�The Love Still Held Me Near was born out of unimaginable loss and the subsequent journey through the grief and heartache that followed. It�s about digging deep down into yourself and attempting to unearth hope and light in the things that can comfort you through those times. For me that has always been writing and recording music, so that�s exactly what I did.� - Dallas Green / City and Colour

The group's ninth album and first for Merge establishes them alongside modern luminaries like Yo La Tengo and Superchunk when it comes to their ability to evolve while still retaining what made them so special in the first place. A dazzling and intriguing collection of songs that are truly built to last, Continue as a Guest finds the band exploring fresh territory and shattering the barriers of their collective comfort zone.

Different Game is something of a misnomer. Rather, it�s the continuation of a fabled legacy and one that has not only stood the test of time but remains vibrant and invigorating all these decades on. Some 60 years after serving in the front lines of the so-called �60s British Invasion, they, like all good zombies, came back from the dead, making some of the best music of their career.

15th anniversary. You could say ObZen is some sort of a best of album of the band�s early works combined with fresh, new songs at that moment in time � but that�s only half the truth. Some parts are still slo-mo groove infernos like the groundbreaking hit �Bleed�, but others, like the opener "Combustion", are high speed-massacres like the band never did before. Pure technical ass-kicking mayhem!

If you want to understand how French producer Alan Braxe ended up making some of the most important house music records of the late 1990s and early 2000s, you need to understand his modus operandi. Everything has to be simple; and everything has to be sincere. This newly reissued version of The Upper Cuts adds seven bonus tracks, including remixes and two completely new tracks.

Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus treat us to a full-length record and it�s everything a debut album should be: exploratory, explosive and full of heart. Each of the album�s tracks comes as somewhat of a surprise, from the opening a capella composition to tender (anti)lovesongs, to heavy, nonchalant bangers. There's an uncontainable energy that seems inevitable when three wildly talented songwriters assemble.

Stowaway isn�t just a matter of satisfying the expectations of patient fans who would�ve accepted pretty much anything passable from Samiam at this point; this is a genuinely brilliant record even with all context removed � proof of one of the best and perhaps most underrated punk bands of their era and beyond. It should be more than enough to convince anyone new to the band to dig into their rich and ludicrously consistent discography.

The Hold Steady�s 9th full-length comes as the band turns 20 years old. It is their third record with producer Josh Kaufman, and most expansive record yet, while also being unmistakably a THS record. Singer Craig Finn says �These are some of the most cinematic songs in our catalog. I feel like we went somewhere we haven�t before, which is a very exciting thing for a band that is two decades in.�

Consisting of members from R.E.M., The Minus 5, and The Baseball Project, the bi-continental collaborators share their third album, paying tribute to the artists that populate their turntables. Through their upbeat 60s-style indie sound infused with psychedelic flourishes, The No Ones honor Nick Lowe, Pamela Polland, George Harrison, Jenny Lewis, and Phil Ochs, among others.

There is a romantic nature within the sonic landscape of The Art of Forgetting. Tape effects and loops emulate the feeling of aging (recent memories turning to old ones, then ultimately being forgotten) while the juxtaposition of modern acoustic-electronic textures, like lo-fi tape next to hi-fi granular synths result in some of Rose�s most mature and honest work to date.

There�s an extraordinary elasticity across Good Luck�s masterful production. From industrial, claustrophobic gloom to sweeter and more spacious compositions, Friday moves seamlessly through these deftly-engineered soundscapes. There�s always something new to hone in on and further draw you into this immensely multi-faceted body of work that testifies to the liberating potential of making a racket..

Depeche Mode's first album as a two-piece of Dave Gahan and Martin Gore, following co-founder Andrew �Fletch� Fletcher�s tragic passing in 2022. A vast expanse of moods and textures, from its ominous opening to its closing resolve�running the gamut from paranoia and obsession to catharsis and joy, and hitting myriad points between. For a record preoccupied by death, its big heart bursts with life.

Flemons has built a reputation on presenting 100 years of American roots music, but now, with Traveling Wildfire, his own songwriting prowess comes into the spotlight. Carefully selected from his personal repertoire, these original songs reveal his love of country, western, blues, Americana, bluegrass and folk music as they tell of true love, family legacy, survival, time travel, and the juxtaposition between light and dark.

