Adia Victoria, Sufjan Stevens, Ty Segall and Minnesota artist Thomas Abban have hot-off-the-press music to share. We also discover tracks from emerging artists Valley and Ethel Cain.

Valley, "Tempo"

The Juno Award nominees for Breakthrough Group of the Year in 2020, Valley are a Canadian group to keep an eye on. The song "Tempo" is poppy and fresh and fun — perfect summertime listening.

Adia Victoria, "Magnolia Blues"

Some more gothic blues for the Nashville-by-way-of-South Carolina musician, Adia Victoria. On her new album, A Southern Gothic, she pulled in T Bone Burnett as her producer, and the album features cameos from Jason Isbell, Margo Price, and Matt Berninger of The National. It's a haunting look at the history of the American South and the complex way that history has seeped into Adia's current life. The heat and humidity pulls at you in her latest, "Magnolia Blues."

Sufjan Stevans and Angelo De Augustine, "Reach Out"

Did you spend a little too much of the pandemic watching movies? Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine did, too, but took that to inspire a group of songs that are now collected in their new album, A Beginner's Mind. On "Reach Out," their voices float and find space to layer and snuggle with harmonies. It's lovely and comforting.

Ty Segall, "Waxman"

A surprise album arrived earlier this week from Ty Segall. The ever-experimental artist's latest, Harmonizer, continues to exude Segall's playful spirit. "Waxman" is a sludgy, pschedelic rocker.

Ethel Cain, "Crush"

Hayden Anhedönia, grew up in the church — her father was a deacon and her mother sang in the choir. Then at 16, she left the church, a few years after she was first ostracized for being gay, and a few years before she would come out as a transgender woman. As Ethel Cain, she writes wrenchingly honest and beautiful vignettes about small town life.

Thomas Abban, "Surrender Song"

I've been blown away by Minnesota artist Thomas Abban since I first saw him at an Art-A-Whirl showcase before he even had an album to put out. Even at that early stage, he seemed to have a fully thought out an original stage persona; add that to wildly impressive guitar skills and vocal control. With new music finally out, Abban leans into his dramatic style.

Playlist