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MUSIC FEATURE

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WHAT’S OUT

Whether it’s a voyage of musical discovery or a sonic reacquaintance with a favourite band or artist, check out these fresh releases heading to JB this month.

LITTLE SIMZ Lotus ROCKET

British rapper Little Simz (real name Simbiatu Ajikawo) loves lotuses, explaining they are one of the only plants that blooms in muddy waters. Her sixth studio album is a “thematic voyage through life’s intricate phases”, reflecting “renewal and growth”.

EDITOR’S PICK BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN Tracks II: The Lost Albums SONY March 27, 1992 was a big day for Springsteen fans. We got not one, but two new albums on the same day. June 27, 2025 is even bigger. Twenty-seven years after the Tracks collection, the wait is over – Tracks II is here. Seven Springsteen albums in one box set (seven CDs or nine LPs). The Lost Albums , from 1983 to 2018, gathers 83 songs; 74 of them previously unreleased. A 20-song collection, Lost and Found: Selections from the Lost Albums is also available.

ADDISON RAE Addison SONY

JAMES McMURTRY The Black Dog and the Wandering Boy MGM James McMurtry remains one of alt country’s most underrated artists. He’s never had a Top 100 album in the US, but his songwriting is top-shelf. Thirty-six years after his classic debut Too Long in the Wasteland , McMurtry’s 11th studio album is filled with his typically wry storytelling. Superb. LAUREN SPENCER SMITH The Art of Being a Mess UNIVERSAL Canada’s Lauren Spencer Smith performed on stage with Keith Urban when she was 11, reached the Top 20 on American Idol when she was 16, and now releases her second album at 21. It’s a big, dramatic pop record. File next to Adele.

LUKAS NELSON American Romance SONY

American social media sensation Addison Rae has turned TikTok fame into an acting and music career. “I love a

After eight albums with his band Promise of the Real, Lukas Nelson – the son of Willie Nelson – is releasing

woman who does it all,” she says. “I love a girl that does it all with no filter, it’s just ingrained in me.” Her debut album features the dreamy pop delight Diet Pepsi , which was a Top 20 hit in Australia. THE DOOBIE BROTHERS Walk This Road INERTIA

his first solo album, American Romance , which was produced by another son of a legend, Shooter Jennings, the son of Waylon. But enough of the family links. Lukas Nelson is a superb singer and songwriter in his own right. MARINA Princess of Power UNIVERSAL known as Marina and the Diamonds). After battling chronic fatigue, she’s relished returning to her creative life, as demonstrated by the album’s first single Butterfly , where she sings: “Watch me grow from afar as I turn into a butterfly.” Princess of Power is the sixth album for Welsh singer Marina (formerly

The Doobie Brothers’ sweet 16th studio album is their first in four years. Again working with producer John Shanks, it sees the

American legends reunited with singer and keyboardist Michael McDonald, and the title track features soul great Mavis Staples. “We’ve all been enjoying it tremendously, even more than we thought we would,” McDonald says. And that spirit shines through. GARBAGE Let All That We Imagine Be the Light UNIVERSAL There’s No Future in

LIAM FINN Hyperverse MGM

PHOEBE RINGS Aseurai MGM

After a busy few years playing with Crowded House, Liam Finn returns to his solo career, delivering an

Aseurai is the debut album for New Zealand band Phoebe Rings. Singer Crystal Choi explains that the title

Optimism proclaimed the title of the first single from Garbage’s first album in four years. But the record

is actually a much-needed pick-me-up in a volatile world. “When things feel dark, it feels imperative to seek out forces that are light,” singer Shirley Manson says. “This is about the power of the mind, the imagination and the spirit, the ability to transcend negativity.”

album he created on Twitch, streaming more than 333 hours of music-making to his legion of fans. The record includes a new version of The Howl , which first turned up on Crowded House’s Gravity Stairs .

means “around you in the atmosphere: hard to reach, fading away. It’s a poetic expression.” As is the band’s delightfully dreamy debut.

44 JUNE 2025

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