We’re over here, sweating and shoveling coal into the old Caustic steam engine as we barrel into a fantastic New Music Friday with an open mind and full of steam. As we roll through 2025, the New Music Fridays have only become more exciting, and this week is really kicking it up to the next level. We have welcomed returns from punk heroes, legends teaming up for full LPs, twangy balladry from young country greats, and Hip-hop so refreshing you can use it to cool off in the Summer heat. It’s a beautiful day to find a new favorite song, and Glide is here to give you a starting point.
Check out Glide’s picks for the week’s best new music and follow our Caustic Spotify playlist to stay updated on May’s releases.
Mclusky – “Kafka-esque Novelist Franz Kafka”
The World Is Still Here and So Are We
After a long twenty-year wait, hardcore veterans Mclusky mark their long-awaited return with the raw and honest The World Is Still Here and So Are We. The 13-song LP welcomes the power trio back with a parade of cartoonish vocals, blunt distortion, and head-spinning songwriting. “Kafka-esque Novelist Franz Kafka” is an early favorite from Mclusky’s spectacular comeback LP. The stand-out tune is a chugging, hectic anthem that puts instant gratification under its scope and shoots at the concept with neck-breaking drums and animated melodies.
Mark Pritchard & Thom Yorke – “Bugging Out Again”
Tall Tales
For their first collaborative full-length as a duo, Thom Yorke and Mark Pritchard blend their respective individuality into plush dreamscapes of electro-ballad bliss. Tall Tales is a sprawling effort from two veterans refusing to repeat themselves, forcing the duo to create a challenging, warm, and undeniably their own album. “Bugging Out Again” hints at the ambient-driven solace that overcomes the listener when pressing play on Tall Tales. The wistful, simplistic highlight is a hypnotic sonic field that allows the listener to frolic in and escape reality for a brief moment, thanks to Yorke’s robotic yet emotionally deep vocals and Pritchard’s whirling electronics.
Leftover Salmon – “River Takes Me”
Let’s Party About It
Legendary bluegrass jam band Leftover Salmon returns with a jam-packed album of sentimental, twangy anthems. Let’s Party About It is 11 palpable endeavors from the veterans that continue their exploration of traditional Americana and how they can make it their own. On “River Takes Me,” Leftover Salmon brings us to a place of solace with a slow-burning yet energetic tune with sliding guitars and heartfelt vocals.
I’m With Her – “Year After Year”
Wild and Clear and Blue
The sophomore effort from alt-folk trio I’m With Her has finally arrived, and the eleven-song LP solidifies the band as a powerful addition to the burgeoning genre. After spending time building out their solo careers, Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz, and Aoife O’Donovan combine forces for a raw, acoustic LP with shimmering arrangements and lovely harmonies. “Year After Year” is an early favorite from Wild and Clear and Blue, employing vibrant imagery that begins to detail a picture of longing and a sense of home.
Jack Van Cleaf – “Piñata”
JVC
There has been a lot of anticipation leading up to Jack Van Cleaf’s sophomore album, and now that the day has finally arrived, there seems to be nothing in the way of the artist’s twangy dominance. JVC begins to break down the mystique behind the artist via 14 confessional pieces of soft balladry driven by acoustic guitars and vulnerability. “Piñata” sticks out in the excellent tracklist thanks to its angelic vocals, brutally honest songwriting, and complex guitar melodies that poetically emphasize the songwriting.
Murray Attaway – “Hole In The Ground”
TENSE MUSIC PLAYS
Guadalcanal Diary’s Murray Attaway sets his sights on the solo spotlight as he triumphantly returns to music after thirty years away from his passion. TENSE MUSIC PLAYS is available exclusively on Bandcamp, with the single “Hole In the Ground” making its way onto your local streaming services. The single is a murky, chugging rock tune with Attaway’s vocals navigating crunchy guitar tones to deliver an intense performance.
Little Feat – “New Orleans Cries When She Sings”
Strike Up The Band
70s rock icons Little Feat continue to build their legacy by releasing their soulful new LP, Strike Up The Band. Across 13 songs, the legends craft rocking pieces of Southern soul that explode with jazz and blues, creating a busy yet welcoming jungle for the listener to wade through. “New Orleans Cries When She Sings” closes out the spectacular LP with a ballad that begins as a stunning piano tune, only to explode into a colorful concoction of jazzy horns and danceable melodies.
