New Music Friday: The best albums out April 17

Summary

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NPR Music: New Music Friday – The Best Albums Out April 17

Host: Hazel Sills
Guest: Nastya Vojnowskaya (KQED, SF)
Date: April 17, 2026

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Episode Overview

This week’s New Music Friday gathers NPR’s Hazel Sills and Nastya Vojnowskaya to discuss the standout albums dropping April 17, 2026. The episode flows from major festival news to deep dives on six buzzed-about new releases—from house and disco to confessional indie, righteous pop, and modern reggae. The hosts interweave their own insights with music clips, memorable commentary, and a rapid-fire round-up of even more essential listening.

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Key Discussion Points & Highlights

[00:19] Coachella 2026 Highlights

• Carol G makes history as the festival’s first Latina headliner, blending dynamic showmanship and Colombian cultural homage.

• Nine Inch Noise (Nine Inch Nails x Boys Noize) deliver a dark and electrifying performance, noted for Mad Max-esque aesthetics and “propulsive, darker” energy.

  “It looked so dark and twisted and like there were all of these bald dancers crawling around the stage. It was kind of giving a Mad Max vibe in the middle of the desert.” —Hazel Sills (01:19)

• Nastya flags the duo’s self-titled album out today, noting:

  “The collaboration with Boys Noise...just makes it that much harder, propulsive, darker.” —Nastya Vojnowskaya (02:01)

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[03:05] Honey Dijon — The Nightlife

Artist & Album Context

• Honey Dijon: Chicago-born, NYC-schooled house/techno legend now based in London.
• Known for club cred and pop crossovers (Lady Gaga, Madonna, Beyoncé’s Renaissance).

Sound & Themes

• The record is “a beautiful celebration of that feeling of getting lost on the dance floor.” —Nastya (04:04)
• Title track “The Nightlife” w/ Chloe Bailey bridges pop & underground house:

  “It really kind of bridges the world of pop and house. It feels like a pop song to me with like really great house dance music bones.” —Hazel (04:33)

Notable Tracks & Moments

• Private Eye feat. Rochelle Jordan marries R&B and house seamlessly.
• Slight Work feat. Bree Runway stands out for modern, metallic ballroom vibes:

  “It feels like a song that is made for the ballroom in 2026, not for the ballroom in like 1990.” —Hazel (07:21) “When you say ballroom, I can totally imagine people voguing to this song.” —Nastya (08:00)

• Overall album tone: Boldly self-confident and a bit salty, a through-line of attitude that sets it apart from the more optimistic prior project Black Girl Magic.

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[09:40] Jessie Ware — Super Bloom

Artist & Album Context

• Six album run, with ongoing exploration of disco; genre traditionalist with her own flare.
• Ware draws on the euphoria and liberation at disco’s roots.

Sound & Themes

• Album leans fully into lush, romantic disco—echoes Gloria Gaynor, Candi Staton (“defiant disco diva energy”).
• Lead single “I Could Get Used to This” references the Roman goddess Juno, symbolizing feminine power and erotic agency.

Notable Tracks & Moments

• Don’t You Know Who I Am: “For me, giving like, pure Gloria Gaynor, like, I will survive energy.” —Hazel (10:11)
• Automatic: Cinematic euphoria, nods to classic disco touchstones.
• Sauna: “Very early electro sounding...reminded me of Sylvester’s collaborations with Patrick Cowley in the late '70s...the soundtrack to a gay bathhouse.” —Nastya (13:25)

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[18:01] Sofia Isella — Something is a Shell (EP)

Artist & Album Context

• 21-year-old boundary-pushing singer/songwriter; opened for Taylor Swift, tours with Florence and the Machine.
• Known for abrasive, theatrical, feminist pop that’s intentionally challenging.

Sound & Themes

• Interrogates Christianity and patriarchy, channels riot grrrl and slam poetry.

• Above the Neck:

  “Has this kind of like slam poetry style singing...about the objectification women face from a very, very young age.” —Hazel (19:38) “Above the Neck sent chills down my spine, especially because it’s from the perspective of this very young singer.” —Nastya (20:57)

• Out in the Garden: Surreal, horror-movie bent; tackles religion and self-doubt through multiple narrative voices.

Standout Segment

• “...Rolling around in the muck of the world and her going to these places that I feel like so many artists are afraid to go.” —Hazel (21:27)
• “...Kind of criticizing how this woman is using her faith to justify abuses of other women...she’s singing from the point of view of this devil character that’s almost like a woman that’s been condemned by the church and demonized.” —Nastya (22:41)

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[24:17] Eaves Wilder — Little Miss Sunshine

Artist & Album Context

• North London singer-songwriter, debut record after viral breakout.
• Described as “a sugar rush of an album” with sharp, biting lyrics cloaked in anthemic pop.

