The Lead Sheet ~ 8/12/25

The Lead Sheet is your guide to this week’s new music - taking a look at newly released albums, who made them, and how listeners are responding. 

Singer-songwriter Ethel Cain released her second studio album, Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You this week, to positive reception. Cain’s debut album, Preacher’s Daughter received critical acclaim when it was released in 2022, and Willoughby Tucker looks to be following suit. From a narrative standpoint, it is actually a prequel to the popular Preacher’s Daughter. Willoughby Tucker features Cain’s modern southern-gothic sound, but also shoe-gaze, bluegrass, rock and synth, and explores themes of young adulthood, romance, and loss. 

Australian DJ Nina Wilson, A.K.A. Ninajirachi, has a new project out this week, titled I Love My Computer. The new album is an electronic delight, rife with elements of house, dance, techno, and glitch. I Love My Computer has been getting great reviews, and critics and fans are in agreement that it may be her best work to date. Ninajirachi’s catalog includes five EP’s and a mixtape, but I Love My Computer is her debut full album. Computer’s high-tempo tracks pulse with energy and incorporate a wide range of sounds and upbeat synths. 

This week k-pop star Yves released her third EP, Soft Error, to generally positive critique. Yves has been pursuing solo work, having previously been a member of the k-pop group LOONA, which has since disbanded.  The new album features pop icons like Bratty and PinkPantheress (whose track, “Soap” was written by Rebecca Black), and is being commended for its catchy melodies, bold vocals and overall polish. The creative new pop album has six tracks total, with standout singles being “White Cat” and “Soap”. 

Rock duo The Black Keys, dropped their thirteenth studio album, No Rain, No Flowers last Friday, to somewhat mixed reviews. The Black Keys dominated the early 2010’s with singles like “Gold on the Ceiling,” “Howling for You” and “Lonely Boy,” but have since declined in popularity. The group cancelled a North American tour set for 2024 due to low ticket sales. No Rain, No Flowers, while praised for being a decent and well mixed rock album, is also being critiqued for its lack of exciting hits, and overall blandness. 

Babymetal, the j-pop metal girl-group and subject of many a music debate (but are they REAL metal?) has a new album out this week, Metal Forth. Babymetal is sometimes categorized as “kawaii-metal” or “cute-metal,” due to their incorporation of mainstream and bubblegum pop elements with traditional metal sounds like overdriven guitars, screaming vocals and thrashing drums. Metal Forth is scoring higher with critics than fans, the former of which commend the group for exploring new ground and genres, like trancecore and industrial metal, while fans feel the band is straying too far from their original sound. Babymetal is currently on a massive world tour, spanning the United States, Europe, and Asia. 

Ethel Cain - Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You

Released Aug 8 2025

Daughters of Cain

Ninajirachi - I Love My Computer

Released Aug 8, 2025

NLV Records

Yves - Soft Error

Released Aug 7, 2025

PAIX PER MIL

The Black Keys- No Rain, No Flowers

Released Aug 8, 2025

Easy Eye, Warner Records

Babymetal - Metal Forth

Released Aug 8, 2025

Capitol Records