It’s New Music Friday, and the freezing cold won’t keep us from streaming some excellent new albums over the weekend.
Today marks the arrival of Sam Fender’s third album People Watching, which he worked on alongside The War on Drugs’ Adam Granduciel. There’s also a new album from Tate McRae, who has tons of momentum after the smash success of her 2023 song “Greedy.” Meanwhile, rising artists like Anxious, Anna Shoemaker, and The Murder Capital return with exciting full-length statements.
Here are eight new albums to stream today.
Abdomen — Yes, I Don’t Know
Abdomen are a Dutch power trio who come through with washed-out, angular indie rock. Today, they return with their sophomore effort, Yes, I Don’t Know. The new tunes are off-kilter and engaging, leaning hard on repetition and dynamics to foster an unpredictable and exciting tone.
Stream: Apple Music | Spotify | Amazon Music
Anna Shoemaker — Someone Should Stop Her
Indie-pop artist Anna Shoemaker’s distinct vocal tone immediately hooks the listener. The singer-songwriter today releases her sophomore studio album, and the arrival of Someone Should Stop Her is anchored by the focus track “Real Life,” a confessional and cathartic single. The banjo on the tail end of the song is the perfect example of the personal touch Shoemaker lends to all her music, offering an ideal starting point for new listeners.
Stream: Apple Music | Spotify | Amazon Music
Buy: Vinyl
Anxious — Bambi
Northeastern emo-adjacent rockers Anxious follow up their great debut, Little Green House, today with their new album Bambi. With its title taken from a discarded band name idea (as you might have figured out, they went with Anxious, not Bambi), the new batch of songs are as hooky and emotionally potent as anything Anxious has dropped thus far.
Stream: Apple Music | Spotify | Amazon Music
The Murder Capital — Blindness
Irish rockers The Murder Capital have offered their third album, Blindness, and it captures the band’s intense, nervy energy while demonstrating tons of growth from their 2019 post-punk debut When I Have Fears. Recruiting John Congleton behind the boards once again, Blindness is another ambitious, expansive entry from the Dublin band.
Stream: Apple Music | Spotify | Amazon Music
Sam Fender — People Watching
After a cathartic turn inwards on 2021’s Seventeen Going Under, Sam Fender peers out into the world once more on People Watching. With a little help from Adam Granduciel of The War on Drugs, the album takes Fender’s poignant, exuberant songwriting to electrifying heights; It’s exemplified by lead single “People Watching,” which we named as one of the best songs of 2024.
Stream: Apple Music | Spotify | Amazon Music
Scour — Gold
Scour, the extreme metal collective led by Pantera’s Phil Anselmo, finally arrive with their anticipated full-length debut, Gold. Every bit as crushing, pummeling, and filthy as the rest of the Scour catalog, Gold looks to propel the supergroup into even wilder territory.
Stream: Apple Music | Spotify | Amazon Music
Tate McRae — So Close To What
Following a successful string of singles, Tate McRae has officially shared her third studio album, So Close to What. The LP arrives as her star continues to rise, especially with a major headlining tour on the horizon — her moody pop tunes have clearly found their audience as she eyes three nights at Madison Square Garden.
Stream: Apple Music | Spotify | Amazon Music
Youth Lagoon — Rarely Do I Dream
Trevor Powers is back with a new Youth Lagoon album — his second album under the moniker since his 2023 comeback LP Heaven Is a Junkyard and his seventh studio album overall. The new project was inspired by home videos that Powers revisited, employing samples of the tapes into the album’s songs and providing an air of nostalgia to his experimental pop sound.
Stream: Apple Music | Spotify | Amazon Music