Hello all! It's time for another edition of This Week's Release Highlights.

Scroll down to check out a small helping of albums that the TND writers don't want you to miss on this Memorial Day weekend.

ESKA – The Ordinary Life of a Magic Woman [Earthling Recordings]

Arriving a full 10 years after her Mercury Prize-nominated debut, ESKA presents her second album as an all-encompassing soundtrack to her everyday life as "a first-generation, middle-aged African British woman in post-everything Southeast London." Building on her creative ventures over the past decade – which include film and theatre work and collaborations with artists like Kae Tempest, Shabaka Hutchings, and Esperanza Spalding – The Ordinary Life of a Magic Woman defies songwriting norms and boring genre boundaries to tell a story of motherhood, survival, inner fire, and outer reinvention. "Traditional ideas of ‘singing’ have never fully satisfied my creative hunger," says ESKA, who prefers the term 'voice painting.' "On my new album, I leaned into that curiosity and tried to be brave — challenging inherited notions of what the voice can do." – Alan Pedder

Florry – Sounds Like... [Dear Life]

Philly alt-country band Florry have released their 3rd LP Sounds Like... today. Helmed by singer-songwriter Francie Medosch, the record incorporates both the grittiness of the Philadelphia DIY scene that she's called home since high school, and the alt-country stylings of bands like Wilco, Silver Jews, and most recently Wednesday. The album was recorded in North Carolina with MJ Lenderman/Wednesday affiliate Colin Miller, who also recently released a record of his own. – Leah Weinstein

ganavya – Nilam [LEITER]

Nilam is ganavya's third album in two years, and her first for Nils Frahm's LEITER label. Taking its name from a Tamil word meaning "land as earth," the album is rooted in political and spiritual callings, united by a central theme of "doing what we need to do to keep carrying on." Alongside interpretations of lullabies, ancient prayers, and a favorite poem by Palestinian writer Suheir Hammad, sits the emotionally resonant "Sees Fire", written for the children of Gaza and in response to social media suppression of those calling for a ceasefire. Ganavya co-produced the album with Frahm and LEITER co-founder Felix Grimm, and the supporting cast includes Shahzad Ismaily, Charles Overton, Max Ridley, cellist Jiordi Rosales, and ganavya's parents, who join her on "Nine Jeweled Prayer". "The world changes and shifts and everything becomes dizzying as the earth keeps disappearing from under you,” says ganavya, "but these songs have always been a place for me to stand, a place for us to be in a way that I don't really know how to describe. Music has always been the one true land..." – Alan Pedder

Home is Where – Hunting Season [Wax Bodega]

Home is Where are back for their latest country-tinged emo epic Hunting Season. The record is centered around American songwriters, with each of its 13 tracks told from the dying perspective of an Elvis impersonator engulfed in flames from a car crash. But these songs are not from just one impersonator – rather "13 different Elvis impersonators, all dying in a thirteen-car pileup" simultaneously. Hunting Season seems to follow the footsteps of their – equally conceptually unique – 2023 project the whaler. Assisted by awakebutstillinbed and Death Rosenstock personnell, Home is Where trudge through fifth-wave Americana like heartbroken truckers, warbling ballads navigating endless American highways. – Alex Peterson

MSPAINT – No Separation EP [Convulse Records]

MSPAINT, the art-punk quartet hailing from Hattiesburg, MS, are back with No Separation, their first release since the breakout 2023 album Post-American. Based on the previously released singles “Drift” and “Angel”, the band dives even deeper into their signature guitar-free, synth-driven sound, while vocalist DeeDee continues his lyrical reflections on the state of humanity. Produced by Julian Cashwan Pratt and Harlan Steel of Show Me The Body, this five-track EP solidifies MSPAINT's place in the ever-evolving synth-punk niche they've carved out for themselves. – Ricky Adams

Sparks – MAD! [Transgressive Records]

Since their formation in 1972, the new wave duo Sparks are back with their 26th studio album, MAD! Like the Mael brothers themselves, the record — at least what the released singles suggested — is full of idiosyncrasies. "JanSport Backpack" swings with a frayed, looping synth beat and a catchy, repetitive pop hook. Likewise, "My Devotion" slows the tempo and mood down to present an 80s power pop-esque love song, but the up's and down's of Russell Mael's vocals and gritty percussion offer a quirky, textured listening experience. And while the weirdness of the Mael brothers never fades, their new ideas for synth pop music never seem to run out. – Victoria Borlando

Stereolab – Instant Holograms on Metal Film [Warp]

Today, Anglo-French art pop group Stereolab have returned with their first new record in 15 years. Back in April, Lætitia Sadier and the band teased what would become lead single "Aerial Troubles" by sending fans a 7'' vinyl record labeled "Unsolicited Stereolab Material", with the song proper on side A and the instrumental track on side B. Instant Holograms on Metal Film features contributions from Cooper Crain, Rob Frye, Ben LaMar Gay, Ric Elsworth, Holger Zapf, Marie Merlet, and Molly Read. – Leah Weinstein