New Music Friday: The best albums out June 20

Summary

All Songs Considered: New Music Friday – The Best Albums Out June 20, 2025

Hosted by NPR's Stephen Thompson and Raina Duras from World Cafe in Philadelphia, this episode of "All Songs Considered" delves into the latest standout albums released on June 20, 2025. The hosts provide in-depth analyses, share personal insights, and highlight notable tracks, making this episode a must-listen for music enthusiasts eager to discover new sounds.

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1. Haim – I Quit

Timestamp: [01:11] - [08:34]

Stephen Thompson kicks off the episode by spotlighting Haim's highly anticipated fourth album, "I Quit." Co-produced with Rostam Batmanglij, Haim's trio delivers a vibrant and freeing pop experience, marking their first release since 2020's "Women in Music Part 3."

• Themes & Reception:

  • The album centers on shedding toxicity and embracing positive change. "It's about leaving bad stuff behind, leaving bad relationships, shedding what doesn't bring you joy," Raina explains ([03:33]).
  • Stephen notes the album's potential as the "I Quit Summer," highlighting its ability to resonate widely with its upbeat and liberating messages ([02:24]).

• Notable Tracks:

  • "Relationships" ([04:11]): A catchy anthem expressing the paradox of being in love yet disliking the complexities of relationships.
    • Quote: “I'm in love but I can't stand effing relationships. Why do I have a guilty conscience?” ([05:02])
  • "Gone" ([05:48]): Opens the album with a sample from George Michael's "Freedom 90," setting a defiant and liberating tone.
    • Quote: “Before I leave on second thought, I change my mind... Now I'm free to finally packed my.” ([05:48])

• Production & Style:

  • Raina praises the album's fun and rock-inspired sound, contrasting it with the 90s grunge and Sad Diary entries.
  • The hosts discuss the "Rose Wave" genre, characterized by its summery, poppy vibes that are both sonically pleasing and emotionally resonant ([07:08]).

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2. Hotline tnt – Raspberry Moon

Timestamp: [08:34] - [13:13]

Next, Stephen and Raina explore Hotline tnt's new release, "Raspberry Moon," under Jack White's Third Man label. This album pays homage to 90s shoegaze bands with its lush, guitar-driven sound.

• Musical Influences:

  • The album draws heavily from bands like Swerve Driver and Teenage Fanclub, emphasizing layered, booming guitars without the reliance on pedals ([09:56]).

• Themes & Impact:

  • Raina highlights how the album serves as an escape from the overwhelming noise of the modern world, offering a sense of nostalgia and emotional catharsis.
  • Stephen appreciates the balance between the wall-of-sound approach and individual rock song craftsmanship ([11:11]).

• Notable Tracks:

  • "Was I Wrong?" ([11:42]): Combines distortion with a twang, creating a unique auditory experience that echoes the essence of the 90s.
  • "Candle" ([41:56]): Described by Stephen as the record's standout track, it seamlessly blends big billowy guitars with memorable hooks.

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3. Yaya Bae – Do It Afraid

Timestamp: [16:04] - [22:06]

Yaya Bae's "Do It Afraid" is celebrated for its dynamic range and emotional depth. The album transitions from chill R&B vibes to explosive dance tracks, showcasing her versatility.

• Musical Journey:

  • The first half is likened to a "summer hang" atmosphere, perfect for relaxed settings.
  • The latter half shifts to more energetic, genre-blending tracks that incorporate soul, jazz, and hip-hop elements ([17:21]).

• Themes & Messages:

  • The album encapsulates the journey of embracing fear and hardship as pathways to personal growth and happiness.
  • Raina connects Yaya Bae's positive outlook with Haim's "I Quit," noting a shared theme of overcoming challenges to emerge stronger ([19:44]).

• Notable Tracks:

  • "Dream Girl" ([17:12]): Transitions from a laid-back vibe to a Technicolor dance celebration, highlighting Yaya Bae's expansive musical toolkit.
  • "Merlot and Grigio" ([20:48]): Infuses Caribbean pop elements, adding a playful and eclectic flavor to the album.

---

4. Kelsey Walden – Every Ghost

Timestamp: [22:06] - [29:09]

Kelsey Walden's "Every Ghost" merges country and folk seamlessly, offering heartfelt storytelling imbued with warmth and empathy.

