All Songs Considered: New Music Friday – The Best Albums Out Aug. 29, 2025

Podcast: All Songs Considered (NPR)

Host: Stephen Thompson
Guests: Hazel Sills (NPR Music), Jesse Scott (WMOT, Nashville)
Date: August 29, 2025

Overview

This episode of All Songs Considered is a two-part special for New Music Friday, spotlighting standout album releases from August 29, 2025. Stephen Thompson is joined first by NPR’s Hazel Sills for a pop and power pop deep dive, then by Jesse Scott from Nashville’s WMOT for Americana and roots music. The team shares critical insights, memorable lyrics, and the unique stories behind each album, offering listeners an engaging guide to the best new releases.

Part 1: Pop & Power Pop Picks with Hazel Sills

Sabrina Carpenter – Man’s Best Friend

[00:57-04:51]

• Artist Background: Sabrina Carpenter, coming off a breakthrough year with hits like “Espresso,” returns quickly with her second album in two years.
• Industry Insight:
  • “It stands to be mentioned this used to be commonplace...but in this particular landscape, a quick cycle is usually two years.” (Stephen Thompson, 01:46)
• Tone & Themes:
  • The album’s lead single “Man Child” continues her signature comedic take on relationships.
  • “She’s doing what she does best...ragging on annoying dudes, making fun of boys who do her wrong. It’s a shtick she’s mastered and I haven’t gotten enough of it.” (Hazel Sills, 03:03)
  • Carpenter’s comedic, Goldie Hawn/Lucille Ball sensibility is a standout: “I just think what she’s doing, this kind of ditzy, Goldie Hawn, Lucille Ball type, like, comedic act in her music is very charming.” (Hazel Sills, 03:40)
• Memorable Lyric:
  • “Bad boyfriends are a self-renewing resource. The world will never run out of bad boyfriends.” (Stephen Thompson, 03:15)

The Beaches – No Hard Feelings

[05:25-11:38]

• Artist Notes: Toronto-based, all-femme rock band known for candid, witty storytelling, now leaning into more queer narratives.
• Album Vibe:
  • “It’s picking up where [Blame My Ex] left off with a lot more focus on queer relationships. But don’t worry, those relationships are just as doomed.” (Stephen Thompson, 06:00)
• Raw Honesty:
  • “It’s not just jabs at bad boyfriends. It’s jabs at bad girlfriends. There’s such a sense on this album of not biting one’s tongue.” (Hazel Sills, 06:55)
• Band Dynamics: Multiple members share songwriting duties, reflecting on their individual breakups and identities.
• Notable Quotes:
  • “They feel like a true rock band who knows how to have fun... there’s a kind of messiness and filth.” (Hazel Sills, 09:33)
  • “Last Girls at the Party is such a great example of just, like, a true anthem about a specific having a specific type of experience.” (Stephen Thompson, 10:54)

The Beths – Straight Line Was a Lie

[11:55-16:55]

• Band Origin: New Zealand-based, acclaimed for catchy power pop and lyrical vulnerability.
• Album Narrative: Balances energetic, hooky anthems with introspective, softer songs; reflects songwriter Elizabeth Stokes’s personal journey, including navigating creativity on new medication.
• Emotional Depth:
  • “I was really struck... Elizabeth Stokes... starting new medication and that sort of like altering her abilities as a songwriter.” (Hazel Sills, 13:02)
  • “That first track is just such a mission statement out of the gate...” (Stephen Thompson, 13:56)
• Intimate Lyrics:
  • “I know I’m a collaboration. Bacteria, carbon and light. There’s something very freeing to me about saying something like that... you’re just a human in process.” (Hazel Sills, 15:32)

Part 2: Americana & Roots with Jesse Scott

The State of Americana & AmericanaFest Preview

[19:05-19:54]

• Scene Report: Nashville remains the “mecca” for Americana, with an expanding artist community and a vibrant annual festival.
• Lineup Highlights: Daystage includes I’m With Her, Vicki Peterson & John Kausil, Tiff Merritt, Robert Randolph, Clay Street Unit, and Seth Walker.

Margo Price – Hard Headed Woman

[21:04-26:58]

• Production & Collaborators: Fifth studio album, recorded at RCA Studio A with Matt Ross-Spang (producer of her early records).
• Themes: Straddles folk, Americana, country, and bluesy rock.
• Influences & Credits:
  • Title track “Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down” includes a songwriting nod to Kris Kristofferson (via his famous whispered advice to Sinead O’Connor) and Margaret Atwood.
• Signature Quotability:
  • “All the cocaine in existence couldn’t keep your nose out of my business.” – “Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down” (Stephen Thompson, 23:52)
  • “Get your tongue out of my mouth I’m kissing you goodbye.” – Jessi Colter-penned, classic country wordplay (Stephen Thompson, 25:01)
• Uplifting Others: Features a duet with Tyler Childers on “Love Me Like You Used to Do,” written by friend Steve Knudson.