Sound & Themes

• Jangles between mosh-pit-friendly grunge, glittery indie pop and shoegaze.
• Tackles coming-of-age in the Internet era, pressure to please, and self-acceptance.
• Just Say No: Upbeat track flipping the “chill girl” stereotype.

  “I was imagining a mosh pit, but everyone’s throwing glitter.” —Nastya (26:57)

• Everybody Talks: Simple lyricism builds to cathartic crescendo about anxiety and digital noise.

Artist’s Perspective

• Eaves’ evolution: Letting go of expectations and mass appeal

  “I feel like she was trying to, like, game the system and, like, make a hit. And I think she really settled into her style of songwriting on this album because there’s so much freedom in a lot of this music.” —Hazel (28:29)

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[31:39] Yaya Bey — Fidelity

Artist & Album Context

• Queens, NY singer-songwriter, emerged during the pandemic.
• The new album weaves grief (personal, generational, communal) with jazzy, soul-rooted R&B and a voice “so laid back and confident and direct.”

Sound & Themes

• Explores loss (her father, black cultural space, and generational innocence), but foregrounds perseverance and the belief in healing through love.
• Slot Machines: Lyrics about recognition, reinvention, and self-worth.
• Great Migration: “It kind of reminded me of Young, Gifted and Black by Nina Simone...it’s just this homage to the beauty and ingenuity of her community.” —Nastya (34:43)
• As the Ocean: “There’s so many little moments...her back hurting and her heart aching and her bra being too tight...just those moments of real, grounded, realism.” —Hazel (35:51)

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[37:12] Lightning Round: More New Releases

Hazel Sills Recommends:

• Catherine Moore — Carve: “Tough, raw, captures the feeling of isolation in the Mojave Desert; grungy, unusual guitar work.”

Nastya Vojnowskaya Recommends:

• Protoje — The Art of Acceptance: Contemporary reggae with R&B/neo-soul; smooth, romantic, spiritual, features Stephen & Damian Marley, Masicka, Shenseea.

Noah Caldwell Recommends:

• ppj — Joker (EP): French-Brazilian dance project; “permanent carnival.” Techno, baile funk, Brazilian club.

  “Bright, energetic, propulsive...They call their music a ‘permanent carnival’, which is spot on.” —Noah (39:16)

Tom Heisinga Recommends:

• Arvo Pärt — Symphonies (Iceland Symphony Orchestra): Four symphonies, 1963–2008, showcasing the legendary Estonian composer’s evolution.

  “Flooded with the spirit of old Slavonic church music and Gregorian chant. Angelic, you might say.” —Tom (40:36)

Rodney Carmichael Recommends:

• Adrian Younge — Adrian Younge (Self-titled): Instrumental fusion of jazz, soul, blaxploitation and spaghetti western cinematic groove.

  “Blaxploitation meets spaghetti Western...cinematic, soulful and psychedelic with an orchestra that I think would probably make Isaac Hayes blush.” —Rodney (42:02)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Honey Dijon:

  “Your favorite diva’s favorite DJ.” —Nastya (04:04)

• On Jessie Ware:

  “Disco symbolizes this embrace of pleasure, being in your own body, following your desires in an unabashed way.” —Nastya (11:21)

• On Eaves Wilder:

  “This is definitely something you can crank up in your car. This is music I would love to see live at a show. The instrumentation is just so huge and so atmospheric. It’s a lot of fun.” —Nastya (30:03)

• On Yaya Bey and grief as backdrop:

  “Across the tracks, you can really feel that what’s getting her through is this undying spiritual belief in love.” —Nastya (34:43)

• On Sofia Isella:

  “She makes her voice intentionally low and creepy...she really interrogates how Christianity can be used to justify patriarchal violence.” —Nastya (18:55)

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Timestamps for Top Album Segments

• Coachella Recap & 9 Inch Noise: 00:49 – 02:37
• Honey Dijon – The Nightlife: 03:05 – 09:31
• Jessie Ware – Super Bloom: 09:40 – 15:03
• Sofia Isella – Something is a Shell: 18:01 – 24:17
• Eaves Wilder – Little Miss Sunshine: 24:17 – 30:23
• Yaya Bey – Fidelity: 31:39 – 37:12
• Additional Recommendations Lightning Round: 37:12 – 43:47

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Closing

Hazel thanks Nastya and the NPR team, encourages listeners to check out this week’s full slate of music, and teases next week’s guest lineup. The show stays vibrant, curious, and full of cross-genre surprises—just as New Music Friday promises.

