All Songs Considered – New Music Friday: The Best Albums Out Nov. 14

Podcast: All Songs Considered
Host: Stephen Thompson (NPR), with guest Liz Warner (WDET Detroit)
Release Date: November 14, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of All Songs Considered focuses on the most exciting albums, EPs, and mixes released on November 14, 2025. Host Stephen Thompson and returning guest Liz Warner (WDET Detroit) dive deep into standout records across genres, offering thoughtful critique, scene-setting, and contextual insights to help listeners discover their next favorite artist. From genre-bending pop to adventurous soul, introspective house to forward-thinking shoegaze, the episode delivers a thorough guide to the week’s new music highlights.

Featured Albums: In-Depth Discussion

1. FKA Twigs — Usexua Afterglow

Discussion Begins: [01:39]

• Background: FKA Twigs’s second album of the year, conceptualized initially as a deluxe edition companion to her January release, Usexua. Ultimately became its own stand-alone project.
• Musical Style: Dense, mysterious, and highly creative dance pop/R&B. Emphasizes woozy, euphoric, post-rave atmospheres; often shifts moods from track to track.
• Key Tracks: "Cheap Hotel" (trippy, restless), "Hard" (contradicts title with softness and lilt), "Stereo Boy" (blends influences reminiscent of 4AD/Cranes/My Bloody Valentine).
• Stephen Thompson: "It's useful to think of this record almost as if it's 3:30 in the morning. She's wandering through a house where a party is being thrown. And each song is like her entering a different room." [04:48]
• Liz Warner: "She has a way of saying, hey, this is me and I am really unlike any other. And it's just a really beautiful, beautiful thing." [03:55]
• Memorable Moment: The use of house-as-metaphor captures the album’s shape-shifting vibe.

2. The Avett Brothers & Mike Patton — AVTT PTTN

Discussion Begins: [06:58]

• Background: A surprising collaboration between the Avett Brothers (folk/roots/pop) and Mike Patton (Faith No More/Mr. Bungle, art-metal legend), born from mutual admiration rather than label machination.
• Musical Style: Swings between earnest Avett-style reflection and the grit/oddity of Patton’s punk/metal roots. Explores the unpredictable synergy of their distinct voices and styles.
• Key Tracks: "Dark Night of My Soul," "To Be Known" (more Avett-focused), "Heaven’s Breath" (Patton’s grime and gravel).
• Liz Warner: "The mix up is the craziest blender that I've heard. It's another one of those records in a way where you're like, wait, what's going to happen next? It's that unpredictability that is actually quite thrilling." [09:07]
• Stephen Thompson: "You really get a sense. There are songs that feel like, okay, this feels like an Avett Brothers song with maybe a little more grit. This maybe feels like a little bit more of a Mike Patton excursion." [10:03]
• Highlight: The boldness and vulnerability in collaboration is noted as a driver of musical discovery.

3. Gabriel Jacoby — Got a Child [EP]

Discussion Begins: [15:53]

• Background: Debut EP by the 26-year-old multi-instrumentalist from Anderson, S.C., raised in Tampa, FL.
• Musical Style: Eight tracks in 20 minutes, mixing D’Angelo, Jamiroquai, Sly Stone, and Detroit funk/soul influences with concise, hook-heavy songwriting and prominent falsetto.
• Key Tracks: "Baby" (reserved yet soulful), "Got a Child" (sleek funk with classic vibes), "Same Sign" (falsetto-led groove).
• Liz Warner: "So few musicians can really capture that zone so well. And as well as Gabriel Jacoby." [16:50]
• Stephen Thompson: "What you get here is 20 minutes of proof of concept that this is an incredibly talented dude… I feel like for the next couple years, I'm going to see a lot of the words in parentheses featuring Gabriel Jacoby." [18:48]

4. K-Lone — Sorry, I Thought You Were Someone Else

Discussion Begins: [20:33]

• Background: Project of London’s Josiah Gladwell, founder of the Wisdom Teeth label. Album written after the passing of his father.
• Musical Style: Mellow, hypnotic house/electronica with deep introspection, largely instrumental. Vocals are sparse and serve as background elements.
• Key Tracks: "SLK" (crunchy, Warp Records influence, Andrew Weatherall vibes), "The Haze" (upbeat, “instant essential”), "Slide By Side" (liquid, ambient textures).
• Liz Warner: "It just has this really nice drift to it. And it's something that is kind of like an endless listen." [21:52]
• Stephen Thompson: "The basement of that house is where that SLK song lives. It absolutely transports you to this, like, sweaty late night basement." [23:21]

