New Music Friday: The best albums out Sept. 12

Summary

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Episode Overview

All Songs Considered – New Music Friday: The best albums out Sept. 12
Hosts: Stephen Thompson & Raina Dorris
Date: September 12, 2025

This New Music Friday episode is a celebration of the week’s most exciting album releases, featuring an engaging rundown and frank, enthusiastic conversation between Stephen Thompson and guest Raina Dorris (World Cafe/WXPN). The episode highlights the much-anticipated Led Zeppelin live EP, revisits the world of Spinal Tap with a new film and soundtrack, and delves into standout albums by Gorilla Toss, Dee Spitz, Frost Children, and Mark William Lewis, among others. The hosts break down not just musical styles and sonic references, but also the stories and themes behind the week’s best new music.

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Key Albums & Discussion Highlights

1. Led Zeppelin – Live EP: Creative

• Anniversary Release: Celebrating 50 years since Physical Graffiti, this new EP delivers four classic songs performed live: “In My Time of Dying”, “Trampled Underfoot”, “Sick Again”, and “Kashmir.” (00:44)
• Listeners’ Nostalgia: Both hosts reminisce about their first encounters with Led Zeppelin via local radio stations—WAPL in Wisconsin (Stephen) and Q107 in Toronto (Raina).
• Raina’s note: "Every single proper noun in the press release for this sounds like a British parody. They're in Nebworth at Earl’s Court... But yeah, it's so much fun. I feel like I'll listen to whatever Led Zeppelin puts out." (01:12)
• Mood: The EP is described as “35 minutes of Led Zeppelin at its Led Zeppliniest.” (00:44)

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2. Spinal Tap – Soundtrack for Spinal Tap 2: The End Continues

• Premise: The faux-band returns 41 years after the cult classic 1984 film. The band must reunite for a contractually obligated show after their manager passes on the contract to his daughter, Hope Faith. (03:20)
• Life After Fame: Updates on the characters (running cheese & guitar shops, writing music for podcasts and phone hold lines, working in a glue museum) are shared with much humor.
• Cameos Galore: “It brings in Paul McCartney, it brings in Elton John, it brings in Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood for their cover of ‘Big Bottom’.” – Stephen (04:08)
• Memorable Musical Moments:
  • Paul McCartney appears, performing "Cups and Cakes":

    “Cups and cakes, cups and cakes, oh, what good things mother makes ... What a gay time it will be...” (05:52)

  • Original Songs:
    • "Rockin’ in the Urn" – “About how he'll still be performing after he's dead.” – Raina (06:47)
    • "The Devil’s Just Not" – On aging as a rock star (07:26).
• Reflective Tone:
  “How do you use the fact that all of these actors are now getting up there in years... That’s the whole concept of the film, is that these guys are old.” – Stephen (08:13)
• Favorite Quote:
  “This is fan service from start to finish. It's constant kind of cameos and callbacks...” – Stephen (04:08)

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3. Gorilla Toss – You’re Weird Now

• Sound: Wild, chaotic, and genre-bending; "freewheeling, gleefully weird," per Stephen (10:26).
• Production Quirk: The band held “punk lunches” in the studio—improvised meals with guest musicians (Stephen Malkmus, Trey Anastasio)—mirroring the album’s collage-like, experimental sound (11:25).
• Guest Collaborators: Both Malkmus and Anastasio feature on "Red Flag to Angry Bull" (12:22).
• Standout Tracks:
  • "Crocodile Cloud" – Described as a "collision of frantic bubblegum pop and screamy hardcore." (12:55)
  • "Life's a Zoo" – “Sounds like a Nintendo game at the beginning, and then it collapses in on itself...” – Raina (14:17), a sentiment echoed by Stephen.
• Band Comparison: Raina likens their sound to the B-52s with punk screaming, while also noting their tour history with Primus. (14:17)

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4. Dee Spitz – Something to Consume

• Band Profile: A group of four 22-year-old women from Austin, signed to Third Man Records. Inspired to form after watching the Mötley Crüe biopic The Dirt. (19:23)
• Musical Roots: Influences range from Black Sabbath to Pixies, PJ Harvey, and Nirvana.
• Maturity and Craft: “They sound like they've been doing this forever. It's like fully formed.” – Raina (19:45)
• Notable Tracks:
  • "Throw Yourself to the Sword": "Full on metal. The riffs feel like right out of a classic Judas Priest record ..." – Stephen (20:14)
  • "Boirdir": An angry, politically charged song (“frustrated with American globalism”)—Raina calls it her favorite. (21:31)
  • "Punishers": Balances heavy riffage with a pop sensibility. (22:23)
• Band Ethos: “The four of us are free spirits with multiple interests and there's no limit or power dynamic that can derail us.” – Chloe de Saint Aubin, band member (23:38)
• Stephen’s Take: “There's still this sense of urgency behind it. There's still a sense of like we're playing music because we have stuff we want to say. And I really appreciate that.” (22:23)

