NPR Music

NPR Music

Welcome to your all-in-one destination for every NPR Music podcast. We break down the best new albums to hit streaming each week on New Music Friday; we share the latest songs worthy of your playlists on All Songs Considered; there’s off-the-rails conversations (and chisme!) about Latin music on Alt.Latino. The NPR Music channel is your hub for new records, iconic artists and cult heroes, free of algorithms and full of surprises. Support public media by joining NPR+ at plus.npr.org. You’ll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening for NPR Music.

Episodes

August 5, 2026 31 mins
To celebrate Ana's world premiere as a DJ -- a gig playing for 5,000 people in Central Park, which she definitely, absolutely prepared for -- this week we present her summer playlist. We've got song of the summer contenders (Aitana's "SUPERESTRELLA"), sleeper hits we missed when they dropped (Quevedo's "EL BAIFO"), and bubbly classics-in-the-making we keep coming back to (Rawayana's "Se Vienen Cositas"). Plus, Felix balances the ba...
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We open this week’s show by reflecting on the loss of Glen Hansard, an artist who was critical to shaping the sound and spirit of All Songs Considered in its earliest days. We then share some of our favorite new tracks of the week, including a King Princess cover of Neil Young’s “Helpless,” cheeky pop from Coco & Clair Clair, a stunning ambient track from Adam Wiltzie and the late composer Jóhann Jóhanns...
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Death never stopped the Grateful Dead before.

Since Jerry Garcia's death in 1995, a sprawling collection of musicians and fans across generations have kept the band’s legacy alive in different ways. But without members Phil Lesh and Bob Weir, Deadheads are experiencing their first summer where there’s no clear inheritor of the Grateful Dead’s mantle.

Where does the music, and the dedicated community ...
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The Durutti Column. Arca. MOLIY. Host Stephen Thompson chats with Olive Kimoto of member station KCRW in Los Angeles about their favorite albums out Friday, July 31. Plus, a handful of NPR Music writers and critics offer their personal picks in the lightning round.

The Starting 5

(01:34) Album No. 1
- The Durutti Column, 'Renascent'
 
(08:49) Album No. 2
- Arca, 'XXXXX'

(17:20) Album No. 3
-...
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July 29, 2026 29 mins
Bill Evans might not be techno. But in this week's episode, the slow-building angst and tension of electronic producer Debit's new music reminded Ana of the beloved jazz piano master. And that kind of genre cross-pollination is everywhere in this week's showcase of new music: Brazilian field recordings remixed for the club, multiple reinterpretations of the Cuban guaguancó, and Spanish producers channeling -- as Ana puts it -- "exp...
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July 28, 2026 45 mins
Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest places, if you look at it right. And if you get confused, just listen to the music play. This week, resident Deadheads Isabella Gomez Sarmiento and Felix Contreras help host Robin Hilton hear what he’s been missing in the music of the Grateful Dead.

Are you a Deadhead? Share your memories about the Grateful Dead and we may include them in a big series about the b...
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Charli xcx. Tyla. Shania Twain. Guest host Ann Powers chats with Nastia Voynovskaya of member station KQED in San Francisco about their favorite albums out Friday, July 24. Plus, some NPR Music writers and critics offer their personal picks in the lightning round.

The Starting 5

(02:06) Album No. 1
- Charli xcx, 'Music, Fashion, Film'

(08:16) Album No. 2
- Willow, 'The Thread'

(14:59) Album No. 3
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We'll take any excuse to talk about the insane quality of music coming out of Spain these days. This week, we got one: Spain defeated Argentina on Sunday to win the 2026 World Cup Final. So, this episode is a celebration of the multitude of music scenes across Spain that we can't get enough of. Catch boundary-pushing electronic and hip hop producers in Madrid, indie rockers and songwriters in Barcelona, and some old favorites whose...
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We share our picks for the best new tracks out now, including the laid-back dystopia of Sylvan Esso’s “Concrete Glen,” an acoustic take on Phoebe Bridgers’ “Lost Boys,” the glitched-out chaos of feeble little horse and more.

NPR Music’s Dora Levite joins host Robin Hilton.

Support the show with a review on Apple or Spotify wherever you listen to podcasts. 

Question...
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Gracie Abrams. Nia Archives. Steve Lacy. On a release day full of catchy earworms, host Stephen Thompson chats with Tshego Letsoalo of KALW in San Francisco about their favorite albums out Friday, July 17. Plus, a handful of NPR Music writers and critics offer their personal picks in the lightning round.

