3 new songs and 3 new albums to check out this weekend

Welcome to our weekly music post, where we spotlight our favorite new songs and albums. Hop in the comments and tell us: What new music are you listening to?

Thursday, “Taking Inventory Of A Frozen Lake”

This is going to sound like a dig to anyone who doesn’t take emo music and its various subgenres far too seriously, so you’ll just have to trust me that when I say Thursday’s new song (their third in just a few months after taking a 13-year-long break) feels longer than its already generous four-and-a-half-minute runtime, I mean it as a compliment. Geoff Rickly’s vocals and Tom Keeley’s guitar feed off each other, building to screams from Rickly that are straight out of 2003 and instrumental breaks that take you on a whole journey. The band released the song on the very last day of 2024; according to an Instagram post, “The lyrics refer to the dark night of the soul that people encounter when they are forced to examine their pasts.” A perfect way to close out the year.

Jeff Rosenstock, “The Sunrise Song”

Before you get your hopes up, no, this is not a portent of a new album from Jeff Rosenstock. “The Sunrise Song” comes from the compilation Group Picture Vol. 14, and it’s a short acoustic jam that feels at home on a relatively obscure collection. But it’s still new Jeff Rosenstock, and we’ll take what we can get when it comes to Rosenstockian goodness. Also of note: In the lyrics, Rosenstock mentions that the song’s narrator is writing a book (“I’m not sure what I’ll have learned after the book I’m reading is complete,” he sings the first time around, and then switches “reading” for “writing” when the line repeats), and given his penchant for autobiographical lyrics, it’s hard not to read into what that could mean.

Joey Bada$$, “The Ruler’s Back”

With “The Ruler’s Back,” Joey Bada$$ is coming for anyone who’s left him out of the conversation. The song takes aim at the dominance of West Coast hip-hop over the past few years, and some have interpreted it as a specific dig at Kendrick Lamar. But taking such a narrow view misses the point; “The Ruler’s Back” is a declaration of dominance, a demand for recognition for both Joey Bada$$ and the East Coast rap scene as a whole.

Bad Bunny, Debí Tirar Más Fotos

Technically, Debí Tirar Más Fotos drops this Sunday, January 5, but you can still squeeze it into your weekend listening rotation. Bad Bunny’s fifth album, Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va A Pasar Mañana, didn’t make quite as big a splash as his fourth, Un Verano Sin Ti, which led to two Grammy nominations, one win, and the opening performance at the 2023 ceremony. News about Debí Tirar Más Fotos has been sparse and sudden; Bad Bunny only announced the album last week. But maybe the element of surprise will work in his favor, allowing him to dominate an otherwise quiet early January.

Cardiacs, Cardiacs

This two-song E.P. accompanies the release of Cardiacs: A Big Book And A Band And The Whole World Window, a coffee-table book cataloging the cult British band’s history. You can only get the physical edition of the EP by buying the book, but the songs are available digitally through Bandcamp. And if you’re a Cardiacs fan, you’ll want to get your hands on these tracks in one form or another, because they’re both pretty special. “Aukamakic/Dead Mouse” is a previously unreleased track originally recorded for their 1979 debut Cardiac Arrest EP, and “Faster Than Snakes With A Ball And A Chain” is a remastered version of a B-side from their 1999 album Guns.

Dean Blunt, Lucre

The best way to get into Dean Blunt’s music has always been to just dive in headfirst, since trying to make sense of his varied and experimental output is a fool’s errand. Blunt seemingly acknowledges this with his latest release, Lucre, a 16-minute EP that, as of this writing, is only available to stream via one long YouTube video. The project covers an impressive array of genres in its short runtime, leaving you in a very different place than where you started.