10 new albums to listen to in November

We are officially in the winding-down portion of 2025, but November, especially in its first week, still has plenty of highly anticipated music. The weekend of November 7 will be one of the busiest and musically diverse release windows of the year, with new music from Rosalía, The Mountain Goats, Mavis Staples, and several more arriving at the same time. Later in the month, perennial rock acts Cheap Trick and Danko Jones will return as we move into the holidays. You can check out our 10 top picks for the month below.

Rosalia, Lux (November 6) 

Rosalía’s last album, 2022’s Motomami, was a tricky, complex collection of urbano, pop, jazz, flamenco, and everything in between. Needless to say, expectations are high for Lux, but Rosalía seems prepared to meet them. “Berghain,” the first track shared from the album which features contributions from Björk and Yves Tumor, is easily one of the most dramatic tracks of the year. Named for the world-famous Berlin club, the track is quite literally operatic and sounds backed by a whole orchestra. Rosalía has also teased collaborations with artists working in more traditional Catalonian, Portuguese, and Mexican genres such as fado, urban sierreño, and, of course, flamenco. [Drew Gillis] 

Mavis Staples, Sad And Beautiful World (November 7)

Soul legend Mavis Staples returns this month with her 14th studio album, and her first since 2019. Featuring “cameos” from artists like Bonnie Raitt, MJ Lenderman, and Justin Vernon, per a press release, Sad And Beautiful World promises an urgent, timely collection of songs delivered with the gravitas that can only exist with seven-plus decades of practice. While Staples’ style is generally timeless, the new album includes writing from some of the 21st century’s most influential voices; “Human Mind” was co-written by Hozier (who previously collaborated with Staples on his 2018 single “Nina Cried Power”) while “Godspeed” is a cover of the Frank Ocean track from Blonde. [DG] 

The Mountain Goats, Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan (November 7)

The Mountain Goats can never stay in one place for too long, an inclination that’s apparent even on their 23rd studio album, Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan. This one comes with a full, maritime-y sound and an extremely Mountain Goats concept: The album tells the story of “a small crew shipwrecked on a desert island, where three surviving members—an unnamed narrator, Captain Peter Balkan, and Adam—are plagued by diminishing resources and apocalyptic visions.” Joining the band on this voyage are former Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson and Broadway’s Lin-Manuel Miranda, giving the record, which the band describes on their site as a “full-on musical,” some extra theater cred. [Emma Keates]

Danny Brown, Stardust (November 7) 

Danny Brown’s music can be chaotic and frantic, and what we’ve heard so far from Stardust seems to maintain a lot of that energy. Advance single “Starburst” leaves up to the chewiness of the candy of the same name, while “Copycats,” which features an appearance from hyperpop-rap upstarts underscores, bounces off the walls in-between some almost-house piano riffs. The rest of Stardust features a list of fellow glitched-out collaborators, including Frost Children, Jane Remover, and femtanyl, all of whom have worked with the emcee in the past few years. [DG]  

Allie X, Happiness Is Going To Get You (November 7)

Allie X’s 2024 album The Girl With No Face was one of the strongest pop albums of that year, and the first few glimpses of Happiness Is Going To Get You seem to signal more progression. In a press release ahead of the album, Allie X said she was “drawn away from my computer, toward the piano,” and the bits of the album we’ve heard so far support that. Moving from the new wave-influenced electropop of her last album, lead single “Is Anybody Out There?” dips into some light funk and some new jack swing-style orchestra hits beneath a layered, hypnotic vocal. Second single “Reunite” includes some harpsichord before settling into another funky ’80s bass line and a floating pure-pop melody that almost recalls ABBA. [DG]