Notable vinyl releases out this Friday - 31 January (2025)

The Purple Bird finds Bonnie "Prince" Billy working with a "producer" for only the second time in his illustrious catalog. This time it's David "Ferg" Ferguson (Johnny Cash, Sturgill Simpson) who guides the songs backed by "the best band you can get in Nashville right now", country singer John Anderson and Bluegrass legend Tim O'Brien. The Purple Bird is simultaneously like and unlike other BPB records. Many of the songs are a product of multiple composers' voices, making the shape-shifting aspect of the BPB persona more fluid than ever before.

Eddie Chacon’s 2023 album, Sundown, established him as a “low-key R&B legend”, 30 years after his rocket-to-the-stars success as half of the duo Charles and Eddie. Now, Chacon is back with Lay Low, an album of hazy, seductive songs produced by Nick Hakim. Eddie Chacon’s soulful music has been praised by The Guardian, Uncut, MOJO, Record Collector, Aquarium Drunkard and many more.

When a Freckle pops up, that’s when you know that the sun has gotten through. Don’t let ‘em tell you it’s skin damage – more like the sign of time well spent, as always, in the light. Freckle the band’s like that. Freckle is, then, a Californian, the hive mind of Corey Madden and Ty Segall. This LP reminds all of us that when the clouds are out you can still get sunburned.

Geologist and DS meet in an expanding sonic field built up from a handful of pieces posted online. Lovingly reordering a few short minutes of music featuring the fine folk guitar chops and magic vibe of Sleepy Doug Shaw, Brian Weitz (Animal Collective’s Geologist) works a variety of loops and edits through his modular system to create new pleasing shapes from old. A salutary and affirmative trip through peaceful idylls and energizing spaces.

L.S. Dunes is a dynamic supergroup formed by members from prominent bands within the punk and alternative rock scenes. The lineup features Anthony Green (Circa Survive, Saosin) on vocals, Frank Iero (My Chemical Romance) on guitar, Travis Stever (Coheed and Cambria) on guitar, Tim Payne (Thursday) on bass, and Tucker Rule (Thursday) on drums. Known for their high-energy performances and unique blend of post-hardcore and punk influences, L.S. Dunes brings together a powerhouse of talent and experience, creating a sound that is both fresh and familiar to fans of their respective bands. Available on violet color vinyl.

Forever was a record that was written and recorded one track at a time with my husband Coley. After scrapping about 20 songs or so I had written the last few years, I wanted to get to the heart of things. I had a great talk with a friend on the phone and she mentioned she just wasn’t sure where I’d been. I realized I wasn’t really certain of that either. It’d been a foggy few years after 2020, and the pieces seemed to just be starting to be picked up. I had fallen in love, gotten married, had a dog, a house…things I had always dreamed of. But it took my quite some time to accept them as my life. For a bit, I felt like an outsider watching myself stumble though everything, and was constantly critiquing myself, to the point where I could hardly leave the house for a bit. But then I realized my life was passing me by, and the love I was living in required presence to accept. I started to do the little things you have to do to just show up for people: listen, grow, change, write….get outside of my own problems. Time is flying, and I want to be here for it all rather than lost in my thoughts all the time. My love is forever. When I was a kid I used to say to my mom and dad “I love you forever and always” then neurotically changed it to “I love you forever and always and it’s true and I mean it”…because I wanted to make sure they knew how much I wasn’t messing around! I still feel that way when I say “I love you” to anyone and hope it comes across on this record. Love y’all forever!

Modern electronica masters Maribou State are back with their first new album since their game changing full-length sophomore LP ‘Kingdoms In Colour’ from 2018. The London based duo Chris Davids and Liam Ivory have been finessing the hugely anticipated new music over the past few years ahead of a highly ambitious campaign which will see their biggest ever live shows and with top charting aspirations across the globe. This album will cement Maribou State as one of the globe’s most prominent electronic artists, a band in the vein of a Disclosure or Jamie xx who are renowned as being unmissable both as a live band and with every new music release, and who also have an iconic visual identity. This album will become the definitive album within the more chilled-out orientated scene, a legacy record akin to the likes of Moby, Royksopp and AIR that still resonate years down the line.

Hurry Up Tomorrow is the upcoming sixth studio album by the Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd, scheduled to be released through XO and Republic Records. It will serve as the final part of an album trilogy that began with After Hours (2020) and continued with Dawn FM (2022).