The best new albums out Sept. 26

It's New Music Friday, and the first weekend of autumn has brought forth a handful of releases by beloved veteran artists.

Neko Case is back with her first album since 2018. Robert Plant and his melancholic bluegrass band interprets songs by Low, The Low Anthem, Blind Willie Johnson and more. Jeff Tweedy of Wilco released a sprawling triple album with help from his two sons. Plus, there are a couple of heartbreak-inspired albums by Amanda Shires and Cate Le Bon. (And we'd be remiss not to mention the new albums from pop culture royalty Mariah Carey and Doja Cat.)

NPR Music's Lars Gotrich guest hosts this week with some help from Evan Miller of WYSO in Ohio. The two blond bearded men discuss those albums and a couple more favorites out this week. Listen to the show wherever you get your podcasts and then check back here for our full list of today's new music.

The Starting Five

Our hosts share the backstories and best songs from the following albums:

💿 Neko Case, Neon Grey Midnight Green (Stream)

• Recommended If You Like: The New Pornographers, Rilo Kiley

💿 Jeff Tweedy, Twilight Override (Stream)

• RIYL: Wilco, Cass McCombs
• Hear All Songs Considered's interview with Jeff Tweedy

💿 Robert Plant, Saving Grace (Stream)

• RIYL: Alison Krauss, Patty Griffin

💿 Amanda Shires, Nobody's Girl (Stream)

• RIYL: Brandi Carlile, Emmylou Harris

💿 Cate Le Bon, Michelangelo Dying (Stream)

• RIYL: Horsegirl, Stereolab

New Music Friday is a feature of NPR's All Songs Considered podcast. Hear the discussion on the NPR App, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

The Lightning Round

Seven more albums we wish we had time to discuss on the podcast:

💿 Geese, Getting Killed

💿 Mariah Carey, Here For It All

💿 Doja Cat, Vie

💿 Josie, A Life of Sweets Alone

💿 Bitchin Bajas, Inland See

💿 M. Sage, Tender / Wading

💿 Lady Wray, Cover Girl

Listen to each album's best songs on our New Music Friday playlists on Spotify and Apple, or wherever you stream music.

The Long List

For those who want to dig even deeper, here are the week's new albums sorted by genre:

R&B/Soul

• Olivia Dean, The Art of Loving
• Rochelle Jordan, Through The Wall
• Breez Kennedy, We All Need Love EP

Rap/Hip-Hop

• ZelooperZ, Dali Aint Dead
• Young Thug, UY Scuti
• Jay Worthy, Once Upon A Time
• Mg Lil Bubba, Bub's Burgers 2: Deluxe
• Peezy, STILL GHETTTO
• Jaden, 2025: A Surrealist Ball or Elephants Reflecting Swans EP

Classical

• Anastasia Kobekina, Bach's Cello Suites
• Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, The Dmitri Ensemble, Graham Ross, John Rutter: A Clare College Celebration
• Chris Williams, Odu: Vibration II
• Dobrinka Tabakova, Sun Triptych
• Ensemble Galilei, There I Long to Be
• Gideon Broshy, Nest
• Tamar Sagiv, Tamar Sagiv

Country/Folk/Americana

• Adam Wright, Nature of Necessity
• Amble, HAND ME DOWNS EP 
• HARDY, COUNTRY! COUNTRY!
• Jake Banfield, Open Bars
• Jared Dustin Griffin, The Perseverance of Sisyphus
• Kolton Moore & The Clever Few, A Place That I Call Home
• Lady A, On This Winter's Night (Volume 2)
• Lily Rose, I Know What I Want 
• Marcus King Band, Darling Blue
• Sir Richard Bishop, Hillbilly Ragas

Electronic/Out There

• Masma Dream World, A GRAVE IN A LUCKY SITE
• a.brehme, OG01
• Daniel G. Harmann , Versailles
• Fred Armisen, 100 Sound Effects
• Grandbrothers, Elsewhere
• John Maus, Later Than You Think
• Mainline Magic Orchestra, Orchestra Magic Mainline
• Nastia Reigel, Identity
• Nobukazu Takemura, knot of meanings
• Piotr Kurek, Songs and Bodies
• Polygon Window, Surfing on Sine Waves (Expanded Edition)
• Purity Ring, Purity Ring
• ROLROLROL, Dinner
• SCALER, Endlessly
• Shygirl, Club Shy Room 2 + 2
• Sir Winston, Protect The Future
• Xexa, Kissom

Global

• Martox, Caracol
• Meklit, A Piece of Infinity
• Fireboy DML and Pheelz, Peace by Piece EP

Jazz

• Tom Skinner, Kaleidoscopic Visions
• Henry Threadgill, Listen Ship
• Alex Hitchcock , Letters From Afar 
• Cochemea, Vol. 3: Ancestros Futuros
• Cole Davis, Consider It!
• Donny McCaslin, Lullaby for the Lost
• Mulatu Astatke, Mulatu Plays Mulatu
• Sven Wunder, Daybreak
• Tomorrow Comes The Harvest , The Happening
• Yttling Jazz, Illegal Hit
• Human Error Club & Kenny Segal, HUMAN ERROR CLUB AT KENNY'S HOUSE

Pop

• Eleri Ward, Internal Rituals
• Kali Uchis, Sincerely: P.S. (Deluxe)
• Meghan Dowlen, Dizzy Spell
• Zara Larsson, Midnight Sun

Rock/Alt/Indie

• SPRINTS, All That Is Over
• Automatic, Is It Now?
• Bill MacKay & Ryley Walker, Land of Plenty (Reissue)
• Bright Eyes, Kids Table 
• Coach Party, Caramel 
• Cockfighter, Better You Lucky Life
• crushed, no scope
• Daffo, Where the Earth Bends
• Dave Hause, …And The Mermaid
• Dimples, Obscure Residue
• Dying Wish, Flesh Stays Together
• EERA, I'll stop when I'm done.
• GECKØS, GECKØS
• glaive, Y'ALL
• HUNNY, SPIRIT!
• Immersion, WTF??
• Kathryn Williams, Mystery Park
• KINGFISH, Hard Road
• Lucky Horse Red, Lucky Horse Red 
• LUSH, GALA (35th anniversary deluxe)
• Mason Lindahl, Joshua / Same Day Walking
• MEGA, I Am Enough
• Patrick Watson, Uh Oh
• Remi Goode, Things I've Said Before
• Sam Prekop, Open Close
• Shiner, BELIEVEYOUME
• Sloan, Based on the Best Seller
• SONS, Hallo
• SWOLL, AVOID ATTACH
• The Cords, The Cords
• The Macks, Bonanza
• The Starting Line, Eternal Youth
• Trestles, SALT
• UNIVERSITY, YES EP
• Rainbow Kitten Surprise, bones

Credits

• Host: Lars Gotrich
• Guest: Evan Miller, WYSO
• Audio Producer: Noah Caldwell
• Digital Producer: Elle Mannion
• Editor: Otis Hart
• Production Assistant: Dora Levite
• Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed