NPR Music - New Music Friday: The best albums out Sept. 11

Episode Date: September 11, 2026

Sylvan Esso. This Is Lorelei. Ezra Collective. Host Stephen Thompson breaks down the best albums out Friday, Sept. 11 with DJs from around the NPR Music network: Brian Burns from WUNC in Chapel Hill, Celia Gregory from WNXP in Nashville, and John Morrison from WXPN in Philadelphia. Plus, a handful of NPR Music writers and critics offer their personal picks in the lightning round.The Starting 5(00:35) Album No. 1- Sylvan Esso, 'Ow 8'(06:57) Album No. 2- Ezra Collective, 'Here Because of Hope'(13:36) Album No. 3- This Is Lorelei, 'The Singer in My Band'(20:05) Album No. 4- The Tubs, 'Hard Life'(27:15) Album No. 5- Haruomi Hosono, 'Yours Sincerely'(33:00) The Lightning Round- Funkadelic, 'Maggot Brain (2026 Remastered)'- Locust, 'Spectral+'- Standing On The Corner, 'SOTC II'- Bri`ghde Chaimbeul & Colin Stetson, 'All the light in the world'- Angela Autumn, 'Believer'Sample the albums via our New Music Friday playlist and see our Long List of notable releases on NPR.orgCredits:Host: Stephen ThompsonGuests: Brian Burns, Celia Gregory, John MorrisonAudio Producer: Noah CaldwellDigital Producer: Dora LeviteEditors: Elle Mannion, Otis HartExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSpecial thanks to Sheldon Pearce, Lars Gotrich and Ann PowersSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See 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. Each week on New Music Friday, we talk about the best albums out that week with members of the NPR Music Network. And today we are welcoming three fantastic guests to the show. Brian Burns from WUNC in North Carolina, Celia Gregory from WNXP in Nashville, and John Morrison of WXPN in Philadelphia. And we're going to kick things off with Mr. Brian Burns. Welcome to the show, Brian. Thanks for having me, Stephen. Happy to be here. pleasure to have you back. I think we should just kick things off right away with Sylvan Esso. Sylvan Esso's new album is called Ow Infinity. So Sylvan Esso, for those who aren't familiar, an electro-pop duo from Durham, North Carolina. It's Amelia Meath, who used to be in Mountain Man, as well as Nick Sanborn, who was in Megafon. They've worked with many, many musicians over the years. And Sylvan Esso, you know, kind of started out that kind of broke through with a few kind of

electropop hits, songs like coffee. And over time, have kind of grown a little bit more experimental, a little bit more, you know, kind of constantly surprising in the way they do things. They're now self-releasing their own music. They have their own recording studio. And they are very much doing things their way. And I have to say this is so corny. This is going to sound like I'm name-dropping.

But I do have to say when this happens, that in the interest of full disclosure, Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn are friends of mine. And so it's weird to have to say that, but you should take everything that I say about Sylvanesso with a grain of salt. They are such an important part of our community here in the triangle. I'm in Durham right now.

But yeah, they're just lovely people and they make lovely music. And this record, the first time I listened to it, I thought, this sounds like Sylvan Esso Deluxe. Their sound has bumped up so much over the years. And this one, they're experimenting with a lot of new sounds, bringing in a lot more musicians, and it just works. It's great. Absolutely.

And, like, it's interesting. Their last record was called No Rules Sandy. And Sandy is, like, their nicknames for each other are Randy and Sandy. You know, kind of plays on their names. And the whole idea is that it's, you know, kind of based on this ethos of, like, we are going to do what works. And we're going to try a million different things. Ameliamith has talked in interviews about, like, She really likes to have an idea and then subtract a third of it.

You know, they're constantly kind of killing their darlings and trying new things. And this record kind of captures that idea really well. Some of these songs are very spare, kind of dark and interior. But at the same time, the closer you listen, the more you hear going on, the more layered this record sounds. Absolutely. The first song that we heard from this record was Hot Slob. And that comes out with some really loud guitars played by Jen Wozner of Flock of Dimes in Walsh. Oh, genius.

And I think that just shocked a lot of people because they're like, this is not Silvanessa, but it so is. So the record does contain all the vibes you want. Hot Slob's a great example of kind of a little bit more of a punk aesthetic. Elsewhere, you get kind of something quieter, more spare, a song like Concrete Glen, which is sampling. At first I thought it was interpolating, but apparently it's sampling a little bit of Sigur-Rose. And that kind of atmospheric fairness comes through really beautifully.

