Today is a big release day, with lots of good stuff being ushered out into the world. So it makes sense that our latest Today's Release Highlights would be a bit longer than usual.

Today we have 13 releases to draw your eye to, and while there are many more for you to explore as well, we hope you'll spend some time getting acquainted with these!

Addison Rae – Addison [Columbia]

After a nearly year-long rollout, TikTok personality turned pop star Addison Rae has released her eponymous debut. After being mentored by Charli XCX, Addison got into the studio with Swedish producers Luka Kloser and Elvira to mold her sound to the Y2k pastiche pop that’s heard on this record. Is she the second coming of Britney? No, probably not, but Addison being a quintessential album of the summer is certainly in the cards. – Leah Weinstein

Austere – The Stillness of Dissolution [Lupus Lounge/Prophecy]

Depressive black metal duo Austere pushes further into emotional and sonic extremity with The Stillness of Dissolution, out now via Lupus Lounge, an imprint of Prophecy Productions. Rather than returning to the melancholic chaos heard in earlier releases, the Australians invoke a more refined descent into entropy with their fifth album — balancing tremolo with lush, atmospheric textures that reflect a band no longer beholden to tradition. It's the sound of a band confident in their return, no longer afraid to linger in the void. – Nic Huber

Finn Wolfhard – Happy Birthday [Night Shift Productions]

Mike from Stranger Things, or rather, Finn Wolfhard, continues to prove himself as a true multimedia talent with the release of his debut solo album Happy Birthday. While he’s previously played in Calpurnia and The Aubreys, Happy Birthday sees Wolfhard stepping into the spotlight as a solo indie-pop artist. Written during a year of introspection, the album explores themes of identity, anxiety, and growing up, showcasing the songwriting chops he’s been building over the past half-decade. – Ricky Adams

Lil Wayne - Tha Carter VI [Young Money Entertainment/Republic]

Nearly seven years after the release of Tha Carter V, two years after a collab effort with 2 Chainz on Welcome 2 Collegrove, and the mixtape Tha Fix Before Tha VI, Lil Wayne's Tha Carter VI is finally here. The sixth installment of the iconic Hip Hop series finds the influential rapper teaming up with Wyclef Jean, one of the project's essential collaborators, stating that the two recorded 30 tracks for Weezy's 14th LP. The official tracklist was revealed two hours before the album's drop, and the first taste of music, "The Day", featuring U2's Bono, was unveiled yesterday in an NBA finals ad campaign. According to Tunechi, he has focused more on collaborations for this record, ranging from features with MGK to Andrea Bocelli, saying, “[...] it’s me approaching it like, ‘Man, what would I sound like on something with such and such?’” – Daniel Gonçalves Benítez

Little Simz – Lotus [AWAL]

Little Simz is out for vengeance on her ninth LP, Lotus. The record acts as a scathing letter to former collaborator Inflo, after he failed to pay her back for a 2 million dollar loan. Lotus is studded with collaborators like Moses Sumney, Sampha, and Jungle’s Lydia Kitto, who often deliver the tracks’ choruses. The production hearkens back to the orchestral and jazz influences of 2021’s Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, with the title track seeing a multi-minute drum solo from Yussef Dayes. – Leah Weinstein

Lucy Gooch – Desert Window [Fire Records]

British composer Lucy Gooch made gentle waves in the ambient scene with the artful, flowing electronica of her two EPs, Rushing (2020) and Rain’s Break (2021). Four years on, Desert Window finds her taking a different approach, drawing on her folk roots and a renewed connection with her voice to create something more grounded but no less flowing. Inspirations came from chants and poetry of the Middle English period (from the year 1066 through to the end of the 15th century), as well as ancient castles (“Like Clay”) and British-Mexican painter Leonora Carrington (“Keep Pulling Me In”). “To a larger extent, this became an experiment in placing my voice in a more narrative way, while remaining oblique,” says Gooch. “The minute I try to control a song, it sort of disintegrates.” – Alan Pedder

McKinley Dixon – Magic, Alive! [City Slang]

Two years after the critical success of Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?, McKinley Dixon is making a sequel of sorts; even his breakout single “Run, Run, Run” gets a second life. On his newest, Dixon explores magic and the blind faith it provides in the throes of love and grief. Inspired by the likes of Zora Neale Hurston and Toni Morrison, Magic, Alive! follows the story of three kids who lose their best friend and their journey to bring them back; or, it is their effort to see them one last time “so that their friendship does not end with mortality.” Through his sunkissed mix of jazz rap poetics, Pink Siifu, Ghais Guevara, Quelle Chris, and others join Dixon as he floats through the occult realm and meditates what magic truly means. – Alex Peterson

