New Music Friday Roundup
This week’s New Music Friday spotlight stacked indie names — new albums from The New Pornographers, José González, The Academy Is..., Courtney Barnett (listed as courtneymelba) and The Pretty Flowers landed in the March 27 roundup. (x.com) The same post also flagged fresh singles from The Maine and Ryan Bingham pushing alternative and roots‑adjacent sounds into playlists. (x.com)
The New Pornographers released a full-length titled The Former Site Of on March 27, 2026, with pre-orders for CD, LP and limited-edition “Mai Tai” and “Spilled Ink” vinyl variants on Merge Records’ store. ( mergerecords.com ) José González’s fifth solo studio album, Against The Dying Of The Light, arrived March 27, 2026 via City Slang and carries a 13-track listing that the artist framed as a companion to his earlier Local Valley material. ( jose-gonzalez.com ) ( josgonzlez.bandcamp.com ) Chicago alt‑rockers The Academy Is… issued Almost There on March 27, 2026 — their first studio album in 18 years — released through I Surrender Records as the band prepares festival and tour dates tied to the comeback. ( chicago.suntimes.com ) ( liveinlimbo.com ) Courtney Barnett’s fourth LP Creature of Habit arrived March 27, 2026 on Mom+Pop Music, led by the single “Site Unseen” which features Waxahatchee on harmonies. ( consequence.net ) Her official link profile and social handles still appear under the moniker “courtneymelba.” ( linktr.ee ) Los Angeles outfit The Pretty Flowers released Never Felt Bitter on March 27, 2026 via Forge Again Records, with the lead single “Came Back Kicking” available for streaming and playlist pitching ahead of the LP. ( forgeagainrecords.com ) ( punkrocktheory.com ) On the singles front, The Maine issued “Palms” as a new stand‑alone preview ahead of their tenth album Joy Next Door, due April 10, 2026. ( highlightmagazine.net ) Ryan Bingham shared “Twist The Knife” on March 24 as a track from his forthcoming album They Call Us The Lucky Ones, scheduled for release May 15, 2026. ( gratefulweb.com ) ( whiskeyriff.com )
