Stephen Thompson

The album's title song chugs and pulsates to maximally infectious effect, enhanced by a swirl of synths and smooth guitar lines. Bad Baby comes out July 9.

High-wire acrobatics, major guest performances, a new Lorde song and dozens of stolen cell phones highlight the final night of the festival's first weekend.

Hear "Everything Is Magical," the first song from Jeremy Messersmith's literally titled 11 Obscenely Optimistic Songs For Ukulele: A Micro Folk Record For The 21st Century And Beyond.

The band's secret weapon is a kind of fearless sincerity — in its lyrics, in its propulsive urgency and in its frontman's willingness to throw himself into performances with guileless passion.

Over the years, The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" has become a stadium anthem. Now, Jack White returns with a song designed, at least in part, to be played in ballparks.

The Scottish multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, one of this year's SXSW breakout artists, returns with a video to match the inventiveness of her performances.

"Die With You" has been around since 2015, but it's newly packaged with a video depicting the endlessly dissected love affair between Beyoncé and Jay Z.

The New Pornographers' seventh album still stocks each song with three or four hooks where most bands might settle for one.

Brittany Luse and Gene Demby join the panel to discuss Chappelle's new Netflix specials, while David Greene pops in to share his thoughts on CHIPS. And, as always, What's Making Us Happy this week.

In the last few years, composer Ellis Ludwig-Leone has presided over a big band that's grown grander and more ambitious in every phase of its sound.

On stage in Australia and New Zealand, the singer has hinted at retirement in recent days. Naturally, it's time for a little idle speculation.

In a clever twist on the "lyric video" trend, the words to Future Islands' new song are signed by ASL interpreter Jonathan Lamberton.

On The Spark, due out May 19, the band's acoustic folk-rock sound is shot through with nervy, hellfire-and-brimstone intensity.

"Cormorant Bird" captures the light touch and poetic ambition of the Irish singer's early work, while adding orchestral sweep to his approachable sound.

For her ninth solo album, Mann says she set out to write the saddest, slowest record she could. But Mental Illness still sparkles in buoyantly catchy ways.

Though deliberate echoes of "Heart of Glass" make themselves heard from the song's opening seconds, "Long Time" never feels like a mere rehash.

Sylvan Esso, the duo of Nick Sanborn and Amelia Meath, drew cheers for their soon-to-be-released new material during NPR Music's annual showcase in Austin.

We go to SXSW in order to find music we're unlikely to see in our own backyard, find something thrilling, then shout out our fervent support. In this episode, we do exactly that.

Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker had the capacity Stubb's crowd in the palm of her hand at our showcase.

PWR BTTM, once two and now four members strong, brought glitter, humor and bombast to the stage at Stubb's this year.