06/27/25 New Releases

Summertime sadness, folk-pop EPs, and Lorde’s fourth album

Welcome back to my personal release radar!

Last year, I committed to exploring new artists, new albums, and new releases. Since then, I’ve spent (nearly) every Thursday night listening to new music.

I’m trying to dig beyond charts and algorithms to find hidden gems. This little tradition has brought me some of my favorite artists, including a few on this list!

There’s a ton of excellent new music closing out June, so let’s get into it!

Singles

Coffee & Wine by Lauryn Marie

Nashville’s rising star Lauryn Marie follows up “Thank You, More Please” with a piano ballad about hyper-independence and perfectionism. In “Coffee & Wine”, she learns to let go, enjoying the little pleasures and taking the small risks.

“I wrote a rule book no one expected me to follow”

Meteor by Eliza Harrison Smith

“Meteor” starts off soft and dreamy, Eliza pondering “the edge” over a bed of acoustic guitar. Its floaty, but with an undeniable build that pushes you into the free fall of the chorus with its unexpected falsetto and lovesick theme.

“Loving you could be a meteor strike/watch it with my own eyes/fire burning in the sky/running but there’s no time/once you’re touching my skin/there’s no calling it quits/is it worth all the risk/I think loving you could be the end of me”

New Friends by Flowerovlove

Like many of her songs, “New Friends” delivers on a fun, funky pop sound while keeping a “girl next door” relatable. This new track takes on some Sabrina Carpenter vibes as she sees off a breakup with sass. Each section of the song is intensely catchy—it got stuck in my head after one listen.

“I wake up to a three page letter/saying you’re so sorry, you’re about to crumble/being in a relationship, you’re embedded in your childhood trauma”

Stick To The Script by Anaïs & the Hoops

From the moment “The Mess” went viral in my household, I knew there was something special about Anaïs and the Hoops. Each new song blends vintage, 50s vibes with a fresh, indie-pop take so perfectly. “Stick To The Script” is her catchy “main character” moment about navigating the uncertainty of life.

“Maybe the finale will be better than the rising action”

Hot Summer by Molly Frances

Sad girls need their song of the summer too, and Molly Frances is here to deliver. Contrasting sad lyrics with a dreamy sound and descriptions of perfect summer scenes, she sings of tossing and turning on hot nights and spending all that vacation time on missing you.

“It feels so wrong to be blue/when the clouds open up and the sun shining/but I can’t help how I feel…misery doesn’t worry about timing”

Moth Song by Folk Bitch Trio

The trio takes their time luring you back into 90s soft rock vibes with this five minute single. It’s got melancholy velvety vibes to lounge around to and cryptic imagery to get Deja vu to—and for whatever reason, feels like an excellent crying-in-the-car song.

“Train carriage filled up with moths that form a halo round the head of a woman with her knitting on her lap”

Do You Like That Baby? by Baby Nova

Humming, harmonies, and an ambient synth pad set the mood before Baby Nova’s lux vocals come in. Dripping with “Born To Die” era Lana Del Rey vibes, “Do You Like That Baby?” cloaks dark devotion in a melancholy, sensual sound.

“Peroxide platinum blonde/I’m dying trying to give him what he wants/it’s quiet crucifixion/the day I stopped existing”

Touch Myself by The Beaches

Following up breakup song with breakup song, we have the cool-girl rock band, The Beaches. “Touch Myself” has a summery, nostalgic sound, reminiscent of 90s romcoms, with sad lyrics to contrast and a Chappell Roan moment on the bridge.

“You’re the best thing I’ve ever felt…I’m so scared to even touch myself/cuz when I do/I think of you”

Free Therapy by Khatumu

Khatumu is one of those artists that keep me doing release radar every week, because this tradition is how I discovered her. Blending folk and pop sounds with hip-hop beats, she’s reminiscent of artists like Lizzy McAlpine and Sydney Ross Mitchell, but with an overall effect that’s all her own.

“Free Therapy” is her new five song EP featuring singles “fire drill” and “departure time.

We kick off with “Matador”, a track one that lures us in with its mix of bedroom pop and indietronica influences. It’s a song about toxic relationships—more specifically, about using an unhealthy codependence as a distraction from inner problems.

“I can be your Rorsasch test/when blood splatters, I think it looks best/creatives have messy rooms/but your chaos, it puts me in a tomb”

There’s a sort of glitch towards the end as this fragile relationship falls apart, Khatumu still resolutely singing: “I’ve always been a bull…I’ll be chasing red flags til I’m gone”

“pseudo doctors” sees Khatumu trying the opposite coping mechanism: isolation.

The guitar and wavering electronic sounds are high and attention-grabbing as she sings about feeling disconnected and becoming increasingly dependent on the dopamine hits of the internet.

“I kinda think I’m rotting/I’ve got a desk job body/ozempic’s a trend/but it’s too big a spend/I’m so selfish/to leave a diabetic helpless”

The muffled outro slides right into “Sober”. Above a bed of mellow finger picking, she paints a picture of her high school self, holding hands at prom, “mama’s little angel”.

She goes on to grieve her younger, healthier self, regretting her dependence on alcohol, but struggling to recall her sober self.

“These days I don’t know her…You would’ve loved to get to know her/but you’ve never met me sober”

The ending parallels the beginning with the line “mama’s fallen angel”.

Khatumu wraps up the EP with lead singles “fire drill” and “departure time”. In the latter, she’s regaining some of her spark, finding the energy to be annoyed with her situationship in the catchy chorus.

“departure time”, besides being my favorite, is a killer way to end the project. It’s bittersweet and perfectly balances Appalachian folk with indie pop.

In the end, it’s left up to interpretation whether her impulse to catch the next flight is finally getting herself out of dead-end situations or just another manifestation of her escapist ways.