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Transcript

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[Hazel Sills]

show this podcast contains explicit language. Happy Friday, everyone. I'm Hazel Sills, an editor at npr, filling in for Stephen Thompson this week. Each week on New Music Friday, we speak to a member of the NPR Music Network. And today, April 17th, I'm here with Nastya Vojnowskaya from KQED in San Francisco. Nastya, I'm so happy that you're here.

[Nastya Vojnowskaya]

Hey, Hazel. I'm so happy to be here.

[Hazel Sills]

I'm really excited to talk about a ton of great new music out today. But I did want to talk to you a little bit about Coachella. Did you catch any of the Coachella live streams? Do you even care about Coachella? I'm curious.

[Nastya Vojnowskaya]

Of course. Yeah. So this year, one of my faves, Carol G, was the first Latina headliner, which is very exciting. And she had this super dynamic performance that really paid homage to her Colombian culture, which I loved. But a collaboration I was really thrilled about is Nine Inch Nails and Boys Noise performing as Nine Inch Noise.

[Hazel Sills]

Yeah, I was not watching live streams as it was happening. You know, there's a big time delay on the east coast, so I can't stay up for everything. But I was like getting clips, you know, after the weekend had happened, after the performances had happened. And my entire Instagram feed was honestly 9 inch noise clips. It was like the algorithm was like, you absolutely need to see this performance. It looked so dark and twisted and like there were all of these bald dancers, like, crawling around the stage. It was kind of giving like a Mad Max vibe in the middle of the desert.

[Nastya Vojnowskaya]

Yeah. So fitting. And then the music just works so well together. I love 90 inch nails, obviously, giants of industrial music. And then the collaboration with Boys Noise, which is this German electronic producer, just makes it that much harder, propulsive, darker. And they have an album that came out today that I'm so excited to dive into it. And I love how Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails continues to reinvent himself. He is one of my favorite soundtrack composers. And I read that this collaboration sprang from when he asked Boys Noise to remix the tracks that he did for the Challengers score.

[Music/Vocal Clips]

You change your ways and you will make amends.

[Hazel Sills]

Oh, we will Wipe this place clean.

[Music/Vocal Clips]

Your time is tick, tick ticking away.

[Hazel Sills]

All right, let's jump into the first album we're going to chat about in depth today. It's Honey Dijon's new record and it's titled the Nightlife.

[Music/Vocal Clips]

Hot light fire burns desire Sweat dripping down Energies growing higher Ang to the face While I'm feeling the way that you move makes me want to inquire Drum me close let the toast open I'm feeling you I want to know if you like it hard Cuz I like it hot I like it hot I like it hot Yay. I like it hard I like it hot I like it hot I like it hot yeah I like it hard I like it hard I like it

[Nastya Vojnowskaya]

honey Dijon is a Chicago born house and techno producer who came up in New York scene in the 90s. Currently based in London, she's been an underground staple forever. But now I would call her your favorite diva's favorite dj. She has worked with Lady Gaga and Madonna and she came into mainstream acclaim with her production on Beyonce's Renaissance album. And this album, the Nightlife is a beautiful celebration of that feeling of getting lost on the dance floor.

[Hazel Sills]

Yeah, I love Honey Dijon. I'm always excited about what she does. She contributed, as you said, my favorite song on Renaissance, which was Alien Superstar. And what I hear on this album is like a real continuation of her collaboration with pop like you just described. I think what she does best is make house music that I think will welcomes listeners into the genre, you know, without losing its edge and like political power. Like I think a song like the Nightlife, which features Chloe Bailey, it really kind of bridges the world of pop and house. It feels like a pop song to me with like really great house dance music bones.

[Music/Vocal Clips]

I know a place, a place where I can get away and let the melody take control of me don't let go hold me, don't let go Take me round and round and round and round and round Take me round and round and upside down.

[Nastya Vojnowskaya]

This album channels this very swingy, disco inflected house vibe which I really think speaks to house music's roots in Chicago's queer black dance music underground in the 80s, which is when Honey Dijon came up as a 13 year old sneaking into clubs and really absorbing this sound. I love that this album has multiple collaborations with each of the vocalists. There's a club version of that title track with Chloe that goes even harder. And there's also some really nice work with Rochelle Jordan who marries R and B and House music so beautifully. I really loved the track Private Eye.

