Each week, Consequence rings in New Music Friday by highlighting new albums to stream. We’ve made it midway through October, and there are a ton of great new records to check out this week.
Among the highlights are a Warriors concept album from Lin-Manuel Miranda, MC5’s first album in over 50 years, and fresh music from Jordana and Audrey Nuna. Plus, Billie Joe Armstrong’s side-project Pinhead Gunpowder returns with a new project — the first one this century — while Bon Iver is back with his first studio recording since 2019. Andrew Bird and Madison Cunningham have unveiled a complete covers album of Buckingham Nicks, and Japandroids have unleashed their swan song.
Here are 15 new albums to stream today.
Andrew Bird and Madison Cunningham – Cunningham Bird
Singer-songwriters Andrew Bird and Madison Cunningham have joined forces for Cunningham Bird, a covers album that recreates Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham’s 1973 record Buckingham Nicks in its entirety. Cunningham and Bird are able to capture the soft yet powerful nature of Buckingham and Nicks, while also giving their own fresh take on the songs. With its excellent craftsmanship and faithful recreations, here’s hoping Cunningham and Bird collaborate more in the future.
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Stream: Apple Music | Spotify | Amazon Music
The Armed – Everlasting Gaze EP
The Armed announced their new EP, Everlasting Glaze, in the most The Armed way possible — by hiding hiding a URL that led to the project’s new songs inside the vinyl sleeve of their 2023 album Perfect Saviors. For those who didn’t want to rip up their physical media, the Everlasting Glaze EP is finally hear, boasting three new tracks and remixes of “Sport of Form” by IDLES, Water from Your Eyes, and Model/Actriz.
Stream: Apple Music | Spotify | Amazon Music
Buy: Vinyl
Audrey Nuna – TRENCH
Audrey Nuna, a particularly out-there alternative hip-hop and indie pop artist in a sea of seemingly out-there alternative hip-hop and indie pop artists, is back with a new album, the double LP TRENCH. Marking her sophomore release, the artist described the record as a “tapestry of growing pains,” hinting towards both its genre-bending sound and emotional journey.
Stream: Apple Music | Spotify | Amazon Music
Bon Iver – SABLE, EP
After an unexpected yet beautifully-executed feature on Charli XCX’s remixed edition of Brat, Justin Vernon has emerged from his forest sanctuary in Wisconsin to give us SABLE, a three-track EP (minus the 12-second intro) that harkens back to his early works when the music was simply his voice and raw instrumentation. It’s only 12 minutes of music that “runs the gamut from accepting anxiety to accepting guilt to accepting hope,” Vernon tells The New Yorker in his first interview in over five years. Vernon also notes that this isn’t simply a return, it’s “a kind of raw second skin […] This feels like a new person, new skin. A new everything, more than a return.”
Stream: Apple Music | Spotify | Amazon Music
Confidence Man – 3AM (LA LA LA)
The Australian electronic group are back with their third album, and it’s an absolute rush. Inspired by London and its rave scene, they sink their teeth in a more nostalgic dance sound while also making impulsive, intense, and casually brilliant choices. With 3AM (LA LA LA), Confidence Man have raised the stakes and leveled up once more.
Stream: Apple Music | Spotify | Amazon Music
Christopher Owens – I Wanna Run Barefoot Through Your Hair
Former Girls member Christopher Owens has returned with his first album in seven years, and it arrives after some significant changes for the San Francisco musician: His Girls bandmate Chet “JR” White tragically died in 2020, and Owens himself worked to recover from a life-threatening motorcycle accident. Still, Owens has persevered, and imbues tenderness and strength to I Wanna Run Barefoot Through Your Hair.
Stream: Apple Music | Spotify | Amazon Music
Buy: Vinyl
Japandroids – Fate & Alcohol
The Canadian rockers are sadly calling it quits for good this time, but not before dropping one more album — Fate & Alcohol. Serving as the culmination of members Brian King and David Prowse’s creative partnership, Fate & Alcohol arrives via ANTI- Records and acts as, as the band calls it, a “parting gift to fans.”
