5 albums you need to hear this week
With music from Four Tet, Kacey Musgraves and Caity Baser
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 Four Tet, Kacey Musgraves, Caity Baser, Justin Timberlake and Holly Humberstone.
Four Tet – Three
After a huge 2023 that saw him headline Coachella with Fred again.. and Skrillex and become the producer of the moment, Four Tet’s hot streak continues with new album Three. The eight songs here are largely downbeat and psychedelic, leaving his trademark glitchy beats to the side. For those looking for a more familiar form of Four Tet though, lead single ‘Daydream Repeat’ bursts out of the middle of the record in a sparkling whirlwind of shuddering bass.
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music
Holly Humberstone – Work in Progress EP
Holly Humberstone’s 2023 debut album Paint My Bedroom Black was the arrival of a special new voice in British songwriting, sitting on the precipice between indie darling and pop crossover. New EP Work in Progress – a suitably titled bridge between her debut and whatever comes next – shows that both lanes are still open to her. Single ‘Dive’ is a ’90s-influenced slow jam with buckets of personality and longing.
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music
Justin Timberlake – Everything I Thought I Was
On his sixth album, Justin Timberlake leans into the sultry R&B jams and pop rhythms that established him as a superstar, but it’s up for serious debate whether they hit like they used to. The relentless sexualisation becomes uncomfortable, while an abundance of slow jams ultimately bloats the flow of the whole record. Die-hard fans, as ever though, will likely lap it up,
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music
Kacey Musgraves – Deeper Well
When Kacey Musgraves started work on new album Deeper Well, she didn’t know much about what she would uncover, other than she wanted it to be “soft and organic and honest,” going back to “my songwriting roots.” After the singer graduated from the US country scene with 2018’s Golden Hour with a sparkle of pop production and arena-sized ambition. On the new album, she returns to a more stripped-back and traditional sound, finding new worlds to inhabit inside old structures.
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music
Caity Baser – Still Learning
Humour, fun and a no-fucks-given spirit have defined nearly all of Caity Baser’s output to date.
This latest mixtape is the perfect encapsulation of that, thirteen tracks that broaden the horizons of her sound and show off her true potential. The soaring ‘Pretty Boys’ sounds even more comprehensive in this setting, while ‘Why Can’t I Have Two (2468)’ – is a brilliant riposte to relationship and gender norms. It’s a record that establishes Baser as a real name to be reckoned with in British pop.
Listen on: Spotify| Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music