New Releases & Staff Picks - 4/3/26

STAFF PICKS
 DARIO - Arlo Parks 
ASH - Thundercat
 JAKE - SUNN O)))
KIMBER - Joe Pernice
MARY - Arlo Parks and Astrud Gilberto reissue 
ZACH - Charley Crockett and Thundercat
DREW - SUNN O)))

THUNDERCAT - Distracted CD/LP (Brainfeeder)
Thundercat fans rejoice! The longest album drought of his career is officially OVER. Distracted will be released on April 3, 2026 - 6 years to the day after release of his previous LP, the 2020 GRAMMY Award winning record It Is What It Is. Distracted was primarily created in close collaboration with a new creative partner for Thundercat - the super producer Greg Kurstin, known for his work with some of the biggest names in pop like Adele, Paul McCartney, Sia, Beyoncé, Beck and more. The record features 15 tracks and a host of exciting collaborators including Mac Miller, A$AP Rocky, Willow Smith, Tame Impala, Channel Tres, and production from Thundercat & Greg Kurstin, Flying Lotus, Kenny Beats & more.

SUNN O))) - Sunn O))) CD/LP (Sub Pop)  
For nearly 30 years, SUNN O))) - Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson - have pushed the boundaries of heavy music, straddling the worlds of the avant-garde and rock to forge a style instantly recognizable as their own. Now, SUNN O))) return with their first album of new material since 2019's acclaimed Pyroclasts. Their tenth album - their debut for Sub Pop - demonstrates the duo's mastery of time and space, light and dark, and their willingness to evolve their unmistakable sound into bold new forms. The eponymously titled SUNN O))) was tracked at Bear Creek Studios, Woodinville, Washington with Brad Wood (HuM, Tar, Sunny Day Real Estate, Liz Phair). This location proved crucial to the recording process. The vast tracking room had big windows looking out on trees, says O'Malley. We could go hiking and be out in the woods, spend time outdoors. That became a big part of it. The compositions on SUNN O))) are expansive and panoramic yet finely detailed, reflecting the arboreal setting in which they were recorded. Amidst howling feedback and glacial crunch, one finds surprisingly delicate moments: a field recording of water trickles beneath, piano interludes lend a hushed, solemn feel. All while the duo attains fresh heights of telepathic intensity as they shape music that breathes the bracing, earthy air of the Pacific Northwest.

ARLO PARKS - Ambiguous Desire CD/LP (Transgressive)  
Twice Grammy-nominated, Mercury Prize and BRIT Award-winning artist Arlo Parks announces her new album, Ambiguous Desire, due April 3rd via Transgressive Records. Ambiguous Desire is Parks at her most confident and experimental, supplanting live band sessions for modular synths, Ableton plugins and samplers that channel the frenetic, vibrant spaces she was immersed in, all while spotlighting the acclaimed poetry and lyricism she's beloved for. Reflecting on the making of the record, Parks shares, “I danced more than ever as I made this record, I made more friends than ever too, found myself in the weird underbelly of New York juke nights, unleashed, laughed and laughed and laughed. This record has desire at it's centre. Desire is a life force, it's a wanting, a yearning, a momentum - we are all alive because there is something or someone we want - desire is an engine. But it is also mysterious, tangled, random, enlightening and HUMAN.”

BON IVER - Volumes: One Selections From Music Concerts LP (Jagjaguwar)   VOLUMES: ONE, the first non-studio release from Bon Iver, captures 10 distinctive live performances, recorded between 2019 and 2023, showcasing Justin Vernon and his band at their most whole. There's a warmth and exuberance across the album, as well as the sort of muscular sound you can really only get at a live show. For the uninitiated and die-hards alike, these recordings could well be the defining versions of the tracks, no doubt made possible through the essential live engineering of Xandy Whitesel and performances from bandmates Jenn Wasner, Sean Carey, Michael Lewis, Matthew McCaughan, and Andrew Fitzpatrick. Vernon began working on VOLUMES: ONE in 2020, and he spent a considerable amount of time combing through concerts to pull out the right songs to define Bon Iver.

JOE PERNICE - Sunny, I Was Wrong CD/LP (New West Records)  
“When a song comes, I make sure I don't let it go by,” says Joe Pernice. Sunny, I Was Wrong, his first studio album of new material under his own name, was born during a period of concentrated inspiration and productivity. Songs were coming almost more quickly than he could get them down on tape, as though they'd been waiting to pounce at just the right time. With a little help from his friends, Pernice fashioned a handful of them into a beautiful refinement of all the qualities that have distinguished him as a songwriter over the years: his facility for aching melodies, his penchant for arrangements that nod to pop's past without getting mired in nostalgia, and a deep empathy for the characters who inhabit his verses.