• Storytelling & Themes:

  • The album delves into personal struggles with addiction, generational trauma, and the journey toward self-improvement.
  • Raina compares Walden's narrative style to John Prine, appreciating her non-judgmental and relatable approach ([23:14]).

• Notable Tracks:

  • "Lost in My Idolin" ([24:42]): Addresses substance abuse with a balance of vulnerability and rawness.
    • Quote: “I'm the best and worst of my kin.” ([26:07])
  • "Tiger Lily" ([26:35]): A tribute to Walden's grandmother, blending heartfelt sentiment with authentic lyricism.

• Personal Insights:

  • Both hosts commend Walden's ability to handle heavy topics without sounding preachy, making her music deeply relatable and emotionally resonant ([25:58]).

---

5. SG Goodman – Planting by the Signs

Timestamp: [30:21] - [37:29]

SG Goodman's "Planting by the Signs" explores themes of grief, reconciliation, and the natural world's influence on personal growth. Recorded after reconciling with guitarist Matthew Rowan, the album serves as a tribute to her late mentor, Mike Harmony.

• Musical Style:

  • The album juxtaposes Goodman's gritty, lived-in vocals with ethereal, shimmering arrangements, creating an intoxicating and foggy late-night ambiance ([31:10]).

• Themes & Symbolism:

  • The practice of planting by moon signs serves as a metaphor for resisting the relentless pace of modern technology and embracing natural rhythms ([33:19]).
  • Tracks like "Snapping Turtle" tell poignant stories that reflect on humanity's responsibility to nature and personal experiences growing up ([35:19]).

• Notable Tracks:

  • "Snapping Turtle" ([35:19]): A narrative about protecting nature, embodying the album's larger environmental and personal responsibility themes.
  • "Fire Sign" ([36:25]): Captures Goodman's seeker spirit, blending personal introspection with universal quests ([36:52]).

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6. Lightning Round: Additional Notable Albums

Timestamp: [37:29] - [43:56]

Stephen and Raina conclude the episode with a lightning round, highlighting additional noteworthy releases:

• Seven Davis Jr. – Don't Crash Out Challenge ([38:08]):

  • A diverse mix of funk, soul, dance, and trip-hop, characterized by its beat-driven explorations.
  • Stephen's Highlight: “I'm about to crash.”

• Meg Remy of US Girls – Scratch It ([38:24]):

  • Showcases Remy's vocal versatility and comfort within her music, drawing comparisons to Elo.
  • Raina's Insight: Remy’s range and playful style make the album a delightful listen.

• Matthew Shipp – The Cosmic Piano ([38:56]):

  • Following his critique of Andre 3000’s piano work, Shipp's solo piano album emphasizes the depth and craft of improvisational music.
  • Stephen's Commentary: Perfect timing, as the album embodies the essence of his earlier discussions on musical authenticity.

• Tropical F Storm – Fairyland Codex ([39:45]):

  • An Australian band delivering a sound reminiscent of Nick Cave with a fuzzed-out, menacing edge.
  • Raina's Comparison: “Sounds like Mario Kart music in the movie,” highlighting its playful yet eerie quality.

• Nathan Salzberg – IPSA Corpora ([40:37]):

  • A 40-minute instrumental acoustic guitar journey that marries meditation with rage, reflecting Salzberg's dual passions for history and music.

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Conclusion

Stephen Thompson wraps up the episode by sharing his favorite tracks of the week, favoring Hotline tnt's "Candle." Raina complements this by highlighting SG Goodman's "Snapping Turtle," underscoring the episode's theme of powerful storytelling and emotional resonance in the featured albums.

Notable Closing Quotes:

• Stephen: “This is the album we didn't know we needed.” ([08:34])
• Raina: “I love to go drink wine in the park with my girlfriends at night and then ride our bikes.” ([07:50])

Thank you for joining Stephen Thompson and Raina Duras on this musical journey. Stay tuned for more insights and discoveries in the next episode of "All Songs Considered."

---

Produced by Simon Rettner and edited by Otis Hart. Executive Producer: Soraya Mohammed.

Transcript

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[Raina Duras]

A quick note before the show.

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This podcast contains explicit language.

