14 New Albums Out Today: Snail Mail, Flea, Robyn & More

Singer-songwriter Lindsey Jordan released a new Snail Mail album entitled Ricochet via Matador Records. The first Snail Mail album in five years, Ricochet was recorded by Jordan with producer/bassist Aron Kobayashi Ritch. The 11-track Ricochet comes in the wake of Jordan’s significant life experiences, including relocating from New York City to North Carolina and undergoing surgery (and subsequent speech therapy) for vocal polyps. Sessions – described by Jordan as “refreshing, trusting, and comfortable” – were held at Fidelitorium Recordings in North Carolina and at Nightfly and Studio G in Brooklyn.

“I’ve never done this before,” Jordan explained, “but I wrote all of the instrumentals and vocal melodies on the piano or guitar, and then I filled in the lyrics all at once over a year.”

Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea issued his debut solo album, Honora, through Nonesuch Records. Along with bass, Flea returned to his first instrument, the trumpet, for the jazz-centric record. The LP features six original compositions along with interpretations of songs by George Clinton/Eddie Hazel, Jimmy Webb, Frank Ocean, Shea Taylor and Ann Ronell. The album sees contributions from bassist Anna Butterss, guitarist Jeff Parker, drummer Deantoni Parks, percussionist Mauro Refosco, alto flutist Rickey Washington, trombonist Vikram Devasthali, vocalist Chris Warren and multi-instrumentalist Nate Walcott. Saxophonist Josh Johnson produced and contributed to the album as well.

Flea’s Atoms For Peace bandmate, Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke, appears on a track. Singer-songwriter Nick Cave also makes a guest appearance on a song.

Pop icon Robyn returns with a new album, Sexistential, via Young. The Swedish singer/songwriter/producer reconvened with longtime collaborator Klas Åhlund to co-produce her first full-length album since the acclaimed 2018 LP, Honey. Robyn co-wrote the album’s single, “Talk To Me,” with fellow Swede and superstar producer Max Martin, the pair’s first collaboration since 2010’s “Time Machine.”

“Exploring my sensual life is the same feeling as when I make a good song,” Robyn stated. “It’s such a beautiful kind of sensitive vibration that takes so much work to keep afloat. I feel like the purpose of my life is to stay horny – it doesn’t even have to be about sex, but it’s feeling sensual and attracted to things that I enjoy, and not letting anything take over that.”

Released today by Atlantic Records, Whatever’s Clever! is singer-songwriter Charlie Puth’s fourth album. Puth and BloodPop co-produced he 12-track effort — Puth’s first full-length since 2022’s Charlie. A crew of special guests appear across Whatever’s Clever as Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Kenny G, Jeff Goldblum, Coco Jones, Ravyn Lenae and Hikaru Utada worked with Puth across the LP’s 12 tracks.

Courtney Barnett’s fourth solo album, Creature Of Habit, came out today through Mom+Pop. The Aussie guitarist recorded 10 new songs for Creature Of Habit, which follows her 2021 album, Things Take Time, Take Time, and the 2023 instrumental collection of songs, End of the Day, recorded for the documentary film about her, Anonymous Club. The single, “Site Unseen,” features Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield.

Raye issued her sophomore album, This Music May Contain Hope., through Human Re Sources. This Music May Contain Hope. follows The British singer-songwriter’s acclaimed 2023 debut album, My 21st Century Blues. Reflecting on This Music May Contain Hope., RAYE stated:

“Music is medicine, I’ve always said that. I guess I’m in the process of making medicine for myself that I can share with the world. I want us all to say to ourselves that it’s going to be all right, and I’m going to have faith in the seeds that I’ve planted beneath the snow. I wanted to create something that is a hug, bed or soft place for that person who needs it.”

The New Pornographers shared a new album, The Former Site Of, via Merge Records. The follow-up to 2023’s Continue As A Guest features bandleader A.C. Newman, Kathryn Calder, Neko Case, John Collins and Todd Fancey. The acclaimed collective is also joined by renowned session drummer Charley Drayton for the first time. Newman purposefully assembled the bones for The Former Site Of in his home studio before sending it to his collaborators.

“Having time in my studio really opened things up,” he said. “I don’t like wasting my bandmates’ time, and always felt guilty when I’d give them a song, ask them to do something, then completely change the song and ask them to do it again. Now I can get the skeleton of a song together first—just a couple of elements, the key feeling, really as little as possible—before bringing it to the band and running from there.”

Swedish singer-songwriter José González released his first album in four years, Against The Dying Of The Light, via Mute Records/City Slang. The guitarist also released the LP’s title track accompanied by a music video. Against The Dying Of The Light follows the guitarist’s 2021 album, Local Valley, and in many ways is its companion record as it continues the songsmith’s examination of humanity’s uncertain future. González spoke about the new album:

“Against The Dying Of The Light is a collection of songs reflecting on humanity. Who we are – tribes of sentient apes with stories that sometimes are incompatible with each other and tools that could eventually lead to dystopia or extinction. It’s also a reflection of how we create hurdles to human flourishing by stubbornly clinging to dogmatic ideologies, where people follow dudes who pretend to know shit they don’t.

“As a concerned world citizen, I wrote these songs as a reflection of our times. Times of amazing progress, but also worrying backslides to dogmatic tribal ideologies and an extremely uncertain future. These are songs about how we can navigate humanity towards flourishing on an individual and a collective level. They can be listened to just for the sounds, harmonies, and rhythms, but the lyrics are meant to inspire people to engage and take action by collaborating to solve collective problems. For humanism and enlightenment values and against the dying of the light.”