Stream: Apple Music | Spotify | Amazon Music
Jerry Cantrell (of Alice in Chains) – I Want Blood
The Alice in Chains founding member is back with his latest solo album, and he’s brought plenty of friends along the way: Duff McKagan, Robert Trujillo, Mike Bordin, Greg Puciato, and many more make contributions to the project. The collaborative approach is nothing new for Cantrell, but I Want Blood finds the guitarist, songwriter, and singer as hungry as he gets.
Stream: Apple Music | Spotify | Amazon Music
Jordana – Lively Premonition
Like many singer-songwriters before her, Jordana made the pilgrimage from New York to Los Angeles, finding a more naturalistic sound and a little bit more sunshine in the process. Even in its depictions of heartbreak, Lively Premonition glows with self-discovery — something that the former CoSign details in her Track by Track breakdown.
Stream: Apple Music | Spotify | Amazon Music
Joy Oladokun – OBSERVATIONS FROM A CROWDED ROOM
One of the most refreshing voices coming out of Nashville, Joy Oladokun blends genre with abandon. But whether she’s pulling from country, folk, indie, or alternative elements, there’s a deeply honest quality to her music that makes her hard to shake. With OBSERVATIONS FROM A CROWDED ROOM, the artist continues to step into vulnerable spaces, telling stories over the course of 12 tracks and three spoken word interludes.
Stream: Apple Music | Spotify | Amazon Music
Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis – Warriors
One thing about Lin-Manuel Miranda? The man knows how to bring a concept to life. The songwriter behind Hamilton and Moana has teamed up with playwright and actress Eisa Davis for Warriors, a concept album inspired by the 1979 film The Warriors. The star-studded project, which boasts executive production from rapper Nas, features contributions from a mix of talent from the hip-hop and Broadway communities, including Lauryn Hill, Amber Gray, Busta Rhymes, Billy Porter, RZA, actor Colman Domingo, and Hamilton alum Jasmine Cephas-Jones.
Stream: Apple Music | Spotify | Amazon Music
MC5 – Heavy Lifting
The day before their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, MC5 are back with their first album since 1971. It is a bittersweet release for the rock band, as it comes following the deaths of original members Wayne Kramer and Dennis Thompson earlier this year, both of whom worked on Heavy Lifting. The album reprises their classic sound and even includes guests like Slash and Tom Morello.
Stream: Apple Music | Spotify | Amazon Music
Pinhead Gunpowder (feat. Greenday’s Billie Joe Armstrong) – Unt
Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong and their touring guitarist Jason White have been part of a side project called Pinhead Gunpowder for over 30 years, but today, they’re back with their first album since 1997. Unt was conceived after over a decade of the band “just playing for themselves,” and arrives with renewed camaraderie and some scorching riffs.
Stream: Apple Music | Spotify | Amazon Music
Buy: CD
Tim Heidecker – Slipping Away
The ulti-hyphenate comedian/singer-songwriter makes his foray back into the limelight with Slipping Away, a record that continues to reflect his unguarded and introspective lyricism. The album boasts backing instrumentals from his collaborators, The Very Good Band, and even a cameo from his very own daughter, Amelia. Heidecker channels inspirations Bob Dylan and The Band in his latest endeavor, crafting music that captures the visceral synergy of musicians jamming together live.
Stream: Apple Music | Spotify | Amazon Music
Wild Rivers – Better Now
Just over a month after dropping their eight-track album Never Better, trio Wild Rivers have unveiled Better Now, a companion project finishing the story they began earlier this fall. The more optimistic portion of the narrative features a sunny music video for “Still the One” that takes the members out to sea. Since wrapping their US tour, the band is taking a beat before heading to Europe and the UK next month.
Stream: Apple Music | Spotify | Amazon Music
Buy: Vinyl
