\n\t\t\tTrending on Billboard\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
Billboard\u2019s<\/em> Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to New Music Friday\u2019s most essential releases each week \u2014 the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.<\/p>\n
See latest videos, charts and news<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\tLast week, we featured Phoebe Bridgers, Katseye, Ayra Starr, Troye Sivan and more.<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\t\tNCT 127 Bringing ‘NCT 127 5th TOUR ‘NEO CITY : SEOUL – THE REDLINE’ in CINEMAS’ to Screens Around the World\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\t\t\t\t\tReba McEntire Celebrates Five Decades of Music With Themed EPs: ‘You Got To Keep Recreating Yourself’\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\t\t\t\t\tFoo Fighters Hopping Off Headlining Tour to Fill In For Pretty Reckless at AC\/DC’s St. Louis Gig: ‘This Is Literally a Dream Come True’\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n\tThis week, Sam Smith shares their new album, Hazel Eyes<\/em>; Stella Lefty releases her highly-anticipated debut set; and Weezer drops its 20th (!) full-length\u2026 plus much more. Check out all of this week\u2019s picks below:<\/p>\n
Sam Smith, Hazel Eyes<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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\n\tOn \u201cConstant Companion\u201d \u2014 one of 12 tracks on Smith\u2019s fifth album \u2014 the English singer-songwriter chooses to spotlight their impressive range, singing in their deeper, lower register to start and slowly softening into a more familiar tone that allows their voice to soar. Accompanied by gentle percussion and choral harmonies throughout, delicate keys and an acoustic guitar kick in later and help carry the song. But it\u2019s in the last minute, after the addition of winding strings, that it reaches its peak as Smith bellows with renewed intention: \u201c\u2019cause you, you are my constant companion.\u201d \u2014 LYNDSEY HAVENS <\/em><\/p>\n
Stella Lefty, Long Way Home<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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\n\tAfter breaking out this year with her debut chart hit \u201cBoston\u201d (which interpolates Noah Kahan\u2019s \u201cStick Season\u201d), fast-rising country-pop artist Stella Lefty shares her first full-length, Long Way Home<\/em>. Lefty, 24, co-wroteall 14 tracks on the album, which follows her May EP andis produced by Joe Reeves. As Melinda Newman writes in the album\u2019s Tracks Ranked, \u201cReeves\u2019 low-key production perfectly complements Lefty\u2019s sweet, unadorned vocals, creating what feels like an uncomplicated, authentic effort and a solid introduction to a formidable, developing talent.\u201d \u2014 L.H.<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\tWhat else could Weezer possibly name its 20thalbum except for Weezer<\/em>? So they did just that \u2014 then added (Gold Album) <\/em>for good measure. It\u2019s a bold title for a fittingly bold album, full of power-pop-rock anthems led by Rivers Cuomo\u2019s distinguishable vocals. Co-produced by Klas Ahlund and Kenneth Blume (formerly known as Kenny Beats), the latter set out to make \u201cthe most violent\u00a0Weezer\u00a0album ever,\u201d according to a release. Turns out, they did just that.\u00a0 \u2014 LYNDSEY HAVENS<\/em><\/p>\n
Jorja Smith, What Are The Odds<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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\n\tThe third album from British singer-songwriter Jorja Smith is injected with energy and beats primed for the dance floor, as previewed by previously-released singles \u201cWhat\u2019s Done Is Done\u201d and \u201cI Lied, You Lied.\u201d Meanwhile, single \u201cAlive\u201d with Wizkid showed that Smith can still it slow it down when she wants. And while the album mostly leans into those more booming tracks \u2014 some of which feel a world away from the more intimate R&B of her 2018 debut Lost & Found<\/em> \u2014 songs like \u201cPretend\u201d and album closer \u201cWhen It Gets Like That\u201d let Smith\u2019s stellar vocals take the lead. \u2014 L.H.<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\tFor his first solo effort in 11 years, The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers turned to his dad\u2019s record collection for inspiration \u2014 and found himself creating an album full of country-western-inspired tunes. Across Thrasher<\/em>, which is Flowers\u2019 third solo project, he turns inward not only for the sonics but for the song\u2019s lyrical content as well \u2014 and perhaps that\u2019s where the album\u2019s title and boxer-inspired artwork come from. Think less of a production punch, and more of a mental one \u2014 which can sometimes hit even harder. \u2014 L.H. <\/em><\/p>\n
Brennan Wedl, Brennan Wedl<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
\n\tWith signees including Waxahatchee and MJ Lenderman, ANTI- Records has emerged as the marquee destination for alt-country artists \u2014 and that roster now includes Brennan Wedl, who supported Waxahatchee and MJ Lenderman\u2019s joint spring tour and captures rootsy magic on her self-titled label debut. With a voice that immediately conjures Lucinda Williams, Wedl lyrically channels both Lenderman\u2019s hyperspecificity (\u201cLet\u2019s get on the Jumbotron at MSG \/ And shake it like an Etch A Sketch,\u201d on \u201cLet\u2019s Be Models\u201d) and Waxahatchee\u2019s poetic concision (\u201cI can be your low-grade fever \/ Keep you hot and bothered,\u201d on \u201cI Wanna Be Your TV\u201d) across the set\u2019s 13 gems, which blend punk, garage-rock and country for what Wedl calls \u201cgrungetry.\u201d Produced by Waxahatchee\u2019s Katie Crutchfield and her longtime producer Brad Cook, Brennan Wedl<\/em> is another essential entry in the subgenre that has become indie-rock\u2019s dominant style this decade. \u2014 ERIC RENNER BROWN<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/sam-smith-2026-cr-collier-schorr.jpg?w=1024″] Trending on Billboard Billboard\u2019s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to New Music Friday\u2019s most essential releases each week \u2014 the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond. Explore Brandon Flowers Jorja Smith Sam Smith See latest videos, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[48,226],"class_list":["post-2104031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-billboard-com","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2104031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2104031"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2104031\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2104031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2104031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2104031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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