6 albums you need to hear this week
With music from Julien Baker & Torres, Davido, Neil Young, Heavy Lungs, Beirut and Tunde Adebimpe
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 Julien Baker & Torres, Davido, Neil Young, Heavy Lungs, Beirut and Tunde Adebimpe.
Julien Baker & Torres – Send a Prayer My Way
Julien Baker and Torres, two influential voices of the last decade of indie rock, take a somewhat unexpected detour into country on their new collaborative album, Send a Prayer My Way. In the works since the pair first met in 2016, it’s an album of twangy and catchy instrumentals with open-hearted lyrics. The pair’s voices also complement each other perfectly, and the points where they come together to harmonise are the album’s high points.
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music
Davido – 5ive
In a recent interview, Davido explained how the title reflected how the number five is seen as a “symbol of hope, grace, change, growth”. This latest album from the Afrobeats giant perfectly reflects that, with collaborations a plenty from the likes of Omah Lay, Victoria Monét and Becky G to provide a record that sees Afrobeats sounds combining against poppier elements to celebrate life in every way. Fans will lap it up.
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music
Neil Young – Coastal
Directed by Daryl Hannah, the Coastal documentary is catnip for Neil Young fans and offers a fresh perspective on the legendary singer’s life. Filmed on the bus, backstage, and onstage during his 2023 run of solo shows on the West Coast, Coastal provides an intimidate look at Young on the road during his first tour in four years. This soundtrack album is the perfect accompaniment and offers a lasting recording of those live shows, including renditions of tracks such as ‘Vampire Blues,’ ‘I Am a Child’ and Expecting to Fly”
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music
Heavy Lungs – Caviar
The second album from Bristol’s Heavy Lungs spits up at those in power, while wanting to be there themselves. Vocalist Danny Nedelko says: “One of the main themes of the record is a longing for a better life that currently seems beyond my grasp. The word caviar always possessed connotations of riches, status and excess. So after one late night conversation we realised it’s the perfect title to summarise this desire for elevated existence and success in one simple yet striking word.” They bring this striving for existence to Caviar via snotty and fast punk that hammers the message home.
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music
Beirut – A Study of Losses
Zach Condon’s latest album as Beirut, A Study of Losses, is a mammoth 18-track album originally commissioned by Swedish circus Kompani Giraff for a stage show of the same name. It’s also an adaptation of German author Judith Schalansky’s novel erzeichnis einiger Verluste, and while this all sounds pretty weighty, Condon’s ear for melody and striking songwriting craft stops it from drowning in its weighty context.
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music
Tunde Adebimpe – Thee Black Boltz
After 20 years at the helm of TV On The Radio, Thee Black Boltz sees Tunde Adepimbe stepping out of the acclaimed New York band’s shadow for the first time. It’s a debut that effortessly shows off his solo power, whether that’s on the frenetic ‘Ate The Moon’ or conversely the acoustic power of ‘ILY’. TV On The Radio might still be as active as ever, but this is a solo venture well worth seeking out.
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music