NPR Music

New Music Friday: The best albums out Sept. 4

NPR Music

Show Notes

Rebecca Black. Paris Paloma. Button Masher. Host Stephen Thompson breaks down the best albums out Friday, Sept. 4 with DJs from around the NPR Music network: Nastia Voynovskaya from KQED in San Francisco, Julie Bee from Marfa Public Radio in west Texas, and DeShun Nance from WJSU in Jackson, Miss. Plus, a handful of NPR Music writers and critics offer their personal picks in the lightning round.

The Starting 5

(01:55) Album No. 1 - Rebecca Black, 'Age of the Exhibitionist'

(08:26) Album No. 2 - Paris Paloma, 'The Fatal Flaw'

(16:40) Album No. 3 - Sharp Pins, 'Mod Mayday 23'

(23:06) Album No.4 - 1-800-Mikey, 'In Yun'

(29:25) Album No. 5 - Button Masher, 'Super Button Masher'

(36:20) The Lightning Round

- Senri Oe, 'Homework' - Madi Diaz, 'Fatal Optimist UN-unplugged' - Medium Build, 'King of Having Fun' - Chat Pile, 'Who Loves The Sun' - Steven R. Smith, 'Half Light Unfolding'

Sample the albums via our New Music Friday playlist and see our Long List of notable releases on NPR.org

Credits: Host: Stephen Thompson Guests: Nastia Voynovskaya, Julie Bee, DeShun Nance Audio Producer: Noah Caldwell Audio Engineer: Cena Loffredo Digital Producer: Dora Levite Editors: Elle Mannion, Otis Hart Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed Special thanks to Lars Gotrich and Ann Powers

Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy

More from NPR Music

Oct 22, 2026

More than any song we’ve covered yet in this series about songs that persist in culture, "Crimson and Clover" is a stealth classic. Maybe you heard it in 1968 after its rough mix was leaked by a radio station and it became a top-40 hit. Maybe you only know it from a popular rock ’n’ roll cover in 1980s, or when it became a singalong in an emo song in the 2000s. Maybe it’s not even the lyrics that you recognize, but those three heavy, insistent chords. But it’s a song that’s stuck around, that feels endlessly replayable, and that helped inspire the new name for this NPR Music series: “Over and Over.”

Oct 21, 2026

Last week we published a Tiny Desk Concert that ended up being unusual for a few reasons.

Oct 20, 2026

With the arrival of the first new Olivia Tremor Control album in nearly 30 years, we attempt to make sense of the sprawling, enigmatic collective behind it known as Elephant 6.

Oct 16, 2026

Fontaines D.C. Sophia Stel. The Avalanches. Host Stephen Thompson breaks down the best albums out Friday, Oct. 16 with DJs from around the NPR Music network: Celia Gregory from WNXP in Nashville, Skylar Rochelle from 90.9 The Bridge in Kansas City and Andrew Brown from KUTX in Austin. Plus, a handful of NPR Music writers and critics offer their personal picks in the lightning round.

Oct 14, 2026

The Tiny Desk’s magnetism is its intimacy. We strip back lights and a big stage and get to see artists speak honestly about who they are directly to an audience around the world.

See all episodes →