[Stephen Thompson]

Your place and my place. It doesn't matter to me.

Happy Friday, everyone, from NPR Music. It's New Music Friday. I'm Stephen Thompson here with Raina Duras from World Cafe in Philadelphia. Hey, Raina.

[Raina Duras]

Hey, what's up?

[Stephen Thompson]

It is such a pleasure to have you here. Before we start, I actually just up front, want to do a quick public service announcement. Many of you, if you listen to this show, probably subscribe to the NPR Music newsletter. If not, why not? But we wanted to let people know that we are launching an official Tiny Desk Newsletter if you want to be alerted every time. We publish a new Tiny Desk concert, which we do several times a week. And they're always newsworthy, so you can sign up for [e-mail] tinydesknews. Raina, have you signed up yet?

[Raina Duras]

Yes, yes, I have. I'm trying to remember I have. And if I haven't, I'm doing it right now. Awesome.

[Stephen Thompson]

Thank you, Raina. We're gonna kick things off with the new album by Haim. Haim has a new album called I Quit.

Tell me that you're in love. Cause I'm not trying to walk the line. And whoever you see I'm saying is fine with me. Cause I won't say what I'm doing tonight. You know I always hang a while and I won't ever change. So when you see me out with someone else, I will not be ashamed to want you all over me.

[Raina Duras]

So Haim's new album, I Quit, it's their fourth album. It's their first since 2020 when they put out Women in Music Part 3. They co produced it with Rostam Batmangli, who they've worked with a whole bunch before. And honestly, I think that deciding to release this on the first day of summer, very smart move.

[Stephen Thompson]

Such a good idea comparing this summer in music to last summer in music and asking myself the question, like, what is the brat of 2025? What is the Sabrina Carpenter espresso of 2025? What is the kind of big, messy, joyful pop banger record. I was listening to this record and I was just thinking, like, would I be shocked if this became I Quit Summer? Thematically, it is very much about shedding toxicity. It's about leaving bad stuff behind, leaving bad relationships, shedding what doesn't Bring you joy. That's actually a pretty decent piece of advice and an excellent theme to hang a big summer pop record on. Right.

When I can't feel you by my side Even though I know it's not right it's not wrong I have to keep myself from holding on so I.

[Raina Duras]

Try.

[Stephen Thompson]

To feel my.

[Raina Duras]

It's called I Quit. But I think even they've said that it's not about quitting in the negative sense. It's about, like, quitting, being afraid, like, moving on and how you quit. And, like, it's a very kind of positive thing. Do you know how badly I needed fun pop rocky music from a bunch of women that doesn't sound like 90s grunge rehashing. It doesn't sound like sad diary entries. It's fun. It feels so fun and so freeing. And I feel like when I put this on right away, I was like, oh, this is what I needed.

[Stephen Thompson]

I listened to this record kind of three times through in a row, and I was really starting to feel these songs sink in. And you start to pick up on where songs could really get their hooks into people. Not just because they're catchy, but because they're saying something that is going to speak to people in a kind of a grand and unique. So there's a song on this record called Relationships. And it's like, I think I'm in love but I can't stand effing relationships. And it kind of set to this spare beat, man. I can feel that resonating with people on TikTok. I can feel this song hitting people at the exact right time in their lives.

And there's no one to blame. I think I'm in love But I can't stand fucking relationships. Why do I have a guilty conscience?

[Raina Duras]

I played it on my show a while ago, and I think what I said was, there's somebody listening to this right now who's on the fence about whether or not to leave their crappy partner. And this is going to do it. And so, like, if you're the partner, sorry in advance, but this is like the okay, I'm done song.

[Stephen Thompson]

That theme runs through the whole record, you know. The song Gone, which opens the record, samples George Michael's Freedom 90, which is like taking Freedom 90 as kind of your mission statement. Makes so much sense on this record.

Before I leave on second thought, I change my mind Been in this graveyard all my life I'll do whatever I want want I'll see who I wanna see I'll off whenever I Want I'll be whatever I need Now I'm gone Quick as a gunshot Born to Run can't be held up Now I'm free to finally packed my. But it's nothing I.

[Raina Duras]

And also on Gone. I love the. The production. It's kind of weird. And the deadpan vocals, especially in that song, it really sounded to me like Sheryl Crow.

