In this segment, we showcase the most notable albums out each week. Here are the albums out on September 5, 2025:
Big Thief, Double Infinity
Now a trio following the recent departure of bassist Max Oleartchi, Big Thief switched up their approach going into their latest album, Double Infinity. With longtime collaborator Dom Monks on production, they gathered a group of 10 musicians, including three percussionists, three backing vocalists, an additional guitarist, a musician alternating between keys and live tape loops, and new-age legend Laraaji on zither and “intuitive vocal melodies.” The results are enchanting and hopeful in their curiosity, pushing the band’s sound in a more psychedelic direction that mirrors Adrianne Lenker’s mystical meditations.
La Dispute, No One Was Driving the Car
The majority of La Dispute’s first album in six years, No One Was Driving the Car, was already out by the time of its official release. The Michigan group has been rolling out the cinematic, revelatory album in acts, with the title track and ‘End Times Sermon’ now bringing it to a close. In our interview, vocalist Jordan Dreyer explained that Gaspar Noé’s Vortex helped him articulate the sentiment at the end of the LP. “After the rapture moment, you fast-forward to a place in time in the future unknown, and the note of resignation,” he said, “if there is one, is the feeling of comfort in partnership. Having somebody asleep on your shoulder makes the uncertainty of what lies ahead less terrifying.”
David Byrne, Who Is the Sky?
Seven years since his last solo album, American Utopia, David Byrne has returned with Who Is the Sky?, which manages to come off both extremely absurd and very accessible. He worked on the new album with producer Kid Harpoon (Miley Cyrus, Harry Styles, Shawn Mendes) and the 15-member chamber ensemble Ghost Train Orchestra, who wrap the songs in a spirit of vibrant positivity. The record also features St. Vincent, Hayley Williams, the Smile drummer Tom Skinner, and American Utopia percussionist Mauro Refosco. If nothing else, it will certainly put a wacky smile on your face.
Shame, Cutthroat
Shame have followed up 2023’s Food for Worms with a new album called Cutthroat. Vocalist Charlie Steen, guitarists Sean Coyle-Smith and Eddie Green, bassist Josh Finerty, and drummer Charlie Forbes laid down the record at Salvation Studios in Brighton, England. Produced by John Congleton, it’s both more unsparing in its experimentation and fiercely propulsive. “This is about who we are,” Steen remarked. “Our live shows aren’t performance art—they’re direct, confrontational, and raw. That’s always been the root of us. We live in crazy times. But it’s not about ‘Poor me.’ It’s about ‘Fuck you.’” He added: “It’s about the cowards, the cunts, the hypocrites. Let’s face it, there’s a lot of them around right now.”
Saint Etienne, International
International, which is billed as Saint Etienne’s final album, has arrived. Wanting to complete their ouvre on a high note, the British indie-pop trio have made a record that’s not bittersweet so much as celebratory and typically blissed-out. It features contributions from The Chemical Brothers’ Tom Rowlands, who appears on the excellent lead single and opener ‘Glad’, as well as Confidence Man, Erol Alkan, Vince Clarke, Nick Heyward, Orbital’s Paul Hartnoll, and Xenomania’s Tim Powell.
Shallowater, God’s Gonna Give You a Million Dollars
God’s Gonna Give You a Million Dollars is the kind of album you simply succumb to. Striking a similar magic as fellow Texans Teethe, Shallowater balance out their slowcore sound with post-hardcore heaviness and introspective alt-country, a fusion crystallized by Alex Farrar’s production. It was preceded by the singles ‘Sadie’ and ‘Highway’, and he song ‘All My Love’ is a collaboration with fingerstyle guitarist Hayden Pedigo.
Titanic, Hagen
Titanic, the Mexico City-based duo of Mabe Fratti and Hector Tosta (aka I. la Católica), have unveiled a new LP called Hagen. Celestial and captivating, the record was produced by Tosa, with co-production from Fratti and Nate Salon. The follow-up to Titanic’s debut full-length Vidrio features Eli Keszler on drums, while Oneohtrix Point Never’s Daniel Lopatin contributes synthesizers on ‘Pájaro de fuego’.
Justin Bieber, Swag II
Less than two months after the release of his surprise album Swag, Justin Bieber has dropped its sequel. Swag II was teased on Thursday with billboards in cities like New York, London, Seoul, Sydney, and Shanghai, though it arrived a little later than “tonight at midnight” as promised, hitting YouTube Music before other streaming services. Breezing through its 23 tracks is the same loose, low-key, lovelorn R&B hybrid that marked its predecessor, highly influenced by collaborators including Dijon (who’s since released the much better Baby) and Mk.gee. Guest appearances come from Tems, Lil B, Bakar, Hurricane Chris, and Eddie Benjamin.
Other albums out today:
Ivy, Traces of You; Suede, Antidepressants; Tchotchke, Playin’ Dumb; Various Artists, I Will Swim to You: A Tribute to Jason Molina; Lucrecia Dalt, A Danger to Ourselves; El Michels Affair, 24 Hr Sports; Akasha System, Heliocene; James K, Friend; Fleshwater, 2000: In Search Of the Endless Sky; SG Lewis, Anemoia; Cut Copy, Moments; Orcutt Shelley Miller, Orcutt Shelley Miller; Brian Dunne, Clams Casino; Flur, Plunge; Pickle Darling, Battlebots; Beauty School Dropout, WHERE DID ALL THE BUTTERFLIES GO?; JayWood, Leo Negro; Alexei Shishkin, Good Times; Will Orchard, Behind the Shadow Glass; BlankFor.ms, After The Town Was Swept Away; Etceteral, Kimatika; Tom Odell, A Wonderful Life; GHOSTWOMAN, Civilized World; Laura Cannell, The Visible Light of Other Worlds; Emil Friis, Moving Images.
