We have arrived at another Friday brimming with new music, but there is a special feeling to this week’s Caustic Commentary. As usual, we have assembled a sprawling list of new releases that bounce from one genre to the next, but this week is full of surprises. From last-minute releases that dropped with little to no warning to long-awaited releases that are finally yours to take with you into the weekend, this slew of new releases is jam-packed with everything a music fan could hope for. Veterans are returning to sonic realms they haven’t visited in ages, and young acts are looking to establish a sound they can manipulate throughout their careers. There is a musical prowess that thickens the air on this fine Friday, and we all get to reap the benefits.
Check out Glide’s picks for the week’s best new music below.
Jack White – “It’s Rough On Rats (If You’re Asking)”
No Name
What started as a blank vinyl that was quietly given out to customers at Jack White’s Third Man Record Shops has become the artist’s sixth official solo outing. No Name is 13 bluesy, guitar-driven songs, with White returning to his garage rock roots with a more mature songwriting perspective. “It’s Rough On Rats” is an early stand-out from No Name. Dense guitar work wraps around lyrics that express how life is all about perception, and in White’s eyes, we’re doing more to the world around us than it could ever do to us.
Joe Ely – “Nashville Is A Catfish”
Driven to Drive
A country icon celebrates his longevity with a sprawling effort as Joe Ely returns with Driven to Drive. The 12-song effort sees Ely tackling Country tropes from all angles with a tracklist that ranges from sentimental, twangy balladry to toe-tapping honky tonk-ready jams. “Nashville Is A Catfish” lands somewhere in the middle of those two subgenres. Ely employs vivid imagery to emphasize his natural storytelling prowess as a minimalistic arrangement provides levity to the bleak lyrics.
Blood – “Bare”
Loving You Backwards
The long-awaited debut LP from Blood has finally arrived, and it is brimming with spaced-out indie rock that morphs into stadium-sized examples of the band’s sonic diversity. Loving You Backwards introduces us to Blood’s psychedelic take on the modern indie scene as their vulnerable songwriting separates the band from their peers. “Bare” features poetically moving songwriting that cuts through the ambiance that starts the song as easily as it penetrates the shoegaze-style second half of the track.
X – “Flipside”
Smoke & Fiction
Punk purists rejoice; the legendary X has returned with their first full-length in four years. Smoke & Fiction has the band cleaning up their raw punk sound for more infectious melodies and cleaner harmonies, showing signs of their veteran status without repeating themselves. “Flipside” has the band exercising their long-standing chemistry via tight harmonies and nostalgic punk tempos.
Meshell Ndegeocello – “Eyes”
No More Water: The Gospel Of James Baldwin
Meshell Ndegeocello’s 14th studio effort is an exercise in the limitations of jazz, with the artist penning moving ballads that lean towards electronic ambiance with stirring piano melodies. No More Water: The Gospel Of James Baldwin is an ambitious concept album with Ndegeocello taking a stance against the world they see before them via poetic songwriting and vocal runs that evoke the feeling of levitation. “Eyes” is a pure example of the artist’s headspace on their new effort. A narrator introduces the concept of “Eyes” before Ndegeocello’s hauntingly beautiful vocals begin to skate across the simplistic yet potent arrangement.
JPEGMAFIA – “Exmilitary”
I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU
The genre-pushing JPEGMAFIA unleashes complex sample-chopping and head-spinning flows on his latest full-length, I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU. The 14-song album marks JPEG’s fifth studio effort and some of his most aggressively innovative music to date. “Exmilitary” is the nimble stand-out with some of the best rapping on the project. A chugging instrumental is the perfect backdrop for JPEG’s braggadocious bars and dynamic flows.
Navy Blue – “Say The Word”
Memoirs In Armour
After the left-field and melodic sonic direction of 2023’s Ways of Knowing, Navy Blue releases a return to form that doubles as a contender for the Hip-hop record of the year with Memoirs In Armour. Blue carefully chooses his words, and he delivers pure literary prowess. The artist holds nothing back over soulful instrumentals. “Say The Word” is Blue’s signature songwriting at its finest. The artist pens a touching letter to his loved ones as a palpable vocal sample loops over cascading synths.
Killer Mike & The Mighty Midnight Revival – “Higher Level”
Songs For Sinners & Saints
Half remix album, half victory lap, Killer Mike follows an MVP 2023 with his new album, Songs For Sinners & Saints. The new album reworks tracks from his award-winning MICHAEL LP while delivering a few new Killer Mike records. “Higher Level” has Mike solidifying his hip-hop prowess over classic Southern sample chops and drum patterns as the artist puts on a head-spinning performance.
MJ Lenderman – “Joker Lips”
Manning Fireworks
MJ Lenderman’s new album, Manning Fireworks, is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated albums of the year, and with each single, that anticipation becomes more well-deserved. The 9-track album is set to be released on September 6, and the twangy “Joker Lips” is our latest offering from the LP. The track has Lenderman employing folksy storytelling over psychedelic guitar work for the third single from Manning Fireworks.
The Hard Quartet – “Earth Hater”
Single
Emmet Kelly, Stephen Malkmus, Matt Sweeney, and Jim White combine forces to create The Hard Quartet. The new supergroup debuts their first single as a collective with the heady guitar work of “Earth Hater.” The new band’s first outing positions them as a genre-bending indie rock powerhouse as “Earth Hater” takes you on a journey of mesmerizing guitar work and loose vocal melodies that evoke the spirit of slacker rock.
Haley Heynderickx – “Seed of a Seed”
Single
The elusive acoustic folk icon Haley Heynderickx returns with a stunning new single just before she sets off on her Fall tour. “Seed of a Seed” marks the first time we’ll hear from the artist since the release of her critically praised 2018 debut, I Need to Start a Garden. Heynderickx pens a statement piece of a return single as her lush vocals coil around nuanced acoustics for a gentle ballad to welcome the acclaimed songwriting back into the world of releasing music.
Jonah Yano – “Romance ESL”
Jonah Yano & The Heavy Loop
After teaming up with BADBADNOTGOOD on his phenomenal Portrait of a Dog, the jazzy folk artist Jonah Yano forms his own band with The Heavy Loop and announces their first album together. The self-titled effort is set to be released on October 4, and “Romance ESL” is our latest single. The spiritual jazz undertones on this track give it an abstract feel, while Yano’s distant croons anchor the track to earth.
Thee Sacred Souls – “Live For You”
Got a Story to Tell
After captivating the soul world with their stellar Daptone debut, Thee Sacred Souls are gearing up for their exciting sophomore effort. Got a Story to Tell is due on October 4, and “Live For You” is the second single from the LP. The soulful rocker has the band reworking soul tropes for modern times, striking the delicate balance between paying homage and creating something new.
David Shaw – “Take a Look Inside”
Single
The Revivalists frontman makes his long-awaited return to the solo field with the release of “Take a Look Inside.” The twinkling acoustics of the single beautifully accent Shaw’s wispy melodies and the longing in his vocals. The new single follows the March release of his “Alabama” single and is one single closer to a full-length follow-up to his 2021 self-titled solo debut.
Jill Fraser – “Amen 2”
Earthly Pleasures
Electronic composer Jill Fraser is set to release her Drag City debut, Earthly Pleasures, on September 27. It is not every day the film composer decides to venture into the studio for a full-length, and our lead single, “Amen 2,” puts in the headspace that drove Fraser to create this record. The lead single is a practice in patient ambiance. It is a meditative single with droning synths and spurts of electronic blips that come to life and twirl around the room.