[Stephen Thompson]

Oh, I got Sheryl Crowe quite a bit listening to this record.

[Raina Duras]

Yeah. Like, this is like a. Open the car windows, let your hair down, and drive away from your pools kind of.

[Stephen Thompson]

Alpha Chaim is really one of the prototypes for the musical genre coined by our colleague Lars Gottrich, called Rose Wave.

[Raina Duras]

Yes.

[Stephen Thompson]

Lars has been writing and talking about wave for years. And basically the concept of it is it's sometimes something can sound basic and poppy and summery, and it's not necessarily doing grandly, artistically ambitious things, but it just works, and it's just what you want. A big glass of. With a big fat ice cube in it is sometimes what you want, sonically speaking. And that is something that Haim has done really well, even as this record, as you say, has some really interesting sonic flourishes.

[Raina Duras]

Yeah. The bass tones are so thick.

[Stephen Thompson]

T H I C C. Literally.

[Raina Duras]

Yes. In all caps. And to your point, I also wrote down this album. Makes me want to go drink wine in the park with my girlfriends at night and then ride our bikes. Don't ride under the influence.

[Stephen Thompson]

But sure, Raina, you just let me fill the air with words for how many minutes and then you just dropped the perfect encapsulation of this record.

[Raina Duras]

Yeah. Yeah, right.

[Stephen Thompson]

We need it. It's the album we didn't know we needed.

Close my eyes Rest my head I.

Can feel that is I Quit by Haim. Next up. Oh, man, Raina, I love this record. Hotline tnt. Hotline TNT has a new album called Raspberry Moon. Hotline tnt. They record for Jack White's Third man label. You know, kind of a lot of lineage and a lot of, for lack of a better term, shoegaze bands. I was struck listening to this record, Raina, how much it immediately nodded to every guitar band I obsessed over in the 90s. Swerve driver, teenage fan club hum Big billowy, booming guitars on top of guitars layered in such intoxicating ways and yet not performed using any pedals at all.

[Raina Duras]

See, I actually didn't know that. That is so.

[Stephen Thompson]

Every little dot on the speaker has guitars coming out of it.

[Raina Duras]

Yeah.

[Stephen Thompson]

In just the best way. Talk about a record I didn't Know I needed it. Turned out I was greatly craving a truly kick ass guitar rock record.

Julia. Tread the water I won't make you break the law.

[Raina Duras]

Kind of feels like right now the world feels extremely overwhelming and noisy and sort of difficult to take in. Turning this album up really, really loud really blocks all of that out. It leaves no space in your brain for anything else while you're listening to it, which is nice. And also those guitars and just how big they are are so good at getting big feelings across. Like listening to this album made me feel like a teenager if I was in high school feeling all these big feelings for the first time. I feel like this. This album would have like totally blown my mind, you know?

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah, this would have 100% rocked my world in 1993. But it's not just a throwback, right? It's just picking up on a lot of the majesty of a lot of those great records. And this record opens with a song called Was I wrong? They're able to use distortion to almost create a sense of twang. The sound is just bending under its own weight and that is creating the illusion of a twang. I just think it's so cool.

Answered as soon as I knew our truth and the math who crashed.

[Raina Duras]

But.

[Stephen Thompson]

It'S not the same. Was I.

[Raina Duras]

Will Anderson of Hotline tnt. I think he usually works alone and he adds the layers on his own.

[Stephen Thompson]

Right.

[Raina Duras]

And this time his touring band came into the studio with him and they were involved in the process. And that I think is part of the reason it feels so alive. Like every guitar, every. Everything in there has a mind of its own. I think sometimes personally I can find the wall of sound guitar thing. I can find it a little samey after a while, but it feels like there are so many hooks on this album.

[Stephen Thompson]

On one level, I enjoyed it as a kind of 35 minute wall of sound. But I really did enjoy it as a collection of great rock songs. I'm gonna keep coming back. That's Raspberry Moon from Hotline tnt. We've got more great records we're going to talk about, but first let's take a quick break.

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[Raina Duras]

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[Stephen Thompson]

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From NPR Music, it's New Music Friday. I'm Stephen Thompson here with Raina Doris from World Cafe in Philadelphia. Raina, tell me what's going on with the show.

