Discover the Best New Music of the Week!
We’ve pulled together some of the best new music we’ve heard lately — and you can hear it all on Fresh Cuts, my weekly radio hour. Tune in every Friday at 2pm ET / 11am PT on Folk Alley’s 24/7 stream — available on our website, mobile app, or your smart speaker too.
Prefer to listen on your own time? Just click on the Fresh Cuts stream whenever it works for you.
In the meantime, here’s a sneak peek at some exciting new music that’s caught our ears this week!
Rodney Crowell, “Go Light A Candle” (feat. Emmylou Harris & Lera Lynn)
A timeless protest song, Crowell originally released the single anonymously last year, but after the ICE raids in Minneapolis, decided to give the song a proper release with an accompanying video directed by Joshua Britt and Neilson Hubbard. Crowell says, “Although I expected the last presidential election to turn out exactly as it did, I wasn’t ready for what would come next. I shared with my good friend, Sam Baker, how I wanted to write a protest song that wasn’t strident or blatantly insulting anyone’s intelligence other than my own. Sam listened to what I had written and said, ‘Now go light a candle.’ From there, I knew what the song needed to say. Emmylou, Lera Lynn, and Dan Knobler helped me frame the music and, after releasing it anonymously a year ago, in response to the ICE raids in Minneapolis and other sanctuary cities, I decided to stand openly behind the song.”
Humbird, “Blood Moon”
A new Humbird album is coming in 2026 and details are forthcoming. Siri Undlin, the artist behind the moniker, shares, “‘Blood Moon’ explores the experience of living with a female body, menstruation, and navigating the challenges of PMDD – a difficult and sometimes debilitating disorder that can severely disrupt a person’s life. In looking to the movements and shifts in the cosmos, the song is intended as a gentle tether to reality, as well as a companionable lullaby for anyone who listens and is in need of a peaceful moment. Gentle dissonance and satisfying resolution reflect the ups and downs that come with chronic illness.”
Gipsy Kings, ‘Historia”
“Historia” is the title track from the new Gipsy Kings release (out 5/15). “I have been making albums with the Gipsy Kings for over 40 years, so with this one I wanted an an adventurous spirit,” says Tonino Baliardo, who formed the Gitano-French band with his cousin Nicolas Reyes and now plays all over the world with his sons Cosso and Mikeal. “At the same time, “Historia’ is about the story of the Gipsy Kings, and what happened when “Bamboléo” and “Djobi, Djoba” became global hits. We were ambitious. We knew we were good. But we never expected everything that happened.”
Nathan Evans Fox, “Lots of Beginnings”
North Carolina–bred, Nashville-based Nathan Evans Fox’s latest album is Heirloom (out 5/29) featuring the song “Lots of Beginnings.” The song began as an extended outro that evolved into a meditation on what Fox hopes his child inherits from him: the generosity and grit instilled by his beloved grandmother, and the hope that he will be the kind of parent worth missing one day.
More this week on Fresh Cuts!
Anjimile – “Waits For Me”
Iron & Wine – “Wait Up” (feat. I’m With Her)
Jesca Hoop – “Caravan”
Matt Berninger & Rosanne Cash – “Who Loves The Sun”
The McDades – “Telegraph Reel / The Three Sisters”
Queen Esther – “Rebels”
Ringo Starr – “It’s Been Too Long” (feat. Sarah Jarosz and Molly Tuttle)
The Steel Wheels – “Go Back”
Tinariwen – “Sagherat Assani” (feat. Sulafa Elyas)
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