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5. Frost Children – Sister

• About: Sibling duo Angel and Lulu Prost, originally from St. Louis, based in NYC. Makers of “hyper pop, thrashy, sleazy, genreless ... a collision of anything and everything.” (24:33)
• Sound & Style: Accessible to EDM fans, danceable, “hard driving, hook filled, frenetic, intense music.” (24:33)
• Host Reactions:
  • Raina: “Made me feel nostalgic for the aughts and also made me feel like old at the same time.” (25:17)
  • Stephen: “This is like edm, you know, kind of a hook dispersal system ... really, really driving hooks into your head ... but it does feel like it's trying to sell me soda.” (26:34)
• Highlights:
  • "Falling": Demonstrates their emo influence (26:05)
  • "Radio" (feat. Kim Petras): Joyful, hyper pop collaboration; Raina likens it to Justice’s “The Party” and the video game Katamari Damacy: “...if someone took one of those katamari balls and just rolled it through the Internet from like 2006 to now.” (28:29)
  • "Dirty Girl": “Twisted, gnarly, freaky sound befitting its title.” – Stephen (29:12)
• Raina’s Hope: “You keep seeing news stories right now about how kids, the kids aren't going out ... This album gave me hope that maybe they are, or they're partying online in the metaverse, which I hope that's not it.” (29:55)

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6. Mark William Lewis – Mark William Lewis

• Background: London-based singer-songwriter, sophomore album, now on A24’s music label—famed for its artsy, unsettling cinematic output. (32:24)
• Atmosphere: Dark, eerie, “a sense of artistry ... something kind of eerie and unsettling.” – Raina (32:59)
• Vocal & Musical Style: Deep, sometimes growling vocals. Stephen describes the arrangements as “a field of vines ... soulful and evocative and full blooded." (33:54)
• Track Notes:
  • "Still Above": Echoey harmonica, “almost psychedelic.” (32:59)
  • "17": “Weird production with these strange, like, little high pitched pitch backing vocals ... creepy ... adds to the atmosphere of the song.” – Raina (34:30)
  • "Silver Moon": Beautiful guitar lines, hooks “burrowing under your skin.” (35:23)
  • "Tomorrow": Memorable line—“Life moves so fast these days. You never get a chance to just be alone.” – cited by Raina as a moment of poignant self-reflection (36:46)
• Listening Mood: “The kind of album you listen to on your own at night or like on a gray rainy day when you want to feel melancholy and introspective.” – Raina (36:46)

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Lightning Round: Other Notable Releases

• Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Para Menopop:
  "Spirited, spiky, catchy, timeless pop, but with a bit of the perspective that comes with midlife." – Stephen (37:54)
• Asher White – 8 Tips for Full Catastrophe Living:
  “Buzzing with creative energy and emotion... a gorgeous chaos... overwhelming, noisy art rock to laid back catchy melodies.” – Raina (39:28)
• Jade – That’s Showbiz Baby:
  “Bold and strange and genre defiant... hyperactive songs that incorporate electro, clash, techno, theatrical, Eurovision bangers, rap and so much more.” – Stephen (40:36)
• Fruit Bats – Baby Man:
  “Very minimal accompaniment... super intimate. Feels like you're sitting next to him at a campfire.” – Raina (41:40)
• Kassa Overall – So:
  “Combines his love of jazz and his love of hip hop, specifically by covering classic hip hop songs as jazz.” – Stephen (42:44)

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Standout Quotes & Moments

• [04:08] Stephen on Spinal Tap 2:
  “It is fan service from start to finish. It's constant kind of cameos and callbacks ... There's an enormous amount of accumulated goodwill.”
• [19:45] Raina on Dee Spitz:
  “They sound like they've been doing this forever. It's like fully formed. The lead singer's voice is incredible.”
• [22:23] Stephen on Dee Spitz:
  “I want people to be writing music for a reason ... there's still this sense of urgency behind it.”
• [28:46] Raina on Frost Children:
  “This feels like if someone took one of those katamari balls and just rolled it through the Internet from like 2006 to now.”
• [36:46] Raina on Mark William Lewis:
  “This album is the kind of album you listen to on your own at night or like on a gray rainy day when you want to feel sort of melancholy and introspective.”
• [44:41] Stephen, on D Spitz:
  “D Spitz is cooler than I have ever been or ever will be.”
• [43:59] Raina's pick for song of the week:
  “I have to go with Cups and Cakes from Spinal Tap featuring Paul McCartney... brought me a lot of happiness and joy”