[Raina Duras]

Well, this week on World Cafe, we're launching our Sense of Place Rome series. Our Sense of Place series is where we go to a different city or different country. We dig into the music scene there. We have sessions with a whole bunch of great artists from Italy, and then we also visit a record label that's dedicated to releasing lost Italian B movie soundtracks. We go to Forum Studios, which is the studio founded by Ennio Morgane. We went to like a fingerstyle guitar social club up in the hills outside of Florence. It's beautiful. I'm excited for everybody to hear it. That'll be going on for like two weeks.

[Stephen Thompson]

I want NPR to send me to Rome. You should come, but just to eat bread.

[Raina Duras]

Yes, well, I did do a lot of bread eating and spaghetti eating. In fact, at that fingerstyle guitar place, they insisted we have dinner with them first and they made like, like penne Bolognese and red wine. And it was just, it was unbelievable.

[Stephen Thompson]

All right, well, next up, we've got a new album from Yaya bae. Yaya Bae's new album is called Do It Afraid.

Spend the night with me, Take the flight with me to the other side of the world. I know we can't say the world I love will be the key to everything we need to hold on a little while longer A little bit stronger A little bit stronger hold me in your arms tonight.

[Raina Duras]

Yaya bae, she's an artist from Brooklyn. And, yeah, this one's called Do It Afraid of. And it takes you on a journey.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah, it really does.

[Raina Duras]

I feel like the whole first half, I was like, you could almost play this in a spa, maybe. This is like a summer hang kind of pool party album. And then it like just picks up and goes.

[Stephen Thompson]

There's almost this cinematic quality where it's like the camera has been fixed on this small point on a landscape, and all of a sudden it pans out to reveal the entire earth. You know, when you hit the song Dream Girl, it really kind of explodes into a celebration. It kind of takes you from this low key RB kind of chill vibe into Technicolor dance music with bits of soul and jazz and hip hop. In, like a dance song, you really get a sense of just how big her toolkit is.

Yeah. Does it feel good to you? Does it feel good to you? Does it feel good to you? Is it real good to you? Take girl, take girl.

[Raina Duras]

It sounds like she's having so much fun. And it sounds like. I think by the end of this album, I was like, yaya BAE seems to be in a really good place. And I'm very happy for her, which.

[Stephen Thompson]

Is what I get from the artists I love.

[Raina Duras]

Yeah. A little before Dream Girl, there's Spin Cycle, and I think there's a lyric in it where she says, take your stress away. And I really felt like it does. It felt like a nice morning, getting up and making coffee, gardening, easing into your day kind of song.

[Stephen Thompson]

Would you like that, baby?

We often on this show, we'll sort of find connective tissue across these different albums. One big theme of this record and the title Do It Afraid, is about this larger theme about moving through your life and kind of embracing fear, embracing pain, embracing hardship as part of a path to a place worth reaching. Life is hard. You know, we're all hopefully pursuing happiness, but we're gonna hit pitfalls along the way, and that's okay.

[Raina Duras]

And you can. You can come out of it and you can have a great time. And I think putting this album in conversation with something like Heims record, I quit. They both do feel like you're gonna go through this stuff and you're gonna emerge on the other side out of, like, out of the ashes of whatever that is, is. And maybe feeling even better than before. She also has a real sense of humor. Maybe it kind of comes from her early experience writing rap verses for her dad's rapper friends because he was. He was a record producer and a rap producer. The sense of humor shines through on these songs.

[Stephen Thompson]

We ain't done till I say we is all these labels is all your heroes Ain't about government, don't give a It's a recession they don't say it but I know it is this depression I don't say but shit, I know it is Confessions of a Real as.

This record rolls along, especially as you get into the back half, you know there are 18 tracks here rolling by in only about 45 minutes, so you get a lot of pretty quick hit songs. And she uses that as a way to weave in a lot of different genre explorations along the way. There's a track called Merlot and Grigio.

[Raina Duras]

Yes.

[Stephen Thompson]

That is like a little funky bit of, like, vaguely Caribbean pop.

[Raina Duras]

You know, it kind of sounds like Mario Kart music in the movie. And I mean that as a compliment.

[Stephen Thompson]

Oh. Oh my God. I certainly interpreted it as one.

