{"id":600470,"date":"2026-08-21T19:14:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T19:14:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/600470\/"},"modified":"2026-08-21T19:14:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T19:14:13","slug":"sam-smith-stella-lefty-lead-best-new-music-friday-music-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/600470\/","title":{"rendered":"Sam Smith & Stella Lefty Lead Best New Music: Friday Music Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tBillboard\u2019s Friday Music Guide<\/a> 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

\t\t\t\t\tExplore\t\t<\/p>\n

See latest videos, charts and news<\/p>\n

\n\tLast week<\/a>, we featured Phoebe Bridgers, Katseye, Ayra Starr, Troye Sivan and more.<\/p>\n

\n\tThis week, Sam Smith shares their new album, Hazel Eyes; 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

\n\tSam Smith, Hazel Eyes<\/p>\n

\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 <\/p>\n

\n\tStella Lefty, Long Way Home<\/p>\n

\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. Lefty, 24, co-wrote all 14 tracks on the album, which follows her May EP and is produced by Joe Reeves. As Melinda Newman writes in the album\u2019s Tracks Ranked<\/a>, \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.<\/p>\n

\n\tWeezer, Weezer (Gold Album)<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat else could Weezer possibly name its 20th album except for Weezer? So they did just that \u2014 then added (Gold Album) 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<\/p>\n

\n\tJorja Smith, What Are The Odds<\/p>\n

\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 \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.<\/p>\n

\n\tBrandon Flowers, Thrasher<\/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, 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. <\/p>\n

\n\tENHYPEN, The Sin: Bliss<\/p>\n

\n\tMarking the Korean boy band\u2019s first release as a six-member group (following Heeseung\u2019s departure this March), The Sin: Bliss, continues to explore the group\u2019s vampire-inspired narrative with songs like the booming, uptempo \u201cBloody Paradise.\u201d The Sin: Bliss is the group\u2019s eighth mini-album. \u2014 L.H.<\/p>\n

\n\tBrennan Wedl, Brennan Wedl<\/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 is another essential entry in the subgenre that has become indie-rock\u2019s dominant style this decade. \u2014 ERIC RENNER BROWN<\/p>\n

\n\tDestin Conrad, Roadrunner<\/p>\n

\n\tHow do you follow up a Grammy-nominated R&B debut album and an acclaimed alt-jazz EP? If you\u2019re Destin Conrad, a sizzling reggae project is the natural next step. Featuring collaborations with kwn, Amanda Reifer and Stalk Ashley, Roadrunner synthesizes the rhythmic sonic roots of the Tampa-bred singer-songwriter\u2019s Jamaican heritage, infusing that foundation with his singular, queer perspective and signature R&B melodicism. \u2014 KYLE DENIS<\/p>\n

\n\tRapsody, God Gotta Afro & Gold Hoops<\/p>\n

\n\tFor over a decade, Rapsody has been a stalwart of hip-hop and the culture\u2019s history of speaking truth to power. That all comes to a head on her sprawling, gorgeous new album God Gotta Afro & Gold Hoops, which centers and honors the Pan-African and Afro-Futurist movements in the context of a world riddled with misinformation and artificial intelligence. Recorded across South Africa and Detroit, Rapsody\u2019s new LP finds her joining forces with everyone from Malice to the Karabo Ya Morena choir, making for a project that strikes the perfect balance between universality and intimacy. \u2014 K.D.<\/p>\n

\n\tD\u2019Yani, Live Life & Prosper<\/p>\n

\n\tJamaican singer D\u2019Yani is back with his new Live Life & Prosper album, delivering more of his trademark R&B-infused reggae. A mostly solo affair \u2014 reggae collective XTM.Nation makes the sole guest appearance \u2014 the 12-track set traces the experiences and adventures of man unafraid of surrendering to love, no matter what that special sensation may have in store. \u2014 K.D.<\/p>\n

