At almost exactly the midpoint of our conversation about the fifth album made by his band, Fontaines D.C., Grian Chatten told me, “It's an interesting time to be a self.” We'd been talking about the themes on 'Dopamine Chamber,' which comes out on Oct. 16, and could serve as a soundtrack to the era we live in now, what Chatten calls our “glorious age of distraction.” It's also an interesting time

Troye Sivan’s 2023 album, 'Something to Give Each Other,' marked a turning point in the Australian singer-songwriter’s career. Its choreo-driven singles “Rush” and “Got Me Started” became viral hits, earned Sivan his first Grammy nominations and even spawned a Timothée Chalamet and boygenius spoof on Saturday Night Live. Soon after came the Sweat tour with friend and peer Charli xcx amid the hype

Cameron Winter. Troye Sivan. Remi Wolf. Host Stephen Thompson breaks down the best albums out Friday, Oct. 9 with DJs from around the NPR Music network: Tshego Letsoalo from KALW in San Francisco, Aurora McGuckin from MVYRADIO in Massachusetts and Jewly Hight from WPLN in Nashville. Plus, a handful of NPR Music writers and critics offer their personal picks in the lightning round. The Starting 5 (

The music of Tim Bernardes fits as easily in the poetry of the cosmos as it does in the songwriting canon of his country. Brazil has a legacy of some of the greatest most intricate, emotional songwriting there is, and if you ask me, I’d argue Tim fits right into it. So, I invited him in to play a Tiny Desk for our annual El Tiny takeover. And, of course, I took the opportunity to pull him into the

A super deluxe box set of The Beatles' legendary 1965 album Rubber Soul has just been released with brand new mixes, demos and outtakes that show The Beatles breaking up with the past, their fans and everything people knew and loved about the band. In this conversation with All Songs Considered host Robin Hilton, Giles Martin, the producer behind the new mixes and son of late Beatles producer Geor

Victoria Monét. Meshell Ndegeocello. Sons of Sevilla. Host Stephen Thompson breaks down the best albums out Friday, Oct. 2, with DJs from around the NPR Music network: Ayana Contreras from KUVO in Denver, Evan Miller from WYSO in Ohio and DJ Llu from Vermont Public. Plus, a handful of NPR Music writers and critics offer their personal picks in the lightning round. The Starting 5 (01:53) Album No.

Jazz has often been called America's musical gift to the world. This week's guests remind us not only of the well-documented ways that Cuba revolutionized that gift, but also how it blossomed in South America. Chilean tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana and Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba stopped by after their recent Tiny Desk performance to chat about their own personal histories with jazz and its

We get big and loud this week with a surprise drop from Phoebe Bridgers and her song “On Video,” from the Primetime soundtrack; the monstrously disjointed “Placeholder” from Gilla Band; widescreened shoegaze from the Danish artist Trentemøller and more. NPR Music’s Dora Levite joins host Robin Hilton as they share their picks for the best new songs out now. Tell us what you think with a review on

Leon Bridges. Blondshell. Joy Oladokun. Host Stephen Thompson breaks down the best albums out Friday, Sept. 18 with DJs from around the NPR Music network: Erin Wolf from Radio Milwaukee, Jewly Hight from WPLN in Nashville and Liz Warner from WDET in Detroit. Plus, a handful of NPR Music writers and critics offer their personal picks in the lightning round. The Starting 5 (00:53) Album No. 1 - Blon

YEИDRY's music is almost as diverse she is. Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Italy, the singer’s repertoire of genre and sound pulls from multiple continents, and even more unique cultural roots. It’s complicated to explain so many mixed identities, but, as we know quite well at Alt.Latino, music is an easy way to tell a complex story. From the first song she ever heard to a track that

Our latest mix of the week’s best new songs swings from the shoegaze rock of rising LA band untitled (halo) to Bach’s “Air on the G String” performed by pianist Víkingur Ólafsson. We’ve also got singer Lizzy McAlpine’s breathtaking ode to her late father, the laid-back grooves of polymath Sen Morimoto, the extraordinary voice of Scottish singer Beth Taylor and more. NPR Music’s Tom Huizenga joins

In September 2025, the electro-pop duo Sylvan Esso made headlines with the announcement that it was removing its catalog from Spotify. The world’s most popular music streamer wasn’t new to criticism, but the temperature changed last year with the revelation that then-CEO Daniel Ek was a major investor in Helsing, an AI software company that designs military weapons systems. A year later, the band

Beck. Carly Rae Jepsen. Beabadoobee. Host Stephen Thompson breaks down the best albums out Friday, Sept. 18 with DJs from around the NPR Music network: Robert Moore from 90.9 The Bridge in Kansas City, Amelia Mason from WBUR in Boston, and Brian Burns from WUNC in Chapel Hill. Plus, a handful of of NPR Music writers and critics offer their personal picks in the lightning round. The Starting 5 (01:

Shortly after Los Texmaniacs did what they do best at the Tiny Desk, I pulled them into a studio to chat with them about the traditions they represent with their music. It turned into a master class on the accordion-fueled style known as conjunto, a mix of European folk music and Spanish-language storytelling. Plus, the group shared some love for one of the iconic artists who taught the world how

We’re back with another round of the best new songs out now, including the universe-splitting “Blister Sunrise” from M83, Shygirl’s bone-rattling, euphoric track “Alyse,” subversive funk from Asher White and more. NPR Music writer and editor Sheldon Pearce joins host Robin Hilton. Tell us what you think with a review on Apple or Spotify wherever you listen to podcasts. Questions, comments, suggest

Sylvan Esso. This Is Lorelei. Ezra Collective. Host Stephen Thompson breaks down the best albums out Friday, Sept. 11 with DJs from around the NPR Music network: Brian Burns from WUNC in Chapel Hill, Celia Gregory from WNXP in Nashville, and John Morrison from WXPN in Philadelphia. Plus, a handful of NPR Music writers and critics offer their personal picks in the lightning round. The Starting 5 (0

This week Ana features two very different Brazilian artists that both draw heavily on the '60s and '70s Tropicália genre. Felix presents two very different approaches to Colombian folkloric music and a new Spanish-language singer-songwriter who turns sadness into light. Artists and albums featured in this episode: (01:52) Maglore, 'Fluxo Natural' (07:13) Indus, 'El Mangle' (12:42) Candelabro, 'Des

We share more reimagined and reinterpreted songs that rival the originals, including Janis Joplin’s iconic take on Kris Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee,” a reggae version of The Beatles' “Don’t Let Me Down,” and more. NPR Music’s Dora Levite and Lars Gotrich rejoin host Robin Hilton for another round. Leave us a review on Apple or Spotify wherever you listen to podcasts. Questions, comments, s

Rebecca Black. Paris Paloma. Button Masher. Host Stephen Thompson breaks down the best albums out Friday, Sept. 4 with DJs from around the NPR Music network: Nastia Voynovskaya from KQED in San Francisco, Julie Bee from Marfa Public Radio in west Texas, and DeShun Nance from WJSU in Jackson, Miss. Plus, a handful of NPR Music writers and critics offer their personal picks in the lightning round. T

I like to think I’m the one who keeps things fresh on the show — or at least that’s what I tell everyone. But this week Felix once again proved that false, bringing in a fresh corridos tumbados duo from Guadalajara who takes a something-old-turned-new genre and smashes it together with metal. It's something I’ve never heard before. What can I say, Felix keeps us all young. I went back to Brazil wi