The best new albums out Aug. 1
It’s Friday, but for some of you, your new music wishes were granted earlier this week when pop-punk princess Hayley Williams leaked her latest album to her devoted hair salon patrons. (Don’t worry, it’s on streaming services today for the rest of you.)
This week, we crack open THE FUTURE IS HERE AND EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE DESTROYED, the newest release from Detroit’s ever-elusive, loud and existential band, The Armed. We also reacquaint ourselves with Mal Devisa and her four-disc Palimpsesa, and get to know the soft and wandering New Days by Emily Hines.
Stephen Thompson welcomes Liz Warner from NPR Member station WDET to the show to discuss these albums and two more favorites out this week. Listen to the show beginning at 3 a.m. ET wherever you get your podcasts.
The Starting Five
Our hosts share the backstories and best songs from the following albums:
💿 Emily Hines, These Days
- Recommended If You Like: Big Thief, Laura Marling
💿 Mal Devisa, Palimpsesa
- RIYL: Noname, billy woods
💿 The Armed, THE FUTURE IS HERE AND EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE DESTROYED
- RIYL: Turnstile, Refused
💿 Caimin Gilmore, BlackGate
- RIYL: Rachel’s, caroline
💿 Susumu Yokota, Skintone Edition, Vol. 1 (box set)
- RIYL: Brian Eno, Aphex Twin
New Music Friday is a feature of NPR’s All Songs Considered podcast. Hear the discussion on the NPR App, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
The Lightning Round
Five more albums we wish we had time to discuss on the podcast:
💿 Buddy Guy, Ain’t Done With The Blues
💿 Heatmiser, Mic City Sons (30th Anniversary Remaster)
💿 René Najera, Painted Life
💿 Hieroglyphic Being, The Sound Of Something Ending
💿 Spafford Campbell, Tomorrow Held
Listen to each album’s best songs on our New Music Friday playlists on Spotify and Apple, or wherever you stream music.
The Long List
For those who want to dig even deeper, here are the week’s new albums sorted by genre:
Electronic/Out There
- Peterparker69, yo,
- Sofia Kourtesis, Volver EP
- Mansur Brown, Rihla
- Memotone, smallest things
- Brad Rose, A Live We Once Lived
- Davd Boulter, Whitby
- Lauren Maria, You’re Beautiful
- Ma Sha, Hydrofall EP
Rock/Alt/Indie
- Debby Friday, The Starrr Of The Queen of Life
- The New Eves, The New Eve Is Rising
- Nadeem Din-Gabisi, OFFSHORE
- Rosali, Slow Pain: Live and Solo from Drop of Sun
- Anthony Family, Live From An Ordinary Place
- Everything Else, Another One Making Clouds
- Ex Agent, New Assumptions… EP
- Flowers For The Dead, First Place EP
- Fortitude Valley, Part Of The Problem, Baby
- Freezing Cold, Treasure Pool
- Kayo Dot, Every Rock, Every Half-Truth Under Reason
- Kyle Hollingsworth, All We Are
- Laura Groves, Yes EP
- OK Cool, Chit Chat
- QWAM, girls aren’t afraid of blood
- Return to Dust, Speak Like the Dead EP
- Sex Week, Upper Mezzanine EP
- V/A, Maybe I’m Dreaming
- Wisp, If Not Winter
Classical
- Maya Beiser, Salt
Country/Folk/Americana
- Sunny Sweeney, Rhinestone Requiem
- Josh Halper, Schlemiel
- Kalie Shorr, My Type EP
- Morgan Wade, The Party Is Over (recovered)
- The Wood Brothers, Puff of Smoke
- Travis Roberts, Rebel Rose
- Ethan Regan, honey honey honey EP
Global
- Danny Ocean, Babylon Club
- Ali Sethi, Love Language
- Julian Kytasty, Songs of Truth: Music and Song from the Kobzar Tradition of Ukraine
Jazz
- Greg Foat, Opening Time
- Rachael & Vilray, West of Broadway
Rap/Hip-Hop
- araabMuzik, Electronic Dream 2
- Xaviersobased, Once More EP
- $UICIDEBOY$, Thy Kingdom Come
- Babytron, Luka Troncic 2
- Lil Poppa, Almost Normal Again
- Montana 700, The Greatest of All Traps
Pop
- Between Friends, WOW!
- Reneé Rapp, Bite Me
R&B/Soul
- Pink Butter, Can We Go Back
Credits
- Host: Stephen Thompson
- Guest: Liz Warner, WDET
- Audio producer: Noah Caldwell
- Show producers: Otis Hart and Elle Mannion
- Production assistant: Dora Levite
- Executive producer: Suraya Mohamed
Trump administration’s embattled FDA vaccine chief is leaving for the second time
The FDA's controversial vaccine chief, Dr. Vinay Prasad, is leaving the agency. It's the second time he has abruptly departed following decisions involving the review of vaccinations and specialty drugs.
Family, former presidents and a Hall of Famer give Rev. Jesse Jackson a final sendoff
Several speakers at Jackson's funeral invoked his hallmark catchphrases: "Keep hope alive" and "I am somebody."
Bernard LaFayette, Selma voting rights organizer, dies at 85
Bernard LaFayette, who died Thursday, laid the foundations of the Selma, Alabama, campaign that culminated in the passage of the Voting Rights Act. He was a Freedom Rider and helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
Oil surges to its highest price since 2023, and stocks drop after U.S. jobs report
Stocks fell Friday on worries that the economy could become stuck in a worst-case scenario of stagnating growth and high inflation. Oil prices touched their highest levels since 2023 after surging again because of the Iran war.
No lawsuits required: U.S. Customs is working on a system to refund tariffs
U.S. Customs told the trade court it aims for a streamlined process in 45 days to return importers' money without requiring individual lawsuits.
Poll: A majority of Americans opposes U.S. military action in Iran
Most Americans disapprove of President Trump's handling of Iran, and a majority sees Iran as either only a minor threat or no threat at all, an NPR/PBS News/Marist poll finds.