MOONCHILD - Waves LP (Tru Thoughts)  
With their upcoming album Waves, Moonchild enters a bold new chapter. A deeply personal and emotionally raw project, Waves explores themes of grief, healing, resilience, and self-worth, eschewing the love songs that once dominated their catalog. “This album is about processing loss and stepping into your power,” says Amber. “It's a lyrical departure, but it reflects what I've been going through these past few years.” The project also marks a return to in-person collaboration and a new embrace of sampling and sonic experimentation. The result is an album that feels more vulnerable and grounded than ever, while still pushing the boundaries of their signature sound.

PIJAMA PIYAMA - Los Niños De Rana LP (Pijama Piyama)  
Phoenix band Pijama Piyama's first full album Pijama Piyama y Los Niños de Rana now available on vinyl for the first time. Venture forth into the subterranean reverie of Pijama Piyama Y Los Niños De Rana, where the boundaries of reality blur. A subterranean symphony beckons, a frog bus awaits – a realm governed by pure pachanga. But in this enigmatic sojourn, no tickling is permitted! only the rhythmic allure of their subversive sounds. Join their journey through cryptic cumbias and imagination, where the surreal meets the sonic, and let your imagination sway to the enigmatic tunes woven by Pijama Piyama y los Niños De Rana. 

PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS - Rare & Deadly LP (Dedstrange)  
Rare and Deadly cracks open a decade-long vault of raw nerve and sonic chaos from A Place to Bury Strangers. Spanning 2015-2025, this collection of demos, B-sides, abandoned experiments, and forgotten fragments reveals the band at their most unfiltered, caught between breakthrough ideas and beautiful mistakes. Pulled from Oliver Ackermannas personal archive of late-night recordings, blown-out tapes, and half-finished sessions, these tracks pulse with the unruly energy that has always defined APTBS, but here the interference is closer, the electricity more dangerous, the edges left jagged on purpose.

NIGHTMARES ON WAX - In A Space Outta Sound [20th Anniversary Edition] CD/LP/3xLP Box [Reissue/2006] (Warp Records) Celebrating two decades since the release of one of the most loved albums in the Nightmares on Wax catalogue, In A Space Outta Sound sought inspiration in the reggae and dub sound system roots that George Evelyn aka DJ E.A.S.E grew up on, skillfully blended with other influences such as soul, hip-hop and jazz. Featuring iconic tracks such as ‘You Wish’ and ‘Flip Ya Lid,’ the reputation of the record has grown over the years to be seen as one of the key sides in the career of this singular artist.

CHARLEY CROCKETT - Age Of The Ram CD/LP (Island)
Charley Crockett, the two-time GRAMMY-nominated artist is back with Age of the Ram, the third and final installment of the Sagebrush Trilogy, co-produced by Shooter Jennings. Featuring 20 new recordings, Age of the Ram is the culmination of Charley's incredible sonic exploration, spanning three albums, resulting in Charley's most realized and compelling work to date.

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY - Good God / Baad Man LP (NUCLEAR BLAST)   Corrosion of Conformity's Good God / Baad Man captures the full spectrum of the band's legacy - from high-energy punk roots to swampy Southern grooves and heavy, riff-driven rock. Raw, dynamic, and unapologetically diverse, the album showcases every shade of the COC sound, delivering a hard-hitting ride that's as gritty as it is soulful.

KALI UCHIS - Sin Miedo (Del Amor Y Otros Demonios) LP [Reissue/2021] (Capitol)  
On Kali Uchis' second studio album, Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios), Kali brings her artistic vision to life with gorgeous melodies, lush production and unparalleled storytelling. As her first Latin studio album, this album solidified Kali as one of the most important and versatile voices in modern music. In celebration of it's five-year anniversary, a freshly pressed Cielo Swirl vinyl variant is now available.

FKA TWIGS - Eusexua Afterglow CD (Atlantic) 
[CD now, LP available in May] FKA Twigs expands the first EUSEXUA album with an 11-track all new body of work, EUSEXUA Afterglow.

