Whether you’re heading away or staying put, this long weekend calls for a considered listening edit. Kylie Minogue’s latest release from her new documentary offers a polished dose of nostalgia, while Cigarettes After Sex’s Twizzler brings a hazy, after-dark energy perfect for slower evenings. For something more conversational, If Books Could Kill delivers sharp cultural commentary with just enough humour to balance things out. Press play and let the weekend unfold.
New Albums
More
Pulp
Jarvis Cocker returns with the first Pulp album in decades, and somehow it arrives without the usual reunion-tour embarrassment attached. Wry, intelligent and beautifully world-weary throughout, More examines ageing, desire and modern absurdity with lyrical sophistication few contemporary bands can still convincingly deliver today.
Song to start with: Spike Island
Never Enough
Turnstile
The Baltimore band continue pushing hardcore into more melodic and emotionally expansive territory without losing any momentum or edge. Restless, euphoric and unexpectedly moving throughout, Never Enough proves guitar music still possesses genuine life when handled by artists more interested in evolution than cynical nostalgia or tired revivalism entirely.
Song to start with: Never Enough
Look for Your Mind!
The Lemon Twigs
The D’Addario brothers return with another impeccably crafted collection of lush harmonies, psychedelic textures and seventies-inspired songwriting. Beneath the immaculate musicianship sits something surprisingly contemporary though, balancing melancholy, wit and emotional intelligence in ways that feel timeless rather than merely retro or self-consciously nostalgic.
Song to start with: I Just Can’t Get Over Losing You
New songs
Light up
Kylie Minogue
Twizzler
Cigarettes After Sex
End of an Era
Niall Horan
Second Chance
Lukas Graham
Hit the Wall
Gracie Abrams
I’ll Be there – Charleon Remix
Jess glynne, Charleon
Classics to revisit
Sade
Love Deluxe
Silky, restrained and impossibly elegant, Love Deluxe remains sophisticated late-night listening with emotional intelligence still entirely intact.
Song to start with: No Ordinary Love
Massive Attack
Mezzanine
Dark, hypnotic and permanently influential, Mezzanine transformed trip-hop into something colder, moodier and strangely timeless almost overnight.
Song to start with: Teardrop
Talking Heads
Remain in Light
Art rock, funk and nervous intellectual collapse collide brilliantly across one of the most influential records ever made.
Song to start with: Once in a Lifetime
Intriguing Podcasts
The Rest Is Entertainment
Marina Hyde and Richard Osman dissect celebrity culture, media scandals and the entertainment industry with intelligence, wit and remarkable observational precision. Smart, sharply funny listening for anyone fascinated by the machinery behind fame and the increasingly absurd economics shaping modern public attention and cultural influence.
If Books Could Kill
Michael Hobbes and Peter Shamshiri hilariously dismantle bestselling self-help manifestos, airport business books and wildly influential cultural nonsense with forensic precision. Equal parts intellectual criticism and comic relief, the podcast offers satisfying listening for anyone increasingly suspicious of modern thought leadership and performative expertise everywhere.
Shell Games
Journalist Evan Ratliff explores artificial intelligence, digital identity and the blurred distinction between human and machine interaction through investigative storytelling. Clever, unsettling and unexpectedly funny, the podcast examines the technological anxieties quietly reshaping modern life without collapsing into panic or Silicon Valley worship entirely.
A Bit of Optimism
Simon Sinek’s conversational podcast explores leadership, creativity, relationships and modern working life through thoughtful interviews with cultural figures, entrepreneurs and thinkers. Less corporate jargon and more reflective curiosity, the series balances practical insight with genuine warmth, making it compelling listening during chaotic and distracted times globally.
