New Music Friday: The best albums out May 1

Welcome to New Music Friday, NPR Music’s podcast dedicated to sharing the best albums out each week. We listen to dozens of new releases in advance, identify the ones we think you need to hear, and highlight our favorite five in a brisk mix of clips, context and commentary.

The podcast is hosted by NPR Music’s Stephen Thompson, and each episode features a member of the NPR Music Network of public radio stations. This week, our guest is Jewly Hight critic and journalist from Nashville Public Radio.

Scroll down to see which albums we discussed this week and links to our New Music Friday playlists, where you can hear singles from each album. Then scroll down to see the long list and Dora’s Corner, where NPR Music production assistant Dora Levite shares her favorite albums that didn’t make the podcast.

The Starting 5

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🎵 Kacey Musgraves, Middle of Nowhere (Lost Highway)

• Recommended If You Like: Ella Langley, Maren Morris

🎵 American Football, American Football LP4 (Polyvinyl)

• RIYL: Neutral Milk Hotel, Sunny Day Real Estate

🎵 Isaiah Rashad, It’s Been Awful (TDE)

• RIYL: Joey Bada$$, Saba

🎵 Tori Amos, In Times of Dragons (Fontana)

• RIYL: PJ Harvey, Natalie Merchant

🎵 Ana Roxanne, Poem 1 (Kranky)

• RIYL: Low, Laraaji

New Music Friday is a feature of NPR’s All Songs Considered podcast. Hear the discussion on the NPR App, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

The Lighting Round

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Five more albums we wish we could have discussed on the podcast, recommended by NPR Music’s staff:

⚡ Jesca Hoop, Long Wave Home (self-released)

⚡ Casper Sage, Patina (Warner)

⚡ duendita, existential thottie (10k)

⚡ Maisy Owen, Dark on a Sunny Day (Tompkins Square)

⚡ Octo Octa, Sigils For Survival (T4T LUV NRG)

Listen to each album’s best songs on our New Music Friday playlists on Spotify and Apple, or wherever you stream music.

Dora’s Corner

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Dora Levite is New Music Friday’s production assistant, an occasional All Songs Considered guest, and 17 years old according to her Spotify wrapped. Below are her picks for the best albums not featured on the show.

💿 Lip Critic, Theft World (Partisan)

💿 SUUNS & Kelman Duran, SUUNS & Kelman Duran

💿 Frail Talk, Circles & Visions (self-released)

💿 Knats, A Great Day In Newcastle (Gearbox)

The Long List

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Rap/Hip-Hop

• Kneecap, FENIAN (PIAS)
• Lil Tjay, They Just Ain’t You (TrenchKid)

Classical

• Alberto Giurioli, Leftovers (Decca)
• Robert Walter, The Breaks (Color Red)

Country/Folk/Americana

• Taj Mahal, Time (Thirty Tigers)
• Austin Snell, Colors EP (Warner Nashville)
• Emily Nenni, Movin’ Shoes (New West)
• Emily Portman, Dominion of Spells (Hudson)
• Hiss Golden Messenger, I’m People (Chrysalis)
• Paisley Fields, Are U Mad At Me (Don Giovanni)
• Silverdeer, House of Devotion EP (self-released)

Electronic/Out There

• Bergsonist, Depths (Dark Entries)
• Seefeel, Sol.Hz (Warp)
• Yu Su, Foundry (Short Span)
• Benny Benassi, Feel The Bass (Ultra)
• Glissandro 70, G70 2: Bones Of Dundasa (Constellation)
• Hekt, Forever (Numbers)
• INGI, persona non grata (self-released)
• Jump Source, Fold (NAFF)
• Miss Bashful, Glamour Snobby (Polydor/Capitol)
• Speedy J, Walkman (STOOR)

Global

• IZCO, Powerscroft (Brownswood)
• La Doña, Corrientes (Text Me)

Jazz

• Gabrielle Cavassa, Diavola (Blue Note)
• Jason Moran, Shards (Red Hook)

Pop

• Melanie C, Sweat (Red Girl)
• Rita Wilson, Sound of a Woman (Sing it Louder)

R&B/Soul

• The Nth Power, Never Alone (GroundUp)

Rock/Alt/Indie

• Cindy, Another Country (Tough Love)
• Maya Hawke, Maitreya Corso (Mom + Pop)
• The Sleeveens, National Anthem (Goner)
• Bonner Kramer & Thurston Moore, They Came Like Swallows (Silver Current)
• Eagles, One Of These Nights (Deluxe Edition) (Warner)
• Emma Louise, Sunshine for Happiness (Future Classic)
• Genre Is Death, Attractive People (In The Red)
• Modern Woman, Johnny’s Dreamworld (One Little Independent)
• Pigeon, OUTTANATIONAL (Memphis Industries)
• Pope, BFM (Rite Field)
• Rainbow Conspiracy, Facts From Fictions EP (Not So Deep)
• Steve Wilson, Enduring Sonance (Smoke Sessions)
• Tarragon, Home At Cofa (self-released)
• The Black Keys, Peaches! (Easy Eye Sound/Warner)
• The Boo Radleys, In Spite Of Everything (Boostr)
• The Claypool Lennon Delirium, The Great Parrot-Ox and the Golden Egg of Empathy (ATO)
• The High Curbs, HIGH SPEED (LAUREN)
• Weird Nightmare, Hoopla (Sub Pop)
• youbet, youbet (Hardly Art)
• Young the Giant, Victory Garden (Fearless)

_{Credits
Host: Stephen Thompson • Guest: Jewly Hight, Nashville Public Radio • Audio: Noah Caldwell • Producer: Elle Mannion • Production Assistant: Dora Levite • Editor: Otis Hart • Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed • Executive Director: Sonali Mehta}