Jeff Terich

It’s technically not the first new release Friday of the year, but for a variety of reasons, most artists decided against releasing an album two days after New Year’s Day. Which is just fine with us, we had a pretty big project we were working on. And now we can focus on the batch of new releases hitting shelves and DSPs today. It’s going to get a lot more crowded in the weeks to come, but this small but excellent batch features the return of some indie heroes, our brutal pick for Album of the Week, a haunting gothic folk epic, and more.

It’s the year’s first real week of new releases, and with that comes an even bigger batch of new releases to look forward to. A long list of bands, many of our favorites, have announced new albums this week, and with that, new singles to put in rotation. Among this week’s Essential Tracks are the latest from one of the best singer/songwriters of the past three decades, a shape-shifting art pop artist, shoegazers gone dreamily twangy and more.

The city of Richmond installed its first parking meters in 1939 as a potential solution for congestion in shopping districts, with a two-hour limit per space to promote turnover.

We recently published our list of our favorite albums of the decade so far, and now it’s time for our favorite beginning-of-the-year tradition: The albums we’re looking forward to hearing most in the coming months. Music-wise, 2025 is shaping up nicely, with a whole lot of new releases being announced in the still-young year—in fact, it’s getting hard to keep up. But we kept it (relatively) simple, by sticking to a solid 20 albums that are at the top of our list for the next four months. Mark your calendars and peruse our list of the 20 most anticipated albums of winter/spring 2025.

In January 2015 I found myself caught in a blizzard in New York City. I’d tagged along on a work trip with my wife for the second or third time in as many years, unbothered by the cold but unprepared for the severity of the storm. Subway lines and highways shut down, and shops and restaurants closed early. On weekdays offices closed and people headed to Central Park to sled and make snowmen, but at night, if you were visiting, god help you if your dinner plans weren’t just a block or two away. Our plans fell through, so we just layered up, went outside and walked, pelted by icy winds and flurries in search of a couple of bar seats and some sustenance.

Another week, another batch of excellent new songs. Among this week’s top-notch offerings are the latest singles from an L.A. psych band, a genre-swirling single from an up-and-coming artist, the return of an influential techno group and more. Dive into this week’s Essential Tracks below.

It’s still early in the year yet, and we’re just barely scratching the surface of new music being released in 2025, but as our most anticipated albums list shows, there’s a lot to look forward to. Today’s list is a bit shorter than it’s likely to get in just a few weeks, but it still features some gems, including our electronics-laden Album of the Week, the return of a stellar singer/songwriter, as well as a compilation curated in collaboration with a visual art exhibit in Oslo. Check out this week’s Best New Releases below.

On the sophomore album by DITZ, 'Never Exhale,' the Brighton noise rock group broaden their palette and deepen their darkness

In Concert kicks off a new year by looking back at a legend, with a ranking of the best David Bowie live albums, from '72 to '04

This week? Well… it’s been a week. But at least we have some great new songs to add to our queue of the year’s best. Among this week’s Essential Tracks are a collaboration that promises something incredible, a timely return of a singular singer and songwriter, a hook-driven punk rock anthem, and more. Spin our favorite songs of the week.