NPR Music New Music Friday: The best albums out Feb. 27
29 snips
Feb 27, 2026 
Raina Douris, WXPN's World Cafe host and music critic, guides a survey of the week's standout albums. Short takes on Bruno Mars' retro pop, Mitski's orchestral isolation, Gorillaz's grief-soaked, India-influenced project, Heavenly's twee comeback, Voxtrot's nostalgic indie return, and Nothing's raw confrontation with aging and illness.
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Bruno Mars Doubles Down On Retro Feel
- Bruno Mars keeps to retro, nostalgic grooves rather than major reinvention.
- Robin Hilton and Raina Douris describe The Romantic as boppy, groovy, instantly party-ready pop built for sunny walks and big-stage moments.
Mitski Mixes Orchestra With Rock Ambition
- Mitski blends orchestral arrangements with rock and Laurel Canyon folk touches across Nothing's About to Happen to Me.
- Songs like In a Lake move from intimate folk to Broadway-like strings and then into anthemic rock, showing wide dynamic shifts.
Gorillaz Turn Loss And Travel Into A Global Meditation
- Gorillaz' The Mountain is framed by travel to India and multiple deaths in the creators' lives, producing a life-and-death meditation.
- The record is sprawling and global, featuring sitar, posthumous guests, and collaborators who reshape tracks with their own signatures.