New Music Friday: The best new albums out today

New Music Friday: The best new albums out today


L–R: Rauw Alejandro, photo by 90th Shooter; Christine and the Queens’ Redcar les adorables étoiles artwork; still from GloRilla’s GloRilla’s “Blessed” video, directed by LOUIEKNOWS.


 

Trying to keep up with this week’s best and most exciting new music? Every Friday, we collect the best new albums available on streaming services on one page. This week, check out Rauw Alejandro’s Saturno, Wizkid’s More Love, Less Ego, Christine and the Queens’ Redcar les adorables étoiles, GloRilla’s Anyways, Life’s Great… EP, Headie One’s No Borders mixtape, and more.

New Music Friday: The best new albums out today

Memphis rapper GloRilla caps a stellar 2022 with the release of her first official project on Yo Gotti’s CMG label. Anyways, Life’s Great‘s nine tracks include breakout hit “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” plus recent Cardi B collaboration “Tomorrow 2.”

Stream: Spotify | Apple Music

New Music Friday: The best new albums out today

18 months after the arrival of his celebrated sophomore LP, Vice Versa, The FADER’s fifth favorite album of 2021, Rauw Alejandro has returned with 18 new tracks. Saturno includes the previously released single “Lokera” and features from Baby Rasta, DJ Playero, Chris Palace, Arcángel, Subelo NEO, Lyanno, and Brray.

Stream: Spotify | Apple Music

New Music Friday: The best new albums out today

Redcar les adorables étoiles (prologue) is the new album from Redcar, a.k.a. Christine and the Queens. The self-produced album was mixed by Mike Dean and features singles “Je te vois enfin”, “rien dire” and “la chanson du chevalier.” It follows two Christine and the Queens albums, Chaleur Humaine and 2018’s Chris, plus 2020 EP La vita nuova.

Stream: Spotify | Apple Music

New Music Friday: The best new albums out today

Nigerian artist Wizkid returns with a brand new solo album. More Love, Less Ego features appearances from Ayra Starr, Don Toliver, Skillibeng, and Shenseea plus Skepta on “Wow.” Prior to the album dropping, Wizkid released “Money & Love” and “Bad To Me.” More Love, Less Ego is the follow-up to 2020’s Made In Lagos.

Stream: Spotify | Apple Music

New Music Friday: The best new albums out today

AKAI SOLO enlists the best of New York City’s underground with his debut full-length project on billy woods’ indie imprint, Backwoodz Studioz, succeeding his August Body Feeling EP on the label. Spirit Roaming features special verses by rap duo Armand Hammer for the record’s closing track, as well as production credits from Preservation, Messiah Musik, WiFiGawd, and more, throughout the album.

Stream: Spotify | Apple Music | Bandcamp

New Music Friday: The best new albums out today

U.K. drill MC Headie One cast his eye across Europe for his latest project, pulling in guest rappers from Italy, Sweden, Germany, France, and beyond for an album unrestricted by language or regional limitations. No Borders: European Collaboration Project follows Headie One’s 2020 debut Edna and last year’s mixtape Too Loyal For My Own Good.

Stream: Spotify | Apple Music

New Music Friday: The best new albums out today

As a follow-up to Tony Shhnow’s widely praised Reflexions, the Atlanta rapper drops his second album of the year, Plug Motivation. Ahead of the release, the second wave plugg pioneer teased the record with two singles, “Life N Hard Times” and “Can’t Say I’m Broke.”

Stream: Spotify | Apple Music

New Music Friday: The best new albums out today

FaltyDL is back with his first full-length since 2016’s Heaven Is For Quitters. A Nurse To My Patience is 12 tracks of subtly rendered soft rock from a veteran producer of more abstract sounds. The record features guest appearances from Julianna Barwick (twice), Mykki Blanco, Joe Goddard, and Brian DeGraw, all of whom add their personal touches to Falty’s open-book creations.

Stream: Spotify | Apple Music

New Music Friday: The best new albums out today

Anchored by its 18-minute opening track and featuring the previously released “Dream,” Actress’ latest is an abstract-impressionist portrait of a dance floor underwater, where everything moves a bit slower and is cloaked in swirls of ambient sound.

Stream: Spotify | Apple Music

New Music Friday: The best new albums out today

Meeting With a Judas Tree was recorded by Duval Timothy between Freetown in Sierra Leone, the village of Spoleto in Perugia in Italy, and his home studio in south London. The album marks the first release from the producer and artist since he worked with Kendrick Lamar on this year’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. It features contributions from fellow musicians Yu Su, Fauzia and Lamin Fofana. The album follows Timothy’s 2020 solo album Help. Last year he released Son, a collaborative project made with Rosie Lowe.

Stream: Spotify | Apple Music

New Music Friday: The best new albums out today

Nas and Hit-Boy reunite for the third installment of their GRAMMY-winning album series, King’s Disease III. The hip-hop legends have collaborated every year since 2020 for the programming, and even released a second album, Magic, last year. The tertiary album drops via Nas-founded Mass Appeal.

Stream: Spotify | Apple Music

New Music Friday: The best new albums out today

SoFaygo has amassed hundreds of millions of streams in his two years of making music, thanks to hisLil Tecca-produced, Cole Bennett-directed single “Knock Knock.” Now the 21-year-old Atlanta resident releases his debut album, Pink Heartz, boasting a heavy-hitting features lineup with Lil Uzi Vert, DJ Khaled, Gunna, Don Toliver, and Ken Carson. In June of this year, SoFaygo achieved XXL Freshman status, alongside rising stars including Doechii, Saucy Santana, and BabyTron.

Stream: Spotify | Apple Music

New Music Friday: The best new albums out today

Chicago composer and cornetist Ben Lamar Gay consistently makes some of the most interesting music on the planet. Created for EFG London Jazz Fest’s 2020 live-stream program, Certain Reveries is a long-form composition by Gay, performed in duo with percussionist Tommaso Moretti. It arrives today in tandem with Balogun, a standalone tribute to electric jazz pioneer Eddie Harris, premiering now with The FADER.

Stream: Spotify | Apple Music