New Music Friday – February 21, 2025

February 21, 2025 Ben Pagani

It’s New Music Friday and that means a wide variety of fresh picks are out now. Scroll down to see a list of the top singles, albums and EPs released this week. First, here’s a deeper look at the biggest record out today.

The Best of New Music Friday:

Tate McRae – So Close to What

It’s abundantly clear from the beginning of Tate McRae’s new record that listeners are about to go on a sexy, danceable journey. “Get your hands off my man,” the 21 year-old Canadian pop singer sternly says before even singing a note on “Miss possessive,” the opening track on her third studio album So Close to What. “I know what you are, tryin’ so hard // Runnin’ ’round tryna fuck a star,” McRae continues.

Her “man” is Australian musician The Kid LAROI. The two duet together on the track “I know love.” McRae opens that song with the line “He said, ‘No lie, girl, you lookin’ sexy on the magazine, but what you doin’ after the photos?’ // Looks like I’ll be in the covers with you practicin’ a new kinda promo.”

LAROI then sings the second verse with McRae. “I said ‘You my type,’ out in Mexico tonight // You said it was gon’ be quick, now we’re twelve months in // Everybody needs somebody they can hold down // Girl, stop actin’ like you’re tough and let your guard down.” This song, which lasts only about two and a half minutes, shows depth within the relationship these two artists have. This sort of collab is noteworthy because of how little it is seen in mainstream music today.

Another thing that should be clear to listeners at this point is how impressive McRae’s lyrical delivery is. She spits a lot of complicated quips across So Close to What’s 15 tracks. She produces with that level of quality across the whole record–and it’s a major reason McRae’s latest effort is receiving higher praise than some of her previous releases. She’s also been slated to appear as an upcoming musical guest on Saturday Night Live.

The beats and rhythms on songs like “It’s ok I’m ok” and “Sports Car” have a Y2K feel to them, making this LP a fun listen for most occasions. McRae also displays variety by ending this album with an acoustic song called “Nostalgia.” She sings at her sweetest and softest to close out this record, putting an exclamation mark on a strong performance.

New Music Friday Top Picks:

Baths – Gut [Basement’s Basement]

Blondshell – “Two Times” [Partisan]

Fontaines D.C. – “It’s Amazing To Be Young” [XL]

Glixen – Quiet Pleasures [Self-released]

Porridge Radio – The Machine Starts to Sing EP [Secretly Canadian]

Sam Fender – People Watching [Capitol]

Saya Gray – Saya [Dirty Hit]

Sorry Face – “heart shaped glitter bomb” [Self-released]

Visit Neptune – “Sofia” [Self-released]

Youth Lagoon – Rarely Do I Dream [Fat Possum]

Which of these tracks from New Music Friday will you add to your favorite playlists today? Any we missed? Let us know in the comments or on Instagram!

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Ben Pagani

Music Projects Manager at Beyond The Stage Magazine

Ben is a music journalist living and working in Chicago. They joined Beyond The Stage as an intern and have stayed on the staff for several years. Now serving on the editorial board, Ben is proud to be BTS' Music Projects Manager, coordinating coverage between international record labels and our staff. Ben has interviewed, photographed and written about bands from across the world. Ben has lived all over the United States working in television and media. They are an Emmy Award-winning writer. Ben can be found spinning records as 'DJ Wearing Sunglasses' in clubs and basements across the US.