Music enthusiasts have several new albums to explore this week, featuring releases from artists such as Wednesday, Joanne Robertson, and Lola Young. These projects offer a range of sounds, from countrygaze to experimental folk and introspective pop. Each album provides a unique artistic perspective, reflecting personal journeys and evolving musical styles.
Key Takeaways
- Wednesday's 'Bleeds' explores band dynamics amid rising popularity.
- Joanne Robertson's 'Blurrr' offers raw, impressionistic experimental folk.
- Lola Young's 'I'm Only F**king Myself' presents an honest look at post-viral fame struggles.
- múm's 'History of Silence' delves into chamber-pop with themes of distance.
- haloplus+'s 'Musicality' features glacial synths and daydreaming themes.
- Bakar's 'BEASTIE EP' provides a lighter, playful blend of genres.
Wednesday's 'Bleeds': A Look at Success and Internal Change
Wednesday, the Asheville-based band, has released their fourth album, Bleeds. This project marks a significant moment for the group, showcasing both an ascent in their career and internal shifts. Their 2023 album, Rat Saw God, brought them increased recognition. However, this period of success also coincided with the end of the relationship between chief songwriter Karly Hartzman and guitarist MJ Lenderman.
This duality—a band achieving new levels of popularity while navigating a key dynamic's conclusion—fuels the album's energy. The countrygaze sound, a style Wednesday has helped popularize, is now more refined and expansive. Tracks like "Candy Breath" and "Wasp" push the band into more intense and uncomfortable territories, moving beyond typical 'indie chillout' playlists.
Hartzman's lyrics maintain their distinctive edge. Bleeds paints vivid scenes: sushi served at room temperature, pitbulls urinating from balconies, and vomit in mosh pits. Other songs, such as "Wound Up Here," incorporate literary references and characters from Hartzman's hometown. These elements create a strong sense of place and personal perspective. Wednesday often excels when exploring personal meaning through the stories of others, and Bleeds delivers many such moments.
Album Fact
Wednesday's Bleeds is their fourth studio album. It explores themes of success and personal upheaval, following the band's breakthrough in 2023.
Joanne Robertson's 'Blurrr': Impressionistic Soundscapes
Glasgow-based underground singer-songwriter Joanne Robertson has released her new album, Blurrr. Known for her raw musical style, Robertson's songs often capture a sense of effortless creativity. On Blurrr, listeners can easily immerse themselves in these impressionistic sound currents.
The nine tracks on this album are less unstructured than her 2023 solo release, Blue Car. They are also less spontaneous than 2024's Backstage Raver, an eight-track collaboration with Dean Blunt. From start to finish, Robertson commits to an elusive quality in her music. Her voice remains hazy, encouraging listeners to engage with it beyond conventional language. Her guitar work blends outsider artistry with virtuoso skill, creating a genre that resists easy definition.
The album features three notable collaborations with renowned cellist and experimental producer Oliver Coates. These tracks are particularly revealing. Coates' deep cello tones provide a strong contrast to Robertson's sketch-like musical approach. His contributions enhance existing dimensions of Robertson's music, making her unique creative power even more apparent.
"Her voice remains a fog, implicitly urging the listener to engage with it on a plain beyond language, just as her guitars straddle between outsider and virtuoso for a genre not yet defined." — Jordan Darville
Lola Young's 'I'm Only F**king Myself': Raw Honesty Post-Fame
Lola Young's latest album, I'm Only F**king Myself, follows her song "Messy" gaining widespread attention. This album reveals a sense of self-awareness. Many artists might aim for supreme confidence after such a breakthrough. However, Young takes a different path.
The South London artist, who sings with a powerful, mockney-accented voice, appears to navigate her most successful period with a sense of disarray. Her lyrics describe missing her dealer, engaging in unremarkable, messy relationships, and upsetting those close to her. On the stripped-down guitar ballad "who f**king cares?", she admits, "I should probably take my medication ‘cause it’s been days but I’ve been busy getting high."
