7 New Albums You Should Listen to Now: BadBadNotGood, Magdalena Bay, and More

Also stream new releases from Shannon Lay, Topdown Dialectic, EricDOA and Glaive, Porches, and BandGang Lonnie Bands
BadBadNotGood
BadBadNotGood, photo by Jamal Burger

With so much good music being released all the time, it can be hard to determine what to listen to first. Every week, Pitchfork offers a run-down of significant new releases available on streaming services. This week’s batch includes new albums, projects, and EPs from BadBadNotGood, Magdalena Bay, Shannon Lay, Topdown Dialectic, EricDOA and Glaive, Porches, and BandGang Lonnie Bands. Subscribe to Pitchfork’s New Music Friday newsletter to get our recommendations in your inbox every week. (All releases featured here are independently selected by our editors. When you buy something through our affiliate links, however, Pitchfork earns an affiliate commission.)

BadBadNotGood: Talk Memory [XL]

Toronto’s BadBadNotGood are back with their first studio record since 2016’s IV, with the Late Night Tales mix arriving between the two. Laraaji, Brandee Younger, Terrace Martin, and Karriem Riggins, are all among the contributors to Talk Memory. Watch the video for “Beside April,” inspired by the 1878 film Horse in Motion.

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Magdalena Bay: Mercurial World [Luminelle]

Mercurial World is the debut full-length from indie pop pair Magdalena Bay, following last year’s A Little Rhythm and a Wicked Feeling EP. Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin have shared singles from the record with videos in their typical “synth pop from the simulation” sensibility: “Chaeri,” “Hysterical Us,” “You Lose!,” and “Secrets (Your Fire).” Read Pitchfork’s Rising feature “Magdalena Bay Are More Online Than You.”

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Shannon Lay: Geist [Sub Pop]

Los Angeles–based singer-songwriter Shannon Lay said that the title track to her latest solo album, Geist, is “a testament to the power we all have within.” On her second record for Sub Pop, she takes on spacious, gentle arrangements with an acoustic guitar. She presents “Awaken and Allow” as an encouragement to get outside of comfort zones, while “Rare to Wake” reaches at existential questions.

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Topdown Dialectic: Vol. 3 [Peak Oil]

The title of Topdown Dialectic’s Vol. 3 is self-explanatory: It’s the third round of electronic tracks from the cryptic North American producer. Topdown Dialectic released the first volume in 2018, chased by Vol. 2 the next year. A press release from label Peak Oil called Vol. 3 the “final chapter to a beguiling trilogy.”

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Glaive / EricDOA: Then I’ll Be Happy EP [Listen to the Kids/Interscope]

Glaive and EricDOA join forces on Then I’ll Be Happy, a new eight-song project from the teenage hyperpop artists. It’s the third release from Glaive within the last year, following his Cypress Grove and All Dogs Go to Heaven EPs. EricDOA released his full-length COA last fall.

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Porches: All Day Gentle Hold ! [Domino]

After last year’s Ricky Music, Aaron Maine has assembled another set of songs as Porches. He recorded it at home between October 2019 and April 2021, sharing the first single “I Miss That” last October. Maine said that, in conceptualizing the album—which includes “Lately,” “Okay,” and “Back3School”—he “wanted to make something injected with as much love, urgency, and lust for humanity as [he] possibly could.”

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BandGang Lonnie Bands: Hard 2 Kill [TF Entertainment]

BandGang Lonnie Bands emerged within Michigan’s bustling hip-hop scene in the mid-2010s, breaking out to a wider audience with KOD. The Detroiter’s new project Hard 2 Kill features out-of-towners like Louisville’s EST Gee, Memphis’ Big30, and Los Angeles’ OhGeesy. Watch the video for “Glocks & Choppas,” featuring East Atlanta’s Young Nudy.

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