[Music/Vocal Clips]

It's time to talk about it. Give me your information and I will give you a key. A private conversation is something you can have for free.

[Hazel Sills]

A lot of people do associate Honey Dijon with that kind of like, you know, late 80s, early 90s, kind of like golden age of house. But on this album, you know, I really do hear her range. I feel like her music, you know, is very referential, but I never feel like she's just looking backwards to me. I really love this song on the album called Slight Work, which features the rapper Brie Runway. And it's very like, modern. It's a very modern song. It's very metallic. It feels like a song that is made for the ballroom in 2026, not for the ballroom in like 1990.

[Nastya Vojnowskaya]

Absolutely. And when you say ballroom, I can totally imagine people voguing to this song. This really speaks to underground queer subcultures and it has so much attitude, it's very addicting.

[Music/Vocal Clips]

This shit won't be pumping till I jump in my name in mouth Cuz it's always something Cavali don't get me started Inches on inches by stom a reef Just a race the face is always carded gas in this, you know I'm going eat it I'm an idiot get to work baby tell them get work. Slight work Slight work, Slight work Light work, Light work, light work.

[Hazel Sills]

Yeah I feel like attitude is definitely like a big descriptor for this album. This album just feels so kind of boldly self confident and like a little salty. Like, you know, Honey Dijon's last album, Black Girl Magic, was full of, you know, so much optimism and love and, you know, clearly, as always, rooted in her community as like a DJ and an artist. But there were just so many moments on this album. Like, I hear it on, you know, international. I hear it on Just Friends, where there is just this kind of like, you can't handle this energy that I really appreciated, you know, throughout this album. That was the Nightlife by Honey Dijon. So we were just talking about house music and now we're going to talk about disco, which is fun. We're just moving backwards in time. I want to talk about an album that's out today titled Super Bloom. And it's from the British artist Jessie Ware.

[Music/Vocal Clips]

This evening expecting all the finer things. I love a glass of champagne and maybe diamond rings A touch, a sweet romancing A taste of deja vu and then I saw you dancing with someone else across the room so this is

[Hazel Sills]

Jessie Ware's sixth album, and it builds on this genre that she's really, you know, been exploring quite deeply now for a few albums now, which is, you know, disco, disco music. And it's really interesting to talk about this album after talking about the Honey Dijon album, because Dijon is really interested in moving between, you know, dance music's past and present and future. I feel like Jessie on this album is really fully committed to the past and to drawing on disco music's tradition while still, you know, bringing her own flair and flavor to it. But, you know, I hear a song like don't yout Know who I Am, which is just, for me, giving, like, pure Gloria Gaynor, like, I will survive energy. I feel like, you know, Jesse is just kind of a traditionalist on a song like that.

[Music/Vocal Clips]

Don't you know who I am? I'm the love of your love fool me once kiss me twice We've been dancing all night don't you dare say goodbye don't you know who I am Yeah.

[Nastya Vojnowskaya]

I was also getting some candy satin. Young hearts run free that defiant disco diva energy. I love this album. I think for Jesse Ware, disco kind of symbolizes this embrace of pleasure, being in your own body, following your desires in an unabashed way. And that's a huge theme on Superbloom, the lead single. I could get used to this. The music video pays homage to the Roman goddess Juno, who's the goddess of women, childbirth, fertility. So in this album, she really talked about women owning their erotic powers in this very bold way.

[Music/Vocal Clips]

I could get used to this. Yeah. I could get used to this.

[Nastya Vojnowskaya]

Yeah.

[Hazel Sills]

It's like, you know, disco gets a bad rap sometimes, but, like, you know, for so many of the people who made it in the 70s and 80s, like, it was this, like, euphoric, you know, sexually, you know, freeing genre. And I feel like not enough people focus on that. And I really feel like she is focusing on that on this album. A song, you know, that really stood out to me is the song Automatic, where, you know, that also to me is like, this very kind of, like, euphoric, like, almost, you know, cinematic track. And there's this flute on it that kind of reminds me of the flute and the hustle, just like, these little kind of touchstones that are pulling me back into the past in a really fun way.

[Nastya Vojnowskaya]

The album starts out in this kind of romantic register with the title track and Automatic. There are these luxurious strings, these layered harmonies, and then it gets very raunchy. So I loved the track Sauna. It's this very high energy, very early electro sounding track. It kind of reminded me of Sylvester's collaborations with Patrick Cowley in the late 70s. It makes me imagine the soundtrack to a gay bathhouse. And it has this very synth heavy beat. And Jessie Ware's voice is just pure propulsive energy, just charged with desire.