Rodney Crowell – Airline Highway

[27:10-34:43]

• Production: Recorded in the field in the Deep South with notable producer Tyler Bryant.
• Legacy:
  • “This record really feels lived in and personal in such a beautiful and compelling way.” (Stephen Thompson, 28:34)
  • Recalls the fertile late-’80s experimental country era—“the great country gets integrity scare.” (Jesse Scott, 30:15)
• Notable Tracks:
  • “Simple (You Wouldn’t Call it Simple)” stands out for Cash-like directness.
  • Classic character sketches: “She’s a wildwood flower in a red Corvette; Tanya Tucker meets Cate Blanchett.” (Stephen Thompson, 33:37)
• Political and Social Commentary:
  • “Heaven, Can You Help?” is a rousing protest song addressing the system gone awry.

Anna Tivel – Animal Poem

[36:03-40:54]

• Artistry: Portland, OR folk singer-songwriter, lauded for “gritty and ethereal” music.
• Recording Style: Tracked live in a circle with her band, capturing intimacy and rawness.
  • “There just isn’t a wrong note here... every time I came back and listened to this record, I was hooked in by another song.” (Stephen Thompson, 38:06)
• Notable Tracks & Moments:
  • “Paradise is in the Mind” – builds from fragile tenderness to a lush climax.
  • “Badlands” – recurrent highlight, simply described as “gorgeous.” (Stephen Thompson, 40:19, 48:11)
• Critical Praise: Ann Powers’ favorite; Tivel’s music “stopped time” at WMOT’s live lunch.

Lightning Round: Other Top Releases

[41:55-47:00]

• Blood Orange (Essex Honey):

  • Dev Hynes returns with an eclectic, genre-transcending album loaded with high-profile guests (Lorde, Caroline Polachek, Mustafa).
  • “This is an artist who can’t be easily pinned down to a single genre.” (Stephen Thompson, 41:55)

• Jaylee Roberts (Let Me Be Lonely):

  • Female bluegrass vocal standout, grounded in Nashville tradition.

• Brad Mehldau (Ride into the Sun):

  • Piano-driven Elliott Smith covers, innovative and jazzy, joined by notable guests and other covers (Nick Drake, Big Star).

• CMAT (Euro Country):

  • Irish-born, UK-based, blends Euro pop and country; compared to Patsy Cline.

• Tiwa Savage (This One Is Personal):

  • Nigerian Afropop star's long-awaited LP, in three languages, blending R&B, Afrobeat, and pop.

• Zach Top (Ain’t in It for My Health):

  • Old-school country crooner; recommend track “Between the Ditches.” (Jesse Scott, 46:35)

Hosts’ Final Faves

[47:00-48:23]

• Stephen Thompson:

  • Cannot pick just one; The Beaches’ No Hard Feelings and Anna Tivel’s Animal Poem are must-listens, with “Badlands” highly recommended.
  • “It’s just gorgeous. Spend the whole weekend with it. You will be glad that you did.” (Stephen Thompson, 48:11)

• Jesse Scott:

  • Champions Zach Top’s “Between the Ditches” for classic country fans and affirms that choosing a single favorite is “really, really, really hard.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “God bless her, that is Sabrina Carpenter.” (Stephen Thompson, 04:51)
• “You really feel like [The Beaches] could just, like, smash a guitar against an amplifier or something. Like, they know how to have fun.” (Hazel Sills, 09:33)
• “Every time he’s in the room, it just becomes an extra special night. He brings so much grace and grit and we have so much gratitude, you know, for everything that he’s done...” (Jesse Scott, on Rodney Crowell, 33:15)
• “Sometimes those notes are really useful and sometimes they are just utter useless garbage. As when I wrote down Badlands equals gorgeous.” (Stephen Thompson, 39:53)
• “Take a moment, take a moment to be well. Stand at your kitchen window listening to all the great music we just played and treat yourself to lots of great music.” (Stephen Thompson, 49:04)
• “And hydrate. And hydrate.” (Jesse Scott, 49:15)

Essential Listening: Segment Timestamps

• Sabrina Carpenter – “Man Child”: 02:24–03:03
• The Beaches – “Last Girls at the Party”: 10:32–10:54
• The Beths – “Straight Line Was a Lie”: 11:55–12:19
• Margo Price – “Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down”: 21:04–21:47
• Margo Price/Jessi Colter – “Kissing You Goodbye”: 25:01–25:17
• Rodney Crowell – “Airline Highway”: 27:10–27:53
• Rodney Crowell – “Sometime Thang”: 34:28–34:43
• Anna Tivel – “Paradise Is in the Mind”: 39:05–39:32
• Anna Tivel – “Badlands”: 40:21–40:54, 48:23
• Blood Orange – “Essex Honey”: 42:12–42:23
• Jaylee Roberts – “Let Me Be Lonely”: 43:19–43:31
• CMAT – “Euro Country”: 45:23–45:32
• Tiwa Savage – “This One is Personal”: 46:16–46:24
• Zach Top – “Between the Ditches”: 46:53–47:31

Closing Thoughts

With new albums spanning pop, power pop, rock, Americana, bluegrass, jazz, Afropop, and beyond, this New Music Friday is one of the richest of the year. Whether you want witty pop (Sabrina Carpenter), cathartic confessional rock (The Beaches, The Beths), earthy Americana (Margo Price, Rodney Crowell), lyrical folk (Anna Tivel), or global genre-mixing (Blood Orange, Tiwa Savage), this episode lays out the essential listening for your long weekend.

Top Recommendation:
Spend extra time with Anna Tivel’s Animal Poem, especially the track “Badlands”—it’s “just gorgeous.”