5 albums you need to hear this week

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 Cymande, The Weeknd, Ludovico Einaudi, Circa Waves and Brooke Combe.  

Cymande – Renascence

For an all-too brief period in the 1970s, an irresistible blend of afro-funk and psychedelia allowed Cymande to become one of the most exciting live bands on the planet. But excitement never crossed over to mainstream success and this ultimately led to the group’s break-up in 1974.

Now, after buoyed on by samples of their music being used by hip-hop luminaries across the globe, Cymande are gearing up for a second shot at glory. This album could well do it, capturing their full power on songs like ‘Carry the Word’, an irresistible shot of classic funk.

With a comeback tour in the offing later this year too, it feels like Cymande’s moment in the sun could finally, some fifty years later, be about to arrive.

Listen on: Spotify | ‎Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music

Brooke Combe – Dancing At The Edge Of The World

Months after winning Rolling Stone UK’s PlayNext record, Brooke Combe arrives with a debut album that fulfils her brilliant mantra: Make The UK Soulful Again. The soaring, strings-backed ‘This Town’ proves that mantra perfectly, while ‘LMTFA’ pits Combe’s powerhouse vocals against a brilliantly scathing message. It’s all more than enough to show she’s next in the ascendency to the UK’s soul crown.

Listen on: Spotify | ‎Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music

The Weeknd – Hurry Up Tomorrow

On the final instalment of his After Hours trilogy, the man born Abel Tesfaye pulls out the stops to ensure he’s ending his particular chapter of his career in spectacular fashion. There’s the stoic opening of the Justice-produced ‘Wake Me Up’, while the thunderous ‘São Paulo’ sees him ruminating on the highs and lows of fame. It’s suitably star-studded too, with features from the likes of Brazilian mega-star Anitta, Florence & The Machine and even a subtle cameo from Lana Del Rey. It’s a gut-buster at 22 tracks, but an epic that more than justifies its length and provides a suitably explosive end to the trilogy. Now, it’s all eyes on the accompanying movie later this year – a horror thriller starring Tesfaye, Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan. See? He really doesn’t do things by halves…

Listen on: Spotify | ‎Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music

Ludovico Einaudi – The Summer Portraits

The latest album from the legendary composer is inspired by the oil paintings that adorned the walls of a house on the Italian island of Elba that he bought with his family last year. A new painting had been created and added to the walls each summer by the woman who previously owned the house. “This album is dedicated to all our summers, all our beautiful moments,” he says of the record, a sweeping and beautiful respite from the biting winter.

Listen on: Spotify | ‎Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music

Circa Waves – Death and Love Pt.1

The title of Circa Waves’ sixth album could feel a little broad, but is brought into stark reality when considering its context. The album was written in the wake of a near-death experience for singer Kieran Shuddall, who had heart surgery for a blocked artery in early 2023. As with any experience of such magnitude, it took Shuddall back to the core essence of why he started making music and formed the band in the first place. It plays out on an album that revisits the band’s early classic indie sound with a revitalised outlook.

Listen on: Spotify | ‎Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music