New Music Friday: 13th Floor New Album Picks…and More: January 30, 2026
Its New Music Friday and this week our top 5 picks include new releases by Tyler Ballgame, Yumi Zouma, Muroki and more.
And…there’s a new episode of our Podcast: Sound Thinking with Graham Reid and Marty Duda…details below:
Here are our picks for the five albums that deserve your consideration on this New Music Friday:
- Tyler Ballgame – For The First Time, Again (Rough Trade) A new artist who makes new music the old fashioned way. Recorded with acclaimed indie producers Jonathan Rado and Ryan Pollie who are known as unapologetic “analog fetishists,” they shape the sonics of Ballgame’s work with propulsive acoustic guitar, soulful rhythms, colorful keyboards, occasional horns, and lush harmonies, all rendered with the same recording technology as in classic albums of the ‘60s and ‘70s. And Tyler’s stunning voice (often compared to the great Roy Orbison, is more than icing on the cake. Click here to read the 13th Floor album review.
2. Muroki – Amber Skies (Self) A debut album that’s been a long time coming. This Berlin-based Kiwi has finally released his first full-length album after drip feeding us singles and EPs since 2019. Inspired by the great Al Green and other r&b greats of the 60s and 70s, Muroki sounds chilled without sounding boring. Click here to watch the 13th Floor MusicTalk interview with Muroki.
3. Dani Larkin – Next Of Kin (Self) Direct from Belfast we bring you Dani Larkin. On this, her second long player, Dani mixes traditional Irish songs with her own 21st century originals. Larkin pushes the boundaries of songwriter and what it means to be an ‘artist of the times’. She has deftly woven herself within the threads of the modern folk canon alongside Sufjan Stevens, Bon Iver and Adrienne Lenker. Click here to watch the 13th Floor MusicTalk interview with Dani Larkin.
4. Yumi Zouma – No Love Lost To Kindness (Nettwerk) Despite being scattered across the globe, the Kiwi band has managed to get together and release a fifth album, in Mexico City, of all places! The band reflects, “Making our fifth album was the most friction-filled creative period since the band began. We booked studio time throughout the year, came together, scattered, mixed, repeated. The studio gave us songs we loved, but the in-between moments were tense—anxiously avoiding each other, bold last-minute changes, impossible time zones. This album carries all of that. Click here to read the 13th Floor album review.
5. You, Me, Everybody – Midnight (Self) It took awhile, but Wellington progressive bluegrass band You, Me, Everybody has finally released their third album…produced by an American, but recorded in Wellington. “Because there isn’t a lot of bluegrass being recorded in New Zealand, we knew we needed to look to the States for our Producer but we didn’t want to lose who we are either. We chose Nashville based musician, Rachel Baiman, as she makes acoustic music that utilises all of our instruments and has a great insight and appreciation for what we want for the sound. Plus she is married to a Kiwi”, says banjo player Nat Torkington. Click here to read the 13th Floor album review.
Also out today…a new episode of Sound Thinking with Graham Reid & Marty Duda
This week the podcast features reviews of Yumi Zouma, Tyler Ballgame, Anna Van Riel, Tinsley Ellis, Muroki and more! Find and follow where all good podcasts are found. Or: Click here!
Coming up on The 13th Floor:
Album Reviews: Bic Runga, John Craigie, Earth Tongue
Interviews: Six60, Iron & Wine, Hemi Hemingway
Concert Reviews: L.A.B., Violet Hirst, Laneway Festival
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!
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