The record industry decided in 1989 that albums would come out in the U.S. on Tuesdays, with records released Mondays in the U.K. and Canada and Fridays in Australia and Germany. And that's how it worked for a quarter century. Until now.
Starting today, new music will be released on Friday in America.
The switch will allow Americans to hear music on the same day as 44 other countries worldwide, rather than having to wait through the weekend for the music to come out stateside. (And it certainly doesn't hurt that people tend to spend more money on weekends).
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
If today's record release day took you by surprise, no sweat, we've got you covered. Below are some albums out today. Happy listening! Jeva Lange
Ezra Furman — Perpetual Motion People
Doused in saucy saxophones that make it sound like the sort of ramshackle '50s retro revue that Mac DeMarco might make if he fronted Dexys Midnight Runners, [Perpetual Motion People] hops, skips, and jumps between genres with abandon. [NME]
Veruca Salt — Ghost Notes
After all these years, the members of Veruca Salt are like sparks banging into each other, their notes and beats still giving off heavy heat. And ultimately, that is what makes Ghost Notes work. [Paste]
Hunter Hunted — Ready for You
Ready For You, is rampant with melodic pop songs colored with tinges of rock and dance influences with catchy vocal harmonies. "We're not going to be in a genre that is associated with a lifestyle, but that doesn't mean we're not excited about EDM music and where that is and how that's being incorporated [in our music]," [band member Michael] Garner says. "Right now is an exciting time to find what we're excited about in each different genre and kind of meld that together." [Billboard]
Ghostface Killah — Reasons to Die II
Ghostface Killah's renaissance — see his solo album 36 Seasons, and Sour Soul, the collaboration with jazz trio BadBadNotGood — continues with the second installment of his hardboiled hip-hop caper made with Adrian Younge, LA producer and soundtrack composer: Younge's lavish, jazz- and soul-tinged production providing the aural red carpet for one of rap's greatest yarn-spinners. [The Guardian]
Duke Ellington & His Orchestra — The Conny Plank Session
A new album with four previously unreleased tracks shows that Ellington remained eclectic in his musical endeavors late into his career. [The Wall Street Journal]
-
The rise of the performative maleTalking Point What the latest internet trope tells us about gender roles, dating and male illiteracy
-
5 cracking cartoons about the new Cracker Barrel logoCartoons Artists take on MAGA designs, real issues, and more
-
Should you downsize for retirement? Here's what to consider.The Explainer Moving to a smaller place may seem easier, but there are also some real benefits to staying put
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
