NPR Music

Charli xcx. Tyla. Shania Twain. Guest host Ann Powers chats with Nastia Voynovskaya of member station KQED in San Francisco about their favorite albums out Friday, July 24. Plus, some NPR Music writers and critics offer their personal picks in the lightning round.

The Starting 5

(02:06) Album No. 1
- Charli xcx, 'Music, Fashion, Film'

(08:16) Album No. 2
- Willow, 'The Thread'

(14:59) Album No. 3
- Tyla, 'A*Pop'

(20:39) Album No. 4
- Shania Twain, 'Little Miss Twain'

(27:50) Album No. 5
- Portraits Of Tracy: 'Q: From Where Do Our Primal Instincts Originate? A: MTV!'


(33:23) The Lightning Round

- Creekbed Carter Hogan, 'PEASANTS REVOLT!'
- Rico Nasty, 'RX'
- Amy Shark, 'soft pop'
- Josaleigh Pollett, 'If I Let It Quiet'

Sample the albums via our New Music Friday playlist and see our Long List of notable releases on NPR.org.

Credits
Host: Ann Powers
Guest: Nastia Voynovskaya, KQED
Audio Producer: Noah Caldwell
Digital Producer: Dora Levite
Editors: Otis Hart, Elle Mannion, Suraya Mohamed
Special thanks to Stephen Thompson and Lars Gotrich

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We'll take any excuse to talk about the insane quality of music coming out of Spain these days. This week, we got one: Spain defeated Argentina on Sunday to win the 2026 World Cup Final. So, this episode is a celebration of the multitude of music scenes across Spain that we can't get enough of. Catch boundary-pushing electronic and hip hop producers in Madrid, indie rockers and songwriters in Barcelona, and some old favorites whose voices never stop (looking at you, Buika!). 

Artists featured in this episode:

(01:22) C. Tangana
(04:19) Ralphie Choo
(06:28) Mora
(10:10) Bikôkô
(13:52) Buika
(16:04) Repion
(20:42) Lucia Fumero
(23:12) Maestro Espada

This podcast episode was produced by Noah Caldwell. Suraya Mohamed is the executive producer of NPR Music.

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We share our picks for the best new tracks out now, including the laid-back dystopia of Sylvan Esso’s “Concrete Glen,” an acoustic take on Phoebe Bridgers’ “Lost Boys,” the glitched-out chaos of feeble little horse and more.

NPR Music’s Dora Levite joins host Robin Hilton.

Support the show with a review on Apple or Spotify wherever you listen to podcasts. 

Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: allsongs@npr.org

Featured artists and songs:

(00:00) Intro

(01:28) Sylvan Esso: “Concrete Glen”

(07:49) feeble little horse: “DMT”

(14:07) Phoebe Bridgers: “Lost Boys (acoustic)”

(22:15) Snõõper: “RECESS”

(26:50) The Olivia Tremor Control: “Garden of Light”

(33:53) @: “Autosmile”   


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Gracie Abrams. Nia Archives. Steve Lacy. On a release day full of catchy earworms, host Stephen Thompson chats with Tshego Letsoalo of KALW in San Francisco about their favorite albums out Friday, July 17. Plus, a handful of NPR Music writers and critics offer their personal picks in the lightning round.

The Starting 5

(00:58) Album No. 1
- Gracie Abrams, 'Daughter from Hell'

(08:13) Album No. 2
- Steve Lacy, 'Oh Yeah?'

(16:38) Album No. 3
- Nia Archives, 'Emotional Junglist'

(22:27) Album No. 4
- Lido Pimienta, 'Caribenya'

(28:04) Album No. 5
- Swapmeet, 'Mount Zero'


(33:13) The Lightning Round

- Catherine Moan, 'CM Ultra'
- Helado Tropical, 'Helado Tropical'
- Orquesta Akokán, 'América!'
- Nao Yoshioka, 'Self'
- Quicksand, 'Bring On The Psychics'

Sample the albums via our New Music Friday playlist and see our Long List of notable releases on NPR.org

Credits:
Host: Stephen Thompson
Guest: Tshego Letsoalo, KALW
Audio Producer: Noah Caldwell
Digital Producer: Dora Levite
Editors: Elle Mannion, Otis Hart
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Special thanks to Felix Contreras, Lars Gotrich and Ann Powers

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With last week's best-of show behind us, we've got a clean slate to dive into our favorite new music kicking off the second half of the year. Felix brings a batch of country tracks, while Ana -- to absolutely no one's surprise -- continues her exploration of Brazil's endless supply of captivating music. Catch a mesmerizing indie-ambient album from João Carvalho, some posthumous crooning from Raul Malo, the twangy return of Oklahoma's rising star Wyatt Flores, and much more.

Artists and albums featured in this episode:

(01:13) Cruz Contreras & The Black Lillies, 'Gold and Roses (Live)'
(06:15) João Carvalho, 'Uma Festa no Centro do Vazio'
(13:02) Raul Malo, 'Bella Ciao: Raul Malo Live In Nashville'
(17:14) Rincon Sapiência, 'Um Corpo Preto'
(24:13) Wyatt Flores, 'Scared of Heights'
(27:50) Cupido, 'Maldito Cupido'

This podcast episode was produced by Noah Caldwell. Suraya Mohamed is the executive producer of NPR Music.


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