New Music Friday: 2/27/26

This epically late New Music Friday post — which, as always, is partially powered by the public servants at Pause & Play — is brought to you by an unreasonably busy weekend that made it very difficult for me to wade through all the new releases, pick my favorites, and actually write about them. Here's to more manageable days in the weeks ahead.

"Nightingale Lane," RAYE
My goodness. RAYE got a nod in this spot last September, when she dropped the sassily retro "Where Is My Husband!" Her latest single, which kicks off the campaign for her upcoming This Music May Contain Hope album, is retro in a different way — a classic ballad whose towering scope allows her to swoop from dejected to defiant and back again. Listening to "Nightingale Lane," I find myself thinking of moments from Mariah Carey's first record. I'm not saying this song deserves to be placed on the same pedestal as "Vision of Love," but the more I listen, the more I think they might both be cut from the same timeless cloth. A ferocious talent who seems to be gaining confidence with every note.

"6WA," BigXThaPlug featuring Ro$ama, MurdaGang, PB, and Yung Hood
Nothing really special here, per se, but "6WA" channels that old N.W.A. flavor so capably that Listeners of a Certain Age will be happy to roll along with it for a couple of minutes. It's an interesting experiment, really — the beat and overall vocal melody are lifted straight from the early hip-hop playbook, and so is the rude humor flashed throughout, but the flow reflects the way the form has advanced over the last few decades.

"Bad Moons," American Football
It's been seven years since the last American Football album, and the time off hasn't hurt their craft one bit. Half wistful ballad, half majestic post-rock furnace blast, "Bad Moons" is a mournful yet clear-eyed confessional that sounds like walking home from high school past dusky suburban lawns in autumn. Vintage AF, in other words, while also offering an early hint at the near-decade of accrued maturity that went into the new American Football's creation.

"Born to Kill," Social Distortion
For a long time, it looked like Social Distortion's eighth album had been beset by some sort of curse, given how many delays the band had to fight through before recording started in earnest. Based on "Born to Kill," though, it sounds like the new material was worth the wait. Frontman Mike Ness sounds a little more weathered — 15 years and a bout with tonsil cancer will have that effect — but the band's serrated attack is as effective as ever. Their Born to Kill LP is due out May 8, and available to pre-order now.

"winters gonna come," Asal
Someone in the Asal camp committed an unforced error in terms of release timing here — you want to hear a song called "winters gonna come" in July or August, not when you're eagerly awaiting the arrival of spring. Still, a good song is a good song regardless of what the thermometer's saying, and this hazy summer-lovin' number is well worth filing away for the days of long daylight, linen wardrobes, and rum cocktails.

"Gentleman," Towa Bird
A spiky little ball of adrenaline, "Gentleman" sees Towa Bird shooting her shot while making a (possibly not entirely sincere) promise to be respectful. At barely over two minutes, it burns through the atmosphere and hits the earth before it's really even settled into its groove, but good luck dislodging that hook from the mantle of your mind after it makes impact.

"Isfahan," Bill Frisell
Appropriately for a song pulled from an album inspired by a dream, "Isfahan" finds Bill Frisell working in a reflective mode, unspooling melodies from his guitar like a shimmering lure that draws the listener in. Longtime readers know I was hooked many years ago; whether you're an old fan like me or still looking for a place to jump into his sprawling discography, this gently absorbing cover of a classic Ellington cut is a treat.

"Even Mountains Erode," Lala Lala
This single was apparently released in January, but I'm just hearing it now — presumably because Lala Lala's new Heaven 2 album has arrived. By all available accounts, the last several years have been ones of great change, and presumably equally great growth, for project mastermind Lillie West, which goes a long way toward explaining the bracing blend of resignation and determination that fuels this track. "If there's nothing for me, then I'm willing to leave," she sings over a beat that's simultaneously chill and strident. "I'd rather live true than waste it on you / No, I'm not opposed / Even mountains erode."

"Stuck with Me," the Legal Matters
This week's sunny splash of harmonies comes courtesy of the Legal Matters, Midwest melody dealers whose latest outing, Lost at Sea, provides equally heaping helpings of power and pop. This kind of thing is harder than it looks — too sweet or too loud, and you've wrecked the delicate balance that the music depends on. I've listened to most of Lost at Sea, and I feel like these guys absolutely nail it far more often than not.

"In On It," Pat Metheny
Pat Metheny records tend to come in three flavors: Solo acoustic (One Quiet Night), skronk (Zero Tolerance for Silence), and smooth (almost everything else). His new Side-Eye III+ album falls on the latter end of the spectrum; although it's nominally a trio outing according to the cover art, which also credits keyboardist Chris Fishman and drummer Joe Dyson, the sessions incorporated contributions from an array of other players, to the point that "In On It" feels scarcely different from a fair bit of the Pat Metheny Group discography. For me, this is not a complaint, but if you have a low tolerance for jazz improvisation on the smoother side, you might want to sit this one out.

"Here We Go Again," Pacific Avenue
I can't take a single step without admitting that "Here We Go Again" sounds a little like a lot of other things. On the other hand, that's the case with the vast majority of everything you and I hear on a weekly basis, and I would also argue that Pacific Avenue distill their somewhat obvious influences in an extremely entertaining way — instantly memorable melody, airy harmonies, clever lyrics, and all. ("You're taking off your clothes like it's your birthday" is a line to be proud of.) I want to hear more from these guys.

"Playing All Night Long," the Sheepdogs
I could blabber on and on about the basic ingredients assembled for this halftime rocker, but the group's real selling point comes down to the fact that if you have any sort of affinity for Southern-flavored '70s classic rock, it won't take you more than a couple of minutes to fall in love with the Sheepdogs. They're Canadian, but you won't be able to tell.

"Forward into Light," Sarah Kirkland Snider
Here we veer into classical territory, with the tone-setting 15-minute opening track of Sarah Kirkland Snider's new Forward into Light LP. Kirkland Snider is a star in the "indie classical" scene, which is another way of saying almost no one has ever heard of her — and also that she's adding fresh tones and textures to a style of music that most of us associate with the 18th century. You aren't going to hear much of a melodic through line here; it's more of a grab bag of tones and textures that gives you feel for what to expect from the rest of the record. If you're at all interested in modern classical music, check this out.

"Not Broken," Tóth
These are shattering times, friends, and they have earned that distinction through a variety of means that I have neither the time nor the energy to get into at this particular juncture. Suffice it to say that I find myself particularly susceptible to the charms of a very simple, fairly repetitive pop song whose refrain reminds the listener that sometimes, it's necessary to be broken a bit before we're open to the fullness of the beauty that the world has to offer. Turn this one up and smoke 'em if you got 'em.

If you prefer your picks in convenient playlist form, just hit this link to listen to this week's NMF via the streaming platform of your choice.