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Most Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• [01:12] Raina on Led Zeppelin’s Britishness and nostalgia for hearing them on the radio
• [05:24] Raina describing the vibe of Spinal Tap’s cameos and McCartney’s “Cups and Cakes”
• [10:51] Gorilla Toss’s “punk lunch” recording process
• [14:17] Discussing “Life's a Zoo” and the band’s B-52s/Primus connections
• [19:43] Dee Spitz’s motivation for starting a band and their shockingly mature sound
• [28:29] Katamari Damacy as a metaphor for Frost Children’s musical style
• [36:46] “Life moves so fast these days. You never get a chance to just be alone.” (Mark William Lewis lyric)
• [43:59] Hosts pick their standout tracks: Raina—Spinal Tap & Paul McCartney ("Cups and Cakes"); Stephen—Dee Spitz (“Throw Yourself to the Sword”)

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Final Takeaways

This was a week of celebratory comebacks, bold debuts, and dizzying genre experiments. Whether through reverent nostalgia (Led Zeppelin, Spinal Tap), youthful urgency (Dee Spitz), or boundary-pushing sonic exploration (Gorilla Toss, Frost Children), these releases display the continued vibrancy and diversity of new music. The hosts’ playful rapport, deep musical references, and genuine excitement make the episode both informative and infectious—a perfect primer to dive into this week's must-hear albums.

Transcript

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[Stephen Thompson]

Happy Friday, everyone, from NPR Music. It's New Music Friday. I'm Stephen Thompson here with Raina Dorris from World Cafe and WXPN in Philadelphia. Welcome to the show.

[Raina Dorris]

Raina hey, great to be here.

[Stephen Thompson]

It is such a pleasure to have you. You are hearing over our voices. You are hearing the sounds, of course, of Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its landmark album Physical Graffiti and releasing a live EP titled Live EP Creative. Four Classic Led Zeppelin Songs. Live in my Time of Dying, Trampled underfoot, sick again, cashmere 35 minutes of LED Zeppelin at its Led Zeppelin iest.

[Raina Dorris]

I love Led Zeppelin. I've loved Led Zeppelin since I was in high school when I got a Led Zeppelin Best of compilation CD that I promptly lost two weeks later at a party. But just hearing people in a giant crowd react to a song like Cashmere, oh my God, it's so fun. I will say, though, that every single proper noun in the press release for this sounds like like a British parody. Like, they're in Nebworth at Earl's Court. That's where they're playing the Nebworth Festival. But yeah, it's so much fun. I feel like I'll listen to whatever Led Zeppelin puts out.

[Stephen Thompson]

Oh, absolutely. And I feel like this is where we should shout out the classic rock radio stations where we first heard Led Zeppelin. For me, it was the Rock and Apple WAPL in Appleton, Wisconsin. Still around, still playing Led Zeppelin?

[Raina Dorris]

Oh, yeah. Q107 in Toronto.

[Stephen Thompson]

Nice.

[Raina Dorris]

That's where I probably first heard it.

[Stephen Thompson]

Well, speaking of classic English rock, we're gonna kick off with the soundtrack to the new Spinal Tap movie. The movie is called Spinal Tap 2 the end continues.

[Spinal Tap Character (possibly Nigel Tufnell or another band member)]

Stonehenge, where the demons dwell where the fight you live and if you live well. Stonehenge, where a man to man and the children dance to the pipes. Stonehenge is a magic place where burned up right Will the dragons fade? Stonehenge where the burdens lie and the prayers of devil fill the midnight sky.

[Raina Dorris]

So Spinal Tap 2 the End continues. We find the band 40 years later after the original Spinal Tap. Nigel Tufnell, Derek Smalls, David Zaid Hubbins, played by Christopher Guest, Harry shearer and Michael McKean, respectively. Robert Reiner is back as the documentarian Marty Deburghy. And yeah, they basically have to fulfill a contract. Their former manager, Ian Faith has died and he left their contract to his daughter, Hope Faith. And she finds that they have a contractually obliged show that they haven't done yet. And they have to get back together. And they've all been sort of living their separate lives. Nigel is running a cheese and guitar shop. David St. Hubbins has been doing music for True Crime, podcasts and phone hold music. And Derek Smalls works in a glue museum.

[Stephen Thompson]

I like you, Raina. I am a lifelong Spinal Tap super fan. This is spinal tap from 1984 is one of my favorite movies of all time, period. I think, you know, for those who have a curiosity around the sequel coming out 41 years later, you know, set your expectations accordingly. This is not the equal to this is Spinal Tap. Almost everybody involved in this movie has nothing to prove and is sort of kind of at this point, almost defined by the fact that they have nothing to prove. If you just like, list the projects that the people involved in this film have done, and you're talking about the Princess Bride, you're talking about the Simpsons in the case of Harry Shearer. And I think that's a blessing and a curse when it comes to kind of the actual product on screen. It is fan service from start to finish. It's constant kind of cameos and callbacks. It brings in Paul McCartney, it brings in Elton John, it brings in Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood for their cover of Big Bottom. There's an enormous amount of accumulated goodwill.

[Raina Dorris]

Exactly. I think they get a lot of Runway just because you're excited to see them on screen together again as those characters.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah.