Building on the warm, elemental soundscape of 2021's Antidotes EPs and the moody, elegant timbre of her cello, Chua has self-produced and engineered a deeply introspective and fully realized vessel of creative expression. Yian emerges as less an album than a worldview, a commitment to learning and uncovering one's own selfhood honed over Chua's lifelong reconciliation with her own personal history and identity.

Last year Babymetal were �sealed� from the world after a successful 10-year journey. The Other One restoration project began to recover the Babymetal we never knew existed within a virtual world called the �Metalverse�. 10 songs have been discovered within the project, each representing a theme of the 10 parallel worlds that exist. Strap yourself in, and put those kitsunes up.

Exul personifies Ne Obliviscaris' distinctive, boundary-pushing ethos. The band's trademark blend of emotion and beauty is as towering as ever, if not even more compelling, particularly how the haunting violin lines carefully weave their way around the riffs. The duality of clean vocals and growls remains the narrative anchor, elevating songs that emanate sophistication and are a masterclass in composition.

Lana Del Rey�s ninth album is heavy and disarmingly truthful, yet expands its close lens thanks to her wide-ranging, alluring aesthetic looseness. It might deal with some major existential questions, but there�s still plenty of fun to be had as it cements Del Rey�s status as one of modern music�s most intriguing songwriters. Featuring Father John Misty, Tommy Genesis, Jon Batiste, Bleachers and more.

Drawing on traditional folk songs, Lankum put their own dark, distinctive mark onto each, leaning into heavy drones and sonic distortion that imparts new intensity and beauty. This record sees the band cement their breakout from the folk genre, creating bold, contemporary music that may be fashioned from traditional elements but is firmly new, sitting comfortably alongside labelmates black midi and Gilla Band.

Celebrants marks a highly anticipated return for the beloved trio and explores the inherent dynamics of human connection. Across the 18 tracks, the trio addresses love, friendship and time with lyrics both poetic and plain-spoken, as they see bridges built, crossed, burned and rebuilt. Produced by longtime collaborator Eric Valentine (Queens of the Stone Age, Grace Potter, Weezer).

For over three decades the New Jersey punk legends have been one of the most reliably joyful bands in punk rock, fostering an incredibly close kinship with their loyal listeners. Now on Ten Stories High, The Bouncing Souls have taken this connection even further, creating an album of 10 songs inspired by the stories of their fans through direct, one-on-one conversations. .

Newest release from Alabama metalcore warriors Gideon. Beards. Boots. Breakdowns. And a 10-gallon hat. It's a Southern-fried beatdown destined to ignite mosh pits from coast to coast, thanks to the thunderously chunky breakdowns with extra grit and girth. A pummeling blast of vicious, metal-tinged hardcore, all acerbic guitars and chugging riffs.

While Heavner doesn�t deviate from the foundation laid by previous releases, Invent Animate focuses on what they�re good at and expand. From the beautiful and infectious melodies of the choruses to the ferociously intense grooves of the breakdowns and riffs, Heavener is an exceptional display of their talent for balancing the melodic and the aggressive.

Riding on its own wave in the symphonic metal space, The Awakening benefits from every inch of the dark and glorious landscape it lovingly paints. It�s a broadside blast of ultragoth that feels simultaneously uniquely Kamelot and yet the most accessible work they�ve released to date. It�s simply huge in both performance and effort and, power metal affection depending, is well worth getting lost in.

With Fantasy, the Platinum-selling, GRAMMY-nominated artist returns with his most personal album to date. Featuring long-time collaborator Justin Meldal-Johnsen and Joe Berry, M83�s touring keyboardist and sax player, the album was born out of extended jam sessions that lasted nearly a year. The result is an exuberant, live-sounding record where trademark M83 goosebump moments abound.

12 songs full of sleek grooves and bold melodies that the Boston quintet put together to help ride out tough times, an anthem for better days ahead. �The wildest thing for me is that the record simultaneously sounds like it has the scars of everything we�ve been through and also that it doesn�t � it�s joyful music, which is very exciting given that it was made in the middle of getting hit in the stomach,� says singer Robbie Wulfsohn.

Extreme metal stalwarts Suicide Silence channel the spirit of their classic albums to deliver a modern deathcore masterpiece. Remember� taps into the rawness and energy of the band�s DNA to thunderous result. Album singles are proof positive that Suicide Silence are far from mellowing with time. With this record, they�re going deeper and darker, meditating on death and finality.