Got any plans for the weekend? To get you in the mood for XPNFest, here’s a look at a few of the MANY new albums out this week: Indie heroes Death Cab for Cutie return to the realm of punchy, guitar-based rock with their 10th full-length, Asphalt Meadows. New Zealand’s The Beths cook up another effervescent set on Expert in a Dying Field, their third studio album. Stepping away from his longtime group for a solo debut, Marcus Mumford confronts past traumas on (self-titled). Minneapolis-via-Nairobi singer Ondara is joined by members of Dawes on Spanish Villager No. 3, which continues the narrative of the artist’s recent graphic novel. 

With a sound that sits squarely between ‘70s folk-rock and ‘80s bombast, Lissie makes a thundering return on Carving Canyons. Hailing from upstate New York, Danielle Ponder makes a powerful impression on her debut album, Some of Us Are Brave. Ahead of their XPNFest-opening performance, Philly faves The Tisburys channel the Stones, the ‘Mats and more on Exile on Main Street. As its name suggests, Words & Music, May 1965 unearths over a dozen of Lou Reed’s home-recorded demos for what would later become Velvet Underground classics. PRESS PLAY on these new releases (and so many more) below… 

Death Cab For CutieAsphalt Meadows
CHECK OUT: “Here to Forever” “Roman Candles” 

The BethsExpert in a Dying Field
CHECK OUT: “Silence is Golden” “Expert in a Dying Field” 

Marcus Mumford(self-titled)
CHECK OUT: “Grace” “Cannibal” 

OndaraSpanish Villager No. 3
CHECK OUT: “A Nocturnal Heresy” “An Alien in Minneapolis” 

LissieCarving Canyons
CHECK OUT: “Night Moves” “Chasing the Sun” 

Danielle PonderSome of Us Are Brave
CHECK OUT: “So Long” “Only the Lonely” 

The TisburysExile on Main Street
CHECK OUT: “Garden” “Language of Luxury” 

Lou ReedWords & Music, May 1965
CHECK OUT: “I’m Waiting for the Man” “Heroin” 

FUTHER LISTENING:
The Black AngelsWilderness of Mirrors, Blood OrangeFour Songs EP. CodeineDessau (Reissue), Cosey Fanni TuttiDelia Derbyshire: The Myths and the Legendary Tapes, Creedence Clearwater RevivalCreedence Clearwater Revival at the Royal Albert Hall, Dan WilsonDancing on the Moon EP, Daniele Luppi and Greg GonzalezCharm of Pleasure. DJODECIDE, Gloria de Oliveira and Dean HurleyOceans of Time, Gogol BordelloSolidaritine, Horace AndyMidnight Scorchers, The House of LoveA State of Grace, Iron and WineLORI EP,Jesca HoopOrder of Romance, Joe StrummerJoe Strummer 002: The Mescaleros Years to Honor,John ColtraneBlue Train: The Complete Masters,Kingsley Ibeneche Udo, LeAnn Rimesgod’s work,Little DragonOpening the Door EP,Marianne FaithfullSongs of Innocence and Experience 1965-1995,The Mars VoltaThe Mars Volta, The MurlocsRapscallion,No AgePeople Helping People, Noah CyrusThe Hardest Part,Quinn ChristophersonWrite Your Name in Pink, Rhett MillerThe Misfit, Rina SawayamaHold the Girl, Pink FloydAnimals (2018 Remix), The ProclaimersDentures Out, Ringo StarrEP3, StarcrawlerShe Said, Steve AokiHiROQUEST, SuedeAutofiction, Sun Ra ArkestraThe Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra (60th Anniversary Edition), WhitneySPARK, WilcoYankee Hotel Foxtrot (Super Deluxe Edition), Various Artists – ABT100: The Arbutus Record