New Music Friday: 13th Floor New Album Picks: February 16, 2024

New Music Friday rears its ugly head once more! Actually, its a fine day for music lovers and we’ve selected five new releases that we think will tickle your fancy.

The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda picks these five new releases for your consideration:

1. IDLES – TANGK (Partisan) The band’s fifth album bristles with energy and…love.  Says front man Joe Talbot, “If you give people everything on stage, they’ll give you everything back. There’s no bullshit in our crowd, no lack of lucidity,” he says. “I wanted to bring that to a record. I’ve got more strength in me than I ever have, and it comes from love.” Production by Nigel Godrich and Kenny Beats, this is IDLES as you’ve never heard them before.

2. Paloma Faith – The Glorification Of Sadness (RCA/The Orchard) The sixth album and a new era for the British songstress. Says Paloma, “I’m cheekily calling it my MILF era. I’ve gone to the depths of hell. And when you do that, you come out thinking nothing really matters. I’ve got nothing to lose anymore. So maybe slightly unhinged.” It is her most personal album to date, drawing on her own experiences with Paloma acting as the anchor to direct a deeply personal narrative and album.

3. Paul Collins – Stand Back And Take A Good Look (JEM) The Power-Pop veteran (The Nerves, The Beat) has enlisted a A-list of friends including the late Dwight Twilley, Prairie Prince and members of 20/20 and The Shoes. Collins says, “First off, it’s a rock ‘n’ roll record, so hopefully, people will jump around and enjoy it! Then, I guess it would be nice if some of the songs really resonate with people. I know for me, having songs that you hold close to you is a big part of why we are drawn to music in the first place.”

4. Molly Lewis – On The Lips (Jagjaguwar) The Sydney-born, LA-based whistler finally has her debut album out after working with everyone from Dr. Dre to Karen O to Mac Demarco. She’s even on the Barbie Soundtrack! Molly describes herself as “part Snow White communing with the birds, part haunted Theremin”. On The Lips is an odyssey through exotica, jazz clubs, bossa nova beats and Italian cinema powered by Lewis’ whistling.

5. The Transits – The Transits (Lil Sister) Part Kiwi, part South African, the band finally releases their debut album 30 years after they met. Their label tells us, “Inspired by punk, indie and synth-pop, as well as cult horror flicks, surf ‘n’ skate culture, and teenage testosterone, their debut album is front-loaded with big, boisterous and anthemic tunes offset by a darker, gothic-cinema edge. It’s heavy on nostalgia, but determinedly forward-thinking; light but dark; familiar yet fresh; quiet then loud, impossibly catchy but sometimes sinister. Herein lies the dichotomy of The Transits.”