Absolutely. love that sample made me smile so hard. Oh, me too. Me too. I love that song so much. But also, if you came to Silvanesso, kind of for their earlier records, these kind of moody pop records, there's still moody pop songs here, a song like On and On. It's just a masterful little piece of electro pop.

And the final song on the record is called Plastic Sword, and you mentioned Mountain Man earlier. This seems like something along those lines. It's almost like a jig. It sounds like an Irish jig. It's very fun to sing and very minimal. It really showcases Amelia's amazing vocal range. I've got a plastic sword, and I know what I can't afford. I've got a plastic sword.

You're going to get it, Lord, oh, Lord. Plastic sword swinging in. Gonna cut you to the quick. Plastic sword hitting things Gonna break most everything Yeah, that song for me really does feel like It's meeting at the midpoint Between Amelia Meath's past and her present.

The blending of voices is something that she's always done So, so well. You can go back into the NPR Music Archives And find a recording of Mountain Man that we did at the Newport Folk Festival Where it's just the three of them gathered, you know, in these ruins And it's just this perfect blending of their voices And that's something that she's always worked with so effectively.

But here you have Nick Sandborn, who's kind of more of an electronic producer. He's really good at kind of scuffing up what she does and kind of finding ways to amplify the beauty of what those voices are doing. That is Sylvan Esso. Their new album is called Ow, and then the little infinity sign. Next up, another band that does things their own way, Ezra Collective, is back with a new album called Here Because of. of hope.

away from ego I know about respect disrespect get handled and no about pain I felt a million times people I love die while I'm locked up in a cage I'd be feeling

a heart break here I can't escape but my soul getting stronger the mind can break as you can slow So Ezra Collective is a band from the UK They formed about a decade ago

and have made a big mark on the UK jazz scene It's five of the tightest players in London started off very young and it's been really cool to watch their career grow over the years In the London jazz scene

and yeah on this record they kind of experiment with some new sounds. Yeah, I mean, it's interesting because as a collective, they're not just playing jazz, right? They play a swirl of genres, everything from hip-hop to Afrobeat to reggae, calypso, and soul. You really get a Caribbean influence on this record.

And they are extremely, like several of the artists we're talking about this week, they're very prolific collaborators. And, you know, this record kind of conceptually is supposed to function as a sort of travolvement. It's tracking the diaspora from Africa to the Caribbean to London and kind of working through phases of how the music has spread. And, you know, it's interesting, like, thematically, you know, so much of this music is instrumental, but they use a lot of guest vocalists. And Letitia Wright does several spoken word pieces over the course of this record to kind of give you a sense of what they're going for thematically.

And part of the idea here is trying to answer this question of how does, Because, you know, the African diaspora has involved a lot of pain and a lot of sorrow. And yet the music that has come out of it is so joyful. And trying to get at why. And I think, like, listening to this record in that context really deepens the power of these songs. It is written that on the other side of this pain, there will be a renewal. Be it for ashes. Joy for mourning.

Praise for heaviness. Absolutely. It really makes you feel alive to just hear this joyful music. And if you're not paying attention to the lyrics at all, you would just think nothing of it. This is party music.

But listening to the lyrics, there's a lot of pain in there and a lot of history of pain. And combining those two is just something that really hits you in the fields. Absolutely. And there are also just these gorgeous, bright instrumentals

throughout the record as well. A track like Sweet Echo, which has this kind of zazzy horn fanfare throughout. And like, it's bouncy and bright and buoyant. And so as heavy as this record is thematically, there's a ton of real joy here. I mean, it's interesting. This record is called, this is their fourth album, and it's called Here Because of Hope. And that gives you a sense of optimism at the core of this record. And like looking over Ezra Collective's discography,

their first album was called, You Can't Steal My Joy. And so you really understand when you see those album titles running together and you listen to the whole of this band's catalog, you sense this theme that's been running through their music throughout their career of a kind of defiant joy. The band leader is Femi Collioso. He has a radio show on BBC 6 and I'm a big fan of. Listening to him talk about music is really infectious and his love of music shows in a big way on this record especially because there are, yeah, there's salsa tracks, there's reggae tracks, there's calypso tracks. It's just a celebration of dancing.