[Raina Dorris]

But, yeah, they're really. They're doing it for the love of the game. And you can tell that, like, the people who are making these cameos, like, they just love the movie in the first place and they're fans and they're excited to be there. Probably the biggest cameo is Paul McCartney. On the soundtrack, he performs a song by himself, the song Cups and Cakes, which appeared in the original movie, but only on the radio. Cakes in the background currently residing in the.

[Stephen Thompson]

Where are they now? File.

[Spinal Tap Character (possibly Nigel Tufnell or another band member)]

Cups and cakes, cups and cakes oh, what good things mother makes. You gotta take tea Won't you take it with me? What a gay time it will be. Cups and cakes, cups and cakes Please make sure that nothing breaks the china's so dear and the street so clear and I'm glad that you are here.

[Stephen Thompson]

In this film, there is very little in the way of new, original Spinal Tap music. The soundtrack is not sparing with new music. Yeah, there are a lot of new songs. The only one that's really explored in any detail in the film is Harry Shearer kind of taking the lead on a song called Rockin in the Urn.

[Raina Dorris]

Yeah, Rockin in the Urn. About how he'll still be performing after he's dead.

[Spinal Tap Character (possibly Nigel Tufnell or another band member)]

It's getting near the final end Says a neighbor Says a friend but as I take my final leap don't protest, no, do not grieve I promise you after I burn I'm gonna be rockin Indian you know I gonna be rocket.

[Raina Dorris]

Rocket, Rocket, rocket My favorite, I think, new song on the soundtrack was the Devil's Just not, which kind of ties into Rockin in the Urn because it's about aging as a rock star, which is a notoriously difficult thing to do in a world that kind of worships youth and being dangerous and being cool. Harry Shearer is 81 and kind of deals with mortality and getting old in this kind of interesting way.

[Spinal Tap Character (possibly Nigel Tufnell or another band member)]

He's not starting to lose his teeth. He's not starting to eat less beef. No, the devil's just not getting old.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah. And, like, how do you use the fact that all of these actors are now getting up there in years? I mean, this is. That's the whole concept of the film, is that these guys are old. And, like, how do you incorporate that into the music? In a funny way, that feels true to where a band like Spinal Tap would be at this phase of their lives. And I think the tone of a lot of the original music, as you've played, kind of probably been able to tell from the excerpts we've played. The phrase that I kept coming back to is, like, turgid majesty. There's like this almost symphonic quality to a lot of these songs. These big, grand, portentous arrangements. But they're also. The band has kind of slowed down, and their vocals are obviously not as elastic as they used to be. They're sort of growly and, like I said, turgid but majestic.

[Raina Dorris]

It all kind of reminded me of that scene in the original movie where they go to Elvis's grave.

[Stephen Thompson]

Oh, my God.

[Raina Dorris]

And they say really puts things into perspective. He says, yeah, a bit too much perspective.

[Stephen Thompson]

That is Spinal Tap. Their new movie and soundtrack is called Spinal Tap 2. The end continues. Next up, a new album from Gorilla Toss. Gorilla Toss. New album is called you're Weird Now.

[Raina Dorris]

Shine in the glass of a crystal ball Prism of light is climbing up.

[Stephen Thompson]

The wall Rings of a grin running.

[Raina Dorris]

Up through the wind I attach you in like a safet.

[Musical Performer or Singer]

Shine on the glass of a crystal ball Prism of light is climbing up the wall Rings of a grin Running up through the wind I attach you in like a safety fin I'm so sorry.

[Raina Dorris]

I came too hard.

[Stephen Thompson]

So Gorilla Toss has been around for almost 15 years. Formed in Boston, now based in New York City. Wild, frenetic, freewheeling, gleefully weird band that swirls together so many different sounds, just crashing together in this chaotic but really fun way.

[Raina Dorris]

It's weird. And the first time I listened to this record, I was like, is this too weird? And then I gave it another go, and I ended up really enjoying it. Like, they blew the sound effects budget for this album. There's a lot going on in here. And it kind of makes sense because part of how they made this was by doing something they called a punk lunch. So when they were recording the album, they would have a punk lunch, which was a meal they would make by kind of going to the studio fridge and making something out of whatever was left, and they would make a sandwich.

[Stephen Thompson]

That'S really close, conceptually, to girl dinner.

[Raina Dorris]

It is kind of girl sandwich. Yeah.

[Stephen Thompson]

That sounds like a Spinal Tap song.

[Raina Dorris]

It does, but.

[Musical Performer or Singer]

Yeah.

[Raina Dorris]

And they would have, like, guests at their punk lunch who were involved in the album, like Stephen Malus and Trey Anastasio. They would drop by and they'd sit around eating these punk lunches with them, which I think just really works with what the album ended up sounding like.