Maybe it won't be easy maybe it won't come fast maybe it's a little bit spicy maybe it's built to last you say that love is overrated you don't have patience maybe I'll change your mind mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine.

Maybe I'll change my mind but then you also have a track like A Surrender, which is kind of bleary in a way that almost feels like an interlude, but it's a fully realized song.

[Raina Duras]

Yeah, she is kind of all over the place, but in a way that I felt was also very cohesive.

[Stephen Thompson]

Time feels the doll I know but when will it ever be over? The pain that I feel I know it's in God's hands I know I've done all I can make me over Patience of motherfucker.

That is Do It Afraid by Yaya BAE Next up, the singer songwriter Kelsey Walden has a new record called Every Ghost.

I had to get cold so I wouldn't get hurt push my one her ton up out of the dirt now come on strong like a hurricane swoon had to tend my own garden just to watch it blue now just to watch it bloom Just to watch it bloom Every ghost I loved every ghost of myself.

Kelsey Walden is a singer songwriter from Kentucky. She's a country singer, but she's also recording for John Prine's oh Boy label. And that should give you a sense that as much as she is singing country songs, she's also singing folk songs. And the two styles really weave together seamlessly here.

[Raina Duras]

What really stood out to me is the warmth with which she tells her stories not unlike somebody like John Prine, where she can tell stories of people who you might describe them as flawed. But she does it with so much warmth and so much empathy that stood out over and over again on this record to me.

[Stephen Thompson]

Happy New Year. I'm scared to death My old demons they give me no rest.

When we talk about these recurring themes. Leaving your baggage behind is a big theme of this record. These songs are about addiction, about kind of generational trauma, about going through hardship. There's a vulnerability to them and a rawness about them. But there also are these larger ideas around undoing your bad habits, about making amends, about establishing healthy boundaries and assessing yourself in a really frank and open way. So you have a song like Lost in My Idolin is about substance abuse.

Where they led me Me play my music way of LA Spending all my money on the cheerful Trying to find my way home all the way from town.

[Raina Duras]

Lost in my island Because I. That was the song where I really. Where it clicked for me. The level of, like, empathy that we're hearing. But also, she sings without judgment, this person, the narrator of this song. It's not just like, a condemnation of drinking and addiction. It's like she acknowledges that from the drinker's perspective. Sometimes it's fun. Sometimes it's fun to go in and play a bunch of stuff on the jukebox and sit and have a drink with people. And, like, I think that that's really important because otherwise it can come off as kind of preachy.

[Stephen Thompson]

And she's very plain spoken about it in ways that are really deeply relatable. Then there's a song called My Kin where she's, like, assessing her place in her lineage and looking at where she's thrived and where she's fallen short.

You don't know me like you think you do how can you trust me if I won't trust you?

It culminates in this line. I'm the best and worst of my kin.

I'm the best and worst of my kin. My kin.

That is such a great line. And it gives you a sense of how unsparing she's willing to be when she's looking at herself and her own life and the decisions she's made along the way.

[Raina Duras]

Tiger Lily starts with these, like, blazing awesome strings, and it's about her grandma and how her grandma would transplant flowers. And Kelsey has some of the tiger lilies her grandma transplanted once in her yard. Kelsey said that she didn't want to write something that sounded sentimental, but she wanted to write something for her grandmother. And she writes a song in memory of somebody as a tribute to somebody without out it's coming off as saccharine or sappy.

[Stephen Thompson]

Every time the Tiger Lily's blue I'll think of you when they blue I'll think of you. Death has divided us here on earth. You've gone to rest somewhere on high. Our plan the seeds that you gave to me here in my garden, they'll never die.

These songs that are that are kind of digging into some of these more deeply felt topics that ends up kind of buying her the credibility to just do like a straight ahead outlaw country song like Let It Lie, you know, which has these like swoopy fiddles and big slide guitars.

First we were headed out to Oregon the way of Nashville, Tennessee, wound up with some trouble and went big and everywhere in between. Thousands of miles for a few good damn shows. And in spite of everything, that's what I.

[Raina Duras]

The song Comanche. It's a song about setting boundaries and the car sort of represents a kind of independence. She really does own a Jeep Comanche, which I found interesting right away because Katie Crutchfield of Waxahachie also owns a Jeep, also sings about owning a Jeep. And there's something to me that is so lovely about these beautiful storytelling songwriters with gorgeous voices driving around in Jeeps.

