6 albums you need to hear this week

In the age of streaming, it’s never been easier to listen to new music — but with over 60,000 new songs added to Spotify every day, it’s also never been harder to know what to put on. Every week, the team at Rolling Stone UK will run down some of the best new releases that have been added to streaming services.

This week, we’ve highlighted records by M83, Black Honey, U2, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Yves Tumor and 100 Gecs.

Black Honey – A Fistful of Peaches

I’m Charlie fucking Bronson!” yells Black Honey’s Izzy Phillips over thunderous drums on the first track of their third album. The notorious prisoner’s unhinged spirit is ironically reflected throughout this record. All-out rock onslaughts (‘Tombstone’) contrast with ruminations on self-medication (‘OK’) and outsiders (‘Weirdo’). Consistently arresting.

Listen on: Spotify | Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music

M83 – Fantasy

For his ninth album as M83, Anthony Gonzales wanted to swap drab realities for a brighter alternative — and he’s pulled it off. On a record where synths loom large without feeling anachronistic and retro, the title track is both sun-soaked and cinematic, while ‘Deceiver’ shows off a War on Drugs-esque foray into heartland rock instrumentation. Stunning.

Listen on: Spotify | Apple Music | Bandcamp | TIDAL | Amazon Music

U2 – Songs of Surrender

The latest from U2 is not for the weak-hearted or, as it goes, casual fans. Over a gut-busting three hours, the Irish icons have offered no less than 40 of their classic tracks. Early efforts such as ’11 O’Clock Tick Tock’ are given a renewed and fresh focus, although ‘Where The Streets Have No Name’ is stripped of all its stadium-slaying verve to become a bizarrely lethargic effort. Die-hard fans, however, will appreciate the new perspectives.

Listen on: Spotify| Apple Music | TIDAL| Amazon Music

Unknown Mortal Orchestra – V

The Kiwi band masterminded by Ruban Nielson are back with their first proper studio album since 2018’s Sex & Food. V might not rip up their woozy psych-soul playbook, though there are pared-back moments on this sprawling double-album (‘I Killed Captain Cook’) that puncture such practices. ‘Weekend Run’ and the irresistible funk of ‘The Beach’ are the highlights across a record that explores nostalgia, identity and more.

Listen on: Spotify | Apple Music | Bandcamp | TIDAL | Amazon Music

Yves Tumor – Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume (or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)

Sean Bowie’s beginnings making brash, experimental electronic songs under their Yves Tumor alias have shifted. The Tennessee-raised soloist’s previous albums, 2018’s Safe in the Hands of Love and 2020’s Heaven to a Tortured Mind, broadened their sound. On their latest, few genres don’t get a look-in. Trip-hop, noise, ambient, soul and glam-rock experimentalism sizzle in a pot dripping with some of Tumor’s hookiest tunes to date. Check out the pure gritty pleasure of the ’90s grunge-indebted ‘Meteora Blues’.

Listen on: Spotify | Apple Music | Bandcamp | TIDAL | Amazon Music

100 Gecs – 10,000 Gecs

Dylan Brady and Laura Les crank up their maximalist hyperpop on album number two, ‘10,000 Gecs’. If the title hadn’t already given it away, this outing is ten times the fun of their 2019 debut ‘1,000 Gecs’ for pure chaos alone. Its haywire production and genre melding – from pop-punk and nu metal to ska and future-facing pop – makes for a daring, dizzying and fun listen.

Listen on: Spotify | Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music