[Hazel Sills]

Yeah, I'm really glad that you brought out Sana because that also stood out to me. It does. It just has this like, you know, kind of like sexy like, you know, I love that you brought up Sylvester and Patrick Cowley, you know, energy to it. And I think that's the kind of song that like, you know, someone could hear it and you know, like so much of disco. Think it's a little corny or like a little like it's kind of like gimmicky, but she just brings so much fun and this like incredible energy to it that it's just, it just makes it kind of irresistible.

[Music/Vocal Clips]

If you wanna last longer, I don't need faster, I need stronger. Take it to the sauna.

[Hazel Sills]

That was Super Bloom by Jessie Ware. We've got to take a quick break here, but coming up we have new releases from artists Sofia Isella, Eaves Wilder and more.

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[Hazel Sills]

I'm Hazel Sills. It's New Music Friday. I'M here with Nastya Vojnowskaya from KQED in San Francisco talking about so many great albums out today. What is coming up at KQED that you can tell us about?

[Nastya Vojnowskaya]

So we all know the Bay Area is one of the most expensive places in the country to live. So we're doing this newsroom wide series called How We get by. That's all about the compromises and solutions that people make to survive in the Bay Area. And the arts team and I are working on some reporting for that. So that's an ongoing project. I'm also very excited to cover the film I love Boosters, directed by the Oakland filmmaker Boots Rider. And it's this fun darkly comedic thriller about an all woman shoplifting ring. So lots of big moments happening in the Bay Area.

[Hazel Sills]

I'm so excited to see that Boots Riley movie. It looks crazy.

[Nastya Vojnowskaya]

No, seriously, same. And it has Keke Palmer, who's one of my favorites. And then coming up In May, on May 9, we have KQED Fest, which is this big free block party we throw right side of our headquarters in San Francisco. And the lineup hasn't been announced yet, but I am hosting an onstage conversation with an exciting artists that I think tiny desk fans will appreciate.

[Music/Vocal Clips]

Ooh.

[Hazel Sills]

Okay, so a little surprise. The anticipation is killing me. That all sounds amazing.

[Nastya Vojnowskaya]

Yeah, it'll be announced before too long.

[Hazel Sills]

So the next release that I want to talk about that came out today. It's an intriguing EP from a rising artist. Her name is Sofia Isella and the EP is titled Something is a shell.

[Music/Vocal Clips]

Throat stuffed with apology hands are red and caught by me you're attempting Roman dance Outside in the grass you perfectly resemble a dumbass Call the truth right by the tail the animal keeps on calling till you're naked and afraid and all your clothes are hiding nothing and my God, you look sad. The chicken's out of the bag, curiosity's in Snoop, I'm the cotton I got kill again. Gang gang, gang, gang, gang.

[Nastya Vojnowskaya]

Sophia sella is a 21 year old singer songwriter who is blowing up. She's opened for Taylor Swift, she's touring with Florence and the Machine right now. And what I really appreciate about her is she's getting this mainstream acclaim for making very abrasive music with a very strong point of view that's not meant to be liked by everybody. Sophia Zela is this beautiful, tall, model esque woman, but she performs covered in literal dirt and she makes her voice intentionally low and creepy. And in something is a shell, she really interrogates how Christianity can be used to justify patriarchal violence.

[Hazel Sills]

Yeah, she is a very unusual kind of pop star. To me, it's kind of crazy to think that she opened for Taylor Swift because her music is. Is so different. And yeah, I agree with you that her music is very dark and explicitly feminist. Like, it has this kind of like, almost like 90s riot girl style ethos. I mean, there's the song on the EP titled Above the Neck, which I feel like is kind of a standout track. It has this kind of like slam poetry style singing, which I feel like might turn a lot of listeners off, but it is about, you know, the objectification women face from a very, very young age. And I just don't really hear pop music that sounds like this a lot.

[Music/Vocal Clips]

Everything but the look that sells. You're 12 looking 20. You're 20 looking 12 and you're tight and you're baby and you're sexy about it and you're subtle and doyed and toddler's outfit and her eyes are crossed and big and bright and bug and she withers around like a salty slug. There's a beautiful balance to realize and reach when the women act like with a child in a sex basement, are titillated by that delicate line between sex on the nursery rhyme over time, you'll not remember normalcy because normal normalcy is what you see repeatedly, so there will be nothing to miss. It must be so relieving for you to hear this.