The Twilight Sad returned with their first studio album in seven years, It’s The Long Goodbye, out now through Rock Action Records. The Scottish post-punk band — consisting of core members James Graham and Andy MacFarlane — crafted It’s The Long Goodbye over the course of seven years, with help from tourmate and The Cure frontman Robert Smith who contributed to the record. Additional contributors on the LP include Arab Strap‘s David Jeans and Mogwai touring member Alex Mackay. With Macfarlane handling primary production duties at London’s Battery Studios in Willesden, Andy Savours also produced alongside mixing by Chris Coady.

The follow up to 2019’s It Won’t Be Like This All the Time, sees Graham reflecting on his mother’s early onset dementia and subsequent death, as well as his own mental health challenges and the joy he found in marriage and parenthood.

“It had to contain every element of emotion I was feeling,” the singer/lyricist said.

NEEDTOBREATHE convened with acclaimed producer Dave Cobb for their newly released album, The Long Surrender, released today via MCA Nashville. The Long Surrender, which follows NEEDTOBREATHE’s 2023 LP Caves, was recorded with Cobb at his Savannah, Georgia studio.

“They came in with open hearts and gratitude, focused on nothing but the truth,” Cobb said of the recording process. “You can feel it in Bear’s voice and in the musicianship throughout the record.”

As Cobb noted, NEEDTOBREATHE came into the sessions with “open hearts,” which included a new songwriting process for frontman Bear Rinehart, which he detailed:

“In the beginning I didn’t even think I was writing for a record—I was just writing in a therapeutic way, trying to get my head around what I wanted my life to look like going forward. There’s always been a guardedness as far as how personal I get in the songs, or how overtly I express certain things, but this time I was writing everything down as I was going through it. It felt like the songs were coming from a different place, and where we ended up almost feels like a whole new band.”

“This album really clarified that, as an artist, I’ve got to put my convictions in front of anything else. I poured myself into it without trying to shape it for anyone or anything, and that’s what we’re going to keep doing from here on out. It’s definitely a better indicator of where we’re headed than where we’ve ever been, and in a lot of ways it feels it’s our very first record.”

Yonder Mountain String Band released a new studio album entitled Good As True. Co-founding members, bassist Ben Kaufmann, guitarist Adam Aijala and banjo player Dave Johnston are joined on the nine-track LP by mandolinist Nick Piccininni and newest member, fiddler Coleman Smith. The veteran jamgrass group from Colorado’s 12th studio album, Good As True sees YMSB leaning into long-time tenets.

“We’ve always believed in sharing the music we’re making, even if it doesn’t fit any prescribed category,” Aijala stated.

“We’re writing songs as the ideas come to us, not going in with an intention,” Johnston added, “we’re driven to write music and we’re driven to share it, that’s the constant.”

King Tuff – Burlington, Vermont-based musician Kyle Thomas – put out a new album, MOO, through his newly established MUP Records imprint/Thirty Tigers. After exploring new musical territory with his 2023 album Smalltown Stardust and 2018’s The Other, Thomas sought a return to his initial stylistic approach. He went back to Vermont and, with his trusty blue Gibson SG guitar, recorded MOO on the same Tascam 388 tape machine that captured his 2008 debut album, King Tuff Was Dead.

“I stopped caring if there were mistakes,” Thomas revealed. “There’s not enough mistakes. I wish it sounded even worse. Rock & Roll is the music of rodents and bugs. It should sound like it crept from a decrepit trashcan or a crypt or a toilet. It is not chill or vibey, autotuned or on the grid. It is not perfect, which is why it’s perfect. And I don’t care if it’s dead or alive, cool or uncool: when I hear it, and when I play it, as a chubby and balding 43-year-old punk weirdo, I FEEL ENERGIZED.”

Paterson, New Jersey-native melodic rapper Fetty Wap is back with a long-awaited new studio album, Zavier. The fresh music arrives after his January release to home confinement following a multi-year stint in federal prison after being convicted of drug trafficking. The 17-track album was written and recorded between January 7 and January 10. Featured guests on Zavier include Wiz Khalifa, Honey Bxby, Divinity, Ymanie, Tink, Monty, Rob McCoy, Max B, Oskama, Albee Al, Hard Luck and G Herbo.

“I’m just happy and grateful to be back and thankful that my fans didn’t forget about me. I’m so thankful to my family, fans and team for holding me down,” Fetty stated. “This new music is a reflection of a new chapter in my life. I just want to bring back good energy and good vibes. I love y’all.”

Singer-songwriter Andy Thomas shared his debut solo album, Highway Junkie, which was produced by fellow Virginia native, Widespread Panic’s Dave Schools. Thomas — who performs with Yarn and The Trongone Band — recorded the 12-track effort in his hometown at Richmond’s Spacebomb Studio.

“I love working with Dave,” Thomas told JamBase. “He’s the vibe captain. Like he said, he was in the control room 98% of the time, just overseeing and keeping us on track. We didn’t get off on too many tangents, but he isn’t afraid to reel us back in unless it’s a healthy tangent, which can be good.”

“Personally, working with Dave, he pulls things out of me that I don’t think I would have normally done or achieved or even seen. Dave is all about serving the song and can see the big picture. The fact that he lets the artist run with it just enough, while still having control over the vision, brings a lot to the table. And just the calmness and grounding feel of the whole session really makes things go smoothly. We had a really fantastic week.”