NPR Music

How The Beatles made ‘Rubber Soul’ and broke up with their past

A super deluxe box set of The Beatles' legendary 1965 album Rubber Soul has just been released with brand new mixes, demos and outtakes that show The Beatles breaking up

New Music Friday: The best albums out Oct. 2

Victoria Monét. Meshell Ndegeocello. Sons of Sevilla. Host Stephen Thompson breaks down the best albums out Friday, Oct. 2, with DJs from around the NPR Music network: Ay

Alt.Latino: Melissa Aldana and Gonzalo Rubalcaba talk jazz

Jazz has often been called America's musical gift to the world. This week's guests remind us not only of the well-documented ways that Cuba revolutionized that gift, but

Phoebe Bridgers, Gilla Band, Wednesday, and more of the week’s best songs

We get big and loud this week with a surprise drop from Phoebe Bridgers and her song “On Video,” from the Primetime soundtrack; the monstrously disjointed “Placeholder” f

New Music Friday: The best albums out Sept. 25

Leon Bridges. Blondshell. Joy Oladokun. Host Stephen Thompson breaks down the best albums out Friday, Sept. 18 with DJs from around the NPR Music network: Erin Wolf from

Alt.Latino: YEИDRY's life in six songs

YEИDRY's music is almost as diverse she is. Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Italy, the singer’s repertoire of genre and sound pulls from multiple continents,

Lizzy McAlpine, Víkingur Ólafsson plays Bach, and more of the week's best songs

Our latest mix of the week’s best new songs swings from the shoegaze rock of rising LA band untitled (halo) to Bach’s “Air on the G String” performed by pianist Víkingur

Sylvan Esso: The NPR Music Interview

In September 2025, the electro-pop duo Sylvan Esso made headlines with the announcement that it was removing its catalog from Spotify. The world’s most popular music stre

New Music Friday: The best albums out Sept. 18

Beck. Carly Rae Jepsen. Beabadoobee. Host Stephen Thompson breaks down the best albums out Friday, Sept. 18 with DJs from around the NPR Music network: Robert Moore from

Alt.Latino: Los Texmaniacs keep tradition alive

Shortly after Los Texmaniacs did what they do best at the Tiny Desk, I pulled them into a studio to chat with them about the traditions they represent with their music. I

M83, Shygirl, FKJ and the best songs we heard this week

We’re back with another round of the best new songs out now, including the universe-splitting “Blister Sunrise” from M83, Shygirl’s bone-rattling, euphoric track “Alyse,”

New Music Friday: The best albums out Sept. 11

Sylvan Esso. This Is Lorelei. Ezra Collective. Host Stephen Thompson breaks down the best albums out Friday, Sept. 11 with DJs from around the NPR Music network: Brian Bu

Alt.Latino: Brazil and Colombia on our minds

This week Ana features two very different Brazilian artists that both draw heavily on the '60s and '70s Tropicália genre. Felix presents two very different approaches to

More cover songs that are better than the originals

We share more reimagined and reinterpreted songs that rival the originals, including Janis Joplin’s iconic take on Kris Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee,” a reggae ver

New Music Friday: The best albums out Sept. 4

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 Voyno

Alt.Latino: Guadalajara loves metal?

I like to think I’m the one who keeps things fresh on the show — or at least that’s what I tell everyone. But this week Felix once again proved that false, bringing in a

Dahi, Kendrick and Amber Mark, Dominic Fike, more

After nearly two decades of producing works by other musicians, including Kendrick Lamar and Vampire Weekend, the artist known as Dahi has just released his debut solo al

New Music Friday: The best albums out Aug. 28

Alabama Shakes. Mike D. Interpol. Host Stephen Thompson chats with Sean Carolan of WBJB in New Jersey about their favorite albums out Friday, August 28. Plus, a handful o

Alt.Latino: Cypress Hill en español

Latin identity has been at the core of Cypress Hill's music from the very beginning -- their 1991 track "Latin Lingo" gave voice to the Latin roots of hip hop with its fu

Dolly Parton in her own words

Dolly Parton was more than just a country music superstar. She was a songwriter for others, a philanthropist, a businesswoman, an actress and more. As a pop icon across s