[Nastya Vojnowskaya]

Above the Neck sent chills down my spine, especially because it's from the perspective of this very young singer. And it's all about how older men objectify youth. And listening to it, I couldn't separate it from this Epstein Files era that we're in, where millennial and Gen Z women are having a reckoning with how people that are accused of engaging in human trafficking and sexual abuse have shaped so much of culture and our public life.

[Hazel Sills]

Yeah, I mean, it's dark material and it's clearly material that is like speaking to a generation of young women. I think, you know, every time I've seen one of her songs posted online or on Instagram or YouTube, there's always women in the comments who are saying, you know, I've never heard something like this. I really relate to the music. It's very theatrical as well. Like, it's. It's, you know, it has this sense of, you know, rolling around in the muck of the world and her going to these places that I feel like so many artists are afraid to go. You know, a song like out in the Garden, you know, it almost has this horror movie bent to it. You know, she sings like something isn't right, isn't human about me. She has such a way of, of grounding the music in very human personal experiences, but also taking it to these kind of otherworldly places as well. As a songwriter,

[Nastya Vojnowskaya]

Out in the Garden is hands down my favorite track. She kind of leaves that spoken word style that she does and really sings with this very full throated voice. And there are these dark, reverb laden drums, this really epic guitariff and it just builds so much tension. And what I love about Sofia Sela's songwriting is she writes from the point of view of different characters. So. So here she's talking to a woman who is praying and she's religious. And on one hand she's kind of criticizing how this woman is using her faith to justify abuses of other women. On the other hand, she's kind of envious that she has such a strong belief in something that's giving her hope. And then she's singing from the point of view of this devil character that's almost like. Like a woman that's been condemned by the church and demonized.

[Hazel Sills]

So that was Something is a Shell by Sofia Isella. So our next album is by an artist that was, you know, new to me. It's an artist named Eaves Wilder. And her album is titled Little Miss Sunshine.

[Music/Vocal Clips]

There's a hurricane girl oh, we must have seen her Spins around in silent shape Like a ballerina Spin around, spin around I spin it Here we go. I tried to hear her but she said let it be. So.

[Hazel Sills]

Eaves is a singer songwriter from North London, first broke out in 2020 when she was a teenager when she originally released the song Won't yout Be Happy. This is her debut album and it is just so fun. We're taking a real pivot from Sofia Asela. It is like a sugar rush of an album. And, you know, it's. It's sugary and it's sweet, but there's like so much bite to a lot of this music. You know, there's a song on here, you know, titled Just say no, which I thought was like a real banger. And, you know, it's a song about calling out a guy who thinks that, like, the thing that makes her attractive is when she kind of just goes with the flow and is a chill girl and like, doesn't say no. And I think the way that she volleys between upbeat, cool girl energy, but then if you listen really closely to the song. She's, like, raising some significant complaints. Just makes the music really charming.

[Music/Vocal Clips]

You ever grow you such a good girl? Because you don't say.

[Nastya Vojnowskaya]

I really enjoyed this album. You said Sugar Rush. I was imagining a mosh pit, but everyone's throwing glitter.

[Music/Vocal Clips]

Yeah.

[Hazel Sills]

Sounds fun.

[Nastya Vojnowskaya]

Yeah, definitely. Yeah. Yeah. There are these big shoegazy guitar riffs, a lot of riot girl and 90s grunge influence. But then Eve sings with those sort of ethereal, almost outfits voice. And the songwriting is just so catchy. And I think this album really smartly tackles a lot of different themes about coming of age as a young woman in this time of the Internet attention economy and just wanting to cut through the noise and connect with yourself and connect with something greater. And that theme really comes through on the track Everybody Talks. The lyrics are quite simple. She kind of just repeats that refrain, but. But the energy really builds from these wispy vocals to this huge crescendo. And it's all about just trying to listen to yourself amid all the noise from people's feedback online.

[Hazel Sills]

That is such a great song about, you know, kind of having anxiety and, like, you know, having all these voices screaming in your head, you know, when you're on stage, you know, she sings like, I am running off pure fear and adrenaline, with which I feel like really explains the energy of a song like that. And I read an interview with her in Rolling Stone where she talked about how there was a moment where, before making this album, she was really feeling not into making music. She wanted to quit. She was having writer's block. And then she kind of realized that she could just make music that sounds the way that she wanted to without worrying about being a big hit with mass appeal. I feel like she was trying to, like, game the system and, like, make a hit. And I think she really settled into her style of songwriting on this album because there's so much freedom in a lot of this music. I hear someone who has kind of cracked open their life in a way and is. It just wants to explore and have fun. And, you know, there's a song on here called the Great Plains where I really hear that the most, where, you know, she sings about, like, wanting to be a cowboy and, like, leaving it all behind. And I hear, you know, an artist who is, like, really open to all possibilities.

