8 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 by Pulp, Turnstile, Interpol, Floating Points, Flowerovlove, The Guest List, Mike D and Alabama Shakes.

Pulp – Live!

There’s been few things in music more joyous than the Pulp reunion of recent years, and this recording of last summer’s show at The O2 captures the band in all their glory. “A concert is an event where songs come back to life. That’s why this album is called Live!,” explains Jarvis Cocker. “It’s both a statement of fact (it’s a recording of a live band) & a challenge (Come on! Everyone come alive!).”

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

Turnstile – NEVER ENOUGH: VERSIONS

Over the last five years, Turnstile’s crossover from hardcore darlings to the rock mainstream and beyond has gained them some very famous fans and now collaborators. On the new 22-song remix album of recent LP NEVER ENOUGH, they recruit a truly staggering list of collaborators from the worlds of dance (Four Tet, A. G. Cook), pop (Hayley Williams, Elton John, Slayyyter), indie (Alex G, Blood Orange, Julien Baker) and beyond, showing their wide-ranging appeal and influence within a wide-ranging circle of world-famous artists.

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

Interpol – This Mirror Weighs a Ton

Interpol’s first album in four years sees the New York indie icons loosening the grip on their signature, moody tone. Working with Charli XCX and Rosalía collaborator Andrew Wyatt, the band worked in an improvisational way and add woodwinds, strings and more to flesh out their sound and enter a new era (this is also their first album for Partisan Records). It leads to one of their strongest records of the last decade, and a reconsideration of the band moving forwards.

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

Floating Points and San Francisco Ballet Orchestra – Mere Mortals

In the 2020s so far, Sam Shepherd has released Floating Points albums that traverse ambient, psychedelic jazz, intricate but pounding dance music and, now, a score for a ballet. Mere Mortals is coming to London’s Sadler’s Wells next month, with Shepherd performing the score at a number of the shows, and it proves once again what a dextrous and remarkable composer he is.

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

Flowerovlove – MINI SKIRT WARRIOR

The singer born Joyce Cissé is a multi-hyphenate singer and model, but this album proves that she’s particularly accomplished at the former of those two. Here, bubbling pop combines with relatable confessionals, such as ‘In My Victoria’s Secret’. It marks the arrival of a truly singular pop star.

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

The Guest List – Something Real

Though still at a tentative stage of their career, The Guest List excel in grabbing lofty themes and turning them into soaring tunes. ‘The Weather Man’ is a sobering look at climate change, while ‘Mary’ aims for the time-honoured pop tradition of honing in on the life of a single character. It’s bright and bold stuff.

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

Mike D – Thank You

On his debut solo album and first record since the death of Beastie Boys founder Adam Yauch, Mike D shows what a privilege it is to have his voice truly back in the world. “All these things that I wanna get done / So much shit that I wanna do / Let go and let loose,” he raps on the mortality-facing ‘It’s Time’. Thankfully, it seems like one of rap’s most unique voices is going nowhere soon.

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

Alabama Shakes – I Must Be Dreaming

On their first album in 11 years, it sounds like Alabama Shakes have never been away. Fronted by the stirring voice of Brittany Howard, the album sees them work in a more improvisational way and reflect on ageing and growing in a world that is quickly disintegrating. Sonically, this leads to psychedelic and woozy sounds that translate this unease. “I’m proud of us for coming from a very honest place on this record instead of trying to go back and create from the perspective of people in their twenties,” Howard says. “The album reflects what’s going on in our lives right now, and there’s real truth in all these songs.”

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