Yeah, and I want to call out another one of my favorite songs on this record, well-organized, which features the singer Lila I.K. It's just an island breeze in song form, at least sonically, right? You know, just poppy, jazzy, lelting vibes throughout. And, like, it is such a welcoming sound. Absolutely. It kind of reminds me of, like, lovers rock, reggae. Yeah, absolutely. Easy to slowly dance to, but it's just feel.

good music. The music is so joyful and so buoyant, but there is this real undercurrent throughout. Listen to this album in its entirety. It's going to take you to a lot of places, kind of figuratively and literally, in a sense. That is Ezra Collective. Their new album is called Here, Because. of hope. Brian Burns. Thanks for much for being here, man. Thanks for having me, Stephen. We got some more records we're going to talk about with Celia Gregory from WNXP in Nashville. But first, let's take a quick

break. From NPR Music, it's New Music Friday. I'm Stephen Thompson here with Celia Gregory from WNXP in Nashville. Welcome back to the show, Celia. Oh, thanks. It feels like it was just yesterday. I love these summer album drops. It's so great to see you. Always a treat. Let's hear some music. This is Lorelei, is back, new album called The Singer in My Band. Stephen, that was Billy came back. The single we've been spinning a ton on WNXP from This Is Lorelei. It's a perpetual earworm. And Nate Amos is This Is Lorelei.

You might know him as the Guitar Wizard in Water From Your Eyes, but also this project has been established, and he is having such a year. but it feels like he's been on every festival bill and he has a big bleachers tour coming up soon too. This is an awesome record and I'm so curious to hear your favorite songs because it does vary musically a little bit. Yeah, I mean, it's interesting because he's such a prolific songwriter, right?

He has written songs that have been covered by the likes of Cameron Winter from Geese, Jeff Tweedy, M.J. Lenderman, Haley Williams. He's definitely a songwriter's songwriter, right? But this was the first time, you know, he's a studio rat, and this was kind of the first time where he was like writing a record while he was on the road and kind of having to gather his thoughts as he was kind of scattered to the four winds. And at the same time, you know, his songwriting is so assured and so slightly off kilter, right? He's got this kind of wry, slightly deadpan way of delivering these songs,

but then they have these hooks that kind of burrow underneath the surface and get stuck in your head in strange ways. And so, you know, picking highlights from this record, they're just scattered all over the place. We already played Billy Came Back, you know, which is so catchy and layered. And with kind of shades of a lot of those like Australian and New Zealand, you know, jangle rock bands, you know, kind of cool and deadpaned, super timeless could have come out anywhere between, you know, 1981 in the present. But at the same time, you know, you also have these little forays into country and folk music. And those really, really worked for me.

the title track from this record, the singer in my band, is this kind of banjo forward country folk amble that's like heading to the country but also nodding to his roots in Chicago and kind of wrestling with like, I'm not from the South. How do I do country? And to me that's so charming and really showcases how versatility is. Yeah, versatility is the name of the game here, right? And I think to your point about him making this when he was so busy on the road, the joy in this is a lot of it is simplicity, right?

These are good songs, you know, three chords in the truth kind of thing. He has great guitar chops. When Nitro came on, I was like, oh my gosh, I wanted to hear it again and again. Yeah, it's like this American primitive, you know, acoustic guitar piece. Yeah, he doesn't have to overdo it. And it feels like he made some really choice, choices, as it were. He made some really choice selections and stripping it back. One thing I've found about all of his recordings are, no matter the wizardry that's happening in studio or in production, like his voice is clear and compelling.

He has great range. You know, sometimes he goes low, like Bill Callahan style. Yeah. And then he can go high. And vocally, that's the cohesion on the record, even if you got the twang on some of them and a little more experimental, like maybe his band work. But I feel like he's just every at-bats a homer for this guy, like, you know? Like you said, he's an artist's favorite. He's been covered, as you've mentioned, by M.J. Linderman, and I'm kind of getting that same vibe of this arc of his career as MJ, right?

Of, like, you're in a straightforward or kind of weirdo art rock band, but you want to go in a traditional songwriting direction. And then these precious gyms come out when they're allowed to just be maybe their true selves. Absolutely. And I also wanted to call out the song The Kid with the Crown, which has this kind of sunny, breezy feel, these clean guitars. And I was like, this is the closest I've heard to vibes that are like cheerful Elliot Smith. A sentence that's never been said. You've heard those words, but never in that order. But he's like musically picking up some of those cues, these kind of this kind of slightly gauzy, layered feel. But he's giving it a certain sense of sweetness and letting some light in.