JOHN ANDREWS & THE YAWNS - Streetsweeper LP (Earth Libraries)  
John Andrews has spent the past few years tucked away in Red Hook, Brooklyn - a neighborhood that sits just beyond the natural drift of the city. Once shaped by maritime industry and later a haven for artists in search of vast warehouse space, it's history and isolation give it a quiet magnetism. Streetsweeper, the fifth album by John Andrews & the Yawns, reflects that vantage point-tranquil, self-contained, and curious about the movements most people overlook. FFO: Andy Shauf, Cut Worms, Widowspeak, Michael Nao, Drugdealer.

BUDOS BAND - Budos Band LP [Reissue/2005] (Daptone) 
Marking it's 20th anniversary in 2025, the eponymous debut album from Staten Island's finest is finally back in print. Housed in a deluxe old style, tip-on jacket and sporting an all-analog (AAA) re-master from the original tapes-via Ryan Smith (Sterling Sound)-this iconic LP has never looked or sounded better. Featuring ‘Up From the South,’ and ‘Ghost Walk’ this is essential listening for fans of Daptone and the Budos alike.

CHARIF MEGARBANE & ALI - Tirakat LP (Habibi Funk)  
This album, recorded over an intense three-day window in Berlin, brings together Charif Megarbane and the Jakarta-based band Ali. Their collaboration builds on a long, organic history of musical exchange between Indonesia and the Arab world, blending shared references, improvisation, and years of band experience. Rather than a conceptual fusion project, the record evolved naturally through spontaneity and the musicians' overlapping backgrounds. The title Tirakat reflects this process, a word rooted in both Arabic and Javanese traditions, capturing discipline, journey, and the layering of influences that shaped the album.

ANTONIO CARLOS & ADRIAN YOUNGE - Antonio Carlos & Jocafi JID026 (Jazz Is Dead)  
Antonio Carlos & Jocafi, the legendary duo from Bahia whose music has embodied the soul of Brasil for over five decades, return with a bold new collaboration: Jazz Is Dead 026. With Jazz Is Dead 026, Antônio Carlos & Jocafi reaffirm their creative vitality while introducing their timeless Bahian spirit to a new generation. Adrian's love for Brasil is greater than that of many Brasilians, they say, noting how deeply he listens, studies, and channels the rhythms, stories, and feelings of their culture. The result is an album that bridges Salvador's Mercado Modelo with the global stage, weaving Bahia's folkloric traditions into Jazz Is Dead's analog soul.

OLIVIA RODRIGO - Drivers License / Burning Down The House 7” (Geffen)  
Experience ‘drivers license’ for the first time all over again - this time through the voice of the legendary David Byrne. Celebrating five years since Olivia's breakout single, this limited first pressing vinyl features Byrne's cover of ‘drivers license’ on Side A, and Olivia and David's live performance of ‘burning down the house’ from Governor's Ball on Side B. Pressed on red translucent 7-inch vinyl.

ASTRUD GILBERTO - Shadow Of Your Smile LP [Reissue/1965] (Verve)  
Released on Verve in 1965, The Shadow of Your Smile captures Astrud Gilberto in the early ascent of her solo career, placing her understated, conversational vocal style at the center of lush yet subtle arrangements by Don Sebesky and Klaus Ogerman that emphasize clarity, warmth, and emotional transparency across bossa nova, jazz, and mid-60s pop material. Produced by Creed Taylor, the album frames her soft, unforced delivery with gentle orchestral color, whether on the newly minted standard of the title track, Brazilian selections, or contemporary ballads, allowing the nuances of her timbre and phrasing to carry the music. As a whole, it marks a key moment in Gilberto's evolution from guest vocalist to fully realized solo artist and affirms her as a defining voice of the bossa nova era. Verve Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.

TIM BUCKLEY - Tim Buckley LP [Reissue/1966] (Real Gone Music) 
Coke Clear Vinyl. The incandescent voice of Tim Buckley took him on a journey from fragile folk rocker to boldly experimental avant-garde icon in nine short years of recordings. Here we capture him at the beginning of his career with his sparkling 1966 debut album.

COMING NEXT WEEK!
LES IMPRIMES - Fading Forward CD/LP
CORY WONG - Lost In The Wonder CD/LP
SQUAREPUSHER - Kammerkonzert CD/LP
MELVINS - Savage Material Death March CD/LP
PARLOR GREENS - Emeralds CD/LP
LAUFEY - Matter Of Time: The Final Hour CD/LP
HOT MULLIGAN - LP Reissues