I’m fresh out of St. Patrick’s Day and Pi Day puns, so let’s get right into the new albums for this week, okay? Philly favorites Japanese Breakfast follow their multimedia breakthrough with For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women); the Michele Zauner-led project’s fourth full-length overall is their first to be recorded in a proper studio. Coinciding with the 20th anniversary of their fan-favorite album Z, My Morning Jacket’s is finds the venerable Louisville band handing production duties to Brendan O’Brien (Pearl Jam, Phish, Springsteen) for an adventurous and propulsive set. Reflecting on love and loss, Tamino’s Every Dawn’s a Mountain employs lush string arrangements (and a guest vocal from Mitski) for a rich and tender collection.

Norwegian electro-pop auteur Ora the Molecule showcases skills she honed as a DJ on her second LP, the effervescent Dance Therapy. Blues generations collide when nonagenarian harmonica legend Bobby Rush teams up with contemporary guitar slinger Kenny Wayne Shepherd on Young Fashioned Ways; the duo offers new collaborative compositions and fresh takes on Rush standards. 18 years after a raucous appearance at XPNFest (and three years removed from a near complete lineup refresh), Australian jazz-funk collective The Cat Empire solidify their second act’s strength on the vibrant Bird in Paradise. On Night Life, darkwave rockers The Horrors add two new members to their ranks and emerge with renewed sinister energy.

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

PRESS PLAY on these new releases

Japanese BreakfastFor Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)
CHECK OUT: “Orlando in Love” “Mega Circuit”

My Morning Jacketis
CHECK OUT: “Time Waited” “Squid Ink”

TaminoEvery Dawn’s a Mountain
CHECK OUT: “Babylon” “Sanctuary (feat. Mitski)”

Ora the MoleculeDance Therapy
CHECK OUT: “Intergalactic Dance” “Løveskatt”

Bobby Rush and Kenny Wayne ShepherdYoung Fashioned Ways
CHECK OUT: “Who Was That” “Hey Baby (What are We Gonna Do)”

The Cat EmpireBird in Paradise
CHECK OUT: “Going to Live” “La Gracia”

The HorrorsNight Life
CHECK OUT: “Trial by Fire” “More Than Life”

The PRESS PLAY-list

FURTHER LISTENING

Annie & the CaldwellsCan’t Lose My (Soul), Barry HydeMiners’ Ballads, Brian D’AddarioTill the Morning, Conan Neutron & the Secret FriendsThe Way of the Neutron, Cross RecordCrush Me, De La SoulThe Grind Date (20th Anniversary Edition), DESIREGames People Play, Dutch InteriorMoneyball, Ebba ÅsmanWhen You Know, FloodlightsUnderneath, Flying LotusAsh (Original Soundtrack), The Folk ImplosionDare to Be Surprised (Reissue), Hiroshi YoshimuraFlora (Reissue), James ArthurPisces, Jeffrey LewisThe EVEN MORE Freewheelin’ Jeffrey Lewis, Jeremy Bradley EarlFour Songs EP, John SplithoffFar from Here, Lonnie HolleyTonky, LordiDeadition, Lucy LiyouEvery Video Without Your Face, Every Sound Without Your Name, Macie StewartWhen the Distance is Blue, Nico PauloInterval_o, Phil CookAppalachia Borealis, Pictoria VarkNothing Sticks, RushRUSH 50, Selena Gomez and Benny BlancoI Said I Love You First, Sharp PinsRadio DDR (Reissue), Tina TurnerPrivate Dancer (40th Anniversary Edition), Tommy EmmanuelLive at Sydney Opera House, WingsVenus and Mars (50th Anniversary Edition), XIXAXOLO, Young WidowsPower Sucker, Various Artists – Eli Roth’s Red Light Disco: Dancefloor Seductions from Italian Sexploitation Cinema