[Nastya Vojnowskaya]

What I love about these tracks is that although they do explore some heady concepts, you really feel them in your body. This is definitely something you can crank up in your car. This is music I would love to see live at a show. The instrumentation is just so huge and so atmospheric. It's a lot of fun.

[Hazel Sills]

So that was Little Miss Sunshine by the artist Yves Wilder. We have to take another quick break here, but when we return, we'll talk about more great new music out today.

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[Hazel Sills]

so our next album is a new release from the artist Yaya BAE and it is titled Fidelity.

[Music/Vocal Clips]

I swear to God I really tried I would have gave you all the days of my life Dedicated make a sacrifice Nothing could have changed my mind with all my heart and all my soul I'm just trying to make it home Dedicated make a sacrifice Nothing could change my mind but the red is too high the weight is too low Home girls can drop it low to the flow if you can can't. Go.

[Nastya Vojnowskaya]

Yay is a Queens, New York raised singer songwriter who emerged during the pandemic and she really insightfully talks about themes of Greece, which is a theme that continues on this album. She has this rich, warm, gorgeous voice, jazzy instrumentation that feels really alive. And the album grapples with personal grief around the loss of her father, also grief around the idea of home, the loss of black cultural spaces, and also the sort of loss of innocence that comes with knowing that the sense of progress that maybe millennials grew up with in the 90s and 2000s, you know, have necessarily come to bear.

[Hazel Sills]

Yeah, she has such a great way of kind of weaving these like bigger political ideas and social narratives with music that I think really speaks to what she is going through. And I hear so much strength on this album, even if it is an Album that is, as you say, formed by grief. There's a song on this album called Slot Machines, you know, where she sings, you know. You know there's a brand new me. But your eyes still see what your arms can't reach. And I think that there's so many moments on this album where she's really kind of, you know, renegotiating her relationship with other people and sort of taking issue with, like, other people's, like, lack of imagination is sort of what I heard on a lot of tracks on this album. And she just has a way of singing that's so laid back and confident and direct that's really captivating.

[Music/Vocal Clips]

You working overtime? You cross the picket line? Cause these niggas always crying.

[Nastya Vojnowskaya]

Yeah. I think that theme of grief is a backdrop. But across the tracks, you can really feel that what's getting her through is this undying spiritual belief in love. And that came across so nicely on the track Great Migration. It kind of reminded me of Young Gifted in Black by Nina Simone. It's just this homage to the beauty and ingenuity of her community. And it has this kind of drum and bass influence. Be this really gorgeous trumpet. And her voice is so encouraging, and she sings this refrain, do it from the heart, which I really loved.

[Music/Vocal Clips]

Love's the thing that got us here? And it's love that'll take us home. Love to see you shining, baby? Cause, baby, you got the glow? Baby, you shining shin? Shining, shining? Baby, you shining, shining, shining? You look so familiar. Something like looking in the mirror.

[Hazel Sills]

There's so many little moments on this album just, you know, her songwriting and, like, her turns of phrase that really, you know, stuck with me. You know, there's a moment on a song on here. The song is titled as the Ocean, where she sings about, you know, her back hurting and her heart aching and her bra being too tight. And it's just like those moments of real, grounded, you know, realism that she brings to this music that I think connects all those dots between, you know, grief is a backdrop, as you say, love. And it just feels like very, like, centered music. Like, this is an artist who has been, you know, working through these themes for so long. And her pen is just incredible.

[Music/Vocal Clips]

As the ocean letter. But it stretch. Why is the sky? It's always baby, myself and I. Why you just stand back and watch me cry? Why you just stand back and watch me cry? You don't love me like a French.

[Hazel Sills]

So that was Fidelity by Yaya bae. So we couldn't get to every single album out today. So we are going to do a lightning round with some of my colleagues across NPR Music. But first I want to shout out a release that's come out today. It is the album titled Carve by the artist Catherine Moore. She is an experimental musician and she recorded this album in a tiny little house in the Mojave Desert. And I really feel like this album captures this kind of feeling of, like, isolation and, and solitude of, you know, being out in the middle of nowhere. It just has this incredibly tough, raw spirit. She's a guitarist and the way that she plays guitar is so unusual and kind of grungy and out there. I just think it's an album that's really, really worth checking out. Carve by the artist Catherine Moore. Nastya, what do you have to recommend today?

