Moments in Timelessness

THE ART OF BEING A MESS Album ∙ Pop ∙ 2025 Lauren Spencer Smith Lauren Spencer Smith’s sophomore album  THE ART OF BEING A MESS  is unapologetically unvarnished. The opening piano chords of “What a beautiful day” are so intimately recorded, the hammer hitting the strings and the frog-like croak of the pedals come across clearly. Lyrically, Spencer Smith is equally vulnerable, like on the aforementioned opener, where she rummages through her feelings to help explain why she feels so particularly shitty on such a gorgeous day. Her makeup is applied perfectly; not a hair is out of place. And yet? Sadness prevails. Spencer Smith spends the album finding ways to be okay while not being okay, like on the indie pop cut “bridesmaid.” Here, she reckons with the deterioration of a friendship, cleverly contextualizing such heartbreak by wishing her ex-bestie could be standing by her side on her wedding day, now that she’s “finally found the man that I adore.” On  THE ART OF BEING A ...

Tracks II: The Lost Albums Album ∙ Rock ∙ 2025 Bruce Springsteen History gets harder and harder to make, but never in the long, weird history of popular music has there been an analogue for this. Doorstop box sets with troves of fan-coveted rarities are de rigueur for any legacy artist, very much including Bruce Springsteen, whose 1998 compilation  Tracks  dutifully assembled 66 of these—four and a half hours of alternate history to one of rock’s most vaunted narratives. Twenty-seven years later, its nominal sequel is composed of seven full and distinct stand-alone albums recorded between 1983 and 2018, largely unknown to even the most devout Springsteen cryptographers. That something so auspicious and audacious bears the modest title  Tracks II  is the slyest joke of his career. Individually, these albums demonstrate both logical extensions of his classic songwriting that manage to meet that impossible standard, as well as tantalizing, disciplined, and fully realize...

Prince of the Street Album ∙ Afrobeats ∙ 2025 Ayo Maff “I grew up in the street of Somolu, Bariga,” emerging Afrobeats star Ayo Maff tells Apple Music. “That’s where I came from. And it’s just more to let the people know I am from them. Regardless of where people see me, I’m from the street, so that’s why they call me ‘Prince of the Street.’” On his debut album, the artist born Ayorinde Mafoluku Ayodele shares personal stories of his upbringing and how it shaped him. “It took me more than a year to record,” he explains, “so it’s very personal to me, because each song is talking about a different phase of my life. Growing up in Bariga allowed me to sing [about] the reality of where I’m from, and the genuine lifestyle. All the things I do sing about, people are also facing, so it’s all a reality check.” Sonically, the album pays homage to Maff’s roots, with nods to Olamide singles he grew up with (“Baddo’s Song”) and takes on modern fusions of Afrobeats and amapiano (“Igbalode”)—while st...

Summertime Sounds 2025 (DJ Mix) Album ∙ Dance ∙ 2025 Barry Can't Swim Producer and DJ Barry Can’t Swim is gearing up for a jam-packed summer with the release of his album  Loner , spinning hits at Glastonbury, and headlining All Points East festival in London. For his Summertime Sounds mix, Barry Can’t Swim delivers a mix filled with tracks he likes to play in his DJ sets. “It’s a mix of filter and French house, some disco, and tougher acidy bits,” he tells Apple Music. “I love that sound from the late ’90s and early 2000s. So many hidden gems and amazing producers from that era, like Kid Creme and Tim Deluxe.”

Parker McCollum Album ∙ Country ∙ 2025 Parker McCollum A mid-career self-titled album is often an intentional statement, if not an outright reset. For Parker McCollum, attaching his name to his fifth studio album is something of a reintroduction, an hour-long tour of the Texas-born singer-songwriter’s expansive talents and a glimpse into his still immense potential. Co-produced by Music Row veteran Frank Liddell (Miranda Lambert, Lee Ann Womack), the collection finds McCollum pushing his artistry to new places, a feat aided by stepping back from longtime collaborator Jon Randall and jetting up to New York City to record the album’s 14 tracks. “This record that we made in New York is the record I always wondered if I was good enough to make,” McCollum tells Apple Music. “I always thought about a record like this, and I finally just feel like maybe I might’ve gotten close to something that could be that.” The LP opens with “My Blue,” a rootsy, near-folk song following a character named J...