My Chemical Romance – Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge (Deluxe Edition) [Reprise]

Pop punk legends My Chemical Romance have assembled a deluxe edition of their breakout sophomore album, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. Wrapped in reimagined artwork and remixed once again by multiple Grammy Award-winning music engineer Rich Costey, it delivers a crisper, more pristine sound than the original release, while keeping its rawness. It includes four live versions — recorded for BBC Radio 1's "The Lock Up" on January 25, 2005 — of "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)", "Helena", "The Ghost Of You", and “You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison". The first three performances were previously unreleased, while the latter was a B-side in the limited edition UK CD single of "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)". – Daniel Gonçalves Benítez

Nadah El Shazly – Laini Tani [One Little Independent]

Upon releasing her debut album Ahwar in 2017, Cairo-born and Montréal-based Nadah El Shazly was repeatedly declared as one of the leading figures of a new wave of artists redefining the contemporary North African music scene. Arriving 8 years later, new solo album Laini Tani builds on a wealth of inspiration and experience, not least her prolific work as a soundtrack composer and last year’s dystopian noise epic Pollution Opera (a collaboration with Welsh producer Elvin Brandhi). Here, El Shazly and her co-producer 3Phaz mix heritage and innovation, incorporating classical Egyptian and improvisational styles with voice manipulation, electronic beats, harp, and hydraulophone (a water-based instrument) to immerse the listener in a world of night-scented rhythm and Arabic poetry. – Alan Pedder

Orthodox – A Door Left Open [Century Media Records]

The Big Pants energy is real, they're literally sponsored by JNCO. Nashville metalcore (or nu-metalcore, if we’re being specific) band Orthodox return with their fifth full-length album, A Door Left Open. Based on the previously released singles “Sacred Place” and “Searching for a Pulse,” it’s clear the band has sharpened their sound into something even heavier and more menacing, in the best way possible. The album also features standout guest appearances from Matt McDougal of Boundaries, Brann Dailor of Mastodon, and Andrew Neufeld of Comeback Kid. – Ricky Adams

Pulp – More [Rough Trade]

In the year of Britpop revivalism inaugurated by the surprising yet exciting reunion of Oasis, Pulp did what the Gallgaher brothers couldn't: actually release new music. Comprised of songs written since their live reunion in 2022, More comes through with a revitalized energy to the band's sound. It seems like it's not a call for nostalgia — in contrast to the "Remember us?" gimmick a lot of reunited groups pull for comeback albums or tours — but rather an update to the thoughts and tastes of Jarvis Cocker & Co. "Got to Have Love" draws inspiration from Northern Soul music, spinning into a dance-fueled frenzy while also juggling with a newfound appreciation for emotions. The David Bowie-tinged, classic Pulp sounding "Spike Island" also reignites the band's passion for making music together, as it lyrically suggests a reset on their approach to fame, touring, and writing. Get ready for More! – Victoria Borlando

Putrescent - Darkness Embraced [Rotted Life]

Putrescent champion old-school death metal's frivolousness on their debut album, Darkness Embraced. The Los Angeles group aren't throwing any curveballs or diverting from the formula, but that's the point with OSDM. They assert that well-executed extreme music is exciting. It's hard to disagree with them as they rip through half an hour without pageantry, disguising their technicality beneath gnarly riffs and musty production. – Colin Dempsey

Turnstile – Never Enough [Roadrunner]

Turnstile has been on a transformative journey since the Baltimore punk band's inception 15 years ago, and their third album, Never Enough, further evolves the quintet's hardcore punk into otherworldly realms of shimmering dream pop, complete with Latin horns contributed by members of BADBADNOTGOOD, reggaeton beats, and meditative flute solos. The album also features appearances by Paramore's Hayley Williams and Dev Hynes, among other contributors. A companion film featuring all 14 tracks from the album — directed by frontman Brandon Yates and guitarist Pat McCrory — is set to premiere at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival. During Coachella in April, Charli XCX closed out her set by unexpectedly suggesting the Baltimore punks as heirs to her "Brat Summer" throne, and Never Enough does indeed make the case for an inevitable Turnstile Summer. – Nic Huber