NPR Music New Music Friday: The best albums out March 6
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Mar 6, 2026 Nate Chinen, jazz critic and WRTI radio host, guides listeners through the week’s standout releases. He highlights Flying Lotus’ game-textured EP, Waterbaby’s intimate R&B, Shabaka’s flute and Afro-Caribbean explorations, and Joshua Idehen’s dance-forward spoken-word pairings. Quick picks include Terrace Martin’s genre-blending and a nostalgic reissue from Macha & Bedhead.
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Harry Styles Embracing Dancefloor Electropop
- Harry Styles is pivoting from singer-songwriter rock toward electro-pop and dance, signaling a public push for uplift and abandon on the dance floor.
- Nate Chinen and Stephen Thompson note the new album Kiss All the Time, Disco Occasionally emphasizes electro-pop, with lead single Aperture debuting at number one.
Flying Lotus Packs An Epic Into 13 Minutes
- Flying Lotus's Big Mama EP compresses an epic, cinematic journey into ~13 minutes using glitchy, 8-bit and astral electronic textures.
- The EP channels video-game vibes (tracks like Antelope Onigiri and Pink Dream) while feeling explosively unpredictable, per Flying Lotus's goal to sound "shot out of a cannon."
Waterbaby Uses Intimacy As Production Device
- waterbaby's Memory Be a Blade blends bedroom-pop, progressive R&B, and intimate production that rewards headphone listening.
- Producers intentionally include raw moments (throat clears, near-freestyle lyrics) to foster closeness and a sense of witnessing a rough draft.