Welcome to another installment of Today's Release Highlights, where the TND writers room gathers up some brand new projects they want to draw your eyes and ears to.

This week, we have five new releases we'd like to key you into as you head into the weekend. Check them all out below.

Ba bam!

Green Lung – Necropolitan [Nuclear Blast]

British stoner/doom metal band Green Lung have returned with new record, and their fourth overall, Necropolitan. It’s no secret the group owe heavily to doom’s founding fathers Black Sabbath, although they cover plenty of additional ground, from NWOBHM catchiness and theatricality, to tasteful, progressive leaning solos, as well as an abundance of sludgy riffs that would make Tony Iommi blush. Vocally, there are snippets that evoke Ozzy Osbourne’s iconic wail, mixed with Dio’s precise, controlled tone, and a hint of Rob Halford thrown in for good measure. Their familiar throwback sound is oddly invigorating with the confidence in which they carry it out. Green Lung are a testament that sometimes all you need to is a deep reverence to the genre’s founders, and the chops to pull it off. – Shaye

Ibibio Sound Machine – Chopping Mountain [Merge]

The only way out is through. Monolithic obstacles be damned. On this sixth album from South London-based Ibibio Sound Machine, vocalist Eno Williams and her band rise up in soulful resistance with a danceable blend of West African highlife, post-punk, disco, and electronic funk. Recorded, produced, and mixed at the band’s own Vanguard studio by saxophonist and keys man Max Grunhard, Chopping Mountain wears its easy confidence and playful instincts well, with the Afro-disco pulse of "Concept of Love" and the characterful chant of "Give Me Peace" among the standout cuts. Is it their best work? Maybe not, but ISM’s uniquely irrepressible spirit is always worth tuning into. – Alan Pedder

Killing of a Sacred Deer – Encephalic Angels [independent]

Killing of a Sacred Deer is the brainchild of Colter Cuthbertson, also in deathcore group Psycho-Frame, who have exploded on the scene these past couple years with a refreshing energy, World of Pleasure, a straight edge hardcore band, and Serration, a ‘90s metalcore throwback act, and while there are elements of his other projects to be found on new album Encephalic Angels, it evades clear definition. Explosive breakdowns and chaotic, ever-shifting structures are hallmarks of deathcore, but there’s also a distinct electronic backing, bolstering the unease, and allowing the unpredictable songs to flow.

Lone single and title track “Encephalic Angels” boasts a feature from fromjoy vocalist Kellen King, and serves as a worthy statement piece for the entire project: ADHD-ridden, uncontrollable metallic chaos. It dances between bouncing grooves, pummeling mosh parts, as synths shimmer atop. 47 second rager “[ascendence sequence]” is more of a distress beacon than a full-fledged song; grating panic chords cut atop sinister chugs, a sickening interlude that provides anything but some breathing room before we’re launched into another beefy, metallic cut. At 11 songs and just under 23 minutes, Encephalic Angels arrives with a bang, and doesn’t leave until you’ve got your brutality fill, remaining not a moment more. – Shaye

This Is Lorelei – The Singer in My Band [Matador]

Nate Amos has been a multifaceted talent since he was in My Idea with Palberta’s Lily Konigsberg, and he’s the technician behind some of the most singular sonics in noteworthy indie-rock in the uncategorizable Water From Your Eyes with Rachel Brown. His more conventional solo stuff as This Is Lorelei has possibly won him more plaudits than either, from the likes of MJ Lenderman and Hayley Williams among others. But last year’s re-recorded de facto best-of Holo Boy was both excellent and weirding out again. He’s never had a more anticipated record than The Singer in My Band, which combines the simpler melodies of 2024’s beloved Box for Buddy, Box for Star with the trickiest, cleverest guitar playing of his career, often leaning into country modes. So we get the bluegrass Elliott Smith of “Watching Heaven Fall,” the astounding faux-gospel opener “I Will Eat My Heart in the Morning Light,” and the rollicking “And I Haven’t Seen My Baby in Quite a While” as highlights on this tune-rich stockpile that will take many listens to unpack. — Daniel Aaron

The Tubs – Hard Life [Merge]

This lovable Welsh quartet rises from the ashes of Joanna Gruesome and Ex-Vöid to keep on keeping on after Dead Meat and Cotton Crown, two fantastic albums of ‘80s-style college-rock and jangle-pop led by Owen “O” Williams and his Richard Thompson-esque burr. On their biggest label ever with their biggest budget ever, The Tubs do what they do best and go on longer than seems possible, making meatier power-pop anthems out of “Stoop to Me,” “Hell,” and “In Your Place” than usual, rich in harmony (sometimes via chipmunking technology) and craft and pumped-up drums for their closeup. But there’s no topping the cover of “Do Yourself a Favor,” a riotous obscurity by that great lost genius Prince. — Daniel Aaron