[Stephen Thompson]

It just feels right.

Drive past the liquor store, you know I don't drink that stuff no more. The rumble of the engine feels like my soul smooth when it's running a little rough, when it's not moving.

That is Every Ghost, the new album from Kelsey Walden. We got one more record we want to talk about in depth, as well as a lightning round of some of our own other favorite albums out today, June 20th. But first, let's take a quick break.

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[Stephen Thompson]

From NPR Music. It's new Music Friday. I'm Stephen Thompson here with Raina Doris from World Cafe in Philadelphia. Next up, we've got a new album by SG Goodman. SG Goodman's new album is called Planting by the Signs.

Say it's good, say it's right Wishing on a satellite Kingdom come, Kingdom come it's the same for everyone it's the same for everyone. Look what it's done to you look what it's done to you look what it's done to you. You.

[Raina Duras]

I love this record. I loved it. I think of all the albums we are talking about today, this is the one I'm going to keep putting on over and over. SG Goodman, also from Kentucky. Like our last artist, Kelsey Walden, who she's actually. They're friends with each other, so that's perfect.

[Stephen Thompson]

Makes sense.

[Raina Duras]

That's so nice. There is something about the atmosphere SG Goodman creates that I find so compelling. It's kind of creepy sometimes or like dark or like menacing even at times it's beautiful, but it feels like there's something out there in those woods, you know what I mean?

[Stephen Thompson]

When trying to unpack, what makes SG Goodman sound so intoxicating? I was really starting to kind of study the juxtaposition between her kind of sandy, gritty, very lived in voice and the way her arrangements have this shimmery, almost ethereal quality to them. The friction lies in the voice and then the arrangements are drifting into the ether in ways that really pull you in. It's kind of of foggy, late night music.

Walking in the sunshine Spoon, bread, butter and some K.

[Raina Duras]

You feel like you are with her in a very specific place in West Kentucky. And we were talking about the themes throughout this episode. This album also deals with grief coming through, difficulty getting at the other side.

[Stephen Thompson]

Keep me walking in the sunshine Sunshine Walking in the sunshine the sun is sinking in the cold dark night.

The album is called Planting by the Signs. Planting by the Signs is the practice of timing events to the cycle of the moon. Basically like using the moon's cycle to determine when is the best time to plant your crops, when is the best time to get a haircut, when is the best time to wean your baby. Making decisions according to the cycle of the moon. And that provides a really sturdy metaphor for the state of the world today. Right. And trying to live a life where you are pushing back against endless technology, pushing back against, you know, news cycles, whatever, whatever about the modern world is bedeviling you taking a step back and trusting the natural world that got us here, you know? S.G. goodman, a few years ago, lost her mentor Mike Harmony, to a freak accident. And in the aftermath of his death, losing him compelled her to reach out and reconcile with her then former collaborator and guitarist Matthew Rowan. And they talked about this shared loved one that they had lost and used that experience as a way to mend fences and kind of start working together again. And he winds up not only co producing this record and playing all over this record, but the title track from the album, Planting by the Signs, has him taking lead vocal and then having them share their vocals. According to the sign, that was intended in part as a tribute to Mike Harmon, a tribute to her mentor, and wound up kind of getting this beautiful record in part out of that loss.

Stargazing until the afternoon when the time is right the sun is sinking in the cold dark night.

[Raina Duras]

There's a song on the album called Snapping Turtle.

[Stephen Thompson]

Oh, it's such a good song.

[Raina Duras]

It's. I. I love it. I mean, kind of sounds like Kurt Vile a little bit, in a way, but it tells a story. And, you know, I'm assuming, I guess here that it's autobiographical, maybe it really isn't, but it tells the story of growing up in a small rural town, and she sees kids killing a snapping turtle. How it hardened her and how it sticks with her in ways.

[Stephen Thompson]

When you're a farm kid in a small town, you drive before the legal age, and I won't forget that day.

That song, in a way, kind of came, casts her. You know, she comes upon these kids, they're whomping on a turtle with a stick, and she kind of comes in like, hey, can I get in a lick? Or whatever. And then she beats up the kids for hurting this turtle and ends up sort of as this avenging angel rescuing this turtle they were beating the hell out of it. What a metaphor for humanity's responsibility to nature, which is a big part of kind of the larger idea ideas behind this record.