And yeah, he's so versatile. He's never writing the same song here. and finding some really interesting new approaches to the way that he makes music. That is, this is Lorellai. This is Lorelai's new album is called The Singer in My Band. Next up, Celia, a band called The Band. Next up, Celia, a band called The Tubbs. Their new album is called Hard Life. So the Tubbs are a band from England. They describe themselves as a Celtic jangle boy band.

Fun, kind of shambles, bright mix of, as that tag suggests, you get strains of Celtic music, you get a little bit of fiddle. You get this mix of kind of bleak, cranky lyrics with joyful arrangements. kind of a recurring sentiment on this week's show. But like big, bright, anthemic, joyful songs. But under the surface, the singer Owen Williams has sort of talked about the fact that like, that he's kind of writing from two different perspectives at the same time. He's got, you know, his own kind of lovelorn sad sack self.

And then he's got this kind of cynical side of himself that is constant. undercutting his own pretensions and commenting on himself. And so these songs kind of, I think, reflect that vibe, right? They're just these, like, big, grand four-minute fistfights. That's a good way to put it. I know I saw an interview he did where he was saying, I actually worry that I'm going to cancel myself because the characters I write in my songs, like,

they're kind of jerks, right? He used a different word. And he's like, and I don't want to be that guy that I'm singing from. But to your point, I mean, it's not serious or cynical music. It sounds bright. It sounds like, you know, if you're over on this side of the pond, Heartland Rock. It kind of reminds me, especially in the acquired taste value of his voice, like the vocal style, kind of reminds me of the hold steady, where you're like, this is a straightforward rock band. But the voice, the singer, is distinguishable.

And there's also, like, there's a larger than life quality to some of these arrangements at the same time. That simplicity comes through, but it's still extremely rousing. and there's build to it. The song Now and Then is just kind of building and crashing, and it gets kind of rowdy. You mentioned Heartland Rock. This is like a rowdy rock song. Yeah, they seem fun.

Like, I want to hang out with them. Big guitars, I'm always here for that, you know, and we were just discussing that recently with West Side Cowboy, right? To have a sound that is almost classic a Brit pop. In some places, stoop to me, sounds like Robin Hitchcock. It sounds like it could have been a 90s Brit pop track, right? And then they sound big and like

foo fighters-esque on Heaven or London. So you're right. It's not just like they're only in one lane. I find it to be interesting rock music. I also feel really humbled that I have not been following this band. This feels like a Silia band that I've not been hip to until this record.

You know, at the same time, we've talked about kind of the rousing quality, But there are also, there are moments of tenderness and vulnerability. There are a couple of slower songs here, you know, that are kind of bringing in vocal harmonies. A track like, didn't I say. Showcase is kind of a warmer, softer side here. So this is not, it's not all gas, no breaks, which I appreciate. Tonight say you would fall apart.

Didn't I say you would break your heart? Did I say with a chance to die? But no one ever knew. It comes around. I was thinking about the size clubs they're playing when they come here to America. I'm like, that's where I want to see them, right? Like, empty bottle, frog shop, the Earl in Atlanta. Like, that's where I want to see a band like this and be really up close and personal with how big the sound is.

Absolutely. That's one of the best genres, right? Stadium music for clubs. That's right. That's my brand, Stephen. Exactly. That is The Tubbs. Their new album is called Hard Life.

Before I let you go, Celia, anything going on at WNXP that people should know about? Well, everything's going on. It's the busiest season for live music, and we just try to gobble it all up, right? Catch the bands and artists when they're coming through for an interview, maybe a performance in our Sonic Cathedral. Even if it's not our main lane, Americana Fest is hosted in Nashville every year, and it's just people from all over the world. And so we do get to play in that sandbox some. And we're partnering on events with locals like Margot Price and the Black Keys. Have you heard of them? So exciting things happening. Why don't you come down? Can you book a flight? Is it too late? Honestly, fall in Nashville sounds pretty sweet. Come on down. All right. Well, thank you so much. Celia Gregory from WNXP. Always a pleasure to have you.