This honesty makes I'm Only F**king Myself an intense listening experience. It also marks a notable entry from a type of pop star that is becoming less common: one who discusses struggles without constantly thinking about public perception. While the album may not appeal to everyone, its originality is undeniable.
Artist Background
Lola Young rose to prominence following the viral success of her song "Messy." Her new album reflects on the challenges and realities of navigating fame and personal life after such a breakthrough.
múm's 'History of Silence': Exploring Distance in Chamber-Pop
The Icelandic collective múm, founded in 1997, has released their seventh studio album, History of Silence. Over the years, the band's membership and sound have changed significantly. What began as lightly glitched indietronica has evolved into a chamber-pop project. The album explores the concept of distance, a theme evident from its opening track, "Miss You Dance."
Throughout the album, múm's instrumental arrangements sometimes drift out of sync. However, they consistently maintain pleasant, major-key harmonies. Silence is used effectively on tracks such as "Kill the Light" and "Our Love is Distorting." These songs create expansive sonic spaces with rich, colorful sounds. The closing track, "I Like to Shake," uses this technique more subtly. A slow, plucked guitar plays a soft, melancholic tune for about a minute. Then, Hildur Guðnadóttir's ethereal voice enters. She sings, "I like to shake like a leaf," sounding both peaceful and emotional. "I like to shake your mama’s hand."
haloplus+'s 'Musicality': Daydreaming with Glacial Sounds
Copenhagen band haloplus+ presents their new project, Musicality, where daydreaming plays a key role. The album's title track features slow, synth-driven melodies and percussive sounds that resemble bursting bubbles. Vocalist Stine Victoria allows her thoughts to wander about a partner. The song "Open Air Backseat" continues this theme of escaping reality. With gentle guitar strumming and manipulated vocal effects, the lyrics suggest, "Get me in my dreams, you’re such a wannabe."
Bakar's 'BEASTIE EP': Playful Blends of Genre
Bakar's new EP, BEASTIE, shifts away from the darker, introspective mood of his previous album. Instead, it offers a lighter and more playful sound. The London-based artist continues to skillfully combine different textures and rhythms across various genres, using upbeat U.K. garage and acoustic guitar riffs. Track seven, "i got to learn chat," reinterprets Corinne Bailey Rae’s song "Like a Star." Bakar transforms her lyrics into a personal affirmation for love and heartbreak. The lead single, "Lonyo!", captures a joyful, end-of-school-year feeling. This EP is a brief but intense journey through themes of grief, hope, and lively grooves. It is well-suited for listeners who wish to process loss while also experiencing joy.
EP Detail
Bakar's BEASTIE EP features seven tracks, showcasing a blend of U.K. garage, acoustic riffs, and introspective lyrics reimagined for a playful tone.
Other Notable Releases This Week
In addition to these highlighted albums and EPs, several other artists have released new projects this week. These include:
- Atmosphere: Jestures
- Cardi B: Am I the Drama?
- The Divine Comedy: Rainy Sunday Afternoon
- Frog: The Count
- Jay Electronica: A Written Testimony: Leaflets
- Joan Shelley: Real Warmth
- Joe Hisaishi: A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
- Jordan Patterson: The Hermit
- Kieran Hebden & William Tyler: 41 Longfield Street
- Late ‘80s Kitba: Hold the Edges
- Lazer Dim 700: Gangway
- Lefty Gunplay: Ghetto Heisman
- Mick Jenkins: A Murder of Crows
- Miley Cyrus: Something Beautiful (Deluxe)
- Missing Link: Miracle Smile EP
- Motion City Soundtrack: The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World
- Nation of Language: Dance Called Memory
- NewDad: Altar
- Nine Inch Nails: Tron: Ares (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
- Patrick Shiroishi: Forgetting Is Violent
- Piggietails: Piggietails
- Scarlet Rae: No Heavy Goodbyes
- Shapednoise: Absurd Matter 2
- Total Wife: Come Back Down
- Wicca Phase Springs Eternal: Mossy Oak Shadow
- Yasmine Hamdan: بنسى و بتذكر (I Remember I Forget)
These releases add to a diverse week of new music, offering various genres and sounds for listeners to discover.