9 albums you need to hear this week

In the age of streaming, it’s never been easier to listen to new music — but with over 60,000 new songs added to Spotify every day, it’s also never been harder to know what to put on. Every week, the team at Rolling Stone UK will run down some of the best new releases that have been added to streaming services.

This week we’ve highlighted records from JADE, Ed Sheeran, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Djo, King Princess, Twenty One Pilots, Spinal Tap, Maruja and Mark William Lewis.

JADE – THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY!

When JADE released her debut single ‘Angel Of My Dreams’ last summer, complete with a brilliantly random and frenetic Sandi Shaw sample, no less, it was clear that solo pop stardom was being done entirely on her own terms. This vision continues through to her debut album, which is as eclectic as it is refreshingly unpredictable. ‘It Girl’ is a techno-flecked club stomper, while the brilliantly ‘FUFN (Fuck You For Now)’ leans into the best excesses of Europop. It’s a bold and largely brilliant statement from one of our brightest and best pop stars.

Listen on: Spotify | ‎Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music

Ed Sheeran – Play

Ed Sheeran promised that his eighth album – and the first since two acoustic records – would mark a return to “big pop” after the conclusion of his hugely successful Mathematics series. That’s a mantra he does his best to fulfil here, whether it’s flirting with Persian sounds on ‘Azizam’ or even the Punjabi influences on ‘Sapphire’ – a collab with Indian megastar Arjit Singh. It’s big and bold stuff, but you sense that it’s all part of a bigger plan to remain at the top of pop. “Been a long time up top but I ain’t complacent / If I look down I can see replacements,” he offers on ‘Replacement’. It’s an unmistakably Ed-sounding record, but it will undoubtedly keep him at that aforementioned top.

Listen on: Spotify | ‎Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music

Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Perimenopop

You have to give it to Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Album titles for a record about the reality of reaching middle-age as a bonafide British pop legend don’t come much better than the incredibly inspired Perimenopop.

But where the prospect of such a life milestone can easily be a daunting prospect, Ellis-Bextor defiantly says that there is something fun about getting older. “There is so much joy in knowing yourself better as you age, and that’s where you find my kind of pop,” she has explained.

It’s this concept that shines brightly through the record and results in an album that ranks among the brightest and breeziest things she’s ever done. It’s clear from the start as ‘Relentless Love’ kicks in with a funk-flecked rolling bass-line and a disco-inspired groove that Ellis-Bextor is here to host a party which rarely lets up across twelve incredibly fun tracks.

Listen on: Spotify | ‎Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music

Djo – The Crux Deluxe

Off the back of his viral success with ‘End of Beginning’, Djo marked himself out as a special solo artist with this year’s album The Crux. The well clearly runs deep too, with 12 new tracks now shared as The Crux Deluxe. Similar to SZA’s presumed SOS deluxe edition, Lana, which ended up being an entirely new and separate album of its own, The Crux Deluxe is a companion record but one that stands on its own two feet. It shows an artist in a rich vein of form and with plenty more ground to travel.

Listen on: Spotify | ‎Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music

King Princess – Girl Violence

King Princess’ third album arrives in the aftermath of her foundations crumbling. At the same time she exited her major label deal, she also experienced the end of a long-term relationship. Girl Violence, then, sees her recalibrating as an independent artist and sharing a breathtaking fresh start. “Girl violence is very sneaky,” Mikaela Straus said of the album title’s inspiration. “It’s not physical, it’s deeply emotional, spiritual, and spooky. Women are both amazing and sinister—including myself—and it’s my curiosity to understand all the love, loss, and changes that come out of my love for women.”

Listen on: Spotify | ‎Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music

Twenty One Pilots – Breach

It’s an ending of sorts on the eighth album from Twenty One Pilots, which sees the mysterious US duo wrap up the expansive conceptual story they’ve been telling since 2015’s Blurryface (and subsequently 2018’s Trench, 2021’s Scaled And Icy, and last year’s Clancy. ‘City Walls’ and its accompanying video is a powerful vehicle for the band to wrap things up, but the unbridled creativity here means we really can’t wait to see what their next move will be.

Listen on: Spotify | ‎Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music

Spinal Tap – The End Continues

It’s forty years since Spinal Tap first graced our screens, but the fictional rock group’s sequel and this accompanying album – both out today – show they’re still more than capable of turning up to eleven. New tracks include the unrepentant ‘The Devil’s Just Not Getting Old’, while a new version of ‘Stonehenge’ featuring Elton John is brilliantly ridiculous. That’s also true of a reworked ‘Big Bottom’, which now features Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks. It’s unrepentantly silly, but also a joy to have Derek Smalls, Nigel Tufnell and David St Hubbins back in our lives.

Listen on: Spotify | ‎Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music

Maruja – Pain to Power

Maruja have existed as one of the biggest word of mouth sensations of 2025 so far. The Manchester outfit have developed a reputation for their ferocious live shows, which blend post rock moments with a psychedelic jazz edge and have frequently sold out across the land in a matter of minutes. It’s a delight to report that their debut album shows they’re a force to be reckoned with as a recorded band too. It’s unrepentant and fierce, although the band rightfully reject any accusations of anger. Instead, it can be described as a rightful reckoning. The soaring title track is a brilliant wake-up call for unity, while the red-hot ‘Look Down On Us’ is an incredibly powerful two fingers towards the negligence and ill-will of society’s most powerful individuals. The result is one of the year’s most powerful debuts and the sound of a band who could soon become huge.

Listen on: Spotify | ‎Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music

Mark William Lewis – Mark William Lewis

The new album from London’s Mark William Lewis is the first non-film or TV-related album from a single artist to be released on A24 Music, the new label from the film giant. Across the self-titled album is an uneasy feel, with stabs of moody harmonica interrupting Lewis’ deep and affecting baritone. Of the fit with his new label, Lewis told The Face: “The more I learned about their identity, the more I could relate to the aesthetic and genre similarities — horror; indie. It felt like a good match.”

Listen on: Spotify | ‎Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music