5 Albums Out This Week You Should Listen to Now

With so much good music being released all the time, it can be hard to determine what to listen to first. Every week, Pitchfork offers a run-down of significant new releases available on streaming services. This week’s batch includes new albums from the Killers, Boldy James and the Alchemist, Jana Rush, Walt McClements, and Wednesday. Subscribe to Pitchfork’s New Music Friday newsletter to get our recommendations in your inbox every week. (All releases featured here are independently selected by our editors. When you buy something through our affiliate links, however, Pitchfork earns an affiliate commission.)

The Killers: Pressure Machine [Island]

The Killers have followed last summer’s Imploding the Mirage with the new Pressure Machine. Foxygen’s Jonathan Rado and Shawn Everett co-produced the album, and frontman Brandon Flowers said that it was inspired by experiences with processing grief and his hometown of Nephi, Utah. Watch the band’s new music video for “Quiet Town.”

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Boldy James / The Alchemist: Bo Jackson [ALC/Empire]

Detroit rapper Boldy James and producer Alchemist have reunited for a new album called Bo Jackson. The LP follows their previous joint releases: 2019’s Boldface EP and 2020’s The Price of Tea in China. Guests on Bo Jackson include Earl Sweatshirt, Curren$y, and Boldy James’ fellow Griselda rapper Benny the Butcher. Last month, James and the Alchemist shared a 30onme-directed video for the “First 48 Freestyle.”

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Jana Rush: Painful Enlightenment [Planet Mu]

Painful Enlightenment is the latest LP from Chicago DJ Jana Rush, marking her debut release for esteemed electronic label Planet Mu. It follows her 2017 album Pariah and features guest spots from DJ Paypal and Nancy Fortune. “This album is not a footwork album,” Rush said of Painful Enlightenment in press materials. “It’s more like dark experimental listening music, an opportunity to be myself without judgement!”

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Walt McClements: A Hole in the Fence [American Dreams]

Los Angeles composer Walt McClements made A Hole in the Fence primarily with an accordion, transforming the instrument’s buoyant tones into expansive, shimmering soundscapes. “I hope the essence of the record conveys the beauty and wonder of secret worlds,” he remarked in a statement. Check out Pitchfork’s track review of “Thresholds (through a hole in the fence).”

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Wednesday: Twin Plagues [Orindal]

Hailing from Asheville, North Carolina, Wednesday draw heavily on early-’90s indie rock (and nostalgia for the genre) for their new album Twin Plagues. Read Pitchfork’s track review of the lead single “Handsome Man.”

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