It's Friday, and as of the stroke of midnight, following a 16-year absence, Clipse has returned. Malice and Pusha T have released a number of solo projects since that time, but the rap duo made up of two brothers from Virginia Beach is finally back together with new album, Let God Sort Em Out, and we can't help but be excited.
But that's not the only major comeback from a beloved duo today. The Swell Season — the pairing of Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, the Oscar-winning stars of the 2007 film Once — has released Forward, which also happens to be that band's first album in 16 years.
NPR Music's Stephen Thompson and WNXP's Celia Gregory dive into these two albums, plus Wet Leg's knockout sophomore record and a few more releases on this new music Friday.
(You won't hear our take on Justin Bieber's album, SWAG, which got a surprise drop at midnight, but on first listen it shows a notable influence of Mk.gee, a 2024 favorite who collaborated with Bieber on the new album.)
Listen to the show below and then scroll down to our long list and soak in all the new music glory.
The Starting Five
Our hosts share the backstory and best songs on the following albums:
💿 Wet Leg, moisturizer (Stream)
- Recommended If You Like: Blondie, Lorde
💿 The Swell Season, Forward (Stream)
- RIYL: Christian Lee Hutson, Iron & Wine
💿 Clipse, Let God Sort Em Out (Stream)
- RIYL: Clipse, Benny The Butcher
💿 Allo Darlin', Bright Nights (Stream)
- RIYL: Courtney Barnett, Cat Power
💿 Burna Boy, No Sign of Weakness (Stream)
- RIYL: Wizkid, 21 Savage
New Music Friday is a feature of NPR's All Songs Considered podcast. Hear the discussion on the NPR App, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
The Lightning Round
Six more albums we wish we had time to discuss on the podcast:
💿Justin Bieber, SWAG
💿 Ólafur Arnalds & Talos, A Dawning
💿 Martha, Standing Where It All Began - Singles and B-Sides 2012-2025
💿 Open Mike Eagle, Neighborhood Gods Unlimited
💿 Petey USA, The Yips
💿 Tony Njoku, All Our Knives Are Always Sharp
Listen to each album's best songs on our New Music Friday playlists on Spotify and Apple, or wherever you stream music.
The Long List
For those who want to dig even deeper, here are the week's new albums sorted by genre:
Rap/Hip-Hop
- 81355 (BLESS), Bad Dogs
- Che, Rest In Bass
- Saekyi, LOST IN AMERICA
- Loe Shimmy, Rockstar Junkie
Electronic/Out There
- Charlotte De Witte, Charlotte De Witte
- Jackie-O Motherf*****, Flags of the Sacred Harp (20th Anniversary)
- Leo Luchini, Slug It Out
- Lewis Fautzi, Unwritten Chapters
- Midwife + Matt Jencik, Never Die
- Molly Joyce, State Change
- Nicolas Bougaïeff, Sunday Summer
- Raz Ohara, Memories Of Tomorrow
- Reid Willis, Reliquary
- Rollo Doherty, Strings EP
- Sarah Sommers, VIVID
- North Not South, Shifting Dunes EP
- Marina Mello, Deságua
- Barry Can't Swim, Loner
- Patricia Wolf, Hrafnamynd
Global
- Africa Express, Africa Express presents... Bahidorá
- Paloma Mami, CODiGOS DE MUNEKA
- Plunky & Oneness of Juju, Made Through Ritual
Jazz
- Dom Salvador, DOM SALVADOR JID024
- Olga Amelchenko, Howling Silence
- Qur'an Shaheed, Pulse
- Dino Saluzzi, El Viejo Caminante
- Fuubutsushi, Columbia Deluxe
- Kokoroko, Tuff Times Never Last
- Nate Mercereau, Josh Johnson and Carlos Niño, Openness Trio
Pop
- Cian Ducrot, Little Dreaming
- Dean Lewis, The Epilogue (Deluxe)
- Fly By Midnight, The Fastest Times of Our Lives
- Petey USA, The Yips
- Jessica Winter, My First Album
Country/Folk/Americana
- Brent Cobb & The Fixin's, Ain't Rocked in a While
- Sam Williams, Act II: COUNTRYSTAR
- Tami Neilson, Neon Cowgirl
- Tanner Usrey, These Days
- Winterpills, Winterpills (20th Anniversary Edition)
- Ketch Secor, Story The Crow Told Me
- Murry Hammond, Trail Songs of the Deep
- Noah Cyrus, I WANT MY LOVED ONES TO GO WITH ME
- Poor Creature, All Smiles Tonight
- The Wildmans, Longtime Friend
R&B/Soul
- Alina Bzhezhinska & Tulshi, Whispers of Rain
- GIVĒON, BELOVED
- Harvey Scales, Trying To Survive (Reissue)
- Leroi Conroy, A Tiger's Tale
Rock/Alt/Indie
- Brutus VIII, Do It For the Money
- Cosmorat, POOSHKA
- Flooding, Object 1
- Half Japanese, Adventure
- Jethro Tull, Still Living in the Past (5xCD)
- Joey Waronker & Pete Min, King King
- Mark Stewart, The Fateful Symmetry
- N8NOFACE & Chico Mann, As Of Right Now
- Pat Hatt, Pat Hatt
- Somerset Thrower, Take Only What You Need to Survive
- Split Chain, motionblur
- The Kinks, The Journey Part 3
- Vinnie Stigma, The Outlaw Vinnie Stigma
- Aunt Katrina, This Hear is Slowly Killing Me
- Autocamper, What Do You Do All Day?
- Gina Birch, Trouble
- Gwenno, Utopia
- Jake Minch, George
- Mal Blum, The Villain
- Midnight Rodeo, Chaos Era
- Mike Polizze, Around Sound
- Sister., Two Birds
- sunking, I DON'T LIKE MY TELEPHONE
Credits
- Host: Stephen Thompson
- Guest: Celia Gregory, WNXP
- Producer: Simon Rentner
- Editor: Otis Hart
- Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Copyright 2025 NPR
