PRESS PLAY: New Albums out April 5th

You’ll want to put your eclipse-viewing glasses on early because your new release playlist is about to go supernova. On Only God Was Above Us, their first album in five years, Vampire Weekend drift into hazy corners of art-pop and come up with some of their strongest material to date. The Black Keys continue their hot streak with Ohio Players; the duo’s 12^th LP boasts production from Dan the Automator and songwriting collabs with Beck and Noel Gallagher. Globetrotting trio Khruangbin’s A La Sala is the easygoing, dub-inflected counterpart to 2020’s rhythm-forward Mordechai. Philly-rooted Lizzy McAlpine took a live-in-studio approach to her third album, Older, resulting in an intimate and inviting listen.

The songs on Revelator find Phosphorescent’s Matthew Houck navigating uncertainty with grace and lyrical wit. Now into their fourth decade as a band, Old 97’s remain plenty raucous on American Primitive; the Texas quartet’s 13^th album features guest appearances from R.E.M./The Minus 5 members Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey. Powerhouse Australian vocalist Grace Cummings decamped to Los Angeles with producer Jonathan Wilson to weave rich sonic layers into Ramona, her third solo release. We Belong is the first studio album since 2019 from Sinkane; the Sudanese-American artist used that time to hone a socially-conscious sound that’s ready for the dancefloor.

PRESS PLAY on these new releases below. Listen for spotlights on new records like these (and more) every week on the XPN Morning Show and Indie Rock Hit Parade.

Vampire Weekend – Only God Was Above Us
CHECK OUT: “Capricorn” “Mary Boone”

The Black Keys – Ohio Players
CHECK OUT: “Beautiful People (Stay High)” “This is Nowhere”

Khruangbin – A La Sala
CHECK OUT: “A Love International” “Pon Pón”

Lizzy McAlpine – Older
CHECK OUT: “Older” “I Guess”

Phosphorescent – Revelator
CHECK OUT: “Revelator” “Impossible House”

Old 97’s – American Primitive
CHECK OUT: “Where the Road Goes” “Magic”

Grace Cummings – Ramona
CHECK OUT: “On and On” “Common Man”

Sinkane – We Belong
CHECK OUT: “Everything is Everything” “How Sweet is Your Love”

FURTHER LISTENING:
AKTHESAVIOR & sagun – u r not alone, Bnny – One Million Love Songs, Caleb Landry Jones – Hey Gary, Hey Dawn, Carl Palmer – Fanfare for the Common Man, Cedric Burnside – Hill Country Love, Cock Sparrer – Hand on Heart, Cuffed Up – All You Got, Dana Gavanski – Late Slap, Einstürzende Neubauten – Rampen (apm: alien pop music), Eunuchs – Harbour Century, Fabiana Palladino – Fabiana Palladino, Flung – All Heartbeat, Garbage – Bleed Like Me (Reissue), Gustaf – Package Pt. 2, Jane Penny – Surfacing EP, José James – 1978, Katie Pruitt – Mantras, The KVB – Tremors, Lillie West – if i were a real man i would be able to break the neck of a suffering bird, Lo Moon – I Wish You Way More Than Luck, Marcus King – Mood Swings, Matt Koziol – Last of the Old Dogs, Maxband – Maxband on Ice, Modest Mouse – Good News for People Who Love Bad News (20^th Anniversary Expanded Edition), Mount Kimbie – The Sunset Violent, The Pernice Brothers – Who Will You Believe, Puzzled Panther – Puzzled Panther EP, Still Corners – Dream Talk, Slack Key Ohana – Hawaiian Cowboy, Tori Kelly – TORI., X Ambassadors – Townie, Vessel – Wrapped in Cellophane, Woods – Five More Flowers EP, Various Artists – Imaginational Anthem Vol. XIII: Songs of Bruce Cockburn