Made In Paris Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2025 Pi’erre Bourne

MY FACE HURTS FROM SMILING Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2025 Lizzo The singing, rapping, flute-playing polymath spent the three years since 2022’s  Special  courting unexpected controversy and flirting in social media posts with quitting music entirely. After mostly laying low throughout the turbulence, Lizzo emerged in February 2025 with a rock-inspired new single and an announcement of her fifth album, both titled  Love in Real Life . But first, a bit of raucous, freewheeling fun: With three days’ notice in late June, she revealed a surprise 13-track mixtape whose artwork shows the singer grinning from ear to ear and flipping the double bird. The project came together just as spontaneously. “I did this shit in three motherfucking days, bitch!” she crows on “DITTO,” before adding: “You’re welcome!” From the jump,  MY FACE HURTS FROM SMILING  stands in stark contrast to the posi-vibes-only pop-rap that skyrocketed the 37-year-old singer into the mainstream circa 2019. ...

BEAUTIFUL CHAOS - EP Album ∙ Pop ∙ 2025 KATSEYE

W!LD Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2025 Russ Wolves tend to pop up regularly on Russ’ album art, but the creature on the cover of  W!LD  is something more ambiguous—perhaps a kind of wolf-horse hybrid, looking wistfully over its shoulder. Breaking down the image and title of what he bills as his sixth album (though technically you could consider it his 17th) on social media, the 32-year-old rapper explained that after spending years single-mindedly focused on external success, he’d grown more interested in exploring the “wilderness” of self-discovery. Five years after completing his deal with Columbia Records and going fully independent, the rapper who was once known as a lightning rod for controversy seems to have chilled significantly, meditating on success, love, and his own unexpected trajectory over soulful self-produced beats. (“How’d I beat the game without looking at the user guide?” he marvels on the intro.) He has yet to chill on punny entendres that oscillate between cringe...

Sr. Santos II Sueños de Grandeza Album ∙ Latin ∙ 2025 Arcángel Throughout his decades-long career, Arcángel has remained a force to reckon with in both reggaetón and hip-hop spaces, often at the same time. Yet his pivotal role in the 2010s Latin trap movement as both scene elder and savvy hitmaker kept him part of a contemporary vanguard otherwise populated by younger, hungrier talents. By the time  SR. SANTOS  dropped in 2022, his stature as a trapero was widely acknowledged and appreciated across generations of listeners. Arriving just a few years later, this robust rap-centric sequel leaves little argument against his being a Spanish-language rap G.O.A.T. contender. After laying waste on the graphic intro “Apocalipsis,” he proceeds to prove his endurance on the mic has in no way lessened. Commercial cuts like “5 Pa Las 12” with singer Maria Becerra and the emotional “Mi Peor Momento” mix with the more rugged and ruthless fare of “ABC,” “Don Francisco,” and “Sin Embargo.” Wi...

No Fue Suerte Album ∙ Latin ∙ 2025 Chuy Montana Chuy Montana’s tragic death in 2024 ended the well-deserved ascent and the assuredly promising career that lay ahead of him. Cosigned by Fuerza Regida and signed to JOP’s Street Mob imprint, the Tijuana singer clearly had much to offer the música mexicana scene judging by his string of 2023 singles. His posthumously released debut album drives that point home, bringing back previously released material like “Marlboro Blanco” and “Ramos Buchones” alongside a number of evocative new songs. Compelling corridos such as “Qué Bendición,” one of his best known works, and the more militant title track showcase his evident talent for the format. Much of what appears here comes in the form of collaborations, with Armenta, Calle 24, and Juanpa Salazar paying homage with their presence. The aforementioned Fuerza Regida feature on two such cuts, the regret-laden romantica “Fama” with GueroX, and the defiant, forceful “Sin Chingarme A Nadie.” ...

NEVER STOP Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2025 King Combs  &  Ye

Apocalipsis Album ∙ Urbano latino ∙ 2025 Cris MJ The smash hit “Gata Only” put Chilean artist Cris MJ (and his cohort FloyyMenor) on the proverbial map, its viral appeal translating to international success. It makes sense, given that his melodic monotone and pleasure-seeking lyrics jibe so well with the atmospheric reggaetón he seems to prefer. Working mainly, though not exclusively, with his prior go-to producers, like Nes on the Shet and Panda Black, he maintains a consistency both sonically and thematically across the full-length  Apocalipsis . Unsurprisingly, the songs here tend toward hedonism, not infrequently veering into sexually charged territory that starts on the dance floor and ends in the bedroom. Versatile yet consistent, he’s the consoling suitor for a heartbroken baddie on “Braile,” the adventurous lover with certain proclivities on “Temblar,” and the confident mile-high clubber on “Jet.” Money showers, shopping sprees, and late-night trysts define the world he’s b...

Own Worst Enemy Album ∙ Country ∙ 2025 Gavin Adcock

Agent 0 Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2025 Lil Double 0