With so much good music being released all the time, it can be hard to determine what to listen to first. Every week, Pitchfork offers a run-down of significant new releases available on streaming services. This week’s batch includes new albums from Ethel Cain, Bad Bunny, Franz Ferdinand, Lambrini Girls, Wolfacejoeyy, and Brigid Mae Power. Subscribe to Pitchfork’s New Music Friday newsletter to get our recommendations in your inbox every week. (All releases featured here are independently selected by our editors. When you buy something through our affiliate links, however, Pitchfork earns an affiliate commission.)
Ethel Cain: Perverts [Daughters of Cain]
Ethel Cain found unlikely pop fandom with Preacher’s Daughter, her 2022 debut album, thanks to its emotional dirges and heavy lyrics. Instead of turning toward catchier choruses, Cain subverts expectations entirely with her atmosphere and moody new album, Perverts. Written, recorded, and produced entirely by Cain and led by “Punish,” Perverts consists of sprawling drone songs, languid ambient music, and soft-spoken—if spoken at all—slowcore tracks that stay intentionally shrouded. For the immersive experience, consider listening at night.
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Bad Bunny: Debí Tirar Más Fotos [Rimas]
There’s no doubting Bad Bunny’s homeland pride when it comes to Puerto Rico, especially now that he’s released Debí Tirar Más Fotos. The follow-up to 2023’s Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana sees the rapper and reggaeton star reassert himself as an outspoken activist for his home island. From recording all 17 tracks live in Puerto Rico to tapping generation-spanning artists like RaiNao and Pleneros de la Cresta to hop on songs, Debí Tirar Más Fotos is an exercise in walking the walk; he’d be remiss not to talk the talk either, digging into the sociopolitical issues of his country and the future of its independence while retaining the sunny sound that’s made his music so popular.
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Franz Ferdinand: The Human Fear [Domino]
On their first new album in seven years, Franz Ferdinand hop back to the upbeat indie-rock-goes-pop that helped them break out of Scotland and into the international consciousness in the 2000s. The Human Fear, their follow-up to 2018’s Always Ascending, sees the group reunite with Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action producer Mark Ralph for songs about overcoming fear to reset your path in life. The new album was led by the singles “Audacious,” “Hooked,” and “Night or Day.”
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Lambrini Girls: Who Let the Dogs Out [City Slang]
Lambrini Girls are fed up with just about everything: sexism, gentrification, harassment in the workplace, and plenty more. Instead of rehashing what makes all of those things awful, the Brighton-based duo of singer-guitarist Phoebe Lunny and bassist Lilly Macieira would rather throw a rage party. On Who Let the Dogs Out, Lambrini Girls bring the hyped frenzy of their lives shows to the recording studio, flying through searing punk and drunken garage-pop like they’ve duct-taped 40s to their hands and won’t stop chugging until they’re laughing deliriously at their problems. It’s a raucous good time that never overthinks its problems, its riffs, or the best way to treat its fury.
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Wolfacejoeyy: Cupid [self-released]
As a member of New York’s underground hip-hop scene, Wolfacejoeyy has brought pride to the Staten Island scene with projects like 22Joeyy and Valentino. Now, the 22-year-old returns with dreamy samples, club rap, and sexy drill in the form of Cupid. Joining him for collaborations across the album are A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, Beam, Nali, and Bay Swag, though Wolfacejoeyy spends most of the album’s runtime showcasing his skills as a solo artist.
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Brigid Mae Power: Songs for You [self-released]
Brigid Mae Power lends her daydreamy folk élan to the likes of Roy Orbison, Tom Verlaine, Neil Young, and Cass McCombs on Songs for You, a covers album dedicated to her father. The Irish singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist presents the originals beneath a veil of ambience and reverb, embedding a nostalgic in the fabric of her homespun renditions.
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Source : Pitchfork
