The first of this week’s scorchers is Wild and Clear and Blue, the second full-length album from I’m With Her, featuring multi-Grammy-Award-winners Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O’Donovan. I’m With Her builds an ineffable magic from their fine-spun narratives and breathtaking harmonies. The result is a collection both emotionally raw and intricate, with layers of meaning and insight within even the most starkly adorned track.
Dreamsicle takes place in the aftermath of Maren Morris loosening her grip on her personal and professional life. “Sweeping through the pits of grief, but never staying too long, and finding the joy in knowing that at my core, I’m still who I am – and that’s pretty f-ing great. Dreamsicle became less about the hard lessons and more about enjoying the bumpy ride and finding people who genuinely want to be on it with you because they love you. It’s about appreciating and respecting the beauty and nuances of life while it’s happening, not after it’s too late.”
Butter Miracle, The Complete Sweets! is the first full-length album from Counting Crows since Butter Miracle: Suite One, which received critical acclaim in 2021. Embodying the contrast between intimate storytelling and larger-than-life themes, the album promises to deliver the signature storytelling and rich melodies that have made Counting Crows one of the most beloved bands of the last three decades.
The Kooks, whose sound defined indie in the 2000s and whose debut album reached quadruple platinum status in the UK, return with a brand-new album. Never/Know puts on show some of lead singer Luke Pritchard’s most simple yet expressive lyrics to-date. The songs are filled with witty one-liners and endearing nicknames for his children and loved ones, which resonate on the surface yet carry a deeper, more personal significance.
The mysterious British alternative metal band Sleep Token return with their fourth offering, Even in Arcadia. This new chapter follows Take Me Back to Eden and continues the unfolding journey, where Sleep Token further intertwines the boundaries of sound and emotion, dissolving into something otherworldly.
Our release of the week is Arcade Fire’s new album, Pink Elephant. When experienced in its entirety, the album invites the listener on a sonic odyssey – a quest for life – that exists within the perception of the individual: a meditation on both darkness and light, the beauty within. The layers of this condensed epic unfold to reveal new dimensions with each successive listen.
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