All in all, “Free Therapy” is an exploration of the places our coping mechanisms take us and what it takes to dig ourselves back out.

Cult Leader by Susannah Joffe

Susannah Joffe is another artist I discovered during my release radar explorations. Taken in by her blend of southern gothic authenticity, shimmering disco-pop flair, and sad girl lilt, I was excited to hear her new EP.

Starting off with the title track, we’re greeted with a “one, two, three” before a gorgeous steel guitar came in. It took me a moment to parse out that she’s singing about competing with a rival for the same guy’s affection.

Despite it being the title track and opener (and doing a good job at both), I have to say this one’s probably my least favorite. The next track, however, rescued my hopes.

“Antler Queen” goes straight into the lilting vocals backed by twangy guitar. The pre-chorus is delightfully wordy and fast-paced, an addictive treat before the chorus kicks in.

“My sorceress/my anarchist…my true love’s kiss/you know I would’ve killed for this”

This one has early Ethel Cain vibes with a little Kacey Musgraves for spice. Just to add the cherry on top, there’s a fake-out pause before a spoken outro that would feel at home on the “Yellowjackets” soundtrack.

“Do you miss the rush of pretending I’m the one?”

Next, we kick the Ethel Cain inspo up to another level with “You’d Kill Me If You Could”, a deceptively mellow guitar song about an abusive relationship.

The song touches on issues of sexual assault and violent obsession as she peels back layers of romanticization to reveal the sick core of the relationship.

“You scare me/you make my skin crawl/you think you’re the victim it gets you off…you’re the problem”

Next, we have the three lead singles, followed a short, but sweet penultimate track: “Stillborns & Six Lane Highways”.

The sound of this one is particularly rooted in country, with its twangy guitar and rural imagery. She makes this brief track pack a punch with a whispered “Heaven hates you” before it bursts into a cathartic instrumental break.

Like many of her songs, the vocals are a bit muffled, making the lyrics rather hard to make out at times. I think it’s an artistic choice and it works well, though it’s not my personal preference.

Susannah closes the EP with most recent single, “Horses Can’t Outrun Me”. Blending folk, country, and disco-flavored pop, it’s the perfect song to end on as it offers a succinct showcase of her style.

Mainstream mentions

As you may know, this little release roundup is mainly to highlight underrated, up-and-coming, and underground artists, but, well, I love all kinds of music! So, of course, there’s plenty of “mainstream” music that deserve a mention as well.

DIY by JOLIN

I was first introduced to JOLIN by the wonderful folks over on Red Note, who described her as “China’s number one pop diva” and even “Chinese Lady Gaga”. I’ve found her pop music to be unfailingly catchy, unique, and, when English translations are available, poetic and meaningful. There isn’t yet a translation out there for “DIY”, but even unilingual Americans can enjoy the sultry sounds of JOLIN’s new single.

Romeo by Dove Cameron

Dove Cameron is stepping into her own as a superstar and each new single has been evidence of that in its unique way. “Romeo” furthers embrace her new Gaga-esque vibe as she sings of love worth dying for to an immensely catchy loop. Someone get this one on a movie soundtrack!

Lover Girl by Laufey

After the pop-y “Tough Luck” and witty “Silver Lining”, “Lover Girl” is Laufey’s Bossa Nova at its best. Like a sequel to “From The Start”, she’s once again dizzy in love, complete with fun hand claps and relatable lyrics. The sound might veer a little too close to “From The Start”, but, personally, I like it better.

Survive by Lewis Capaldi

After a two-year hiatus, Lewis Capaldi is back with this empowering new single. The emotional lyrics shine over simple acoustic guitar before building into a triumphant chorus. The song is simply moving—there’s no other word for it, and lyrics that might sound cliche from another artist, hit home in “Survive”.

“I’m gonna get up and live until the day that I die”

Rattlesnake Preacher by Ashley McBride

One of Country’s most underrated stars, Ashley McBride has been busy with collabs, but this week she’s back with a new solo single. “Rattlesnake Preacher” is in keeping with her tradition of writing songs about her late father—this one focusing on his occupation. With a good old fiddle joined by a high-octane guitar, we’re thrown into this boot stomping, heartfelt country-rock song.

Bag of Bones by Lord Huron

“Bag of Bones” is the next single off of Lord Huron’s upcoming album, “The Cosmic Selector”. A tape recording *click* ushers us into this mid tempo songs in all its uncanny, ethereal glory.

Mad by Renee Rapp

Following up the snarky “Leave Me Alone”, Renee Rapp moving along with her new pop-punk-inspired sound. Slightly distorted instrumental contrast her crystal-clear vocals as she builds to a yell-y chorus, venting her frustrations about a lover too busy being “mad” to see how cute they could be together.

Albums

Virgin by Lorde

I hope to get the chance to do a full breakdown of this album, but in the meantime, I gotta at least talk about my first impressions.

“Virgin” is Lorde’s fourth album and it’s got big shoes to fill. After the rocket ship to stardom that was “Pure Heroine”, the fan-favorite “Melodrama” and slept-on “Solar Power”, her return was highly anticipated.

And, in my correct opinion, she delivered!

“Virgin” combines styles from her past eras masterfully into something nostalgic, but fresh, that feels as naturally as a favorite pair of jeans on her. Discussing themes of identity, innocence, relationships, and finding yourself, the 11 song project is a journey best experienced dancing around your bedroom at night.

It’s hard to choose standouts, but I will say “David”, the last track, had me screaming, crying, and wishing for more songs.

“And once I could sing again/I swore I’d never let myself sing again for you…sing it”

Enjoy the music!

As always, I hope you found something new to put on repeat this week. I’ve found far too many new favorites, so if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go disappear into my playlists.

See you next week!

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