[Stephen Thompson]

Well, nothing makes me happier than the idea of Stephen Malchus, you know, from Pavement and, you know, all the great work he's done since. Just breaking bread with Trey Anastasio is not necessarily. It's not necessarily something I pictured, nor would I expect those two breaking bread to help result in an album that sounds like this. And like Malchimus, as you said, he produces this record. It's recorded at a studio that Trey Anastasio owns, and they, you know, they both appear in a track called Red. Red Flag to Angry Bull.

[Raina Dorris]

Yeah. Which might be the least insane feeling song on the album, which is strange, considering all the people on it.

[Musical Performer or Singer]

Red Flag to Angry Bull, you chomp the gun. Red Flag to Angry Bull. Robert.

[Stephen Thompson]

When we're talking about stranger songs on this album, there's a track called Crocodile Cloud, which is. I would describe it as like a collision of kind of frantic bubblegum pop and screamy hardcore, which you know, there are certainly I've heard other musicians kind of bring those sounds together, whether we're talking about Poppy or Babymetal or, you know, or bands like that that are kind of like frantically combining very dissimilar sounds. But here it just kind of pops.

[Musical Performer or Singer]

Up as yet another hairpin turns for me on my crocodile it's been fixing yeah, it's foaming on my crocodile clip. If it's dipsy, yeah, it's for me on a crocodile. It's Dixie. Yeah, it's only on my crocus.

[Raina Dorris]

The first band I thought of when I listened to this was B52s.

[Stephen Thompson]

Oh wow.

[Raina Dorris]

Yeah, but then like B52s with punk screaming in it. And then I also found out they opened for Primus last year. I was like, oh, this is all making so much sense to me now. The track Life's a Zoo I also really like musically, kind of sounds like a Nintendo game at the beginning, and then it collapses in on itself into a bunch of sound effects that I can really only compare to the sound of a computer operating system starting up.

[Stephen Thompson]

Did you just say the phrase collapses in on itself?

[Raina Dorris]

Yes.

[Stephen Thompson]

Reyna Doris in my notes for the song Life's a Zoo, I wrote, one second it sounds like an ad for an energy drink in 1993, the next it sounds like a video game, the next it seems to collapse in on itself. Great minds.

[Raina Dorris]

Wow, look at us.

[Stephen Thompson]

That is Gorilla Toss. Their new album is called you'd're Weird. Now we've got more great records that are out today, September 12th. But first, let's take a quick.

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[Stephen Thompson]

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

[Raina Dorris]

Yeah. Well, we've got our big XPN music festival coming up later this month. Sharon Van Etten and the Attachment Theory are playing. And Courtney Barnett and War and Soccer Mommy and Kathleen Edwards, a whole bunch of people. And then on the show, I've got Yaya BAE coming in, who we talked about last time I was here for New Music Friday.

[Stephen Thompson]

Nice.

[Raina Dorris]

And I will be talking to Spinal Tap, which I am both excited about and slightly nervous for.

[Musical Performer or Singer]

Wow.

[Stephen Thompson]

See, I don't have. Well, I guess I'm excited for you. I don't have any of the nerves. What I do have is deep, deep jealousy.

[Raina Dorris]

Yeah, no, it's gonna be great. I mean, you know, they do everything in character.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah.

[Raina Dorris]

So you gotta be ready to take the ride.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah.

[Raina Dorris]

So I'm very excited for that. And, yeah, that'll be up in. I'm not exactly sure when it'll end up airing, but we record that this week. So exciting.

[Stephen Thompson]

Oh, that is fantastic, Raina. Oh, I'm so jealous. Someday we gotta make a tiny desk concert happen.

[Raina Dorris]

Oh, my God. You better do it soon. They're getting very old, as you know.

[Stephen Thompson]

So better do it soon. These actors are going to die soon. No, they're going to live forever.

[Raina Dorris]

I wish.

[Stephen Thompson]

I wish they would. Okay, next up, we've got a new album by Dee Spitz. Dee Spitz's new album is called Something to Consume.

[Musical Performer or Singer]

My heads are shaking My head's gonna sit the color's gone Staring pale in the face I don't want it, but.

[Spinal Tap Character (possibly Nigel Tufnell or another band member)]

I need that shit.

[Musical Performer or Singer]

Only red crumbs left in there all over the place Growing paint. I heard something I can get from you Give me a R.

[Raina Dorris]

So De Spits are a band from Austin. It's a group of girls that are only 22 years old, which I find mind blowing. They haven't been around long at all. Already signed to Third Man Records, and they're just. They're lifelong friends. And I love this. They decided to start a band after watching the Motley Crue movie, the Dirt.

[Stephen Thompson]

That is a perfect reason to start a Band.

