Happy New Year, our fellow music obsessors! 2025 has arrived in a blaze of glory, and we hope everyone is feeling as refreshed as we are. Now, back to business. The new year brings a slew of anticipated releases, with some already crash-landing onto our playlist. 2024 was a busy year for fantastic music, so 2025 has some massive shoes to fill. The new year isn’t going down without a fight as it explodes from its corner of the ring with jazzy singles, lush albums, and welcomed return to forms. The chugging locomotive of new music isn’t making any stops along the way, so hop on early and dive into some phenomenal new records.
Check out Glide’s picks for the week’s best new music below.
Zzzahara – “Bluebird”
Spiral Your Way Out
The day has finally arrived. Indie singer/songwriter Zzzahara’s highly anticipated album Spiral Your Way Out is yours to listen to. The album features ten spellbinding examples of the artist’s unique approach to the genre, combining shoegaze’s lushness with underlying soulfulness. “Bluebird” is an early stand-out from the album. It features Zzzahara’s natural knack for crafting infectious melodies and their nuanced rock-fusion work, which overlaps bedroom pop and smooth rock.
Franz Ferdinand – “Hooked”
The Human Fear
Franz Ferdinand has already established themselves as a pioneer of the early 2000s indie rock scene, and their first album since 2018 continues to carry the torch decades into their career. The Human Fear is 11 stadium-sized anthems that blend their original sound with bouncy synths. “Hooked” was the final single before the full album hit streaming services today, and it begins to hint at the band’s new direction. Low vocals compete with toe-tapping tempos as they melt over each other to create a jagged stand-out with sharp melodies.
Destroyer – “Bologna” (Feat. Fiver)
Dan’s Boogie
Dan Bejar’s project Destroyer is gearing up to release its first album since 2022 with the announcement of Dan’s Boogie. The slightly self-titled effort will arrive on March 28, and the Fiver-assisted “Bologna” is our first listen to the anticipated LP. A dark and simplistic outing, Bejar’s ghostly vocals waltz over complex drum patterns for an interdimensional ballad that tugs and pulls the listener with every note.
Mogwai – “Fanzine Made of Flesh”
The Bad Fire
The powerhouse instrumental group Mogwai is preparing to release their new album, The Bad Fire, on January 24. The previous singles have featured stadium-sized arrangements with explosive guitars, hinting at a cinematic outing, but the latest single from the LP takes on a different form. “Fanzine Made of Flesh” features the same chugging guitars but with a more relaxed tempo and bright tones. With dense synths and warping melodies, “Fanzine Made of Flesh” might make you throw all expectations for the new Mogwai album out the window in the best way possible.
Panda Bear – “Ferry Lady”
Sinister Grift
The multi-faceted Panda Bear prepares for his latest solo outing with another fantastic single brimming with relaxed melodies and colorful tones. “Ferry Lady” is our latest look at Sinister Grift, Bear’s latest solo album set to be released on February 28. The new single is tinted with yacht rock influences while Bear’s ever-whimsical vocals sway in the winds kicked up by the bouncy synths and simplistic yet potent arrangement.
Guided By Voices – “Dawn Believes”
Universe Room
The prolific and ever-evolving Guided By Voices are inching closer to releasing their 41st full-length album, Universe Room. It will arrive on February 7, less than a year after 2024’s acclaimed Strut Of Kings album. “Dawn Believes” is our latest single and aligns with the two previously released tunes, as soaring vocals juxtapose gritty guitar tones. The minimalistic ballad adds another coal to the furnace of excitement as we anxiously wait for the full 17-song LP to arrive next month.
Okonski – “October”
Entrance Music
After bursting onto the jazz scene with their improvised, piano-driven self-titled debut, the jazz trio Okonski looks to capture the same magic on Entrance Music. The jazz supergroup’s sophomore effort will arrive on February 28, and the somber “October” is our lead single from the project. Okonski’s signature piano melodies land like spilled water as they splash and swallow the moody drums for a moving instrumental piece that should have you marking the album’s release date on your calendar.
Squid – “Building 650”
Cowards
After announcing their anticipated third LP and releasing the lead single “Crispy Skin,” art-rock, post-punk band Squid unleashed the second single. Their album, Cowards, is set to be released on February 7, and “Building 650” shows us a more tame side of the LP. Compared to its predecessor, “Crispy Skin,” the new single follows a more conventional path, as the vocals wrap around tight guitars while keeping one foot in their otherworldly approach.
Cymande – “How We Roll” (Feat. Jazzie B)
Renascence
Cymande’s acclaimed fusion work pushes into modern times as the acclaimed yet overlooked band gears up for a major return. Their new album, Renascence, will arrive on January 31, and the Jazzie B-assisted “How We Roll” is the new single. A simplistic yet impactful ballad, the latest single is a nearly eight-minute epic with intimidating yet welcoming vocals sliding over explosive crescendos and muted melodies.
Youth Lagoon – “Speed Freak”
Rarely Do I Dream
After sharing the emotional and brooding Heaving Is A Junkyard LP in 2023, Youth Lagoon readies fans for a welcomed return. The Trevor Powers-led act is preparing to release its Rarely Do I Dream LP on February 21, and the single that came with the announcement shows us a new side of Powers’s production prowess. “Speed Freak” has muddy synths crashing into vocals accented by longing for a single that excites long-time fans while introducing Youth Lagoon as an unpredictable force of nature.
DARKSIDE – “S.N.C”
Nothing
DARKSIDE’s unpredictable yet ever-excited rock-fusion work is always fun to dive into, and the band is giving us a fresh set of songs to explore very soon. The band’s new album, Nothing, will be released on February 28, and the lo-fi psychedelic “S.N.C” is the latest single. Infectious, almost pop-like drums put a bow on the bubbling vocals and thick basslines as the band hints at an all-encompassing LP.
Mac Miller – “5 Dollar Pony Rides”
Balloonerism
Mac Miller’s long-lost Balloonerism is finally getting the official release it deserves. Recorded initially around 2014 and later leaked online, The Mac Miller Estate will release the complete album on January 17. “5 Dollar Pony Rides” acts as the lead single from the album, with Miller crooning over a jazzy arrangement, showcasing the fact that the artist’s evolution was evident even back then.
Rose City Band – “Radio Song”
Sol Y Sombra
Every day that passes is another closer to the official release of Rose City Band’s Sol Y Sombra LP. The psychedelic county outfit will release their new album on January 24, and the latest single shows us the band’s refreshing approach to modern country. “Radio Song” sounds exactly like that. It’s the kind of song you’d come across surfing the airwaves that makes you double-take. Loose melodies coil around evolving guitars and tight drums for a road-trip-ready anthem.
Bob Mould – “Here We Go Crazy”
Here We Go Crazy
Hüsker Dü’s Bob Mould returns to the solo spotlight with the announcement of his new album and the release of its lead single and title track. Here We Go Crazy marks Mould’s first solo album in five years and will be yours on March 7. The title track is our first look at the album. “Here We Go Crazy” is a larger-than-life pop-rock tune with drums that hit like fireworks and guitars that wrap around you like a mink coat. It is elegant rock for modern times.
Sports Team – “Bang Bang Bang”
Boys These Days
Sports Team has cemented itself as one of the most exciting acts to emerge from England in quite some time, and their new single showcases exactly why. “Bang Bang Bang” is a frantic, desperado-style tune with jangly guitars and distant vocals that evokes the feeling of sitting in a bar that still lets you smoke inside. The new single will be featured on the band’s upcoming album, Boys These Days, set to be released on May 23.
One Response
The band’s novel take on contemporary country music. That’s exactly what “Radio Song” sounds like.