It's an early summer this year, thanks to quite a few sun-drenched releases this week.

Album of the Week

Will Oldham has been making music for over thirty years, but he's only worked with a producer once before—and never before has he let others co-write. For that reason alone, The Purple Bird is a remarkable addition to the troubadour's repertoire. His 23rd album under the name Bonnie "Prince" Billy is, in many ways, an enlargement: thanks to all the session musicians and the control of legendary Nashville producer David R. "Fergie" Ferguson, this is a country record with all the bells and whistles; at the same time, Oldham's activism is spelled out in bold letters. While his reflections on the climate crisis and the impending end of the world on I Made a Place (2019) and Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You (2023) were still somewhat diffuse, here the message is loud and clear. We can only wonder what country veteran John Anderson—featured on "Downstream"—thinks of the lyrics. CD / LP

New in

	The Weeknd has repeatedly suggested that Hurry Up Tomorrow might be his last under this name. In that case, he's making the most of it one last time. After After Hours And Dawn FM is slowly rising. Playboy Carti, Giorgio Moroder, Pharrell Williams, and Oneothrix Point Never are making it shine even brighter. We're curious to see what Abel Tesfaye has to say next. CD / LP
	Summer is starting early this year. British producer duo Maribou State is already a guarantee for a periodic dose of euphoria. On Hallucinating Love , it's of the most sultry kind. The two men frequently draw on club music from the noughties, but without the high dance content. This is indietronica that prefers to stand on the sidelines, sunglasses on, corona in hand. Far too hot to move. CD / LP
	Eddie Chacon of Charles & Eddie—you know, "Would I Lie to You?"—walked away from his slick neo-R&B past for years. Now he's embracing it: on his third solo album, Lay Low , no number one hits, but wonderfully stylized smooth soul with a touch of muzak—somewhere between Marvin Gaye, Frank Ocean, and the stratosphere. An LP thirty years after his mega-hit, that sounds like it could have been made twenty years earlier. LP
	Singer-songwriter Rumer has primarily been writing tributes in recent years—to others: Joni Mitchell, Bacharach & David, and Hugh Prestwood. " In Session" is a tribute to her own repertoire. She revived some of her best songs with Redtenbach's Funkestra. This collaboration resulted in completely new arrangements—with a much more soulful touch. CD / LP

 

More new releases this week: a new album from The War On Drugs' quirky cousin Wild Pink: Dulling the Horns ( CD / LP ); and The Party Never Ends , the final album by Juice WRLD, who died in 2019 ( CD / LP ).

Pre-orders

	Finally! The soundtrack to the immensely popular film Kneecap (February 28), about Kneecap ; with music by... Kneecap, Fontaines DC and more. CD / LP
	With III (March 28), Rotterdam's leading indie folk band Elephant wants to prove that the sun doesn't always shine for them. CD / LP