With the summer holidays ahead of us, there’s no better time than now to update your playlists with some recently-released tunes, from the evocative musical stylings of The Cure to a new soul-stirring album from The National. And if long walks or road trips are on the agenda, we have also lined up a selection of addictive podcasts to subscribe to for some entertaining and informative listening.
New Albums
The Epilogue
Dean Lewis
Dean Lewis’ third, full-length LP, The Epilogue, marks a new chapter in his journey, blending vulnerability and vitality. Written between tours, Lewis reflects on the past while hinting at the future. Featuring his signature emotional depth, the album solidifies his unique style and artistic evolution.
Song to start with: All I Ever Wanted
Songs Of A Lost World
The Cure
“The most intense, saddest, most dramatic and most emotional record [The Cure have] ever made,” according to Roger O’Donnell — and rumoured to be the iconic English post-punk rock band’s last, Songs of A Lost World is set to embrace the melancholic and lovesick themes the group has long-been known for, offering a moving meditation on love and loss.
Song to start with: A Fragile Thing
Rome
The National
Recorded at the Parco Della Musica Ennio Morricone in the Eternal City, The National’s Rome is a 21-track live album spanning
20+ years of the lauded band’s discography. Reinvigorating beloved classics like “I Need My Girl” and “Bloodbuzz Ohio,” alongside new rarities, Rome beautifully captures the band’s dynamic live performances and ever-evolving sound.
Song to start with: Humiliation
Late To The World
IDER
IDER’s Late To The World is a bold evolution of the duo’s sound, blending lush electronics, blistering indie rock, and cinematic storytelling. Produced by Dann Hume, the 12-track album features singles like “Unlearn” and “You Don’t Know How to Drive,” marking a journey of self-discovery and creative maturity for the alt-pop sensations.
Song to start with: Late To The World
New Podcasts
The Dilemma
In a series of funny, uncomfortable, and inspiring conversations, journalist Gina Rushton speaks to psychologists, political observers, activists, philosophers, and fertility specialists who all share the load in carrying a dilemma that can feel all too heavy at a time of uncertainty — should we become parents?
Shell Game
A podcast about things that aren’t as they seem by journalist Evan Ratliff. In Season One, Ratliff creates a voice clone connected to an AI chatbot and sets out to discover what happens when you try to control the technology that seeks to replace you, and what to expect from a future in which people may not be what they seem.
Friendship Therapy
In a follow-up to her beloved series, Best Friend Therapy, respected psychotherapist and author Emma Reed Turrell explores the nuances of friendship through a therapist’s lens, talking to real people about real-life friendships, unpacking and exploring these pivotal relationships with honesty, compassion, and practical wisdom.
Parental as Anything: Teens
This enlightening podcast gives practical advice on how to navigate raising teens, from porn to partying, body issues to bullying, and a veritable spectrum in between. Rebecca Sparrow, teen educator and author, speaks to parents and experts alike, unpacking the biggest challenges of parenting teens.
