Another week, another chance to dive headfirst into the depths of New Music Friday.
The weekend’s within arm’s reach and we’ve made it, friends.
Before we clock off and shut our laptops, we’ve rounded up standout new releases from here and across the ditch.
Madonna & Sabrina Carpenter – ‘Bring Your Love’
Madonna’s still playing in her own lane, and pulling Sabrina Carpenter into it only sharpens the contrast. ‘Bring Your Love’ leans hard into glossy, late-night dancefloor energy, with Stuart Price back in the mix.
It’s big, clean pop that knows exactly what it’s doing.
JPEGMAFIA – ‘babygirl’
JPEGMAFIA’s still operating without a rulebook. ‘babygirl’ crashes rap, punk and noise together into something chaotic but controlled. It’s abrasive in places, catchy in others, and constantly shifting – still one of the few pushing the genre somewhere unpredictable.
Borderline keep pushing their case as one of Aotearoa’s most promising exports. ‘That Girl’ goes all-in on ‘80s excess – synths, hooks, and a bit of theatrical flair – but it lands because they actually play like a band.
This is a band built for bigger rooms.
Tex Perkins – Basic
Tex Perkins swerves hard left with Basic, a collection that feels more like a sketchbook than a polished release. Ambient textures, noise, fragments of melody – it’s messy in a deliberate way. There’s something very refreshing about a veteran still chasing weird ideas this far in.
trials – hendle
trials steps out solo with hendle. Written, produced and performed entirely by him, the record is raw – in both sound and subject – unpacking displacement, violence and identity without sanding the edges down. This is a personal, “warts and all” statement that sticks with you.
DEM MOB – ‘Break Bread’
DEM MOB keep it grounded in purpose. ‘Break Bread’ blends classic hip hop with a messages of reconciliation, community, and real change. It’s not heavy-handed, just direct.
The kind of track that reminds you music can still carry weight beyond the hook.
Anna Jeavons – ANOMIE
Anna Jeavons taps into that messy, in-between phase of your twenties on ANOMIE, a record built on emotional drift, nostalgia and self-reflection. Produced by Ben Stewart, it leans into that “pathos pop” space – soft, sad, but quietly hopeful.
Grace Woodroofe – Rotate on the Ache (Part 1)
Grace Woodroofe leans all the way into vulnerability on Rotate on the Ache (Part 1), tracing the slow shift from love into control with a steady, unflinching lens. It’s intimate indie-pop that thankfully, doesn’t rush resolution.
Amy Solylo – ‘He Wants Me (Dead)’
Amy Solylo takes the self-aware country-pop lane and runs with it. ‘He Wants Me (Dead)’ is sharp, funny, and just a little unhinged – in a good way. It plays with delusion and denial without losing its charm.
The Velvet Club – ‘We Don’t Talk’
The Velvet Club slow things down with ‘We Don’t Talk’, a synth-driven cut that leans into emotional fallout without getting overly dramatic. It’s clean, restrained, and quietly effective.
A strong sign their debut album will most definitely deliver.
Check out Happy’s Mixtape for more new music.
