All Songs Considered | The best releases out on Sept. 1

Speedy Ortiz‘s music may sound jagged around the edges, but it comes bundled with glimmers of sunny pop, clever lyrics and smartly deployed lap steel. The band’s new fourth album, Rabbit Rabbit, finds singer-songwriter Sadie Dupuis wrangling with abuse and trauma, learning to let go of anger and writing about the activism that’s fueled her life and career. (She’s a union organizer on the side.)

We’ve also got new albums from hip-hop royalty Illa J, whose brother was the late, great J Dilla; the dreamy and languid Puma Blue, whose late-night ruminations recall the works of Portishead and Jeff Buckley; and the legendary shoegaze band Slowdive, whose first record in six years incorporates synths in inventive and surprising ways. On this week’s New Music Friday, NPR Music’s Hazel Cills, Radio Milwaukee’s Tarik Moody and WXPN’s John Morrison join guest host Stephen Thompson.

Featured Albums:

1. Speedy Ortiz — Rabbit Rabbit
   Featured Songs: “Ghostwriter,” “Ballad of Y&S,” “Scabs,” “Kim Cattrall”
2. Illa J — No Traffic
   Featured Songs: “Off the Tap,” “Circus,” “Get Down (feat. AmpFiddler),” “Snaps,” “OG Funk”
3. Puma Blue — Holy Waters
   Featured Songs: “Hounds,” “O, The Blood!,” “Falling Down,” “Pretty”
4. Slowdive — everything is alive
   Featured Songs: “alife,” “prayer remembered,” “shanty”

Lightning Round:

• L’Rain — “Pet Rock” (Single)
• Ama Lou — I Came Home Late    
• Kendra Morris — I Am What I’m Waiting For    
• Jeff Rosenstock — HELLMODE

Other notable releases for Sept. 1:

• The 1975 — The 1975 (10th Anniversary Edition)
• Aesop Rock — Skelethon (10 Year Anniversary Edition)
• dadá Joãozinho — tds bem Global
• Dream — to whoever wants to hear EP
• Field Music — light is gone 2
• Ghost of Vroom — Ghost of Vroom 3
• Icona Pop — Club Romantech
• Larry Fleet — Earned It
• Laya — Bet That EP
• Mick Harvey & Amanda Acevedo — Phantasmagoria in Blue
• The Natvral — Summer of No Light
• Neil Young — Odeon Budokan
• The Pretenders — Relentless
• Taake — Et Hav av Avstand

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