[Raina Dorris]

I love it. I had never heard of Dee Spitz before and I was an instant fan. I love this. They have a whole bunch of different influences like Black Sabbath, Pixies, PJ Harvey, Nirvana. You can hear all that in here. But the reason that my mind was blown when I found out how young they were and how new they were is that they sound like they've been doing this forever. It's like fully formed. The lead singer's voice is incredible.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah, and it's wild. I mean, obviously nowadays with the Internet, you can go online and find rock from many different eras. So Even though you're 22, you can be deeply proficient in kind of classic rock and metal, which they. They really, really are. You said fully formed. I think that really puts it perfectly. There's a track on the album called Throw Yourself to the Sword and it feels like full on metal. And the riffs feel like right out of like a classic Judas Priest record. Just big, thunderous, full blooded sound where like it's rock with a capital R, A W, K. Do you ever wake up and cry?

[Musical Performer or Singer]

You're missing something deep in your spine I love you down out. Isn't it funny? You love your sh back maybe nothing is way on you can forget.

[Raina Dorris]

There's another one called Boirdir, which translates to speak the truth. And I think it might be my favorite song on the record. You know, on top of the sound, on top of how great they are just as musicians, as performers, the lyrics, they mean something like these are angry lyrics. They're frustrated with American globalism and it is a scathing song. They're talking to people who are, you know, doing nothing or pretending everything's fine, not speaking up. It, it's. It's quite mo.

[Stephen Thompson]

It's emblematic of the idea. Like I want people to be writing music for a reason. Like, why are you making this music? And when a band like this that comes out, they're so young, they're drawing on all these classic sounds, but there's still this sense of urgency behind it. There's still a sense of like we're playing music because we have stuff we want to say. And I really appreciate that. And I also appreciate at the same time as. As thunderous as the riffage is, as heavy and gnarly as this record can sound, you get a track like Punishers, which has these big thundery guitars, but there's also a keen sense of pop songcraft under the surface of it where it's not just blowing your eardrums out and Hoping you don't notice, you know, a lack of craft. There's real craft underneath.

[Musical Performer or Singer]

Needs it.

[Raina Dorris]

There's a great quote from one of the band members, Chloe de Saint Aubin. I hope I'm saying that right. And she says, the four of us are free spirits with multiple interests and there's no limit or power dynamic that can derail us. I was like, that's awesome.

[Stephen Thompson]

I love it. Long may they reign. That is Dee Spitz. Their new album is called Something to Consume. Next up, a new album from Frost Children. Frost Children's new album is called Sister.

[Musical Performer or Singer]

No Talking. Let's get to movin. How I want to get you, you all on my body on my body My. You dance like you like me I dance like I like you back. Not much to say after that. I love it.

[Stephen Thompson]

So Frost Children is a sibling duo originally from St. Louis, now in New York. Angel and Lulu Prost, not Frost. Together they make, I guess I would describe it as hyper pop, thrashy, sleazy, genreless, you know, incorporating the sounds of punk, electro pop, synth pop, emo memes, you know, just a collision of anything and everything, but also kind of channeled into a sound that I think think will be accessible to fans of EDM and people who just really want to hear hard driving, hook filled, danceable, frenetic, intense music.

[Raina Dorris]

Yeah, this both made me feel nostalgic for the aughts and also made me feel like old at the same time.

[Stephen Thompson]

I was like, you're gonna say old, right?

[Raina Dorris]

Honestly, when it started, I wasn't expecting to enjoy this album as much as I ended up enjoying it. It really is unpredictable and it's really strange, but it's also a lot of fun and there's depth there. It's not just like, oh, it's like emo over what sounds like Skrillex. There's more to it than that. Although you can really hear if we want to give an example of the emo influence on the vocals, a song like Falling, I think really, really shows that.

[Musical Performer or Singer]

Take over, take over Give it to me straight don't waste my time Take over, take over My body, my body.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah Falling was. Was the first track that really, really jumped out at me. It's early in the record where I was like, this is like edm, you know, kind of a hook dispersal system of the variety that you would expect to hear in, you know, commercials for. For sodas or skateboards or whatever, you know, where it's. Where it's like really, really driving hooks into your head with kind of this great energy and intensity, but it does feel like it's trying to sell me soda. But over time, you really get a sense that there's a method to this and that there's variety within this sound. You know, there's a track later on called Radio, which features Kim Petras and kind of leans into the kind of lovably trashy, joy seeking quality that Kim Petras puts into her music. And so it's kind of a collision of their two sensibilities through the filter of really danceable hyper pop music.

[Musical Performer or Singer]

Center. Like the pressure baby, it's there or never plug it in Turn me on of your radio, your radio oh, said I let the pressure baby it's never never plug it in Turn me on on your radio your rad.

[Raina Dorris]

That song specifically reminded me of a song by justice called the Party. Immediately, like, I wanted to go out after I listened to this record. I was like, I have to go out and I have to dance. It sort of feels like now this is a. Maybe a reference not everyone will get. But there's a video game called Katamari Damacy.

[Stephen Thompson]

Oh, sure.

[Raina Dorris]

Okay, so you're a little.

[Stephen Thompson]

My son is a gamer, so I know it through him.

