July 25, 2026

by Ann Powers

This week, our critic offers up a lightning round of recommendations from a week that was overflowing with worthy new music.

Jack Saltmiras

Hello omnivores,

At NPR Music, we love Fridays because they’re the gateway to the weekend, when we can listen to fresh tunes in a leisurely way. For me that means while strolling in the park or turning my farmers’ market hauls into feasts. The bumper crop of Friday releases on any given week matches the basketful of brandywine tomatoes on my counter, and I love taking my time to take in new sounds the way I savor a perfect Southern sandwich of sourdough bread, mayo, and salt-and-peppered slices of pommes d’amour.

Doing what Friday demands can be tough, though, because the industry mandate that most new releases arrive that day forces us to make painful choices. Selecting one album for coverage over another is tough, particularly in midsummer, when arena tours and Grammy-consideration deadlines compound the glut. This week I had the agonizing pleasure of subbing for a vacationing Stephen Thompson as host of our New Music Friday podcast. I had a blast talking with KQED’s Nasia Voynovskaya about the moment's biggest newsmakers, including Charli xcx, Shania Twain and Tyla. It was a big-name week, its stars claiming attention like fireworks in the inky sky.

As we made our selections for the show, though, I felt a pang: So many great albums were equally worthy, but less flashy — like sparklers in the yard instead of pyrotechnic displays.

But then I realized — I have this newsletter! So here I am, continuing my mission to offer you, dear readers, recommendations that go beyond the obvious. These releases, every one of them brand new on July 24, will carry you across genres, into niche communities and to the doorstep of artists who just might become the next headliners. Play them while on the couch, in the park, at the gym, in the car. Oh, and of course — I made you a playlist. Spotify, Apple, YouTube.

Alex Cameron, Late To Set
Is Alex Cameron the last truly decadent rocker standing? His funny, transgressive songs, performed with the grand gestures of a lifelong scene stealer, make the case on his fifth album.
Key track: “Stand-in Man”

Body Type, Tally
My favorite Australian 21st-century post-punkers (that's them in the photo above) show range and adventurousness on their energetic feminist accounts of the fight for bodily autonomy and the rocky landscapes of love.
Key track: “Sick Bag”

Charles Wesley Godwin, Christian Name
After the stillbirth of his third child, this West Virginia troubadour (and friend of Zach Bryan) leaned on his faith and his Nashville friends — like legendary co-writers Liz Rose and Lori McKenna — to make this vulnerable, inspiring exploration of human pain and divine intervention.
Key track: “I Caught the Sunrise”

Girlsweetvoiced, Lovesweet
Joni Mitchell herself cleared a sample from “California” for this Toronto-based singer and bedroom-pop composer’s “Tonight.” Perhaps the greatest saw a reflection of her own youthful self in Adriana Mallya’s beguiling, tartly insightful songs.
Key track: “Spearmint”

Love Spells, Love Is the Law
Exquisitely romantic, the dreamscapes created by 21-year-old R&B autodidact Sir Taegan Harris are made for bedroom dances and rooftop confessions.
Key track: “Maybe I Still Love You”

Ma Rainey, Mother of the Blues: The Complete Paramount Recordings, 1923-1928
This set resurrects the gold-neck woman whose rich voice dominated early 20th century popular music, with beautifully restored versions of her essential golden-age sides.
Key Track: “Deep Moaning Blues”

Maya de Vitry, All My Faith
If you lean toward heartfelt, organic country music, this is the summer album for you. Here’s a collection from a beloved Nashville fiddler and songwriter that dwells unpretentiously in the season’s sweetness.
Key track: “Bachelorette Lessons”

Nick Hakim, I Can See
The soulful singer-songwriter travels inward for this song suite that dances with the ghosts of Arthur Russell and Marvin Gaye. Listen with your eyes closed.
Key track: “Real Here Now”

Odor Eater, But For Who?
KQED’s Nastia Voynovskaya, featured on New Music Friday this week, recommended this Pacific Northwest-based synth-pop duo making art-damaged rough bops that could have been filed in a bin next to Gary Numan’s Tubeway Army back in 1979.
Key track: “Nightcaller”

Punch Brothers, The Unsung Adventures of the Punch Brothers
Twenty years into a career lighting up the hinterlands between bluegrass, jazz and new music, The Punch Brothers have acquired a sister in violinist Brittany Haas, who dazzles on this dazzling mix of original compositions and rewired folk tunes.
Key track: “Saturn: Pogo Ball of the Gods”

Various Artists, Sounds of Malawi, Vol. 1
There’s so much African music that Western ears never hear. This bouquet of songs from the small southeastern nation of Malawi features street bands, dulcet-voiced soul queens, a 95-year-old banjoist who went viral on TikTok and more.
Key track: “Nsanje,” by Keturah

MAKE IT A DOZEN: Nastia and I discussed Shania Twain’s new album Little Miss Twain on New Music Friday, but it turns out she’s not the only country royal with a fresh release. As I was wrapping up this newsletter I learned that Reba McEntire has delivered a new EP with a typically feisty lead single co-written by American Idol’s funniest country alum, Kellie Pickler. Ring Ring!

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Here are some other things worth exploring this week

The other night I was privileged to be there when Orville Peck hit it out of the park at his Grand Ole Opry debut, offering a gorgeous rendition of the Dolly/Whitney classic “I Will Always Love You” alongside his own “Dead of Night.” It was a moment for the ages and part of an exciting Opry summer that’s also seeing debuts from Cowgays crooner Chris Housman, One Direction alum Niall Horan, alt-rock mainstays Switchfoot, Dolly Parton’s pal Belles and French honky-tonker Theo Lawrence. It feels like a whole new century for the venue (because it is!). Remember, you can always listen to the Opry via WSM.
Speaking of Orville Peck, I’m getting excited for his new album Mule, which tells the story of the worst year of the masked singer’s life as he endured an overdose, went to rehab, recovered from heartbreak and finally embraced sobriety. The album’s coming in September and the rocking first single, “Too Little, Too Late,” is out now. (As always with Peck, great visuals.)
And speaking of the Opry, I’m excited that a songwriter I love, Nick Carpenter, a.k.a. Medium Build, will make his debut September 5. In the meantime, listen to the heartwrenching “Home Depot” from the forthcoming album King of Having Fun.
With more and more folks on Substack and beyond emerging as music writers, I think it’s worth sharing these wise words from Lavender Sound scribe Max Freedman about taking your time to form opinions.
Sophy Romvari’s stunning feature film debut Blue Heron has finally arrived at the Criterion Channel. Watch it right away! And read this excellent conversation between Romvary and her longtime friend, writer Nick Newman.
The legacy of John Prine only seems to grow more fruitful every year, and now the fine folks at Oh Boy! Records are offering an album of rarities to celebrate the recent 30th anniversary of his 1995 album Lost Dogs & Mixed Blessings. It comes out in October, but you can hear the previously unreleased track “World Without Love” now.

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