Here are some of the highlights, and one notable low-light, from the past month of new music releases.
Five Raves – Albums
King of Having Fun (Medium Build)
I loved Medium Build’s 2024 album Country, so was excited to see what he’d produce here. And I wasn’t disappointed. When he’s on his game, he’s as good of a lyricist as anyone right now. He goes to needful, thoughtful places few are willing to go, especially male artists (to say nothing about male artists working in country-adjacent spaces). Early highlights off this album include “Home Depot,” “In My Gut,” and “Perceived.”
Mule (Orville Peck)
With his rich voice, retro country sound, and unabashed queer sensibility, Orville Peck has carved out a great niche in the music landscape. While this new release is certainly not my favourite of his albums, it’s unquestionably the most raw and honest, describing recent battles with addiction. Tracks I’ll be coming back to include “Too Little, Too Late,” “Already Gone,” and “Big Ol’ House.”
Leave On a Light (Max McNown)
I was first introduced to Max McNown early in 2025 and over the course of the three albums he’s released since then I’ve been really impressed. In a world where country music is being dominated by the lowest common denominator, performative ‘bro’ country, Max McNown’s songwrting sticks close to the genre’s traditional focus on heartfelt storytelling. His sound is also deeply country without sounding stale. While fully half of the album was released as singles throughout the course of this year, making the actual new content feel a little sparse, early non-pre-release favourites include “Isn’t That Love?”, “Slow Down, Slow Down,” and “The Way She Says Goodbye.”
Hard Life (The Tubs)
This third album from Welsh band The Tubs is easily one of the year’s best true rock albums. Much like the other albums I’ve highlighted this month, it incorporates traditional sounds of the genre without feeling like an exercise in nostalgia. Highlights for me include “Hard Life” and “Do Yourself a Favour.”
Prima (Adéla)
Because of how many of my favourite albums this month were by men, I considered calling the post “Let’s Hear it for the Boys” and focusing exclusively on music by men. But I simply could not ignore this fantastic debut (full-length) album by Adéla. There are a lot of women knocking on the door of pop stardom, but if this album is any indication, Adéla may have the best chance at walking through it. Favourites for me include “Ain’t in LA,” “Boys,” and “I’m the Man.”
Five Raves – Songs
- “Downpour” (Medium Build)
- “LA Wants Me Dead” (Troye Sivan): I’ve never been a huge Troye Sivan fan, but if the singles he’s released lately are any indication, his next album could be a lot of fun.
- “Do Yourself a Favour” (The Tubs)
- “Patient Zero” (Taylor Swift): It seems these days Taylor Swift can’t sneeze without becoming a firestorm of internet negativity; but all four of the new songs she released for the ‘Encore’ to her The Life of a Showgirl album have interesting things to say and elevate the album as a whole
- “The Hardest Thing” (Julia Jacklin): There are a lot of vaguely retro-sounding bluesy female artists right now, but this song shows why Julia Jacklin is one of my favourites.
And One Disappointment
Day and Night (Carly Rae Jepsen)
As a Canadian, Millennial, queer man, I’m legally required to have a soft spot for Carly Rae Jepsen. But this double album just didn’t do it for me. Frankly, I was bored.
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