Don’t Miss New Albums Out Today From Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Ty Segall, Jónsi + More

Wild God is the 18th album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and the first from the Australian rock band since 2019’s Ghosteen. Frontman Nick Cave began work on Wild God on New Year’s Day 2023. Cave and longstanding member of The Bad Seeds Warren Ellis co-produced Wild God. The album was mixed by David Fridmann and recorded during sessions held in France at Miraval in Provence and in England at Soundtree in London. Performing along The Bad Seeds were guest contributors, bassist Colin Greenwood and guitarist Luis Almau. Speaking about Wild God, Cave stated:

“I hope the album has the effect on listeners that it’s had on me. It bursts out of the speaker, and I get swept up with it. It’s a complicated record, but it’s also deeply and joyously infectious. There is never a masterplan when we make a record. The records rather reflect back the emotional state of the writers and musicians who played them. Listening to this, I don’t know, it seems we’re happy.” Across ten tracks, the band dance between convention and experimentation, taking left-turns and detours that heighten the rich imagery and emotion in Cave’s soul-stirring narratives. It is the sound of a group emboldened by reconnection and taking flight. There are moments that touch fondly upon the Bad Seeds’ past but they are fleeting, and serve only to imbue the relentless and restless forward motion of the band.

“Wild God … there’s no fucking around with this record. When it hits, it hits. It lifts you. It moves you. I love that about it.”

Ty Segall released a new album, Love Rudiments, today via Drag City. The follow up to the prolific artist’s 2024 triple LP, Three Bells, the aptly named, instrumental Love Rudiments is a rumination on Segall’s first love, the drums.

“Drums are a melodic instrument too,” press materials for Love Rudiments noted. “Ty plays them with precision and sensitivity, delving deep into the textures of timpani, vibraphone, xylophone, percussion and e-drums, all of them occupying space within the luxe stereo spread of the drumkit. In the process, a psychological space is opened: a private emotional location where only two can meet.”

Sigur Rós frontman Jónsi released his latest solo score album, First Light. The LA-based Icelandic musician’s original intent for First Light was to score a video game. The album, which was issued through health and well-being music video provider Myndstream in conjunction with Lakeshore Records, “evolved and transcended into a 14-track journey of peace, hope, and connection.” Regarding the project, Jónsi stated:

“Writing this music at a time of manmade global turmoil and unrest for a video game. I imagined First Light as a momentary fantastical red, over-the-top, utopian world where everyone and everything lives together in everlasting peace and harmony. Choosing beauty over disorder, hope over fear, our universal divine angel guardians watching over us and connecting us all as one through love, melody, and music.”

Tank and the Bangas completed the roll out of a three-part spoken word album, The Heart, The Mind, The Soul, the third installment arriving today through Verve Forecast. Each part of The Heart, The Mind, The Soul sees Tank and the Bangas frontwoman Tarriona “Tank” Ball collaborating with a different producer. The Roots’ James Poyser produced The Heart, Kendrick Lamar collaborator Iman Omari helmed The Mind and renowned producer/jazz artist Robert Glasper handled The Soul. Glasper appears on the album, as does fellow guest players Samara Joy, Jill Scott, Aja Monet and Yaya Bey. Tank spoke about how her love of poetry led to the new project:

“I want for poetry to get that much more respect and for even more young people to get into the expression of poetry. I want it to be seen as even more cool again. Poetry has always been my first love because it loved me back, it loved me before music even. now I get to share more of that part of myself with the world, in hopes that you love it to. Everything in this world has its place, the HEART deals with matters of my heart, my relationships with men and the one with myself. The MIND lends itself to the things I think about living as a woman in this world, and the relationships I’ve gone back and forth in my mind about. And the SOUL is a form of subconscious and conscious free flowing poems about myself and the city that raised me.”

Soulful pop/R&B singer-songwriter John Legend released his first children’s album, My Favorite Dreams, today through Republic Records: Kids & Family. Singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens produced the album, which consists of nine Legend originals and covers of three songs originally used by toymaker Fisher-Price. Legend wrote the new material at his home piano surrounded by family members. The single “L-O-V-E” features Legend’s wife Chrissy Teigen and two of their children. Describing the project, Legend stated:

“I’m right in the thick of fatherhood. My parents loved to sing around the house, making up bedtime songs for us and songs to motivate and inspire us. And Chrissy and I also love singing to our kids. We make up little jingles and ditties for them all the time. In our home, music is very important to the way we interact and communicate with them.

“Once I started thinking about it, I decided I wanted to write a whole new children’s album. I just took it on as a challenge to write some original lullabies and children’s songs that I would want my kids to hear, something we could share with kids and parents all over the world.”

Tycho released his new studio album, Infinite Health, via Mom + Pop/Ninja Tune. Tycho’s songwriter, musician, and producer Scott Hansen co-produced Infinite Health with Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor and Tycho guitarist Zac Brown. Both Brown and drummer Rory O’Connor contributed to the highly-anticipated follow-up to 2020’s Simulcast. Tycho previewed the album with the disparate singles “Green” and “Devices.”

“’Green’ and ‘Devices’ represent the conceptual bookends of the forthcoming album, Infinite Health,” Hansen said. “‘Green’ is an elegy to my childhood where I spent my youth forging a deep connection with nature. ‘Devices’ represents the struggle to stay connected to nature and our own humanity in the modern world. I wanted to illustrate this tension with a set of sonically contrasting songs.”

The Phantom Five is the fifth studio album by Aaron Bruno’s AWOLNATION. The album sees Bruno joined by bandmates, drummer Isaac Carpenter, guitarist Zach Irons, keyboardist Daniel Saslow and bassist Josh Moreau. Rapper Del the Funky Homosapien is featured on the single “I Am Happy.” Vocalist Emily Armstrong of Dead Sara guests on the single “Jump Sit Stand March.” Materials describing the album stated:

“[The Phantom Five] functions almost as a ‘greatest hits’ album, in the sense that it offers something for everyone who has followed the band’s arc in its celebrated, shape-shifting way. Appearances on the album include features from the aforementioned Emily Armstrong from Dead Sara and Del the Funky Homosapien. The Phantom Five is concerned with trying to find one’s way to happiness in a bizarrely upside-down time.”

Hawaiian-native guitarist Ron Artis II released a new album entitled We Are Not Machines. Artis recorded the 11-song set with producer Mitch Dane at Sputnik Sound in Nashville. Among those who Artis tapped to record the album were bassist Kevin Whitsett, drummer Paul Eckberg, guitarist Court Clement, keyboardist Dustin Ransom and vocalists Kiley Phillips, Devonne Fowlkes, Jason Eskridge and Moiba Mustapha, among others. In statement, Artis detailed the intent behind We Are Not Machines:

“This album is focused on ‘The Human Experience.’ Loss, Joy, Love, Pain, Doubt, Forgiveness, and everything in between. This is a ride you’ll enjoy from start to finish.”