Accessibility links
First Listen Enjoy select, upcoming albums, in their entirety.
First Listen

First Listen

Hear upcoming albums in their entirety

Sunday

First Listen: CEO, 'Wonderland'

CEO's new album, Wonderland, comes out Feb. 4. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption
Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: CEO, 'Wonderland'

Wonderland is, at times, superficially soothing and fun, an almost hedonistic paean. But not far beneath the surface lies something more unsettling and challenging: a statement about isolation and loneliness and a delicate search for meaning.

CEO, 'Wonderland'

Audio for First Listens is no longer available after the album is released.
First Listen: 'Sweetheart 2014'

Sweetheart 2014 comes out Feb. 4. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption
Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: 'Sweetheart 2014'

The Sweetheart compilations adhere to a simple concept in which well-liked contemporary artists cover well-liked classic love songs just in time for Valentine's Day. This year's participants include Fiona Apple, Vampire Weekend, Sharon Jones, Ben Harper, Jim James, Beck, Valerie June and more.

Sweetheart 2014

Audio for First Listens is no longer available after the album is released.
First Listen: Jeremy Messersmith, 'Heart Murmurs'

Jeremy Messersmith's new album, Heart Murmurs, comes out Feb. 4. Kyle Dean Reinford/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption
Kyle Dean Reinford/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: Jeremy Messersmith, 'Heart Murmurs'

With its subtle strings and sly infectiousness, Heart Murmurs is no less than an attempt to craft a new batch of pop standards. Whether Messersmith succeeds depends mostly on how many people are lucky enough to hear him.

Jeremy Messersmith, 'Heart Murmurs'

Audio for First Listens is no longer available after the album is released.
First Listen: Gina Chavez, 'Up.Rooted'

Gina Chavez's new album, Up.Rooted, comes out Feb. 15. Judson Baker/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption
Judson Baker/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: Gina Chavez, 'Up.Rooted'

Whether she sings in English or Spanish, Chavez captures a healthy dose of American soul, country and rock music, and she could hold her own with any Mexican ranchera singer, past or present.

Gina Chavez, "Up.Rooted"

Audio for First Listens is no longer available after the album is released.
Review: Robert Ellis, 'The Lights From The Chemical Plant'

Robert Ellis' new album, The Lights From the Chemical Plant, comes out Feb.11. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption
Courtesy of the artist

Review: Robert Ellis, 'The Lights From The Chemical Plant'

Ellis eludes categorization within either mainstream country or Americana music by going the route of both formats' greatest maverick craftsmen.

Robert Ellis, "The Lights From The Chemical Plant"

Audio for First Listens is no longer available after the album is released.
First Listen: Marissa Nadler, 'July'

Marissa Nadler's new album, July, comes out Feb. 4. Courtney B. Hall/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption
Courtney B. Hall/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: Marissa Nadler, 'July'

On her sixth album, the Bostonian singer-songwriter gets darker and more sinister than ever before. Its title must refer to a cold, polarizing kind of July, with the frigid climes that accompany an early-February release.

Marissa Nadler, 'July'

Audio for First Listens is no longer available after the album is released.

Friday

Sunday

First Listen: The Autumn Defense, 'Fifth'

The Autumn Defense's new album, Fifth, comes out Jan. 28. Chloe Aftel/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption
Chloe Aftel/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: The Autumn Defense, 'Fifth'

The band features bassist John Stirratt and multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone, both of Wilco. Warm and bittersweet, the timeless pop songs on Fifth have an agreeable brightness to them; they can seem unassuming, but they also burrow under the skin over time.

The Autumn Defense, 'Fifth'

Audio for First Listens is no longer available after the album is released.
First Listen: Laura Cantrell, 'No Way There From Here'

Laura Cantrell's new album, No Way There From Here, comes out Jan. 28. Amy Dickerson/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption
Amy Dickerson/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: Laura Cantrell, 'No Way There From Here'

Cantrell, who was born in Tennessee, is one of the stylists who defined Americana music as we now know it when she first emerged in 2000. But she's an urbanite, too, interested in expressing how the simple life gets thornier when your country dreams must adapt to the possibilities and problems of life in a metropolis.

Laura Cantrell, 'No Way There From Here'

Audio for First Listens is no longer available after the album is released.
First Listen: Dum Dum Girls, 'Too True'

Dum Dum Girls' new album, Too True, comes out Jan. 28. James Orlando/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption
James Orlando/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: Dum Dum Girls, 'Too True'

The band's third album splits the difference between the guitar-fueled rumble of a '60s basement and the synth-friendly shimmer of an '80s studio. But the additional polish never overwhelms the songwriting.

Dum Dum Girls, 'Too True'

Audio for First Listens is no longer available after the album is released.
First Listen: Quilt, 'Held In Splendor'

Quilt's second album, Held In Splendor, comes out Jan. 28. Allison Pharmakis/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption
Allison Pharmakis/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: Quilt, 'Held In Splendor'

Quilt is a perfect name for a band whose every song seems to knit together three distinct tunes. Its spirited and casual second album makes a great first impression, of the kind that almost inevitably leads to many more.

Quilt, 'Held in Splendor'

Audio for First Listens is no longer available after the album is released.
First Listen: Hospitality, 'Trouble'

Hospitality's new album, Trouble, comes out Jan. 28. William Mebane/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption
William Mebane/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: Hospitality, 'Trouble'

If the New York band's first album evoked a cardigan, its follow-up is more of a leather jacket. But along with a greater toughness in Amber Papini's singing, there's also a wider tonal palette at work.

Hospitality, 'Trouble'

Audio for First Listens is no longer available after the album is released.
First Listen: Angélique Kidjo, 'Eve'

Angélique Kidjo's new album, Eve, comes out Jan. 28. Pierre Marie Zimmerman/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption
Pierre Marie Zimmerman/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: Angélique Kidjo, 'Eve'

The power of Kidjo's unflappable voice, the range of her emotional expression, the stellar musicians who back her and the infectious energy that courses through her songs transcend any native tongue.

Angélique Kidjo, 'Eve'

  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/262401474/262402740" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Sunday

First Listen: Tom Brosseau, 'Grass Punks'

Tom Brosseau's Grass Punks comes out Jan. 21. Nathaniel Wood/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption
Nathaniel Wood/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: Tom Brosseau, 'Grass Punks'

Many of the North Dakota singer-songwriter's new songs have trapdoors and switchbacks and meta moments, but they're never there for show: It's in the shadows where the sly Brosseau does his best work, transforming earthbound images into intimations of wonder.

Tom Brosseau, 'Grass Punks'

Audio for First Listens is no longer available after the album is released.
First Listen: Warpaint, 'Warpaint'

Warpaint's self-titled album comes out Jan. 21. Mia Kirby/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption
Mia Kirby/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen: Warpaint, 'Warpaint'

The L.A. band's swirling sound is full of mysterious buzzes and coos, and there's a sense of everything-in-its-right-place grace and impeccability to it, yet the songs themselves never feel icy or distant. Warpaint's self-titled second album feels fashionable, sure, but not at the expense of approachability.

Warpaint, 'Warpaint'

Audio for First Listens is no longer available after the album is released.