Hi there! Welcome to TheNeedleDrop.com’s newest segment, Today's Release Highlights, where we will highlight a smattering of new releases out each week. This week, the writers here – not Anthony himself, it should be noted – have compiled 8 albums like to shout out and hope they don't slip by you.

Check ’em out below!

Conan - Violence Dimension [Heavy Psych Sounds]

UK sludge trio Conan have returned with their seventh album, Violence Dimension, which is out today via their new label Heavy Psych Sounds. The band's new LP continues their unrepentant streak of window-rattling stoner doom and explores the intricacies of brutality. "This release explores the hinterland between being scared to live and being scared to die and punches holes in the idea that we must live our life by one set of rules," says the band. "We all live in the violence dimension, and there is no escape." – Nic Huber

Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra - Still Blooming [Decca]

After starring in the Oscar-nominated movie musical Wicked, Jeff Goldblum reunites with The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra for his third studio album, Still Blooming, a reimagining of jazz standards like Cy Coleman's "The Best Is Yet To Come," Plas Johnson's "The Grease Patrol," Victor Young's "Stella By Starlight," and more. The record also features some star-studded guests. From jazz vocalist Maiya Sykes, to former co-star and Scarlet Johansson, to Wicked co-stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, Goldblum and his collaborators arranged a curated selection of songs emblematic of mid-century era Broadway and the Golden Age of Hollywood. This is his first new musical project since his 2024 Christmas EP, A Very Goldblum Christmas. – Victoria Borlando

Moor Mother and SUMAC - The Film [Thrill Jockey]

Free-form post-sludge outfit SUMAC and noise poet Moor Mother have joined forces for their newest effort The Film. While Moor Mother is no stranger to collaborations, this is the first time she has performed with a metal band since 2020’s True Opera, with Mental Jewelry. SUMAC is a collaborative effort in its own right, including members from many influential metal bands like ISIS, Botch, and These Arms Are Snakes. Moor Mother describes The Film as one whole narrative rather than an album: "You won't understand or get the full picture until the artwork is completed." The record also features previous singles "Scene 1" and "Hard Truth." – Alex Peterson

Nazar - Demilitarize [Hyperdub]

Demilitarize is a hell of a title for Nazar’s follow-up to his all-guns-blazing 2020 debut Guerilla. Where that album condensed his personal story of the Angolan civil war that brought his family to Europe as exiles, as told through the tumult and sonic assault of his self-described "rough kuduro," Demilitarize finds the Amsterdam-based artist reckoning with his softer side. Touching on illness and a life-changing romance, it features Nazar’s own vocals more prominently. “With the album being introspective, I didn't seek to capture sounds from real places to enhance its universe like on Guerilla,” he says. “I wanted to make it almost metaphysical like creating sci-fi, with classic cyberpunk anime ‘Ghost In The Shell’ being a core inspiration.” – Alan Pedder

Niontay - Fada<3of$ [10k]

Following his debut full-length in 2023, Brooklyn by way of Florida rapper Niontay remarked that his second album, Fada<3of$, is dedicated to the memory of his father, who passed away in 2009: “Death sucks, but we gotta learn to celebrate it and send our loved ones off properly with love...That’s all I’m doing with this music, still tryna have fun and carry my Ole boy’s name and legacy.” Though mostly self-produced, Fada<3of$ also boasts production credits from MIKE (under his pseudonym DJ Blackpower), Surf Gang’s Harrison, plus featured artists like Jadasea and Mavi, among others. The record also features recent singles “Mumbleman” and “Vice Grip.” – Jaeden Pinder

Samia - Bloodless [Grand Jury]

The third LP from Minneapolis singer-songwriter Samia is out today, but nearly half of the record had already been released during the record’s rollout. This record sees Samia reunite with longtime collaborators Caleb Wright of The Happy Children and Jake Luppen of Hippo Campus, as well as songwriting contributions from Raffaela and Christian Lee Hutson. Surrounding themes of self actualization and divinity, she says of the record, “I noticed a pattern in my life of wanting to live up to the person I became in someone's head; you become a lot bigger with distance.” – Leah Weinstein

Tennis - Face Down in the Garden [Mutually Detrimental]

Indie pop duo Tennis have had a good run, but now they're calling it quits with their newest record, Face Down in the Garden. What will now be their final LP is out today, with lead singer Alaina Moore saying: "Patrick and I spent most of our 20s and all of our 30s focused on Tennis. It has been the most joyous, bewildering, challenging, and humbling experience." The band are going out on a "farewell tour" in support of the album, which features singles like "At the Wedding" and "12 Blown Tires." – Jeremy J. Fisette

Uwade - Florilegium [Ehiose/Thirty Tigers]

Nigerian-born, North Carolinia-raised artist Uwade has been bubbling just under the surface in indie-pop circles ever since she was the first voice heard on Fleet Foxes’ 2020 album Shore. Now comes her debut full-length album Florilegium, via Ehiose/Thiry Tigers, a collection of songs about breaking up, down, and free. Named after the Latin term for “flower-gathering,” Uwade noted Florilegium is a record of gratitude. “I share [these songs] with the world as a reminder to cherish opportunities for renewal,” she said. In a recent interview she revealed that Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Kate Bush, and more inspired the sound of Florilegium. – Jaeden Pinder