Kristina Murray – “Has Been”
Little Blue
We rarely get to hear from Americana songstress Kristina Murray, which makes the release of her latest set of songs all the more anticipated and exciting. Little Blue is Murray’s first LP since 2018, and it is a psychedelic outing with heartfelt songwriting skating over unpredictably honed arrangements. “Has Been” is a taste of Murray’s ’70s flair with hazy vocals falling over spacious guitars that explode into an unforgettable solo before giving the artist’s gentle vocals the spotlight.
KALEO – “Run No More”
MIXED EMOTIONS
Country star KALEO’s highly anticipated third album is out today, and it is a spacious, emotionally driven listening experience. MIXED EMOTIONS is brimming with anthemic ballads that lean on the side of simplicity, leaving plenty of space for KALEO’s booming, rugged vocals. “Run No More” is meant to fill a stadium with epic vocals that swirl out of the speakers as a cinematic arrangement transitions between crashing pianos and nimble guitar melodies.
Billy Woods – “Born Alone” (Feat. Kenny Segal)
GOLLIWOG
When Billy Woods raps, the only thing he asks for is your undivided attention, and he demands it on his latest gothic concept LP. GOLLIWOG finds Woods teaming up with familiar collaborators for a face-melting, 18-song album with sinister undertones as Woods puts together yet another instant classic for his timeless discography. The Kenny Segal-produced “Born Alone” is a crawling highlight from GOLLIWOG that employs the warmth of lo-fi to soften the blow of the harsh realities Woods details in his signature, sleek flows.
André 3000 – “I Spend All Day Waiting for The Night”
7 Piano Sketches
The multi-faceted André 3000 continues his deep dive into jazz on his surprise LP, 7 Piano Sketches. Originally composed before 2023’s New Blue Sun, 3000’s latest is a piano-driven meditation on isolation and family. The album features the artist crafting nimble piano portraits that showcase the Hip-hop star’s jazz prowess. “I Spend All Day Waiting for The Night” closes out the short yet potent LP with mesmerizing drum patterns that sketch abstract self-portraits under 3000’s crashing piano melodies.
MIKE & Tony Seltzer – “Splat!”
Pinball II
The anticipated follow-up to emcee/producer MIKE and producer Tony Seltzer’s 2024 LP has arrived in all its glory. Pinball II features Seltzer’s refreshing twist on modern Hip-hop as he adds splashes of soulful psychedelia into trap-influenced tones, creating a blank canvas for MIKE to paint his vivid world. “Splat!” is a bouncy, infectious highlight that details the short yet powerful songs that comprise Pinball II’s tracklist.
Lord Huron – “Looking Back”
The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1
The long-awaited return of Lord Huron is finally ending, and the Ben Schneider-led soulful country outfit is marking their return with a sentimental single. “Looking Back” is a sweetly sung ballad emphasizing the band’s tendency to pen vulnerable and emotionally palpable melodies. This single is also our first look at Lord Huron’s new album, The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1, which is set to be released on July 18.
Kaonashi – “Red Sink, Yellow Teeth”
I Want To Go Home.
Philadelphia’s Kaonashi have been slowly carving their lane in the metal world for some years now, and this latest LP is shaping up to be the landmark release that elevates the band into the genre’s pantheon. I Want To Go Home. is set to be released on June 6, and the band’s abstract approach to metal is fully displayed on the album’s new single “Red Sink, Yellow Teeth.” On the latest single, throat-scratching vocals deliver ill wishes over a staggering, sporadic arrangement that finds itself somewhere between minimalism and chaoticness.
Cory Hanson – “Bird on a Swing”
I Love People
Wand frontman Cory Hanson returns to the solo spotlight with a twinkling new single and announces his first solo LP since 2023. I Love People will be released on July 25 via Drag City, and the twangy, uplifting “Bird on a Swing” is our lead single from the project. The lead single captures the magic of driving with no destination on a warm Summer evening with Hanson’s smooth vocals skating over a pop-leaning arrangement with sterling acoustics and toe-tapping tempos.
