Welcome to another installment of Today's Release Highlights, where the TND writers room gathers up some brand new projects they want to draw your eyes and ears to.

This week, we have new four releases we'd like to key you into as you head into the weekend. Check them all out below.

Ba bam!

Erykah Badu & The Alchemist – Before the World Blows [Control Freaq/Young]

Well, the world already blows. But it’s been such a great year for R&B, with Jill Scott, GENA, and Kehlani behind three of 2026’s strongest albums, and Steve Lacy’s “The Feeling,” and Ari Lennox’s “Soft Girl Era” excellent plucks from lesser ones, that Erykah Badu was finally coaxed out of hiding. It’s been more than a decade since her But You Caint Use My Phone mixtape, which was so long ago that “Hotline Bling” mania was what inspired it. Her last proper solo album was 2010. Alchemist, however, has been busier than anyone in the 2020s, producing everything from 2 Chainz to Armand Hammer to Freddie Gibbs to Kendrick’s “Meet the Grahams,” the most vicious entry in the most famous beef of all-time. If anyone could get a new release out of her, it’s him. And these 16 tracks should satisfy what anyone expects from both: stoned, slow-burning neo-soul from her and deep-crate beats from him. Sure, they could’ve shook up the status quo a bit. But the walking bass on “Witch Doctor,” the standout turn from DRAM on “Valentine,” the lovely retro Earl Sweatshirt duet “I Know That Man” and the Kamasi Washington-led swing on “Black Box” all meet the ear without skimping on satisfaction, and last summer’s “Next 2 U” sounds divine in album context, too. — Daniel Aaron

Floating Points & San Francisco Ballet Orchestra – Mere Mortals [Deutsche Grammophon]

As Floating Points, Sam Shepherd seamlessly hops between the dance floor and concert hall. While this composition, performed alongside the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, does follow the berserk, frenzied club music of 2024's Cascade, Mere Mortals marks Shepherd’s return to classical compositions in line with Promises, his landmark collaboration with Pharoah Sanders and the London Symphony Orchestra. This newest recording features 14 movements retelling the Greek myth of Pandora, with Shepherd blending the idiosyncrasies of his electronic work into the sound of a full orchestra. – Thomas Stremfel

Mastodon – Marrow Deep [Loma Vista]

Just as the band passed a quarter-century of activity, Mastodon parted ways with founding lead guitarist Brent Hinds, who lost his life in a motorcycle accident months later. The Atlanta ensemble, no strangers to loss – drummer/singer Brann Dailor's mother also passed away in 2025 – have recruited new lead guitarist Nick Johnston, beginning a new chapter with Marrow Deep. The album features co-production by Patrik Berger (whose credits include head-bopping pop like Charli XCX, Lana Del Rey, and Robyn) and Kurt Ballou (guitarist of Converge), and sounds crispy, colorful, and heavy all at once. Don't mess a metric ton of guests: among them are Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler, Lamb of God's Randy Blythe, Gojira's Joe Duplantier, Clutch's Neil Fallon, and Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme, whom you can hear below on "Snakes for Dinner." – Tyler Roland

Pulp – Live! [Rough Trade]

Since Pulp returned last year with More., their first album in 24 years, they've been running at an unstoppable speed. Their promise to return to the studio yielded electric results: euphoric, catchy pop tunes oozing with classic perversion and wit, a real and palpable love between bandmates, and a new audience that not only recognized the artistry behind some of the 90s' catchiest hits ("Babies", "Common People," "Disco 2000," and my personal favorite, "Do You Remember The First Time?") but were able to embrace the older, more introspective, and moodier production and sound of the group. Live!, which captures their headline performance at London's 02 Arena last June — the kick-off to their first massive world tour since their 2022 official reunion — presses the Sheffield band's lightning into a sleek encore of sorts. Their show prioritizes the new stuff, beginning with a powerfully loud rendition of "Spike Island" and concluding with the shimmering and tear-jerking "A Sunset." But, discography classics like "Sorted for E's and Wizz," "This Is Hardcore," "Mis-Shapes," and "Something Changed" make their way in their too. Though, it's hard to say if front man Jarvis Cocker could sing louder than the crowd in attendance that night. — Victoria Borlando