6 albums you need to hear this week
With music from Lady Gaga, Divorce, Jennie, Neil Young, The Tubs and Esme Emerson.
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 Lady Gaga, Divorce, Jennie, Neil Young, The Tubs and Esme Emerson.
Lady Gaga – MAYHEM
Lady Gaga’s sixth album is her most self-referential to date. “I wanted to traverse old ground while breaking new ground, which I think is hard to do,” she told Rolling Stone about MAYHEM, which sees her return to the brash, maximalist pop tendencies that she emerged with in the late 2000s, becoming a global superstar. In ‘Abracadabra’ and ‘Disease’, she has two more top-tier hits, and a renewed sense of purpose. In that same interview, she reflected this perfectly, saying: “I used to always feel like I was playing two different people, and I would crash when I was doing either. Now, I really feel like myself.”
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music
Divorce – Drive to Goldenhammer
According to Nottingham alt-country quartet Divorce, Goldenhammer – the fictional place in the title of their excellent debut album – is “a home that doesn’t really exist,” telling Rolling Stone UK: “I don’t know if any of us would be able to summarise exactly what this place looks like or who inhabits it, because I think we’re on the way there. Everything we’re doing is always part of the journey towards it.” On the album, a beautiful and hooky collection of songs that traverse indie, Americana and beyond, they prove that this sense of belonging can be found in a feeling and a sound as much as bricks and mortar.
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music
Jennie – Ruby
Jennie becomes the latest member of K-pop phenomenon BLACKPINK to emerge with a solo debut ahead of the band’s imminent return on a 2025 world stadium tour. On Ruby, Jennie goes through – in her own words – the “precious process of growing as an artist and finding my true voice”. Told through the prism of Shakespeare’s As You Like It, it’s an album that – like her BLACKPINK bandmates’ solo efforts – allows her to dive deeper into personal narratives and craft a story of her own.
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music
Neil Young – Oceanside Countryside
Ahead of a world tour with his band the Chrome Hearts – including a top slot at Glastonbury – Neil Young continues to dig through his archives for lost gems spanning half a century. Oceanside Countryside, the latest dip into the seemingly endless vault, is an album recorded in 1977 and presented in its entirely original form. “I hope you enjoy this treasure of an Analog Original recording as much as I do,” Young said, giving a perfect representation of a lost moment in his career, recorded straight to tape.
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music
The Tubs – Cotton Crown
Cotton Crown, the second album from DIY punk mainstays The Tubs – featuring past and present members of Joanna Gruesome, Ex-Vöid and countless others – is a hooky indie delight, with roots in folk music and classic rock. Most striking is closing track ‘Strange’, written by frontman Owen Williams about the social interactions he experienced following the suicide of his mother, the folk singer Charlotte Greig. It’s a story told with love and care, juxtaposed by gorgeous harmonies and bright, jangly melodies.
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music
Esme Emerson – Applesauce
“Applesauce as an EP title feels like home,” sibling duo Esme Emerson said of their gorgeous new four-track collection. “Nostalgia is really important when it comes to our songwriting. It probably comes from being siblings. Making music often feels like looking back on our lives together. Our childhoods, growing up, making mistakes.” This rose-tinted nostalgia seeps into every note of their new EP, which draws from pop, indie, punk and beyond, defined by an undeniable chemistry between the siblings.
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music