Ok now we're cooking!
After last week's smaller offering, we are in full gear now with this year's second Release Highlights roundup. Below, find some shouts out to eight new releases the TND writers want to draw your eyes and ears to, including A$AP Rocky, Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore, Xiu Xiu, and more.
Ba bam!
A$AP Rocky – Don't Be Dumb [AWGE / RCA]
It’s been eight years since A$AP Rocky’s last album, 2018’s Testing, but today, after a long, chaotic, and endlessly fascinating rollout, he finally returns with Don’t Be Dumb. The 17-track LP feels equally like a return to form and a bold left turn, balancing Rocky’s core instincts with his appetite for experimentation. Rocky has always known how to build a world around his releases, and Don’t Be Dumb is no exception. Between the fever-dream visuals of the music videos and the gothic, cinematic flair of legendary filmmaker Tim Burton, the album exists in a fully realized universe. Sonically, Rocky pulls from everywhere—punk, R&B, jazz—while lyrically exploring pop culture obsession, fatherhood, and the ever-present hunger for internet validation. The rollout itself has been just as unpredictable. The release date was pushed back countless times from its originally announced 2024 window, Target famously leaked the vinyl early, and Rocky even covered a month’s rent for residents of a Harlem apartment complex he once lived in. It’s been a wild ride to watch unfold. Don’t Be Dumb is also stacked with collaborators, including Gorillaz, Tyler, The Creator, Brent Faiyaz, Doechii, Westside Gunn, Jon Batiste, Thundercat, Danny Elfman, and will.i.am—just to name a few. It’s the massive, pop-culture spanning hip-hop album we needed to kick off 2026. With Burton illustrating the album cover art, Winona Ryder in the "PUNK ROCKY" video, and a guest feature from Elfman, the only thing missing from this project is Jack Skellington! – Ricky Adams
Amanda Bergman – embraced for a second as we die [The Satchi Six / Arketyp]
Sweden’s Amanda Bergman returns with her second album in a little over 18 months, this time inspired by a realignment in her outlook following the near death of her husband, bandmate, and producer in a road collision. Embraced for a second as we die is not specifically about death and dying, but it is about impermanence and the inexorable march of time, as written on the faces of her children and in the context of love that comes in and out of focus, among other things. The songs may be rooted in anxiety and unresolved questions but embraced sounds inherently warm, borrowing textures from ‘80s Joni Mitchell and Paul McCartney albums to anchor her expressive and trustworthy voice. – Alan Pedder
Dina Ayada – IDENTITY [LISTEN TO THE KIDS / Santa Anna]
Since she went viral with a freestyle on TikTok in 2023, the Belgian-born Moroccan rapper Dina Ayada has been establishing her sound as a pop rap lover with an ear for minimalist beats and crooner flows. During this past year, she took it up a notch, collaborating closely with Gunna and absorbing his melodic trap expertise. All of this comes together in IDENTITY, a tight-knit 12-track, 30-minute album with no time for fillers – a brevity which almost feels like a comeback to pre-streaming times at this point. At times, her high-pitched voice is distinct and impactful, and I'm excited to see where she goes next with her focused sound. – Amanda Cavalcanti
Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore – Tragic Magic [InFiné]
Julianna Barwick and harpist Mary Lattimore have long felt part of the same unhurried crowd, so it’s no surprise that their kinship in the contemporary ambient scene has spilled over into a real-life bond that underscores the “musical telepathy” of Tragic Magic, their first full-length work together. Recorded in the Musée de la Musique in Paris last year, in the aftermath of the fires that devastated much of their home city of LA, Tragic Magic – as the title suggests – holds space for both wonder and grief, and a sense of lineage too. From the museum collection, Lattimore played harps ranging from 150 to 300 years old, while Barwick picked out a range of classic analog synths. The result is part fairytale, part freeform meditation, with an homage to Vangelis and the Blade Runner soundtrack on recent single “Rachel’s Song”. – Alan Pedder
Ramon Sucesso – Sexta dos Crias 2.0 [Lugar Alto / Mainstreet]
It seems like only yesterday when Brazilian DJ Ramon Sucesso released his first Sexta dos Crias album, in 2023, but a lot has changed – specifically for the DJ, who has since played at Primavera Sound Barcelona and released a single on XXL Recordings, and for baile funk culture at large (or how we, Brazilians, call it, simply funk). More than ever, the genre has established itself as an integral part of contemporary electronic music culture, with artists like Anderson do Paraíso and Badsista becoming familiar faces in international festival line-ups. With all of this going on, Ramon, a cria from Rio de Janeiro, takes his sound even further in Sexta dos Crias 2.0, going beyond his beloved "beat bolha" into more melodic, dreamlike territory. It's not by chance that the two tracks on the album are titled "Breaking Space-Time" and "Distorting the Universe". – Amanda Cavalcanti
Bandcamp New & Notable Jun 8, 2020
Sassy 009 – Dreamer+ [HEAVEN-SENT / PIAS]
After a string of mixtapes, EPs, and singles (including a Bandcamp exclusive remix of Charli XCX's "Girl, so confusing" that's well worth a listen), Norwegian electronic pop artist Sassy 009 releases her debut album Dreamer+. Originally a trio, Sassy 009 is now the sole project of Sunniva Lindgård. Dreamer+ is a hypnotic, brooding pop album, billed as a concept record about a "magical but distorted dream-like world." Lindgård's modulated vocals and icy beats certainly feel like they're beamed in from a dream-world. With features from Blood Orange, Yunè Pinku, and BEA199, Dreamer+ is an exciting debut from an artist whose metallic, mysterious pop music sounds like it was pulled straight from deep-sleep. – Andy Steiner
Westside Cowboy – So Much Country 'Till We Get There [Island/Imprint Adventure Recordings]
The Manchester alt rock band Westside Cowboy are back with their second-ever EP, So Much Country 'Till We Get There. Yet, unlike their band name, and unlike the August release of This Better Be Something Great, the "country" influence seems to have slowly shifted into the sidelines, making more room for a sound that brighter, louder, and a lot rockier. "Can't See" starts off with a rapid electric guitar section, followed by pumping drums and lyrics brimming with confidence to conquer the unknown. "The Wahs", a song with a chorus that's mostly just screaming in tandem, lets the band get really loose and poppy, as if they're tearing the house down during an impromptu set at a party. "Don't Throw Rocks" dips back into the alt country with the slide guitar, folksy group harmonies, and clicky percussion, and the finale "In The Morning" glimmers with a moody guitar and choral-like vocal arrangements. 2026 is going to be a big year for this charming live band, and this EP begins it on the right note. – Victoria Borlando
Xiu Xiu – Xiu Mutha Fuckin' Xiu: Vol. 1 [Polyvinyl]
Xiu Xiu has been issuing subscription-based covers for some time now, reaching into diverse nooks and crannies for their source material. Everything from Robyn hip-shaker "Dancing On My Own" to the vomit-inducing "Hamburger Lady" by Throbbing Gristle gets some love in this compilation. The outfit, helmed by Jamie Stewart, is no stranger to curating thoughtful cover projects (see Plays the Music of Twin Peaks, which celebrates its one-decade anniversary this year). If you're searching for some uneasy weekend listening, look no further. Whatever your taste is, Xiu Xiu has a song here to mess with your head. – Tyler Roland
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