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 drops available on streaming services. This week’s batch includes new albums from My New Band Believe, Mei Semones, Lone, and upsammy and Valentina Magaletti. 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.)
My New Band Believe: My New Band Believe [Rough Trade]
When Black Midi were not pretzeling alt-rock into bizarre new-fangled forms, they were usually tapping in to either of two timeworn modes: riotously melodic post-hardcore or fiddly, fingerpicked folk (often about shipwrecked pirates). For much of that latter output, you can thank co-singer and bassist Cameron Picton, who, until now, had remained quiet since the band’s hiatus in 2024. Unsure whether to charge ahead as a bandleader or mingle among London’s nebulous collectives, Picton waited for a sign, which came in the form of a fever dream in a Chinese hotel room, where the phrase “My New Band Believe” flashed before his eyes. The rest came naturally: baroque-pop epics, twinkly piano ballads, and hallucinatory folk odysseys with eerie jazz breakdowns, all pulled off with a flair and charm that exceeds even Picton’s best work with his former crew.
Listen on Apple Music
Listen on Spotify
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Listen/Buy at Bandcamp
Buy at Rough Trade
upsammy & Valentina Magaletti: Seismo [Pan]
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