New Music Friday: The best albums out June 19
By Stephen Thompson and Nate Chinen
Jun 19, 2026 12:01am
Welcome to New Music Friday, NPR Music's podcast dedicated to sharing the best albums out each week. We listen to dozens of new releases in advance, identify the ones we think you need to hear, and highlight our favorite five in a brisk mix of clips, context and commentary.
The podcast is hosted by NPR Music's Stephen Thompson, and each episode features a member of the NPR Music Network of public radio stations. This week, our guest is Nate Chinen, editorial director of WRTI in Philadelphia.
Scroll down to see which albums we discussed this week and links to our New Music Friday playlists, where you can hear singles from each album. Then scroll down to see the long list and Dora's Corner, where NPR Music production assistant Dora Levite shares her favorite albums that didn't make the podcast.