Tracks like this one called The City Was a Chaos. It's got some mechanized pounding beats and moments that blossom into grandeur. It's from Max Richter's new album, based on a ballet he wrote. It's called While the Flood Rages. Let's go to Anna Maria Sayer. Anna, what's your pick? Libertad, the debut album of Puerto Rico's Chewy, exceeded all of my wildest hopes.
40:00 This is a band I've been following for a while now. They got a lot of visibility this past year touring with none other than Bad Bunny. And this album proves that they have everything and more in their own right. Creative production is amazing. Loren, the lead singer, has some of the most dynamic vocals I've ever heard,
40:17 but it's really in their subtle and deeply, emotionally evocative politicism that I find the real amazing piece of this album to be. They have one of those gifts that is few and far between with most artists where they can make the political deeply personal. It's this way of doing political music that makes it feel authentic and also universal.
40:38 We're seeing a wave of it in Latin America, and to me, honestly, even though this is a debut album, they're some of the biggest leaders in it. Anne Powers, bring us home. Give us your pick. My pick this week is Mammoth by the Paris-based English singer-songwriter Flora Hippard. You know, sometimes you hear a voice, a song, and you think that's intriguing, but this artist isn't quite there yet. The potential has places to go.
41:21 I felt that way when I first heard Flora Hippard. She was working in a folk rock mode and her deliciously whimsical vocals and surreal homespun lyricism, drew me in, but I wanted something more. Well, Hibbert has delivered on her third album, Mammoth, produced by Ben Lanz, who's known for work with the National, Beirut, and Sufyan Stevens, Mammoth highlights Hibbert's off-kilter sensibility in playful arrangements using synths and brass and guest vocalists, including Stevens, and Kate Stables from This Is the Kit. I love Hibbard's wordplay in lines like these, describing an object of fascination in the song perfect ripple. The ribbon twisting and now I am a believer. Orate, orator, we are stuck here in
42:07 your aura. Now, that's Poetics. Nobel Prize winner, Anne Carson would love it. Paula Hibbert has a unique voice and she's found a perfect frame for it. That's Mammoth by Flora Hibbert. Thank you. Anne Powers. That is our show for this week. 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.
42:42 This episode was produced by Noah Caldwell and El Manion and edited by Otis Hart. Our production assistant is Dora Levitt. The executive producer of NPR music is Soraya Mohamed. We'll be back next week to talk about more new music, including an album from Anderson Pack and Corday. I'll be joined by members of the NPR Network. Until then, take a moment to be with you.
43:02 well, start planning your Halloween costume now so you don't get caught flat-footed, and treat yourself to lots of great music.