[Nastya Vojnowskaya]

A standout for me is the Art of Acceptance by Jamaican reggae artist protege. So this is contemporary reggae fused with RB and neo soul kind of vibes. And it has some great features from Stephen and Damien Marley, Jamaican dancehall star Massica and Shenzia. And it's music you can dance to. Very smooth vibes, spiritual lyrics, and some romance as well.

[Music/Vocal Clips]

Is this a dream? Am I awake?

[Nastya Vojnowskaya]

Moon on your skin Hands round your

[Music/Vocal Clips]

waist Music is love and I Earth

[Nastya Vojnowskaya]

do not play the way that was the art of acceptance.

[Hazel Sills]

Very nice. Noah Caldwell, what do you want to shout out today?

[Noah Caldwell]

Hey, Hazel. So I've got something dancy and upbeat from the electronic group ppj. They're this French Brazilian group that started during the Pandemic actually as a lockdown project. They've had a bunch of EPs since then, a bunch of singles. Their latest EP is out today. It's called Joker. It's this super fun mashup of techno pop, bailifunk, Brazilian rhythms. It's always like super lyrical. With vocals from their lead singer, Paula, who's originally from the north of Brazil, lived in Rio for a long time. She calls their music a quote, permanent carnival, which I think is kind of spot on. It's bright, energetic, propulsive. They were a trio. This is actually their first project as a duo, just two of them. But there's a lot of continuity here. It doesn't feel like it's a big break from their previous sound. It feels like they're kind of building on this theme, you know, they got Brazilian dance rhythms like Sato, They've got big club bangers and also some kind of lower key like Mid Afternoon sit by the Pool tracks. So that's Joker from ppj.

[Hazel Sills]

I love ppj. I'm so glad that you brought that Tom Heisinga, what do you have for us?

[Tom Heisinga]

Hey, you know, I'm. I'm really excited about a new album of symphonies by Arvo Parrot. He's the, the beloved Estonian composer who counts Bjork and let's see, Keanu Reeves and Michael Stipe as his fans. All four of Arvo Parrot symphonies are on this album by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ava Oinan. And I think it's kind of a good way to understand how Parrot symbol sound evolved over the years as these symphonies. They range from 1963 until 2008. From his kind of what you might want to call his early kind of atonal style to his really timeless spacious sound that he developed in the mid-70s. And it's really kind of flooded with the spirit of like old Slavonic church music and especially Gregorian chant. Angelic, you might say, say. So it's part of Arvo Parrot Symphony Number four with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and conductor Eva Olikinen.

[Hazel Sills]

I need more angelic music in my life, honestly.

[Tom Heisinga]

We all do. Right?

[Hazel Sills]

Rodney Carmichael, what do you have?

[Rodney Carmichael]

Hey, Hazel. So Adrian Young has a new self titled instrumental album out. And you might be familiar with Young's Jazz is Dead label and series that he has with Ali Shahid Muhammad, where he has like almost this archival approach to, to fusing old soul and jazz into, you know, the sonic language of hip hop. And, you know, this album is, is really no exception. The best way to describe it is blaxploitation meets spaghetti Western. I mean, it's cinematic, it's soulful and psychedelic with an orchestra that I think would probably make Isaac Hayes blush. But I didn't realize how thick the bass and drums were on this joint till I played it in my car. So I'm in the family SUV after dropping the kids off at school this morning and the strings are swelling and the horns are blaring, but then the bass kicks in and that's where I became like the protagonist in my own blaxploitation fleet. Also, Adrian Young back with the new album. Album that is self titled and deceptively young in spirit.

[Hazel Sills]

Man, I'm so sold. Thank you guys so much for bringing all that music.

[Rodney Carmichael]

Appreciate it.

[Tom Heisinga]

Thank you, Hazel.

[Noah Caldwell]

Thanks, Hazel.

[Hazel Sills]

So that is our show for this week. Thank you, Nastya Buenoskaya, for taking time out of your week at KQED in San Francisco to come talk to me about so much great music out today.

[Nastya Vojnowskaya]

It was such a pleasure. Thanks for having me back.

[Hazel Sills]

If you enjoyed this week's show, we Always appreciate a positive review on Apple or Spotify or whatever app you're listening to right now. This episode was produced by Noah Caldwell and Elle Mannion and edited by Otis Hart. Our production assistant is Dora Levitt. The executive producer of NPR Music is Soraya Muhammad. Stephen Thompson will be back next week to discuss new music with Lou Mulvaney Stanek from Vermont Public. Until then, take a moment to be well and treat yourself to lots of great music.

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