Fresh Grooves for August 28

The Manchester indie quartet's Loren Humphrey-produced debut — a warm, widescreen record about time moving forward and the magic of human connection. The band famously formed just for fun, never planning a single gig.

Ken Carson expands the 'xperiment' universe with a 13-track EP addendum, stacking rage rap with collaborations from Playboi Carti, Lil Uzi Vert and Destroy Lonely. 'keep goin' sets the pace.

Weezer's twentieth album and latest color-coded entry — producer Kenneth Blume wanted 'the most violent Weezer album ever,' recorded live with no click track. 'We Might As Well Be Strangers' (feat. Wednesday) leads.

The debut single from rising Czech artist KEROLAJN, built with producer Valentine — bright, punchy house-pop that promises a run of collaborations to come.

Stella Lefty's long-awaited debut album, announced mid-set at Lollapalooza — 14 tracks of country-pop led by 'Lean In, Kiss Me,' following the viral success of her 'Is This Heaven?' EP.

prettifun's sequel to his 2024 breakthrough 'Pretti' — a rage-soaked victory lap he likens to Kanye's 'Graduation,' the next installment in his own college-themed trilogy.

Sam Smith's fifth album, largely written and recorded in New York — baroque pop and British folk shading into R&B, with collaborators including Feist.

Denzel Curry and Kenneth Blume (fka Kenny Beats) reunite for the follow-up to 2020's 'Unlocked,' with guests like Yebba, JPEGMAFIA and Westside Gunn. Recorded entirely on an SP-404 and a cheap microphone.

The event of the week: Badu's first full-length since 2015, cut with The Alchemist over 18 months between Dallas and LA — 16 tracks with Westside Gunn, Earl Sweatshirt, Thundercat and Kamasi Washington.