It’s the last New Music Friday of the year before the official start of fall, and with the recent Coachella 2026 lineup announcement, this one is big.
With many of our favorite artists embarking on autumn tours, they’re mixing things up with hot new singles, albums and teasers of what’s to come, and we couldn’t be more excited. Fall hasn’t even started in full, and it’s already feeling like a season of epic comebacks. Curious about what’s got our blood pumping as we head into the weekend? Keep scrolling to discover the 10 biggest things that happened in music the week of Sep. 19, 2025.
(Photo credit: Charlie Sarsfield)
1. The Two Lips Accept a Friendship Breakup With ‘play’
Indie-pop duo The Two Lips will be making their Coachella debut in 2026, so you might as well fall in love with them now before they seriously blow up. They just released their new single, “play,” a dreamy pop anthem propelled by twinkling instrumentation and gorgeously layered vocals from members Andrea and Jewlz. It’s a song about a friend breakup and recognizing that not all friendships are meant to stand the test of time, complete with a playful karaoke-themed lyric video.
“There are always two sides to every story,” the duo shared in a press release. “‘play,’ is an honest song about friendship breakups, explains the process of realizing some people aren’t meant to be friends forever. It wasn’t an easy thing to accept that we had drifted away from friends we thought we’d have for life. Even though things didn’t end up the way we both thought they would, it’s always love at the end of the day.”
2. NewDad Leave Home Behind to Find Their Fame in Altar
Irish alt-rock band NewDad was also just announced as part of the Coachella 2026 lineup, so the timing for the release of their sophomore album, Altar, couldn’t be better. Consisting of a dozen moody and evocative tracks, the album is an introspective project that considers identity and the double-edged sword of seeking fame. At once, they’re pulled in two directions, between the comfort and familiarity of standing still and the ambitious desire to make something of themselves and leave that all behind.
“We’re so excited to finally share this album with you,” the group shared in an Instagram post. “It was a bit of whirlwind getting this second record done and so much time and hard work went into it, I really hope you can all hear the love in it. The love we have for home, the love we’ve lost at times for what’s meant to be a creative job in a data driven world… but overall our love of music perseveres and your appreciation and support gets us through it all. Thank you for sticking by us and we really hope you love this music and it speaks to you. If you’re leaving or have left home, if you have trouble standing up for yourself, if you’ve found it hard to find your place in this world you can meet us at the Altar and we’ll be there. Thank you for being the reason we get to do this. Love ye.”
3. Debbii Dawson Builds on Her Retro-Modern Pop Sound With ‘I Want You’
Rising singer-songwriter Debbii Dawson has a truly unique sound, fusing nostalgia and contemporary pop with disco-infused productions. Her newest single, “I Want You,” feels like an entirely new take—and it might be our favorite yet. It’s an instant earworm, pairing Debbii’s soft yet intoxicating vocals with sunny ’90s-inspired synths to tell a story of infatuation. She’s overanalyzing her crush’s every move, and yet fully unable to decipher whether they like her back.
4. Kojey Radical Reflects on the Life He’s Built With Don’t Look Down
English musician Kojey Radical is a unique artist who should be on everyone‘s radars in 2025, especially with the release of his genre-spanning and resonant sophomore new album, Don’t Look Down. Its 16 songs serve as a reflection on his life so far, incorporating everything from classic hip-hop, jazz and soul sounds to disco and ska as he considers loss, hope and fame, as well as looking forward and hoping to be the very best father he can be. It comes accompanied by a short film, directed by Relta, which crafts the story of the album by interlinking three of its music videos into a single narrative
“Letting go of this album was really hard, building a world around it that visually represents everything I’m trying to say while still allowing everyone to have their own interpretation of the art and the music was one of the most important things to me,” Kojey shared in a post on Instagram.
