New Music Friday: Bladee, Fakemink, Eli, and More
A curated selection of this week's most noteworthy album releases, featuring the latest from Bladee, Fakemink, Eli, Veeze, Aja Monet, Marisa Anderson, Car Seat Headrest, Duval Timothy & Carlos Niño, Ecca Vandal, Mabe Fratti & Bill Orcutt, Visible Clo...
With a constant stream of new music, sifting through the noise to find the gems can be daunting. Each week, Pitchfork offers a guide to the most significant new releases hitting streaming services. This week's highlights include albums from Bladee, Fakemink, and Eli. Don't forget to subscribe to Pitchfork’s New Music Friday newsletter to get these recommendations delivered straight to your inbox.
Bladee: Sulfur Surfer [Trash Island]
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From the very beginning of Bladee’s eighth studio album, the ambition is sky-high. “I hereby declare war on the evil star, I demand it’s defeat,” he repeats as a mantra on the opening title track, further exploring the spiritual themes he’s touched upon over the past decade. Entirely produced by Whitearmor, a fellow Drain Gang member, Sulfur Surfer balances the introspective, blown-out doomerism of Cold Visions with the softer, more ethereal qualities of 2022’s Crest.
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Fakemink: Terrified [EtnaVeraVela]
Fakemink Terrified
Following the announcement of his energetic mixtape The Boy Who Cried Terrified in January, Fakemink surprised fans with another project: the LP Terrified. The album's rollout has been theatrical, drawing comparisons to Dante’s Inferno. For those familiar with the rapper’s ascent, this blend of showmanship and secrecy is characteristic – and the music mirrors this, blending bloghouse, indie rock, and cloud rap elements.
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Eli: Stage Girl (Not a Dream Anymore) [Zelig/RCA]
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Among the current wave of pop princesses, Eli channels the girl-next-door charm of Lindsay Lohan in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen or Hannah Montana. Sonically, she delivers vocal runs and lush ‘00s R&B reminiscent of Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande. Following her debut, Stage Girl, accompanied by a fictional American Idol-style reality TV show, Eli returns with a deluxe edition, Stage Girl (Not a Dream Anymore). This collection expands on her signature sound: a blend of “first kiss at a school dance” vibes and empowering anthems, all delivered with impressive high notes.
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Veeze: Y’all Won [Navy Wavy]
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Veeze, the Detroit rapper, excels at building anticipation. By the time his 2023 debut Ganger arrived, he had already garnered significant attention, thanks to notable features and memorable tracks like 2020’s “Law N Order.” His new mixtape, Y'all Won, is a surprise release that compiles leaks and snippets, some of which have been circulating for a while, into a concise, guest-free collection.
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Aja Monet: The Color of the Rain [Drink Sum Wtr]
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Rain serves as a fitting metaphor for Grammy nominee Aja Monet’s style: jazz, soul, hip hop, and blues refract through her poetic lens, revealing new shades while maintaining a cohesive fluidity. The Color Of Rain, the follow-up to her 2023 debut, enhances her lyrical explorations with live instrumentation and a cast of featured artists including Georgia Anne Muldrow, Mick Jenkins, and Vic Mensa. Meshell Ndegeocello, who co-produced the LP with Monet and Justin Brown, also appears on “Elsewhere,” a track that feels like a passing of the torch.
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Marisa Anderson: The Anthology of UnAmerican Folk Music [Thrill Jockey]
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Marisa Anderson’s latest album features guitar compositions drawn from an international songbook, including music from Afghanistan, Vietnam, Yemen, and Cambodia. These locations share a common thread: U.S.-instigated conflict. Anderson, based in Oregon, studied music from the collection of Harry Smith, focusing on music improperly documented in U.S. collections. Through her distinctive guitar style, Anderson connects these diverse sounds, acknowledging the potential for loss in the transposition of music from the East to the West.
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Car Seat Headrest: Teen of Denial: Joe’s Story [Matador]
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Teen of Denial: Joe’s Story transforms the catharsis of Will Toledo and Car Seat Headrest’s breakout album into a concept album about angst. This rerecording—now without expletives—celebrates the record’s 10th anniversary. According to Toledo, the result “feels more like the album Teens of Denial was meant to be,” featuring new lyrics, overdubs, and a sense of claiming the mantle of generational indie-rockers.
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Duval Timothy and Carlos Niño: Rain Music [Carrying Colour]
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Percussionist Carlos Niño and pianist Duval Timothy have been circling the same artistic communities for years, both establishing themselves as improvisational musicians. However, with Niño in Santa Monica and Timothy between Sierra Leone and London, collaboration was difficult until Niño visited Timothy’s London studio one rainy afternoon. The result of that session, Rain Music, highlights both musicians’ strengths—Niño’s atmospheric percussion and Timothy’s chords—while maintaining balance. With help from Nate Mercereau, the duo delivers expressive compositions that remind us that sometimes, going with the flow produces the best results.
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Ecca Vandal: Looking for People to Unfollow [Loma Vista]
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Although South African-born artist Ecca Vandal’s music blends alternative rock, hip-hop, hardcore, and bhangra, the heart of her new album, Looking for People to Unfollow, is punk. Recorded over two years by Vandal and Richie Buxton in the latter’s childhood bedroom, the album is playful, bold, and disillusioned by algorithm-friendly trends. “I find empowerment in being loud and noisy especially as a woman in this global moment who grew up in a culture that told me I could not be those things,” Vandal stated.
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Mabe Fratti and Bill Orcutt: Almost Waking [Unheard of Hope]
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Mabe Fratti and Bill Orcutt’s collaboration began with an online connection. Orcutt sent the Guatemalan multi-instrumentalist guitar solos, with arrangement support from Fratti’s Titanic bandmate I. La Catolica. Together, Orcutt and Fratti created compositions that evoke nostalgia through interwoven cello and guitar melodies.
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Visible Cloaks: Paradessence [Rvng Intl.]
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Western fascination with Japanese music is common, but Visible Cloaks, a Portland ambient duo, distinguishes themselves through contributions to the Japanese genre kankyō ongaku, or “environmental music.” Spencer Doran, one half of the group, curated the Grammy-nominated compilation Kankyō Ongaku: Japanese Ambient, Environmental & New Age Music 1980-1990. The duo’s latest album, Paradessence, builds on kankyō ongaku’s principles, creating music for the present world. Their first album in nine years surveys a global landscape marked by conflict, climate change, and post-pandemic disorder, weaving unnerving moments with beauty.
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Ed O’Brien: Blue Morpho [Transgressive]
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While Radiohead is touring, guitarist Ed O’Brien continues his solo work, addressing life’s challenges. O’Brien describes his new album Blue Morpho, following his 2020 debut Earth, as written during a difficult period marked by depression. Produced by Paul Epworth and featuring Shabaka Hutchings and composer Tõnu Kõrvits, the album is accompanied by a short film, Blue Morpho: The Three Act Play.
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Blue Morpho: The Three Act Play
Thomas Dollbaum: Birds of Paradise [Dear Life]
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Thomas Dollbaum, a songwriter from Florida now in Louisiana, creates heartland rock rooted in place. His rich baritone resonates, defining spaces. On his second album, he draws inspiration from American roaming, revisiting past relationships and wounds. Recorded in Oxford, Mississippi, the album features a backing band including MJ Lenderman.
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Correction: A previous version of this story said Aja Monet was a Grammy winner. She has only been nominated.
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