nudedisco

Pitchfork

Xavier
The New York rapper’s debut is a cult rap record with big ambition. Cool, chaotic, and hyper-curious, Xav blows up his sound without losing his style.
Empty Hands
The versatile metalcore singer amplifies all her strengths on her seventh album—it’s heavier, savvier, and quirkier than ever.
GIRL I LOVE YOU
The Korean producer’s debut fortifies trance-inflected emotionality with singeli, reggaeton, and hard drum rhythms to argue that maximalism isn’t quite dead yet.
African Skies
Long a collectors’ holy grail, this searching, atmospheric soundtrack recorded for Chicago’s Adler Planetarium in 1993 mixes spiritual jazz with avant-garde pan-Africanism.

The Needledrop

Poppy - Empty Hands
Empty Hands is a slight step down from Negative Spaces.
J. Cole - Birthday Blizzard '26
The hungriest Cole has sounded in a long time.
Sunday Mourners - A-Rhythm Absolute
Sunday Mourners make a pretty strong first impression on their debut album.
Megadeth - Self-Titled
Sadly not a high note for Dave Mustaine & co. to end on.