Every Friday, 88Nine music director Erin Wolf and Lilliput Records co-owner Tanner Musgrove tell you about the new albums you can’t miss on a new episode of On Vinyl. Check out their top picks and a list of this week’s other releases, and listen to their full conversation using the player on this page or on the 88Nine airwaves at 1 p.m. every Friday.
With the recent weather, we’ve gotta ask: Are you feeling a little dark and stormy? If those goth vibes are swirling around more prominently, you can start your dive into this week’s releases with some synth-pop/rock on the darker, edgier end of the spectrum.
First, we’ve got Toronto’s Metric, who use their 10th studio album to take an anthemic turn at chronicling almost two decades of being a touring band. Then there’s Miss Grit’s newest, which features heavier production than her debut and really leans into a maximalist approach for the trademark layered, looping sound.
Also on the darker and colder end of the spectrum, synth-pop with bits of techno, shoegaze and post-punk goodness are at the center of Jasmine Golestaneh’s project TEMPERS. Finally, temper that storm with a little indie rock ‘n’ roll from Chicago’s Friko, who will drop by Lilliput Records on April 30 and then come back to Milwaukee on Oct. 16 for a Vivarium show. Snag the vinyl so you can memorize every chorus and sing along.
Happy New Music Friday!
Best new albums out April 24
Metric, Romanticize the Dive
For their 10th studio album, the Toronto synth-pop band traveled to New York City to record at Electric Lady Studios, and the songs we’ve heard so far pick up that city’s edgy appeal. Lead single “Victim of Luck” is, at its heart, full of warm fuzzies. It’s about centering your life around being in a band, the bonds you make and not trading that kind of luck for all the fame in the world.
You can see just how strong those connections are when Metric plays alongside Broken Social Scene and Stars at Aragon Ballroom in Chicago on July 24, and pick up Romanticize the Dive on plain black or silver vinyl at your local shop. There are also a couple special editions in opaque white or sunflare that come with a signed insert.
Miss Grit, Under My Umbrella
Miss Grit’s sophomore album adopts a more maximalist sound with heavier production, while speaking to their own heartbreak and anxieties. Margaret Sohn shared that the songs started taking shape after an intense touring schedule in which she drove herself around North America totally alone. Upon returning home, there was a yearning to capture that unrestrained energy of playing live. The result is an intense record with chaotic sonics that really speak to Sohn’s musical and production prowess, as well as the state of the world at large.
This one’s available on limited-edition crystal clear vinyl via Mute Records at a record shop near you.
Friko, Something Worth Waiting For
Friko’s debut album Where We've Been, Where We Go from Here was a fave for us in 2024, so we’ve been anxiously awaiting this release. As expected, the Beatles-esque indie-rock quartet’s sophomore effort proved that their classic sound has true staying power.
Friko played at Lilliput Records for 2024’s Record Store Day and wowed us with their performance, then did it again when they dropped by Radio Milwaukee during Summerfest. It should be more of the same when they bring Something Worth Waiting For to Milwaukee for their October show at the Vivarium. Get the album on black vinyl with a six-page zine (and then ask the band to sign it at Lilliput on April 30!).
TEMPERS, Delusion
New York-based project TEMPERS has a new album full of synth-pop, with bits of techno, shoegaze and post-punk goodness. Jasmine Golestaneh has now released four albums under the moniker, each one is as hauntingly beautiful as the last.
Delusion is available on black or rainbow iridescent vinyl at a local record shop near you from Fear of Luxury Records.There’s also a foil-printed boxset limited to 100 copies that comes in an exclusive colorway, as well as a lyric art book, custom patch and signed photo print (only available via Bandcamp).
More of our picks
- Chet Faker, A Love for Strangers
- Kneecap, Fenian
- Mikaela Davis, Graceland Way
- Noah Kahan, The Great Divide
- Ringo Starr, Long Long Road
- The Reds, Pinks & Purples, Acknowledge Kindness
- Young the Giant, Victory Garden
