Don’t Miss New Albums From Rachael & Vilray, Roger Waters, Reneé Rapp, Kyle Hollingsworth & Others

Rachael & Vilray issued their third collaborative album, West Of Broadway, today through Concord Jazz. The Lake Street Dive vocalist and guitarist/singer-songwriter recorded the follow-up to 2023’s I Love A Love Song! at Sear Sound in New York City. Once again, the pair worked with producer Dan Knobler and Jacob Zimmerman, as they did on their first two albums. Late Show host Stephen Colbert contributed to West Of Broadway track “Off Broadway.” The nine-song collection finds the Brooklyn-based duo accompanied by saxophonist Steve Wilson and drummer John Riley.

“Instead of attempting to recreate a big band section with a smaller number of musicians, I wanted to get a little wild and slightly weird with the instrumentation and trust that it would make for an interesting record,” revealed Vilray, who composed all of the material.

“Going into the studio, there was a bit of a question as to whether we could bring together all these different elements that aren’t really connected, like West Coast jazz and Broadway musicals and all the crazy characters and flavors within the songs,” added Vilray. “But it showed us that even if the themes don’t feel unified at first, they’ll feel unified by the end—just as long as you’ve done your work, and you’ve got a room full of great musicians to knock the whole thing out of the park.”

Roger Waters released a new concert film, This Is Not A Drill – Live from Prague The Movie, and accompanying live album chronicling the Pink Floyd co-founder’s May 25, 2023 concert at Prague’s O2 Arena in the Czech Republic. Waters embarked on what was billed as his “first ever Farewell Tour” on July 6, 2022 in Pittsburgh. This Is Not A Drill hit cities across North America, South America and Europe for 99 shows through December 9, 2023. Waters put together an impressive ensemble for the trek. Waters was backed by guitarists Jonathan Wilson and Dave Kilminster, keyboardists Robert Walter and Jon Carin (keyboards), drummer Joey Waronker, bassist Gus Seyffert and saxophonist Seamus Blake (saxophone) along with backing vocalists Amanda Belair and Shanay Johnson.

The setlist for the Prague show featured the tour’s typical mix of Pink Floyd classics such as “Us & Them,” “Wish You Were Here” and “Have A Cigar” and solo cuts such as “The Powers That Be,” “The Bravery Of Being Out Of Range” and “Is This The Life We Really Want?” Waters also performed his latest song, “The Bar,” at each concert.

Singer/actress Reneé Rapp released her second solo album, Bite Me, today through Interscope Records. The 12-track LP serves as the follow-up to her 2023 debut album, Snow Angel. The track “At Least I’m Hot” features Rapp’s partner, guitarist Towa Bird. Among those who helped produce Bite Me was Snow Angel contributor Alexander 23.

“I set out to impress myself,” Rapp told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. “I set out to make music I would want to listen to, and I set out to not compromise a single thing about my personality and be unwaveringly loud about it — and I did that … This album to me feels like ripping off all of your clothes, stripping naked and running down a street after you’ve been violently crying. And you’re almost laughing because you’re like, ‘I’m done with this. I’m sick of this. I’m not letting this hold me.’”

The String Cheese Incident keyboardist Kyle Hollingsworth shared his new solo album, All We Are via SCI Fidelity Records. Hollingsworth’s fifth full-length record was self-produced by the longtime Colorado resident.

“I feel like I’m bolder and braver right now than I’ve ever been with my music,” Hollingsworth explained. “It begins with my songwriting, where I’m better able to express what I’m experiencing in the moment, while my willingness to explore continues to grow.”

The Starrr Of The Queen Of Life is Nigerian-Canadian multi-talent Debby Friday’s sophomore album, released today through Sub Pop Records. The follow-up to Friday’s 2023’s Polaris Prize-winning debut album, Good Luck, saw her working with Australian producer/guitarist Darcy Baylis. Friday met Baylis while touring Australia in 2023 and the latter later joined the former’s touring band.

“The sound of the album is largely a result of the synergy between myself and Darcy, and just taking in the energy of the city,” Friday said. “I don’t think I thought of myself as a singer before this album, but working in the studio with Darcy gave me confidence in my voice. This album is about this idea of reaching towards something. It’s about seeing the signs and trying to follow that impulse, always with an undercurrent of the potential of either flying into the sun or falling back to earth.”

Producer AraabMUZIK released Electronic Dream 2, the long-awaited sequel to his 2011 debut album, Electronic Dream. The many-years-in-the-making follow-up is not the same collection of songs that unofficially leaked (as Electronic Dream 2) in 2012. Last year, the Rhode Island-native, New York-based producer provided the soundtrack for director Harmony Korine’s feature film, Aggro Dr1ft, and teamed with Dave East on a collaborative album, Living Proof. AraabMuzik previewed Electronic Dream 2 with the single, “3AM.”

Queer Pakistani-American singer-songwriter Ali Sethi’s debut album, Love Language, is out now. The album’s lead-single “Rocket Launcher” features Pakistani artist Maanu and the track “Subho Shaam” features Natania. Production credits include Romil Hemnani, Abdullah Siddiqui, Juan Ariza and AD. Love Language sees Sethi singing in multiple languages, including Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi and English.

“I don’t just honor tradition,” Sethi said. “I fuck with it.”

Revealed days ago and arriving today with little pre-release information, rapper Yeat issued a new EP entitled Dangerous Summer. The EP announcement stated there would be “No Roll Out” and “No Deluxe” version of the EP, which came out without any preview tracks. Yeat also noted the EP’s cover art was created by film director Harmony Korine. The new release follows Yeat’s 2024 full-length, Lyfestyle. The 11-track Dangerous Summer includes features by FKA twigs, Ngeeyl, BNYX, SahBabii and Don Toliver.