[Raina Dorris]

You're a little guy rolling a ball, and that ball picks up. It sticks to everything in the universe. And this feels like if someone took one of those katamari balls and just rolled it through the Internet from like 2006 to now.

[Stephen Thompson]

This album is barfing Internet all over the place.

[Raina Dorris]

But there are moments where I felt like the scale was gonna tip and it would be too over the top emoji or too hyper poppy. But then they would balance it out with like these sort of deep, cool EDM beats or like glitchy strange stuff that almost got industrial sometimes. And so like over and over again, I'd be like, whoa, this is actually really cool.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah, well, absolutely. It's cool and it's inventive and it's fun and it's appropriately debauched. You know, there's a track called Dirty Girl, you know, where the song really just has this like twisted, gnarly, freaky sound befitting its title.

[Raina Dorris]

I mean, you keep seeing news stories right now about how kids, the kids aren't going out anymore, they're not going to parties anymore. This album gave me hope that maybe they are, or they're partying online in the metaverse, which I hope that's not it.

[Stephen Thompson]

That is Frost Children. Their new album is called Sister. We've got one more album. We want to talk about in depth as well as a lightning round of some of our other favorite albums out today, September 12th. But first, next, 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 Dorris from WXPN and World Cafe in Philadelphia. We've got a lightning round coming up of some of our other favorite albums out today, September 12th. But first, we want to talk about one more record. It is a self titled album from the English singer songwriter Mark William Lewis.

[Spinal Tap Character (possibly Nigel Tufnell or another band member)]

You had a little cry in the backseat, but now you know why you should trust me. You take a little shine off the party. You're just a little piece of the story. I've been living life so ugly, I've been good, don't worry.

[Raina Dorris]

Mark William Lewis is a singer songwriter from London. This is his second full length album. It's his first that he's put out on A24's music label, which if you know what A24 is, they are usually release movies. They're known for kind of putting out, I would say like either horror movies.

[Stephen Thompson]

Or unsettling indie movies, elevated horror and weirdness, but very, very artistically sound. They have the studio has a feel to it. And not every movie studio has a feel in 2025.

[Raina Dorris]

And I think that them releasing this album makes a lot of sense because there is, there is certainly a sense of artistry. There is also something kind of eerie and unsettling about this record. Mark has this great low sometimes, you know, almost growling voice, like it feels dark. But the production on it is really interesting and cool. There's a song still above where it breaks into this echoey harmonica and where it almost becomes like psychedelic. And I wasn't expecting that at all.

[Stephen Thompson]

It's interesting because here he keeps his voice in kind of a, as you said, growly but like kind of a, kind of a deadpan, a little bit of a, you know, a little bit of a deadpan. But the music around him, it's like a field of vines. You Know, they're just like vines kind of constantly crisscrossing each other and tendrils reaching out. And, you know, you mentioned the harmonicas. The arrangements are really soulful and evocative and full blooded, and that helps make those kind of seemingly deadpan vocals even more expressive than you realize.

[Raina Dorris]

Yeah, I mean, that is such a great way to describe it. And, you know, on top of that, sometimes he plays around with vocals in the production too. It kind of reminded me of like, Alex G and the way he'll play with vocals. If you listen to the song 17, there's this weird production with these strange, like, little high pitched pitch backing vocals that come in. It makes it, again, kind of creepy, but it also, it adds to the. The atmosphere of the song.

[Spinal Tap Character (possibly Nigel Tufnell or another band member)]

He didn't like the way the world looked he drew a picture in a sketchbook he didn't like the way the popular.

[Stephen Thompson]

I was taking note kind of as this album went along kind of late. On this record, you have a couple of songs that are really weaving in these beautiful guitar lines. There's a track called Silver Moon where the guitar is kind of propelling the song along. And this hook is kind of burrowing under your skin, and that sort of lets you into this voice. He grew up steep in poetry, you know, like kind of raised studying poetry, and that really comes through, you know, in these songs. But, man, the arrangements around those poetic words are just so gorgeous.

[Spinal Tap Character (possibly Nigel Tufnell or another band member)]

You know, I care, you know I still care the way the silver costs life I.

[Musical Performer or Singer]

Could.

[Raina Dorris]

Coming back to the lyrics for a second. The song Tomorrow is perfect. When I was listening through this album the first time, that was probably the first song that, like, caught me. And he sings a line where it's, life moves so fast these days. You never get a chance to just be alone. Now, I probably heard that while I was sitting looking at my phone at, like, Twitter or something stupid, and it really hit. I was like, oh, God, yeah. How often are you really alone? Yeah, very rarely. And I do think that this album is the kind of album you listen to on your own at night or like on a gray rainy day when you want to feel sort of melancholy and introspective. I initially listened to it on a sunny Sunday afternoon, and it kind of messed me up a little bit.

[Stephen Thompson]

It really brought out the clouds.

[Raina Dorris]

Exactly. But they're beautiful clouds.