When I raised my hand, I brought down the wrath of God himself. Beat those kids till they were crying out for help. I couldn't help myself, threw the turtle in the truck.

[Raina Duras]

And then you have, like, fire sign. And the one line I wrote down is just, I was born a seeker. And it feels like a great description of how I feel SG Goodman is in her lyrics and with her music.

[Stephen Thompson]

Living like a fireside.

That'S Planting by the Signs. A new album from SG Goodman. Raina. There is absolutely no way that we could possibly get to every great record out today, June 20th. So we're gonna do a lightning round of some of our favorites. I'm gonna kick us off. For More than a decade, Seven Davis Jr. Has presided over this wildly diverse sound that encompasses really timeless funk and soul and dance music, trip hop and more. His new album is full of wild eyed beat driven explorations. It's called Don't Crash Out Challenge. I'm about to I'm about to crash.

Out I'm about to I'm about to crush.

[Raina Duras]

Meg Remy of US Girls has a new album and this record. She just sounds so comfortable in the music, in her vocals. She has such a wild range and can do so much with her voice. Voice. There's parts of the album that kind of sound like elo. It's a lot of fun. It's called Scratch It.

[Stephen Thompson]

Last month, the inventive jazz pianist Matthew Shipp made headlines when he posted a rant to Facebook that slammed Andre 3000's new recording of piano instrumentals. In the process, he wrote about the craft of improvisational piano, the work that goes into it. And that essay triggered a lot of conversations about whose music attracts attention from listeners and more to the point, the press, including npr. Now, perfect timing. Ship has a new album of solo piano pieces. It's dense and enveloping and an ideal soundtrack to what Ship was just writing about last month. It's called called the Cosmic Piano.

[Raina Duras]

I'm not allowed to say the full name of this band on air. It's Tropical F Storm and they are from Australia. I actually hadn't heard of them until we were. I was preparing for this show, Stephen and I just loved it. It's. It kind of sounds like a fellow Australian Nick Cave, but really fuzzed out. It's shambling. It's a little scary. It's got raggedy guitars. I listened to this two times back to back right away, the first time I heard it. The album's called Fairyland Codex from Tropical F Storm.

[Stephen Thompson]

Multicolored magic code in a purple sea fold Impassioned perfection in my kind.

Finally, I'm gonna close this out with one more Kentuckian. Nathan Salzberg is one of my favorite guitarists. He's a professional historian. He's done stunning work alongside his wife, the great singer songwriter Joan Shelley. And he's made a string of deeply creative instrumental acoustic guitar records. And the Latest is a 40 minute single track in which he channels what he describes as sort of a mix of meditation and rage. It's called IPSA Corpora. Now Raina, I'm gonna try to pin you down and just have you name one song. What is the best new song you've heard this week?

[Raina Duras]

I'm gonna have to give it to S.G. goodman, snapping turtle. Such a great song right now. While we're talking, I'm like, I'm looking forward to going back and listening to that again. It's just a great song told to.

[Stephen Thompson]

Pray for forgiveness hard and pray for grace. Not after seeing.

I could have gone with a couple of different tracks from the soundtrack to I Quit Summer, but I'm gonna go with the song Candle from Hotline tnt, which was just one of the songs that just jumped out at me. You mentioned Raina. Just the sheer amount of hooks on that record, not just the big billowy guitar guitar, but also the hooks that they're hanging on. Candle is probably the song from that record that most resonated with me that I'm most going to want to go back to again and again. But there was a lot to choose from this week that brings us to the end of our show. Thank you so much Raina Dorris, for taking time out of your week at World Cafe and WXPN in Philadelphia.

[Raina Duras]

Thanks so much for having me.

[Stephen Thompson]

It is always a pleasure 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 Simon Rettner and edited by Otis Hart. The executive producer of NPR Music is Soraya Mohammed. It we'll be back next week to talk about a bunch of new albums with one way possible of Bay Area public radio station kalw. Until then, take a moment to be well, plant by the signs and treat yourself to lots of great music.

Brand new things to sing. I wanna foreign.

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