New Music Friday: The best albums out Aug. 28

New Music Friday: The best albums out Aug. 28

From NPR Music by NPR

August 28, 2026 · 41 min

About this episode

Host Stephen Thompson discusses new album releases with guest Sean Carolan and NPR Music writers.

Alabama Shakes. Mike D. Interpol. Host Stephen Thompson chats with Sean Carolan of WBJB in New Jersey about their favorite albums out Friday, August 28. Plus, a handful of NPR Music writers and critics offer their personal picks in the lightning round. The Starting 5 (03:37) Album No. 1 - Mastodon, 'Marrow Deep' (08:56) Album No. 2 - Mike D 5D, 'Thank You' (15:41) Album No. 3 - Alabama Shakes, 'I Must Be Dreaming' (21:43) Album No. 4 - Interpol, 'This Mirror Weighs a Ton' (27:47) Album No. 5 - The Linda Lindas, 'Gotta Get Out' (33:37) The Lightning Round - Billy Strings, 'So Much For Goodbyes' - Elephant Stone, 'ASHA' - Tiny Habits, 'Keepers' - Saul Williams, 'Leap Life' - Liim, 'A Sunflower Garden In Harlem Is Hard To Find' Sample the albums via our New Music Friday playlist and see our Long List of notable releases on NPR.org Credits: Host: Stephen Thompson Guest: Sean Carolan, WBJB Audio Producer: Noah Caldwell Digital Producer: Dora Levite Editors: Elle Mannion, Otis Hart Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed Special thanks to Ann Powers and Rodney Carmichael Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus…

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Host: Stephen Thompson

Guest: Sean Carolan

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Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Alabama Shakes, Mike D, Interpol, Mastodon, The Linda Lindas, Billy Strings, Elephant Stone, Tiny Habits, Saul Williams, Liim

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