New Music Friday: 13th Floor New Album Picks…and More: February 6, 2026
Its New Music Friday and you can count on us to find the new music you need to here…this week our top 5 picks include new releases by John Craigie, Ratboys, Silversun Pickups 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:
- John Craigie – I Swam Here (Zabriskie Point) Craigie’s 10th studio LP represents another musical step forward for the Portland, OR-based musician. Much of the album was recorded in New Orleans in January 2025, with backing from local musicians handpicked by Sam Doores of The Deslondes. “The majority of these songs were recorded on a nylon string guitar, which is a first for me,” says Craigie. “Similar to Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks, there were two separate recording sessions in two separate locations with different musicians. This is because after New Orleans, three of the ten songs did not meet my vision, and it was not realistic to get back to New Orleans to re-record based on everyone’s schedule. The intention in the mixing is to not have the listener able to tell which ones were recorded where, but it’s possible some attentive ears will be able to.” Click here to read the 13th Floor Album Review.
2. Ratboys – Singin’ To An Empty Chair (New West) Despite its title, Ratboys’ new album Singin’ to an Empty Chair is not defined by what’s missing. Rather, it’s the beginning of an important dialogue with a close loved one vocalist Julia Steiner finds herself estranged from. The music on the band’s sixth studio album fills the space that person left behind with 11 songs showcasing Ratboys at the peak of their powers. “It’s not all doom and gloom,” Steiner says. “The experience of making this record definitely gives me hope for whatever happens next.”
3. Stray Theories – Falter (N5MD) Falter is the fifth album from New Zealand composer Micah Templeton-Wolfe aka Stray Theories, ambient sweep, neoclassical restraint, and post-rock emotionalism merge into his most immersive work yet. The record moves through a haze of doubt and quiet resolve, its luminous themes carrying a sense of something approaching: melancholic, redemptive, and deeply cinematic. Even in its heaviest passages, Falter maintains a poised clarity. Click here to read the 13th Floor Album Review.
4. Sarah Nixey – Sea Fever (Blead Lead) Formerly one third of the much-loved trio Black Box Recorder, the British singer-songwriter Sarah Nixey has steadily gained acclaim as a solo artist who makes savvy, sophisticated and poised pop. Delivering vocals with a detached elegance over opulent tracks, any perceived nonchalance in Nixey’s luxe, cut glass voice belies her empathy, where social commentary serves as protest, both explicit and implied. “Sea Fever explores the bittersweet beauty of human life amid a volatile world of changing seasons and brutal elements,” says Nixey. “These are songs of deep sorrow, remembrance, birth, and change, set against a backdrop of the sensuous natural world.”
5. Silversun Pickups – Tenterhooks (New Machine) Brian Aubert, Nikki Monninger, Christopher Guanlao, and Joe Lester made Tenterhooks with their longtime producer Butch Vig, though the recording process came to a brief halt when Aubert was admitted to the hospital after suffering an eardrum injury: “It seemed as if everyone was on tenterhooks waiting for whatever was next. The music has the same feeling,” he says, continuing…We started recording when the world was changing again. You invariably wonder, “What are we headed towards?” Even if you’re not necessarily writing about it, it bleeds into how you’re feeling and approaching life. We stripped things down and went louder and rawer.”
Also out today…a new episode of Sound Thinking with Graham Reid & Marty Duda
This week the podcast features reviews of Robbie Williams, Beck, Stray Theories, Iggy Pop, Ratboys and more! Find and follow where all good podcasts are found. Or: Click here!
Coming up on The 13th Floor:
Album Reviews: Bic Runga, Earth Tongue, Alayna
Interviews: Six60, Iron & Wine, Hemi Hemingway
Concert Reviews: Lainey Wilson, Lagwagon, Lorde
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!
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