#5 New Albums You Should Listen to Now: black midi, DMX, and More

black midi: Cavalcade [Rough Trade]

Cavalcade is the second record from London’s black midi, following their 2019 debut ​Schlagenheim. The album includes the previously released tracks “John L,” “Slow,” and “Chondromalacia Patella.” In his review, Pitchfork’s Andy Cush writes that, on Cavalcade, “The chord changes are more elaborate, the rhythms more twisted, the pretty parts prettier, the heavy parts heavier. … Listening to Schlagenheim, it was easy to imagine black midi kicking out the jams in a basement somewhere. Now, the imagined setting is more like a Hieronymous Bosch painting, or a three-ring circus.”

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Buy at Rough Trade

DMX: Exodus [Def Jam]

DMX began work on Exodus last summer, encouraged by the outflow of positive energy around his Verzuz battle against Snoop Dogg. After the legendary rapper’s death in April, Swizz Beatz, DMX’s longtime friend and close collaborator, put the finishing touches on the album. The project features a number of guest collaborators, including JAY-Z, Nas, Snoop Dogg, and Bono.  

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Bachelor: Doomin’ Sun [Polyvinyl]

As Bachelor, Jay Som’s Melina Duterte and Palehound’s Ellen Kempner join forces. Their debut features the singles “Stay in the Car” and “Anything at All,” with appearances from Chastity Belt’s Annie Truscott and Big Thief’s Buck Meek and James Krivchenia.

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Mustafa: When Smoke Rises [Regent Park Songs]

When Smoke Rises is the debut project from Mustafa, a poet and songwriter based in Toronto. Following his collaboration with James Blake on “Come Back” last year, Mustafa released the singles “The Hearse” and “Ali.” When Smoke Rises also features production from Jamie xx and Frank Dukes, with Sampha joining Mustafa on “Capo.” Read Pitchfork’s Rising feature “Mustafa’s Meditative Songs of Mourning.” 

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Portico Quartet: Terrain [Gondwana]

Terrain is a three-part suite from the quartet led by the London-based crossover jazz artists Duncan Bellamy and Jack Wyllie. Recorded during lockdown, Wyllie said in a statement that the album was influenced by American minimalism and the work of Japanese composer Midori Takada.

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Listen on TIDAL
Listen on Amazon Music
Listen/Buy at Bandcamp
Buy at Rough Trade