New Music Friday: Queered Hymns, Heavy Metal Lifers
June 19 releases include Wild Up, Destructor, Birthday in Texas, Styrofoam Winos.
Y'all, I truly appreciate all the positive responses to the new format. I write the Viking's Choice newsletter in spurts — between meetings, picking up my kid from school, waiting for my tea to steep — because I love the corners of music more than anything… and want to share the love!
Stream the Viking's Choice Guide to New Music Friday mixtape. Follow me on Bandcamp and check out previous mixes via Buy Music Club.
Wild Up, Gay Guerrilla
Minimalist composer Julius Eastman's most provocative and euphoric work. The LA ensemble leans into delirious repetition not as a mantra but as a demand to be heard. Queered hymns as protest.
Destructor, Tales of Glory
Sharp-edged songcraft, mean-mugged thrash riffs, anthemic melodies, triumphant guitar solos. Old school metal lifers just know how to get it done, y'all. Jamie Boulder from Midnight returns to co-write a few tracks.
Birthday in Texas, No Bad Trips
Tear-stained club hits built around chopped-up vocal samples and jumpy UK Garage beats — eternally in the sweet spot just before the adrenaline hits.
Styrofoam Winos, Any River
Country-slanted indie rock with little sips of whacked-out improv and Bacharach-style pop. There's a deep love and respect for the music they make, and a snaggled-tooth grin to mess with it all.
The Pines of Rome, When You Are As Full As the Moon
Indie rock of a certain age: Equal parts Magnolia Electric Co., Hum and Silkworm by way of Codeine. Reference-less rec: A bummer-heavy rock record that doesn't forget to blast off.
Warning, Rituals of Shame
Headbangers cry, too. First album in 20 years from these British kings of doom and depression. There is an elegiac and steely-eyed sadness to these songs that aged wisdom has imparted.
Maps and Diagrams, Volta
Mournful, melodious loops that don't find but extend the horizon. Our deepest longings blended into darker hues, disappearing for moments, then returning when needed most.
Sha Ray & DJ Haram, Critical Thot
The Best Album Title of 2026 also describes the sexy, scary and cerebral hip-hop herein.
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