5. Bakar Gets Experimental With New Project, BEASTIE
English artist Bakar is having a huge year, taking the stage at massive music festivals and modeling for huge campaigns, and he gets extra experimental on his new project, BEASTIE. The eight-song collection (whose title stands for Boys Entering Anarchistic States Towards Inner Excellence) is hard to define, incorporating elements of indie-pop, R&B and so much for to create a raw, unfiltered and flowing body of work that was recording entirely over the last two months.
“I don’t even know what this thing we made is, album?” Bakar asked in a press release. “EP? Mixtape? Idk and i don’t really care tbh. Call it what you wanna call it. I’m just happy to have made it cos it’s beautiful and proper sounds like the inside of my brain right now—every song on here made in the last eight weeks, s*** feels good.”
6. Julia Michaels Is a Survivor With ‘No Heartbreak’s Killed Me Yet’
Songwriter extraordinaire and pop sensation Julia Michaels is responsible for more of our favorite tracks than we can count, and as a performer, her music is just as infectiously unforgettable. Her latest single is “No Heartbreak’s Killed Me Yet,” a laidback yet upbeat indie-pop bop about refusing to let a breakup get her down. She’s completely unbothered in the face of heartbreak, and we hope this song can become an anthem for anyone seeking hope and a bit of fun at the end of a relationship.
7. Natalie Jane Teases Her Debut Album With ‘r u gonna love me?’
It’s official—pop phenomenon Natalie Jane is releasing her debut album, the world i didn’t want, on Oct. 24. We already know we can expect Natalie’s belting vocals and raw, relatable storytelling, with the album featuring beloved singles “girls will b girls”, “fallin” and “how u been?,” but we’re especially excited after hearing her latest release, “r u gonna love me?” The song feels like a plea as she wonders if her love is bound to last and whether her lover will stay once she’s no longer young and beautiful.
“This project has taken us over a year now and I have spent every single day making sure every detail is perfect for all of you,” Natalie said of the album in a press release. “I put out my first song ever over four years ago, when I was still in high school and had a silly dream that I could be an artist one day. Every song and every show has led me to this moment—where I am able to put every little thing inside my head both sonically and visually into a project for all of you. To everyone reading this, this is only the beginning and I’m so happy you are here with me at the start
8. Lewis Capaldi Sings of Love and Loss With ‘Something in the Heavens’
After breaking his two-year hiatus in June with the hit song “Survive,” Scottish artist Lewis Capaldi is back at it yet again with the release of his stunning and emotional new single “Something in the Heavens.” The soaring ballad, driven by piano, strings and Lewis’s angelic vocals, tells a heartbreaking story of losing someone you love, yet holding on to hope and a knowledge you’ll be reunited someday. It’s an ode to the power of holding on, made even more impactful with a captivating live performance video filmed at Abbey Road.
9. YUQI Kicks a Controlling Ex to the Curb in ‘M.O.’
Chinese singer-songwriter and producer YUQI can truly do it all, from being a part of world-famous K-pop group i-dle to taking a powerful stand as a soloist. Her latest solo track is “M.O.,” a confident and daring R&B ballad about cutting a controlling partner out of her life for good. Despite their beginning, she’s standing tall and sticking to her instincts, because she can’t be sure of their true intentions.
10. Dove Cameron Truly Falls in Love for the First Time in ‘Whatever You Like’
Singer-songwriter and actress Dove Cameron knows a thing or two about pop music, and with her new single “Whatever You Like,” she has us completely caught up in a dreamy, swoon-worthy romance. The velvety track incorporates a groovy bassline and lullaby-like strings to create a ballad about the euphoria that comes with finding your true love. We also adore the visualizer made up of candid footage with her real-life partner, fellow artist Damiano David.
“It’s about realizing that, even if you’ve been in other relationships, you’ve never truly known love before—in its simplest and truest form,” Dove explained in a press release. “And that maybe, you’ve found the person you want to do every little thing with for the rest of your life.”
Missed our favorite tracks last week? Click HERE to check out our top 10 favorite releases for the week of Sep. 12, 2025.
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