[Stephen Thompson]

They are beautiful clouds. That is Mark William Lewis. His new album is called Mark William Lewis. Now, Raina, we could not possibly get to every great album out today. September 12th. September is a very, very, very Busy month for new music, as you of all people know better than anyone. So we wanted to hit people with a lightning round of some of the other notable releases out today. I'm gonna kick us off. A couple years ago, the English dance pop singer Sophie Ellis Bexter enjoyed a major kind of unexpected career resurgence when her song Murder on the Dance Floor was used in the very memorable final scene of the movie Saltburn. Now she's releasing her eighth album and it's full of spirited, spiky, catchy, timeless pop, but with a bit of the perspective that comes with midlife. Appropriately enough, Sophie Ellis Bexter's new album is called Para Menopop.

[Musical Performer or Singer]

Have you ever put your heart inside the biggest roller coaster star Roll with the die My sense is overloading As I reach to pull you Pull you closer get ready to fly the city is waiting to see a miracle let's lose it, get married down to the nightlife Wherever we go Is so immaterial Long as it's you like.

[Raina Dorris]

Asher White has a new album called 8 Tips for Full Catastrophe Living. And this album is just buzzing with creative energy and emotion. I feel like this record could feel chaotic, and it kind of does, but it's kind of a gorgeous chaos. It goes from overwhelming, noisy art rock to laid back and surprisingly catchy little melodies. And that contrast, it just underlines how emotional the record is. That's Asher White new album is 8 tips for full Catastrophe Living.

[Musical Performer or Singer]

Language is an ocean we are two fish in the hot sun and you must think I'm from a photograph Love you I learn to love you like the sky is holding all.

[Stephen Thompson]

Jade first found success as a member of the the group Little Mix. They were a British pop band formed as part of the reality competition show the X Factor. But Jade's solo work is far from prefab pop music. She's bold and strange and genre defiant in hyperactive songs that incorporate electro, clash, techno, theatrical, Eurovision bangers, rap and so much more. Jade's new album is titled that's Showbiz Baby in all caps.

[Raina Dorris]

This is a new album from Fruit Bats and Eric D Johnson of Fruit Bats is on this with very, very minimal accompaniment. So it feels super intimate. Feels like you're sitting next to him at a campfire and there's a song on it called Creature from the Wild that seems like it might be either about a stray cat or dog he had. And it made me cry that it's a fruit Bats baby man.

[Musical Performer or Singer]

Only rain to fill your cup Stars for a roof and a stone for a pillow. Then you came to us a creature from the wild. But you behaved just like a perfect child and you saved us.

[Raina Dorris]

For a while.

[Stephen Thompson]

Finally, the jazz drummer and all around Polymath Casa Overall has a new album that combines his love of jazz and his love of hip hop. Specifically by covering classic hip hop songs as jazz. That means back that az up. That means nothing but a g thang and that means an all time great hip hop song that has always nodded to jazz. Digable Planet's rebirth of Slick Parentheses. Cool like that. Casa Overall's new album is called so Reina. You and I to prepare for this show, listen to a lot of music that is out today, September 12th. This is the part of the show where we put each other on the spot and ask what is the one song you are most taking away from this experience that you will that you will relive and replay and celebrate the longest?

[Raina Dorris]

Well, you know there's a lot to choose from, but I have to go with Cups and Cakes from Spinal tap featuring Paul McCartney partly because I got to. I heard it before anyone else and I got to put in the World Cafe work slack. Oh my God guys, I just heard the new Paul McCartney song. It is mind blowing. Then I got one of them to come to my desk and play them cups and cakes and brought me a lot of happiness and joy Cups and.

[Spinal Tap Character (possibly Nigel Tufnell or another band member)]

Cakes, cups and cakes Please make sure that nothing breaks the china's so dear and the street so clear and I'm glad that you are here so for.

[Stephen Thompson]

Me, sometimes a good palate cleanser ends up being more than just a good palate cleanser. I'm gonna go with the big booming throwback metal riffs of Dee Spitz and their song Throw Yourself to the Sword. It's awesome to hear a bunch of 22 year olds who seem to have listened to the same music I was listening to like 38 years ago when I was a small town nerd trying to look cool.

[Musical Performer or Singer]

Cool.

[Stephen Thompson]

D Spitz is cooler than I have ever been or ever will be. That's De Spitz and the song Throw Yourself to the Sword. And that is our show for this week. Thank you Raina Doris, for taking time out of your week at World Cafe and WXPN in Philadelphia.

[Raina Dorris]

Hey, thank you. Anytime. This is so much fun.

[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 Noah Caldwell and edited by Otis Hart. The executive producer of NPR Music is Soraya Mohammed. We'll be back next week to discuss new music with Kyle Meredith from WFPK in Louisville. Until then, take a moment to be well. Give yourself a moment to be truly alone and treat yourself to lots of great music.

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