\n\tTreaty Oak Revival and Austin Meade, \u201cSlim Pickins\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tTreaty Oak Revival and Austin Meade team up for this rumination on small-town life. However, far from the genre\u2019s tendency to paint small-town love in idyllic patterns, they sing from the perspective of a guy who knows there\u2019s a dearth of quality potential lovers in their community.\u00a0\u201cThis small county ain\u2019t got no queens,\u201d they sing, adding, \u201cAs soon as a good one comes, they\u2019re gone.\u201d Their rugged, country-rock fusion and weathered voices draw out the feel of stoic resignation that runs through the track, while shining a light on the sometimes uncomfortable truths of trying to find romance in rural towns. \u2014 JESSICA NICHOLSON<\/p>\n

\n\tDan + Shay Ft. Cody Johnson, \u201cThe Old Guys\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tOver the past decade-plus, Dan + Shay have established themselves as masterful architects of polished love songs. But on their latest, they delve into the devastating emotional terrain that follows a lifetime of love: the grief of losing them. \u201cGod forbid you go before I do\/ Because that\u2019s the start of the hell that I\u2019d go through,\u201d they sing. On this standout from the duo\u2019s new album Young, their silken pop sensibilities create a magical contrast with Cody Johnson\u2019s resonant Texas twang, creating a powerhouse vocal collab that further lends intensity to the lyric\u2019s palpable ache. \u2014 J.N.<\/p>\n

\n\tLos \u00c1ngeles Azules & TINI, \u201cPa\u2019 \u00c9l\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a second collaborative effort this year \u2014 following \u201cVuelve,\u201d where they both joined Ricky Martin \u2014 Los \u00c1ngeles Azules and TINI dropped \u201cPa\u2019 \u00c9l\u201d (for him). Powered by the Mexican group\u2019s signature cumbia sonidera sound and the Argentine\u2019s pop vocal delicacy, the song is dedicated to that person who played with your feelings and broke all the promises. \u201cThis one\u2019s for him\/ For the liar who didn\u2019t know how to love me\/ For the man who wasn\u2019t man enough and lost that woman\/ For being unfaithful\/ This one\u2019s for him\/ For the one who supposedly would always love me\/ For the one who will never be on my level,\u201d TINI passionately sings in the chorus. \u2014 JESSICA ROIZ\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tMichelle Maciel & Jasiel N\u00fa\u00f1ez, \u201ccon ella s\u00ed <3\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tTwo of M\u00fasica Mexicana\u2019s current sensations, Michelle Maciel and Jasiel N\u00fa\u00f1ez have joined forces on \u201ccon ella s\u00ed <3.\u201d The heartfelt corrido, backed by \u201890s piano ballads and soft regional Mexican requintos, finds Michelle and Jasiel combining their ethereal voices to sing about believing in love again, and finding that one person that\u2019s pure, honest and unconditional. \u2014 J.R. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tjigitz,\u00a050 ballerinas<\/p>\n

\n\tUntil April of last year, jigitz was still working a music industry desk job. Now \u2014\u00a0after his music got discovered by colleagues<\/a> who encouraged him to pursue it full time, sparked a label bidding war and led to major success in touring and\u00a0streaming \u2014 he\u2019s dropped his sparkling debut album,\u00a050 Ballerinas. Featuring\u00a0 collaborators like Rose Gray, KU\u010cKA and Tabi (whose vocals on the gorgeous title track elevate it to a hymn) the 13-track project falls into the stutter house realm without\u00a0feeling derivative, with the music radiating with as much emotion as it does locked-in dancefloor energy. Jigitz takes off on the 12-date 50 Ballerinas Tour next month. \u2014\u00a0KATIE BAIN<\/p>\n

\n\tTroyBoi,\u00a0FT.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe British producer has long been a favorite for ultra-suave bass music. Now his latest project, the seven-track FT., extends the borders of his sound by bringing a load of vocalists: Shiwa, Daya, Zamaera, Morray, Drew Love, Rockie Fresh and Toxic Rob. In a press release about the project, TroyBoi\u2019s first non-single release of the year, he says that \u201ca lot of my previous releases have been instrumental-driven records, but this time I wanted to build something around featured artists and explore what happens when different voices meet my production\u2026 the focus isn\u2019t on fitting into one genre, but on creating songs that feel authentic to both of us.\u201d The artist is currently on a 16-date headlining North American tour that wraps on Dec. 19. \u2014\u00a0K.B.<\/p>\n


\"Billboard
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