With so much good music being released all the time, it can be hard to determine what to listen to first. Every week, Pitchfork offers a run-down of significant new releases available on streaming services. This week’s batch includes new albums and EPs from Broken Social Scene, Chaka Khan, Rina Mushonga, Ladytron, Lucki, and XXX, as well as the Powder in Space mix. Subscribe to Pitchfork’s New Music Friday newsletter to get our recommendations in your inbox every week.
Broken Social Scene: Let’s Try the After - Vol. 1 EP [Arts & Crafts]
Canadian indie rock mainstays Broken Social Scene are following up 2017’s Hug of Thunder with a new EP series. The first volume features their recently shared tracks “All I Want” and “1972.” Read Pitchfork‘s interview “Broken Social Scene Are (Somehow) Still Friends After All These Years.”
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Chaka Khan: Hello Happiness [Diary/Island]
Funk and soul icon Chaka Khan has returned with her first solo album in 12 years. The seven-song LP features “Like Sugar.” This summer, Chaka is going on tour with Michael McDonald.
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Rina Mushonga: In a Galaxy [PIAS]
The London-based Dutch-Zimbabwean musician Rina Mushonga has released the follow-up to her debut 2014 album The Wild, The Wilderness. Check out Pitchfork’s track reviews of “4qrtrs” and “Jungles.”
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Ladytron is the first album from Ladytron (the Liverpool synth-pop quartet of Helen Marnie, Mira Aroyo, Daniel Hunt, and Reuben Wu) since 2011’s Gravity the Seducer. The LP was led by the single “The Animals.”
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Lucki: Freewave 3 [self-released]
The Chicago rapper Lucki (née Eck$) is back with his first new project since last year’s Days B4 II EP. Lucki’s new album is also his third entry in his Freewave series, following 2016’s Freewave II and 2015’s FREEWAVE. The 15-track Freewave 3 includes production from Earl Sweatshirt, ChaseTheMoney, and others. Read the interview “Lucki Can Tell Nothing But His Truth” on Levels.
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XXX: Second Language [BANA]
South Korean rapper Kim Ximya and producer FRNK are XXX. Second Language is their sophomore album, following last year’s debut Language.
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Various Artists: Powder in Space [Beats in Space]
Powder in Space is the first entry in a new mix series from Tim Sweeney’s Beats in Space Records. The mix includes two original tracks from Tokyo-based DJ and producer Powder. Read Pitchfork’s review of “New Tribe,” named Best New Track.