5. Sword II — Electricity Hour

Discussion Begins: [25:38]

• Background: Atlanta-based trio, second release. DIY sensibility, all members contribute vocals and eclectic instrumentation.
• Musical Style: Modern blend of shoegaze, indie pop, psychedelic rock, emo. Multiple vocalists balanced against big, swirling guitars, shifting from sweet and poppy to raw and blustery.
• Key Tracks: "Even If It's Just a Dream" (catchy, dream pop), "Sugar Cane" (churning, yet bright), "Who's Giving You Love?" (builds to a frenzy with Saint Seneca-like vocals).
• Stephen Thompson: "I get transported, a, to the 90s, which means to my youth. But B, I'm like dying to hear what they do next." [27:02]
• Liz Warner: "It is so energetic. I really like the cut, even if it's just a dream. Very shoegazy, very pop. And a bit abstract as well." [28:31]

Lightning Round: Other Noteworthy Releases

Begins: [31:06]

• Summer Walker — Finally Over
  Completion of her R&B trilogy (Over It, Still Over It), packed with guest features (Lotto, 21 Savage, Anderson .Paak, Sexyy Red). [31:06]

• Eris Drew — DJ Kicks
  Acclaimed DJ delivers a cosmic, Chicago-rooted set for the storied mix series, including originals like "Momentary Phase Transition." [32:36]

• Austra — Chin Up Buttercup
  Katie Stalmanis returns with the fifth album of dramatic, dark, and emotionally charged electro-pop. [33:44]

• Everything But the Girl — The Best of Everything But the Girl
  Comprehensive new anthology covering hits, deep cuts, and standards renditions, including music from their 2023 return. [34:45]

• Tony Molina — On This Day
  21 brief but complete indie-pop/rock tracks in 23 minutes; for fans of Guided By Voices and The Kinks. [35:48]

Favorite Picks of the Week

• Liz Warner’s Pick:
  “I think I’m gonna go with Sword II — ‘Even If It’s Just a Dream,’ it’s so catchy, so poppy, it’s kind of like dream pop at its finest. And it’s brand new and it’s so fresh." [36:58]

• Stephen Thompson’s Pick:
  "Tempted to go with something from the FKA Twigs, which is pretty terrific, but I really want to call people's attention one more time to Gabriel Jacoby… I'm just going to go with the song Got a Child, which is just a pocket jam." [37:35]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the unpredictability of collaborations:
  Liz Warner: "They don't actually know the exact roots of how they got together, which actually makes a lot of sense when you think about Mike Patton." [08:49]

• On K-Lone’s atmosphere:
  Stephen Thompson: "In a song like Slide By Side, you can imagine, like, it accompanying like an elaborate indoor water feature at a luxury hotel, you know, where it's got this like, slightly pinging quality." [24:01]

• On Sword II’s blend of old and new:
  Stephen Thompson: "To like, conjure images of bands I loved in the 90s and bands I love now all swirled together, kind of coexisting in the same song." [29:29]

Overall Tone

The conversation balances expert enthusiasm with humor and personal reflection. Both hosts champion curiosity and openness to musical surprises, highlighting the week's releases as invitations into new sonic experiences. Their language is friendly, knowledgeable, and deeply invested in the power of discovery.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• FKA Twigs — Usexua Afterglow: [01:39 – 06:58]
• Avett Brothers / Mike Patton — AVTT PTTN: [06:58 – 12:07]
• Gabriel Jacoby — Got a Child: [15:53 – 20:33]
• K-Lone — Sorry, I Thought You Were Someone Else: [20:33 – 25:38]
• Sword II — Electricity Hour: [25:38 – 31:06]
• Lightning Round (Summer Walker, Eris Drew, Austra, Everything But the Girl, Tony Molina): [31:06 – 36:43]
• Weekly Picks: [36:43 – 38:34]

Conclusion

This week’s episode is a vibrant roadmap through the best and boldest new music releases of November 14, 2025, offering thoughtful analysis with genuine excitement and plenty of playlist inspiration for music fans eager to explore what’s next.