Don’t Miss New Albums From Charli XCX, Gogol Bordello, The Infamous Stringdusters & More

Charli XCX recorded a set of new original songs for the soundtrack to the feature film, Wuthering Heights. Directed by Emerald Fennell, who wrote the loose adaptation of Emily Brontë’s classic novel, Wuthering Heights gets a theatrical release today as well. The latest film taking on the 1847 book co-stars Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi. The soundtrack includes the track “House,” featuring The Velvet Underground’s John Cale, and “Eyes of the World,” featuring Sky Ferreira.

Gogol Bordello issued a new album, We Mean It, Man!, via frontman Eugene Hütz’s label Casa Gogol Records. We Mean It, Man! follows Gogol Bordello’s 2022 album, Solidaritine. For the new record, Hütz and his bandmates teamed with producers Nick Launay and Adam “Atom” Greenspan. Guests include Grace Bergere, Puzzled Panther and Bernard Sumner.

“Gogol Bordello has always been a cross-pollinator,” Hütz stated. “And We Mean It Man! brings all our original inspirations together more than any other: punk, gypsy music, hardcore, and techno. I conceived this album as a collaboration with one of my favorite producers of all time, Nick Launay, who’s been so much responsible for the flourishing of post-punk as a genre. In terms of boiled down multimedia collage this is the best Frankenstein we’ve done since Gypsy Punks. This is our post-punk groove revenge.”

The Infamous Stringdusters mark their 20th anniversary this year with the release of a new studio album, 20/20. Fittingly, 20/20 consists of 20 new songs by the band – banjoist Chris Pandolfi, bassist Travis Book, fiddler Jeremy Garrett, dobro player Andy Hall and guitarist Andy Falco. Produced by the band, the album was recorded in Colorado with Colin Bricker and Loren Dorland at Mighty Fine Productions in Denver and with Aaron Youngberg at Swing Fingers in Fort Collins.

“We’ve been around for 20 years, and I feel like we’re putting more into our music — both writing and the live shows — than we ever have,” Pandolfi stated. “And the reality is, that you do need to step a little harder on the gas to get the same results — it takes real intention.”

Vocalist Jill Scott ends her music hiatus with the release of To Whom This May Concern, her first full length album in over a decade. Scott’s long-awaited follow-up to 2015’s Woman sees her joined by special guests Trombone Shorty, Too Short, Tierra Whack, J.I.D and Ab-Soul. Production across the 19-track album came from Adam Blackstone, Om’Mas Keith, DJ Premier, Camper, Andre Harris, Seige Montracity, Eric Wortham, DW Wright, VT Tolan and Trombone Shorty.

Chet Faker (Nick Murphy) is back with a new album, A Love For Strangers, available (digitally) today through BMG. The 12-track full-length effort is Murphy’s first under the Chet Faker moniker since 2021’s Hotel Surrender.

Converge released Love Is Not Enough, the Massachusetts metalcore band’s 11th album, today through Deathwish Inc./Epitaph Records. The follow-up to 2021’s Bloodmoon: I was recorded by frontman Jacob Bannon, guitarist Kurt Ballou, drummer Ben Koller and bassist Nate Newton at Ballou’s God City studio in Salem, Massachusetts. There are no special guests joining the band that formed 35 years ago.

“The line ‘Love is not enough’ is something I had kicking around for a while,” Bannon said. “Some of the things I wrote at the time were from a human resilience perspective, an acceptance of the brutality and unforgiving nature of the world. I was reflecting on that in poetic form and set it aside. When we got into the studio, it all fit together.”

Lotus tracked 11 songs for their newly released studio album, Rise Of The Angler Fish. Keyboardist/guitarist Luke Miller, bassist Jesse Miller, drummer Mike Greenfield and guitarist Tim Palmieri recorded the album at Miner Street Studio in Philadelphia. Jesse Miller and Luke Miller also handled co-production. The track “Wild Card” features vocalist Rachel Eisenstat and the song “Remedy” features vocalist Steve Yutzy-Burkey.