Notable vinyl releases out this Friday - 11 April (2025)

Bon Iver's three-song collection SABLE, was a prologue miredin darkness, a controlled burn clearing the way for newpossibilities. fABLE is the book that follows. Where SABLE,was a work of solitude, fABLE is an outstretched hand.Radiant, ornate pop music gleams around Vernon's voice as hefocuses on a new and beautiful era.On every song, his eyes are locked with one specific person. It'slove, which means there's an intense clarity, focus, and honestywithin fABLE. It's a portrait of a man flooded and overwhelmedby that first meeting ("Everything Is Peaceful Love"). There's atableau defined by sex and irrepressible desire ("WalkHome"). This is someone filled with light and purpose seeingan entire future right in front of him: a partner, new memories,maybe a family.There's something undeniably healing about infatuation.Cleaving to someone else can feel like light pouring in from adoor that's suddenly swung wide. But there's a reason SABLE, isof a piece with fABLE; the shadow still rears it's head in lightertimes. Even when you've reached a new chapter, you'll still findyourself back in your own foundational muck. A fable isn't afairy tale. There's good stuff: unbridled joy and trips to Spain.But fables aren't hinged on happy endings; they're here to instilla lesson.As the album winds to a close, he acknowledges the need forpatience and a commitment to put in the work. There's aselfless rhythm required when you're enmeshing yourself withanother person. The song-and by extension the entire album-is a pledge. He's ready to find that pace.

2025 marks a new chapter for symphonic metal innovators Epica, with the announcement of their 9th studio album titled Aspiral. For more than 20 years now, Epica have been standing tall. And while already their last efforts clearly showcased their commitment to the game, it is Aspiral that truly distills the very heart of their trademark sound. The journey of growth follows a spiral, continuously widening and deepening with every cycle. By sticking to this spiritual principle, symphonic metal innovators Epica have reinvented themselves on their ninth effort Aspiral, releasing a studio album that shows a band brimming with a newfound joy in their own skin – standing united as a team, where every band member brought inspiration, ideas and years of songwriting experience to the table.  

Mamalarky thrive in the in-between, a tri-coastal outfit straddling Atlanta, Austin, and Los Angeles, crafting a sound that feels both meticulously constructed and effortlessly unspooled. Their brand of indie rock is delightfully askew-swirling psych flourishes meet wiry guitar tangents, all anchored by tender, off-kilter hooks that burrow deep. It's music that invites you into it's strange little universe, full of inside jokes and late-night musings turned into melodic gold.Their sophomore effort, Hex Key-marking their Epitaph Records debut-lands in April, with plenty of mileage ahead as they road-test new material. A spring tour includes a run with Hinds and a stop at Treefort Music Fest, where their shape-shifting sonics will no doubt translate into hypnotic, full-bodied chaos.Formed in Austin in 2016, Mamalarky's lineup has since scattered across time zones, but their chemistry remains unmistakable. Guitarist Livvy Bennett (formerly of Cherry Glazerr), keyboardist Michael Hunter (White Denim), drummer Dylan Hill, and bassist Noor Khan (Faye Webster's touring bassist) operate like a band that's spent years finishing each other's musical sentences. Their songwriting thrives on kinetic interplay-nimble and restless, yet always landing in some deeply satisfying pocket.While indie-pop might be the easiest tag to slap on them, Mamalarky dodge the genre's more predictable trappings. Instead of settling into breezy melancholy, they embrace complexity-knotty time signatures, rubbery basslines, and melodies that feel like they're winking at you. It's heady but never pretentious, the kind of music that rewards repeat listens, each spin revealing a new hidden corner.

Posthumous record releases are always charged with emotion but when the release comes from a 17 year-old artist that was just getting started it is heartbreaking. Anxious is a mesmorizing selection of songs that explore the highs, lows and uncertainty of teenage life through the eyes of Nell and is the follow up to her debut collaboration with The Flaming Lips that explored the works of Nick Cave. Guided by the talented Jack and Lily Wolter who helped shape Nell's songs, some of which had been in the works since she was twelve years old, the result is an album brimming with emotion, playful melodies and a depth that hints at what Nell's future may have held. Black LP, matte finish

The Mars Volta's ninth studio album represents a significant milestone for the band, which has been continually reinventing itself for more than 20 years. With “Lucro sucio; Los ojos del vacio," they deliver an album that celebrates their roots, allowing them to reconnect with their origins. Fans are invited to embark on a musical journey.