We will be right back with more new albums after this short break. From NPR Music, it's New Music Friday. I'm Stephen Thompson. Now I am here with John Morrison, host of Culture Cipher Radio at WXPN in Philly. John, I'm so glad to have you back on the show. Yeah, thank you for having me, Stephen. Good to see you. Before we talk about this next album, you want to tell us what's going on at WXPN?

Yeah, a bunch of stuff is going on at XPN. My show, Culture Cypher Radio, we just moved to Friday nights. So I come from like Friday night, you know, late-ish night mix shows, that kind of thing. So it feels good to have my show on Friday rocking, knowing people are listening and like getting ready for the weekend. But yeah, there's a bunch of stuff going on. Exponential Fest is coming up September 18th through the 20th at the Camden Waterfront. So yeah, a bunch of stuff. Beautiful.

Well, let's get to our next record. It's by Haruomi Hosono. It is called Yours Sincerely. The world is barrenuous. So your to be a memory and

Your Yours Sincerely is the latest album from Japanese pop music pioneer Harumi Hosono And as a solo artist, artist, Hosoano has carved out a very nice, long, lasting lane of pop music that's a little bit left field. But he also has a pretty solid, that's underselling it. He also has a very serious reputation as an electronic music pioneer.

Of course, he was a member of the legendary trio Yellow Magic Orchestra. So, you know, Hasono's work in experimental pop and electronic music has been widely influential, obviously. But this record, yours sincerely, is something completely different, especially from the Yellow Magic Orchestra stuff and some of his more experimental stuff. This is a very warm, tender and sincere stripped-down pop record. Yeah, I mean, it's really interesting when you look at just the breadth of this enormous, career, right? He's now at a place he's 78 years old. This is his 23rd studio album, first album of new music in more than seven years. And you're really listening to this record. You get a sense, and this is a theme we've talked about with a few other records on this show. He has nothing left to prove, right? And he can absolutely chart his own course, make his own music the way that he wants to make it.

And you really get a sense that at 78, he's looking back. He's looking at the totality of his life. and kind of drilling everything down to what matters. And I think that title, yours sincerely, really sets the tone here, right? It's like compassionate. There are pieces of this record that feel almost childlike, very, very approachable, and so, so warm. Sono obviously has made so much music and experienced so much life. And, you know, you feel it in these songs. You know, he said that the songs on this album were inspired by a Japanese word.

I'm going to butcher this. Apologies. Omoyari, from what I understand, it's a word that expresses compassion and thoughtfulness. It's where you understand and see the needs of others and you act accordingly, right? So that sentiment and that feeling and that drive and desire for human connection is all over these songs. It feels like a warm hug. Oh, absolutely. There's a song here.

Humming, parentheses, dream of love. And it feels, it feels like a, like, almost like it's emanating from a music box. There's something so dreamlike, so kind of softly intoxicating about it. And you really, you get a sense, right, that, like, he's willing to kind of work in miniature and just kind of get to the essence of these songs. Several of these songs, they roll by in two minutes, you know, and they just, kind of go in and out. There's no pomp. There's no waste here. It feels like direct moments of connection.

Yeah. There's a song, the opening song, a note of mothership where you hear like children's voices singing. I'm a sucker for whatever somebody puts like kids singing on a record. I love it. Like I'm, you know, they don't have to be doing much. You know what I mean? And just to hear that sound, the record feels like it was made with love, not to be sappy, but, you know, we need like a little bit of sappiness and, like, sincerity right now. So I feel that all through this record. That is Haruomi Hosono. His new album is called Yours Sincerely. That concludes our discussion round this week.

But, John, I know you are also going to kick off our light. lightning round. That is where we, along with some other folks on the NPR music team, shout out a few of our personal favorites out today, September 11th. John, what's your pick? Yeah, I want folks to check out a new reissue of Focodelix Magna Bopis from 1971 Maggot Brain. It's a beautiful new reissue of this record that's out. It's on vinyl. I have a copy and it's gorgeous. And this album is equal parts, joyous. but also apocalyptic. It's funky, there's soul, there's duat harmonies, acid rock and fuzzy guitars thrown in it. It's like a glowing psychedelic mess of the record. You know what I mean?

But it's absolutely. It's brilliant and is rightfully considered one of the greatest rock albums of all time. All right, that is Funkadelic, their classic album, Maggot Brain, John Morris, and thanks so much. Yeah, thank you, Stephen.

All right, I'm going to go next in our lightning round. This past summer, we did an episode of this show with the fantastic KCRW DJ, Olive Komodo, and we mentioned in passing that she sings in a band called Locust, which is not to be confused with the much more abrasive hardcore band, The Locust. Locust is a project of the English musician Mark Van Hoan, and it's been around since the early 90s

when it was playing shows with bands like Massive Attack. and Olive didn't join Locust until a few years ago, and with her and the band, Locust lands at this lovely meeting point between Artie EDM and classic shimmery swoony pop. And on their new record, you can hear echoes of a couple records we actually talked about today, particularly Sylvan Esso's kind of mystery shrouded electropop, Haruomi Hosono's open-hearted kind of arty wanderings. It's a lovely record that bridges the present and the past in,

fresh and exciting ways. That is Locust and their new album, Spectral Plus. All right, let's bring on Sheldon Pierce. Sheldon Pierce, give us your pick. Hey, Stephen. My pick is Standing on the Corner's SOTC2. An experimental project of the Brooklyn bandleader Gio Escobar, the music of Standing on the Corner doesn't just resist categorization. It treats recordings like surfaces to be tagged with graffiti. And I've been following the group closely since the release of its form-breaking 2017 LP Red Burns, which was released as two 30-minute chunks of fluid genre deconstructing sound design. SOTC 2 is the long-awaited sequel to a self-titled album from 2016. And the collaborators around Escobar have shifted to include Jack

Wacko Nolan, Buzz Man Man Donald, and Clarita Cash Clay El Time, but the game remains the same for the crew, no matter who's standing under the banner. A rich, shape-shifting record toying with soul, rock, punk, funk, jazz, rap, and noise rules as part of its psychedelic rituals. It feels like it is always just out of reach

even as its gravitational force continues to pull you in. That's Standing on the Corners, SOTC 2. Thank you. Sheldon, next up, Lars Godrich. Lars, what do you got for us? Sometimes a pairing just makes all the sense in the world.

You can picture it, maybe even imagine how it sounds, and then the result goes far beyond your expectations. All the light in the world is not the first collaboration between Colin Stetson and Breitia Heimbel, but it is their first full-length together. Colin is known for his athletic approach to several varieties of saxophone, making great use of circular breathing. And Britsha is a rising star of the Scottish small pipes. She transforms them into an instrument of transcendence.

And together, they not only extend the possibilities of their instruments, but showcase the diversity found within drone music. There's ecstatic minimalism, an industrial march, futuristic folk dances and glassy-eyed dirges. Colin and Breacher find the space between the ancient and the modern to create a third way. An absolutely thrilling album, I cannot recommend enough for a long drive through the countryside. That's all the light in the world by Colin Stetson and Breacher Heimbel. Thank you so much Lars Gottrich.

Anne Powers, close us out. Give us your pick for our lightning round this week. My lightning round pig this week is Believer by Angela. Autumn. So there's this picture of the Nashville-based singer-songwriter Angela Autumn in which she's standing on a tree-lined road wearing cut-off shorts and a sea-green satin bra. It's clearly a bra, not a bikini top or a crop top. You might wonder why I'm bringing this up, but I love this picture because it captures the down-home fanciness that's so alluring about Autumn and her songwriting. Autumn is not afraid to show her whole self in her songs. At the same time,

She's a really skilled player. She's a claw hammer banjo player. And she really knows the music she's tapping into. I love her voice too. She's got this Appalachian twang and an edge that's both hard country and a little punk. When she sings a line like, I've been everywhere on a mean old streak, all I need is a mountain stream,

or threatens a toxic lover by singing, I am one step away from throwing garbage in your face. I know both Dolly Parton and Polly Styre. I mean from X-ray specs are smiling down at her from heaven. That's Believer by Angela Autumn. Thank you so much, Ann Powers, and everybody who contributed this week, that is our show. If you enjoyed this week's episode, we always appreciate a positive review on Apple or Spotify, or whatever app you're listening to right now.

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 Mohammed. We'll be back next week to talk about more new music from Carly Ray Jepson, Bibadubi, Rianan Giddens, and more. And I'll be joined by Robert Moore from Sonic Spectrum on Kansas City's 90.9 The Bridge, as well as Amelia Mason from WBUR and Boston. And, you know, just sit tight, maybe somebody else. Until then, take a moment to be well, take a nice long break from social media, and treat yourself to lots of great music.