Weekly new-music roundup
- Outlets including Complex, Pitchfork and NPR listed fresh releases spotlighting Kehlani and Sir Michael Rocks. - Social posts also flagged vinyl updates, including Can live albums and new Massive Attack items. - The combined coverage shows both streaming-first releases and renewed interest in collectible vinyl this week ( ).
This week’s music chatter split between two formats: new songs aimed at streaming and new vinyl aimed at collectors. (complex.com; massiveattack.bandcamp.com) Kehlani anchored the streaming side with “Back and Forth,” a Missy Elliott collaboration released April 10 as the final preview of her self-titled fifth album, due April 24. Complex said the album is Kehlani’s first full-length release since 2024’s *Crash*. (complex.com; complex.com) NPR Music’s April 17 “New Music Friday” roundup pointed listeners to that week’s album field, while Sir Michael Rocks landed his own fresh release with *Rocks, Paper, Scissors: Choices*. Apple Music lists the Chicago rapper’s 12-track album as arriving April 22 with features from Valee, Bruiser Wolf, The Musalini and Skooda Chose. (npr.org; music.apple.com) The vinyl side moved on a different timetable. Massive Attack and Tom Waits released “Boots on the Ground” on April 16, but the 12-inch pressing is listed as shipping on or around July 31, with an exclusive vinyl B-side titled “The Fly.” (store.massiveattack.co.uk; massiveattack.bandcamp.com) That release also turned the format itself into part of the pitch. Massive Attack’s store says the single uses 180-gram “EcoSonic” records made from recycled polyethylene terephthalate, or rPET, instead of standard polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, and says the package uses recycled paper stock. (store.massiveattack.co.uk) Can’s live catalog helps explain why older acts keep surfacing in the same weekly conversation. Mute has spent the past two years issuing archival Can concert sets including *Live in Keele 1977* and *Live in Aston 1977* on vinyl, compact disc and digital formats. (mute.com; mute.com) Record Store Day remains a major calendar marker for that collector market. The organizer says the event now involves nearly 1,400 independently owned stores in the United States, and its 2026 special-release list runs deep into live albums, reissues and color-vinyl editions. (recordstoreday.com; recordstoreday.com) The result is a weekly release cycle that no longer points in one direction. On the same April slate, Kehlani and Sir Michael Rocks were feeding playlists while Massive Attack and catalog acts like Can were giving fans reasons to buy the object, not just hear the song. (complex.com; music.apple.com; massiveattack.bandcamp.com; mute.com)
