8 New Albums You Should Listen to Now: Big Thief’s Adrianne Lenker, Bruce Springsteen, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, and more

With so much good music being released all the time, it can be hard to determine what to listen to first. Every week, Pitchfork offers a run-down of significant new releases available on streaming services. This week’s batch includes new albums and mixtapes from Adrianne Lenker of Big Thief, Bruce Springsteen, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, Junglepussy, Ela Minus, Loma, Bktherula, and Magik Markers. Subscribe to Pitchfork’s New Music Friday newsletter to get our recommendations in your inbox every week. (All releases featured here are independently selected by our editors. When you buy something through our affiliate links, however, Pitchfork earns an affiliate commission.)

Adrianne Lenker: songs / instrustrumentals [4AD]

Following last year’s U.F.O.F. and Two Hands with her band Big Thief, singer-songwriter Adrianne Lenker has released a pair of records titled songs and instrumentals. (Lenker’s grandmother painted the floral cover art of both installments.) The former is a collection of 11 new tunes that Lenker recorded in April with engineer Philip Weinrobe. instrumentals comprises two pieces: the 21-minute “music for indigo” and the 16-minute “mostly chimes.” Read Pitchfork’s Best New Track review of “anything.” Plus, watch Lenker’s new “zombie girl” video.

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Bruce Springsteen: Letter to You [Columbia]

Bruce Springsteen recorded Letter to You with the E Street Band over five days. It’s Springsteen’s 20th studio album, following last year’s Western Stars. And, like Western Stars, Letter to You arrives with a visual counterpart—a documentary that premiered on Apple TV+. Springsteen released the title track and “Ghosts” leading up to the release. The album also features new versions of three songs that Springsteen wrote in the 1970s: “Janey Needs a Shooter,” “If I Was the Priest,” and “Song for Orphans.”

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Jeff Tweedy: Love Is the King [dBpm]

Less than two weeks after releasing his latest book How to Write One Song: Loving the Things We Create and How They Love Us Back, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy has released a new solo album, too. He announced the record in September with the title track and “Guess Again.” For the more recent video for “Gwendolyn,” Tweedy recruited a number of celebrity guests, including Jon Hamm, Seth Meyers, Courtney Barnett, and several more. His sons Spencer and Sammy also appear on the record, which gets a physical release on January 15.

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Junglepussy: Jp4 [Friends Of/Jagjaguwar]

Jp4 is Junglepussy’s first album in two years. The record follows 2018’s Jp3 and features guest spots from Gangsta Boo and Ian Isiah. Ahead of releasing Jp4, Junglepussy shared the singles “Main Attraction” and “Arugula.”

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Ela Minus: acts of rebellion [Domino]

Colombia-born, Brooklyn-based producer and songwriter Ela Minus recently signed with Domino to release her debut album acts of rebellion. Minus wrote, produced, engineered, and recorded the 10-track LP in her bedroom. It includes lead single “they told us it was hard, but they were wrong,” as well as “megapunk,” “el cielo no es de nadie,” and “dominique.” Closing track “close” features guest vocals from Helado Negro. Read Pitchfork’s Rising interview “Ela Minus Makes Techno-Pop for Everyday Rebellion.”

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Loma: Don’t Shy Away [Sub Pop]

Don’t Shy Away is the second album from Loma—the trio of Shearwater’s Jonathan Meiburg with Emily Cross and Dan Duszynski of Cross Record—following their self-titled 2018 debut. “Homing” features a notable guest appearance from Brian Eno, who handled synths, drum programming, and production on the track. In September, the band shared the songs “Don’t Shy Away” and “I Fix My Gaze.” Emily Cross shot, directed, and edited the video for “I Fix My Gaze,” with Duszynski doing the same for “Don’t Shy Away.”

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Bktherula: Nirvana [Warner]

Atlanta rapper Bktherula is back with her second mixtape of the year. Nirvana follows the 11-track Love Santana, which dropped in January. Nirvana is also Bktherula’s Warner Records debut. Read about her track “Summer” on the Ones.

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Magik Markers: 2020 [Drag City]

Magik Markers went quiet for a few years after releasing Surrender to the Fantasy in 2013, but, after the surprise release of Isolated From Exterior Time: 2020 in July, they’re back for another round with the new 2020 on Drag City. Bassist John Shaw trades riffs with guitarist and vocalist Elisa Ambrogio on tracks like “CDROM,” “Born Dead,” and “Machine.” Meanwhile, “That Dream (Shitty Beach)” features vocals from drummer Pete Nolan.

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Originally Appeared on Pitchfork