This week’s selection of New Music Friday releases features the return of a couple of acts whose absence can be measured in decades. There are also some fresh singles that will pique your interest for album releases later this year.
Singles
1. Steve Mahabir, Go to Hell (AMG/UNI)
This is the first single from Mahabir’s second album, Peace Love Ware & Hate, which is due this fall. He’s joined on this song by Toronto alt-rock vet John Borra on bass, Michael Buguski (keyboardist for Blue Rodeo), and drummer Glenn Milchem. Mahabir himself was a member of Toronto’s Groovy Religion back in the 80s. This album was the last album produced by Grammy winner Peter J. Moore, who died in 2023. Terry Brown, who produced nine Rush albums, was also involved.
2. Papa Roach, Braindead (New Noize)
Papa Roach was feeling collaborative, so they asked Toby Morse, frontman for the band H20, to appear on this track. PR’s Jacoby Shaddix says, “We wanted to create something that felt urgent, honest, and in your face — and bringing Toby in took it to the next level. This song is a call to wake up before it’s too late.” This is one of the half-dozen songs they’ve completed for the follow-up to their 2022 album, Ego Trip.
3. Rise Against, I Want It All (Concord Records/Universal Music Canada)
Rise Against has spent most of 2025 touring but also taking time to drop the occasional song. This track, produced by Grammy winner Catherine Marks (yes, female producers can win Grammys, too) and mixed by Alan Moulder (whose resume is too long to list). Richochet, their tenth studio album, will be here on August 15.
4. Royal Otis, Car (Capitol Records/Universal Music Canada)
Royal Otis (Royel Maddell and Otis Pavolic) are having a good year. After offering up a killer track called Moody, the next track from their second album, entitled Hickey (August 22), keeps their momentum going. BBC Radio 1 declared this Hottest Record of the Day with its smooth Strokes-like groove. Canadian dates are coming in August (Montreal) and October (Toronto).
5. Thom Yorke, Dialing In (XL)
Still nothing on the horizon for Radiohead, but Thom Yorke keeps putting out new material with both The Smile and on his own. This solo venture was written as the theme for a new Apple TV drama entitled Smoke, staring Taron Egerton, which also debuts today. If you’re a hardcore Yorke fan, you may recognize bits of this song coming from a track called Gawpers, which Thom has been known to perform live. Oh, and the visuals for this clip were designed by a guy who goes by the name Weirdcore.
Albums
1. Deadguy, Near-Death Travel Services (Relapse)
Talk about taking a break. This is the first Deadguy album since their debut in 1995. I guess everyone was busy. The hair may have turned grey over the decades, but the intensity is still very much there.
2. Fishbone, Stockholm Syndrome (Consigilere)
Another band breaking a long hiatus. This is the first Fishbone album in 19 years, so it’s nice to see the punk-funk pioneers back in the studio. This single features George Clinton–and you can feel it in the groove.
3. Hot Milk, Corporation P.O.P. (Music for Nations)
If you’re keeping an eye on what’s happening in Manchester, Hot Milk has returned with a second album. They’ve been around since 2018 and always have something to say about the state of the planet. The Foo Fighters are fans–and I can see why.
4. Lorde, Virgin (Republic)
The build-up to Lorde’s fourth album has been intense (her first single 2021’s Solar Power, a record that didn’t do as well as hoped) with all kinds of social media teasing, not to mention three advance singles. In addition to producing the record herself, seven other people were present in the studio to give pointers. Meanwhile, Lorde underwent MDMA therapy to help cure her stage fright. Think a lot is riding on this album?
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