Oklahoma noise band Chat Pile mix more melody into their bleak message on another powerful, unsettling collection, Who Loves the Sun

NEW LOVE is the first album credited to Dexys Midnight Runners since 1985, an apposite gesture since the themes and undertones link back to Don’t Stand Me Down

Overmono’s new LP feels like a step forward as they push into new directions, crafting expansive dance music that retains a deep sense of humanity

Brandon Flowers’ melodies are largely airy, ebullient, even life-affirming. Articulating the troubles we face, he also, and perhaps ultimately, pays homage to our resilience

An ambitious concept, combining storytelling with a country/hip-hop blend

The Mountain Goats don’t go all in on a 1990s grunge-inspired record, but instead look back on that period with a fresh perspective

With acoustic guitar and banjo, Lambchop return to their Nashville roots, while the choruses create yet another idiosyncratic background for musings on America

Soft Control would be a great place to dig in if you’re new to the Afghan Whigs, but it is also another rewarding collection for devotees

An artist’s work is their own to paint. Blue Morpho sounds like the beginning of an impressive solo journey for Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien

Vince Staples comments on the injustices and genocidal tendencies baked into the US’s DNA, striking a balance between satire, rant, and attunement to the tragic

Jungle’s Sunshine is sincerely life-affirming, like being splashed with a bucketful of light during a time when darkness is much easier to come by

Charli XCX, now on her seventh record, pursues the continuum of human feelings and flairs. This may be the most humane entry yet in the grand canon