We find ourselves in August now, somehow. And today, August 1, a slew of new releases are out in the wild. Our writers culled together an eclectic smattering to shout out, so be sure to check 'em out.

Ba bam!

The Armed - THE FUTURE IS HERE AND EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE DESTROYED [Sargent House]

On their latest album, Detroit hardcore punk collective The Armed have rekindled the fire that made their run of albums from 2015 to 2021 so vital. THE FUTURE IS HERE AND EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE DESTROYED condenses the band's best traits into one package, a slurring of overly distorted vocal harmonies, too-close-for-comfort production, and wanton experimentalism. It course-corrects after 2023's Perfect Saviors, in which the group tried their hand at a standard rock record to interesting, if muted, results. Now, The Armed are back on track, and once again, they sound like they're pouring battery acid into your eyeballs. – Colin Dempsey

Debby Friday – The Starrr of the Queen of Life [Sub Pop]

On this follow-up to her 2023 Polaris Prize-winning debut GOOD LUCK, Debby Friday goes back to her club kid roots a changed woman. Embracing a sweeter, lighter mode of singing – partly out of necessity when issues arose with her voice – The Starrr of the Queen of Life finds the Nigerian-Canadian artist laser-focused on crafting synth-pop hybrids of everything from hip-hop and shoegaze to Detroit techno and baile funk. Recorded in London with Australian producer Darcy Baylis, it connects the dots between the introvert behind the songs and the undeniable star(rr) quality of her public persona. “This album is about the idea of reaching towards something,” she explains. “It’s about seeing the signs and following that impulse, always with the potential of either flying into the sun or falling back to earth.” – Alan Pedder

Hard Chiller – BABY! [Born Losers Records]

Drenched in reverb and soaked in nostalgia, Hard Chiller offers a unique take on heavy shoegaze. Their sound draws comparisons to acts like Deftones and Smashing Pumpkins, but with a sharper focus on the current shoegaze resurgence. Aesthetically, the band nails the late ’80s and ’90s vibe — not just in sound, but in visuals too. The music video for “The Wall” is a chaotic montage of vintage baseball meltdown footage, while “Soft Trip” is made entirely from clips of the 1998 Nintendo 64 classic WCW/nWo Revenge. Hard Chiller live up to their name on their debut album BABY! The music hits hard, but still manages to stay chill. – Ricky Adams

Marianne Faithfull – Cast Your Fate to the Wind: The Singles, B-sides & Rarities [Proper Records]

Since Marianne Faithfull passed away in January, we’ve been lucky enough to hear a handful of previously unreleased tracks – first on the Burning Moonlight EP, released for Record Store Day, followed by the Oscar Dunbar collab “Love Is” in June. Now, with the 27-track Cast Your Fate to the Wind, four more have arrived as part of a wider reissue program that Faithfull herself was involved in planning before her death. Compiled among her non-album singles, B-sides, and rarities are Faithfull’s abandoned second single “A Strange World”, an acapella version of “She Moved Through the Fair” (from 1966’s North Country Maid), an alt take of “Good Guy” (from 1967’s Loveinamist), and “Cast Your Fate to the Wind”, a track from the Loveinamist sessions that didn’t make the final cut. All tracks are fully remastered from the original tapes. A more comprehensive version of Cast Your Fate... is also out today, adding remastered editions of her four Decca albums to this two-disc set. – Alan Pedder

Metro Boomin – A Futuristic Summa [Boominati Worldwide / Mercury / Republic]

A year after two blockbuster — and beef-igniting — albums with Future on We Don’t Trust You/We Still Don’t Trust You, Metro Boomin is going back in time with his new double disc mixtape A Futuristic Summa, hosted by DJ Spinz. The mixtape is a return to Atlanta’s futuristic swag era, which flourished especially during the late 2000s and early 2010s. Although short-lived, the futuristic era had a great impact and influence on hip hop, with pioneers of the style such as J Money, Yung LA, Young Dro, Roscoe Dash, and the trio Travis Porter appearing on Metro’s mixtape. Newer rappers BunnaB and YKNiece, who have contributed to the futuristic revival, feature together in “Take Me Thru Dere” alongside Quavo. Metro couldn’t leave out other prominent trap artists who also participated in the futuristic scene, namely Gucci Mane, Future, Waka Flocka Flame, and fellow rapper Young Thug, among others. – Daniel Gonçalves

Nuclear Daisies – First Taste of Heaven [Portrayal of Guilt]

Nuclear Daisies’ sophomore album First Taste of Heaven pulls from trance, shoegaze, and early 2000s electro to create something that feels nostalgic but sharply current. It's the kind of record that could’ve scored a gritty club scene in a late ’90s film, full of pulsing synths, thick guitars, and ghostly vocals. Songs like “Fangs” and “Toad” hit hard with a dark, hazy energy, while “Dandelion Wine” and “Infinite Joy” ride a more delicate line between dreamy and driving. It’s not a throwback, but it carries the spirit of a sound that’s been bubbling under the surface for years. – Ricky Adams

Sallow Moth – Mossbane Lantern [I, Voidhanger]

Over the past five years, Garry Brents has honored many metal subgenres through his numerous side projects. He's a gateway to metal's underbelly, whether that be black metal, chiptune grindcore, or nu metal. His latest record and third under the Sallow Moth moniker, Mossbane Lantern, is a love letter to brutal technical death metal, as indebted to Wormed as it is Cynic. Brents uses progressive dirges and abstract passages to balance the bass-heavy, gurgling, brutal death metal. As such, it's a varied album that pushes death metal to its artistic fringes. – Colin Dempsey

Yeat – DANGEROUS SUMMER [Lyfestyle Corporation / Field Trip / Capitol]

Yeat has spent the last month or so in a studio in the coastal city of Saint-Tropez working with long-time fellow producer BNYX on a new EP titled DANGEROUS SUMMER. The California native’s latest project is the first course before his highly anticipated album A DANGEROUS LYFE (which he name-drops in the EP’s song “[ADL IS COMING]”). This doesn't mean you should miss out on DANGEROUS SUMMER, as it is no one-bite appetizer. With 11 tracks and a run-time shy of 34 minutes, Yeat presents a notable collection of high-octane cuts like “PUT IT ONG”, “LOCO”,  and ”IM YEAT”, as well as noteworthy experimentation on tunes such as “FLY NITË”, featuring lush drum and bass sections brought by FKA twigs — their first time joining forces in a song — flowing organically with Yeat’s delivery. – Daniel Gonçalves