The Starting 5

(00:58) Album No. 1
- Gracie Abrams, 'Daughter from Hell'

(08:13) Album No. 2
- Steve L...
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With last week's best-of show behind us, we've got a clean slate to dive into our favorite new music kicking off the second half of the year. Felix brings a batch of country tracks, while Ana -- to absolutely no one's surprise -- continues her exploration of Brazil's endless supply of captivating music. Catch a mesmerizing indie-ambient album from João Carvalho, some posthumous crooning from Raul Malo, the twangy return of Oklahoma...
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On her stellar new single, “Switchblade,” beabadoobee shreds ‘90s style. The Rolling Stones have still got it on their latest album, Foreign Tongues. And Four Tet surprises us with a new “wingdings” project. We’ve got all that and more as we share our picks for the best new songs of the week.

NPR Music’s Sheldon Pearce joins host Robin Hilton.

Featured artists and songs:
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Jack White. Baby Rose. Suki Waterhouse. Host Stephen Thompson chats with Maggie Brennan of WCBE in Ohio about their favorite albums out Friday, July 10. Plus, a handful of NPR Music writers and critics offer their personal picks in the lightning round.

The Starting 5

(02:00) Album No. 1
- Jack White, 'Frozen Charlotte'

(07:28) Album No. 2
- Baby Rose, 'YEARNALISM'

(15:23) Album No. 3
- Suki Wate...
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It’s that time of the year again: a mix between Christmas and Halloween for me and Felix. We gift you our best album picks of the year so far — and there’s nothing spookier for us than having to choose. So here it is, the music we’ve loved and listened to the most in the first half of 2026, some of the best (in our opinion) from all of Latin America and its diaspora. — Anamaria Sayre

Artist and ...
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Roséwave is a feeling more than a singular sound or genre. It’s the kind of sweetness and sadness that underscores the long, languid days of summer.  Long drives with old friends, watching your kids at the pool, backyard barbecues while the sun slowly sets.  On this episode we share a mix of songs that offer the perfect soundtrack for your roséwave days and nights, from Linda Ronstadt’s “How Do I Make Yo...
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July 3, 2026 40 mins
On a special mid-year episode of New Music Friday, host Stephen Thompson and a lineup of NPR Music writers and critics reflect on their favorite albums of the year so far. 

Albums featured in this episode:

(01:14) Album No. 1
- Noah Kahan, 'The Great Divide'

(07:16) Album No. 2
- underscores, 'U'

(14:00) Album No. 3
- Cécile McLorin Salvant, 'With Every Breath I Take'

(20:13) Album N...
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The origin story of The Postal Service is as simple (and twee) as they come: An electronic music producer (Jimmy Tamborello) and an indie rock singer-songwriter (Ben Gibbard) decide to collaborate on a few songs, sending each other music via snail mail. But The Postal Service’s only album, Give Up, eventually went platinum, and the band is selling out arenas decades later. It’s a record that seems to have captured how r...
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On this week’s Alt.Latino, Anamaria and I both gush about 'Femme Fatale Vol. 2,' the new album from Chilean-Mexican singer Mon Laferte, who is on one of the more amazing creative streaks I've witnessed in a while. Also, Ana and I sometimes unintentionally align when picking new music for the show, and that took place this week with a couple of Brazilian highlights: I chose an artist who records as MOMO., while Ana brought in ...
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June 30, 2026 46 mins
It's the midway point of 2026, and it's safe to say that when it comes to the best songs of the year, there's not really any consensus to be found. So we’ve assembled our personal Top 10 list of the most memorable songs to cross our paths, from the outlaw country of Charley Crockett to the glam rock of Friko, Lana Del Rey’s twisted ode to love, Vince Staples' "White Flag" and more.

NPR Music’s Sheldon Pearc...
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Beth Orton. Chanel Beads. Cécile McLorin Salvant. Host Stephen Thompson chats with Ayana Contreras from KUVO in Denver about their favorite new albums out Friday, June 26. Plus, a handful of NPR Music writers and critics offer their personal picks in the lightning round.


The Starting 5

(00:00) Introduction
- Roberta Flack, 'The Montreux Years'

(02:01) Album No. 1
- Cécile McLorin Salvant, 'With Every ...
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