5 albums you need to hear this week
With music from Black Country, New Road, Elton John and Brandi Carlile, Rachel Chinouriri, Djo and Scowl
In the age of streaming, it’s never been easier to listen to new music — but with over 60,000 new songs added to Spotify every day, it’s also never been harder to know what to put on. Every week, the team at Rolling Stone UK will run down some of the best new releases that have been added to streaming services.
This week, we’ve highlighted records by Black Country, New Road, Elton John and Brandi Carlile, Rachel Chinouriri, Djo and Scowl.
Black Country, New Road – Forever Howlong
After returning as a six-piece following the departure of vocalist Isaac Wood with the 2023 live album Live at Bush Hall, Black Country, New Road’s new record Forever Howlong is the band’s first to be written over a prolonged period of time, without ever-changing circumstances around them.
It’s clear to see what this relative calm and time has brought the band — Forever Howlong is a deeply rich and considered album that bursts with life and creativity. Live at Bush Hall saw the band step further away from their post-punk beginnings, a process that began on the indie-rock epic Ants From Up There (2022), and towards the sounds of folk, theatre and beyond. These sounds are taken further on Forever Howlong, an album that feels like Black Country, New Road’s first that doesn’t try to reinvent their own wheel.
Read our full review of the album here, and our feature with the band here.
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music
Elton John and Brandi Carlile – Who Believes in Angels?
By Elton John’s own admission, the first days of recording this joint album with Brandi Carlile were marked by broken iPads, smashed by the Rocketman himself no less, and studio storm-outs (yep, Elton again) that threatened to derail the whole process. But when the magic pen of Bernie Taupin finally saved proceedings, these two musical friends were on the path to creating something special. It’s heartbreaking on the mortality-facing ‘When This Old World Is Done With Me’ and joyous on the honky tonk groove of ‘Little Richard’s Bible’. It’s a truly special album.
Read our full review of the album here, and our cover feature with the pair here.
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music
Rachel Chinouriri – Little House EP
After a massive breakout year in 2024, this next offering from Rachel Chinouriri feels like the perfect hint at where she’s heading next. There’s a breezy celebration of love on the catchy ‘Can We Talk About Isaac’ – an ode to her boyfriend – while ‘Judas’ shows that the Croydon singer is still capable of deploying the emotional heft of her debut to great effect. We can’t wait to hear what Chinouriri’s next full album will sound like, but this excellent EP is a strong appetite-whetter for the time being.
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music
Djo – The Crux
Speaking to Rolling Stone UK last year, Joe Keery – aka Djo – gave an early taster of what to expect from his next album. “It had been so long since I used the acoustic guitar as my base,” he said at the time. “It’ll show itself in the music. It’s not a big acoustic album, but it starts with those building blocks.”
The Crux follows the extraordinary viral success of his single ‘End of Beginning’ and further shows Djo to be far more than a side-project for a world famous actor. While this acoustic he spoke of is present, there are plenty more complex and interesting things going on here too.
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music
Scowl – Are We All Angels
On Are We All Angels, their first album for new label home Dead Oceans, California hardcore band Scowl pivot towards more accessible and softer sounds while keeping the energy that has been a staple of their sound and infamous live shows so far. In vocalist Kat Moss, they have a magnetic figure fronting the band, equally adept at a menacing growl and a sweet and melodic hook.
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music