Raised in Havana, Cuban singer Rita Donte was weaned on her grandmother's record collection where she became drawn to the music. From there she traveled to Mexico City to absorb the rich music scene, before ultimately landing in Baja California Sur. Donte’s personal journey informs her new album Ritual — connecting her love of Mexican jaranas, Cuban tres, and some contemporary influences. It’s time to move to the rhythm of “Zunzun Baba.” 

Pioneering  electronic music producer Mark Pritchard teams with Radiohead/The Smile frontman Thom Yorke to share the full collaborative album  Tall Tales (out in May).  The LP unites everything you love about both luminaries: rich aural textures, multi-layered electronics, and thrilling genre-fluidity across a dozen tracks. So let’s start with “This Conversation Is Missing Your Voice.” 

TV On The Radio frontman Tunde Adebimpe steps into his own spotlight on his debut solo album Thee Black Boltz — out April 18. Capturing the vulnerability of the loss of love, Adebimpe massages the heart with incisive lyrics and his signature electro rock ‘n’ soul sound on “God Knows.” 

She’s back! Cool and classy Lady Wray shares “Best For Us,” a song about love and commitment produced by the endlessly seductive Grammy-winner Leon Michels. The pair are currently in the studio cooking up what will become Lady Wray’s third album… with “Best For Us” as an excellent sign of what’s to come. 

The music of Brixton-based Black Country, New Road makes us feel like we’re “Besties.” Their imaginative mix of sounds comes from classically trained as well as self-taught bandmates,  and their new album Forever Howlong (due April 4) promises a heady palette that blends everything from folk, to prog, to baroque pop, to points beyond. It’s also their first release to feature lead vocals by Georgia Ellery. 

Literal blue-eyed soul man Luke Marzec has the type of rich, booming, wise-beyond-its-years voice that’ll make you do a double take. And he’s got saxophone skills to match(!). Tune into “I Can’t Get You Out of My Mind” for some proper, classic sounds comin’ atcha from England’s Wye Valley. 

Spanish-American singer-songwriter Victoria Canal first began using her voice as a way to process grief… and she gained some serious fans in the process. Coldplay’s Chris Martin is quoted as saying, “one of the best songs ever written” about Canal’s exploration of the topic — “swan song.” She offers a wider range of subject matter on her freshly released album Slowly, It Dawns, and her band’s sharp spin on Adult Contemporary pop provides an excellent vessel for unpacking relationship dynamics. Hear it all play out for yourself by grabbing today's free download of “Talk.”

Dare we say we’re (slanted and) enchanted to meet Richmond, Virginia-based, relative newcomers Palmyra? The trio’s laid-back, indie-rock-Americana stylings on “Arizona” are like a deep sonic breath of fresh air. And we can all get to know them even better when their new LP Restless hits the shelves on March 28. 

French-Chilean artist and activist Ana Tijoux recently shared her first new music since the mid-January release of her 2024 LP VIDA. Longtime fans of Tijoux’s trademark lyrical, sophisticated flow will find much to love in “Muévelo,” as she considers both the track and her forthcoming EP Serpiente de Madera to be a “return to her essence: beats, rhymes and turntable scratching.”

Download “Favorite Kind of People” from Philly-based, self-proclaimed “humanoid alien” Jaco Jaco for instant cool points. Its loose grooves and liquid funk are guaranteed to bring good vibes only — whenever and wherever it gets played. And there’s plenty more where that came from, Jaco Jaco’s new LP Gremlin is set to drop on Friday, March 21.