The Lead Sheet ~ 8/26/25

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. 

Californian alt-metal band Deftones released their new album, private music this week, to high marks across the board. private music (intentionally lowercased) is the band’s tenth album to date, and is receiving considerable praise, with some claiming it may be their best work in over a decade. private music revisits some of Deftones earlier sound, while still innovating and experimenting with post-metal and shoegaze. The new album leans into emotional soundscapes and unique melodies, with notable prior released singles “My Mind is a Mountain” and “Milk of the Madonna.” 

Kid Cudi is a gifted artist in many forms, including rapping, singing, acting, directing, and even fashion designing. His new album Free released this week, with somewhat polarized reviews. Fans of Cudi’s work generally approve, praising the album’s strong vocals and creative lyrics. Others find the album to be a bit bland overall, and lacking memorable tracks or big hits. Free also exhibits a tonal shift from psychedelic freeform rap to a more mainstream pop sound. 

Multi-platinum Toronto based rock band Three Days Grace released their eighth studio album, Alienation on Friday, featuring the return of lead vocalist Adam Gontier after an eleven year hiatus. Fans and critics were excited to see the return of the original singer that launched the band into international stardom on tracks like “Animal I Have Become,” but were disappointed in the album’s production, feeling there was too much reliance on pitch correction and uninspired lyrics. Still, Alienation has the potential to ring in a new golden era for the group if they can keep the momentum. 

Hot Mulligan’s fourth studio album, The Sound a Body Makes When It’s Still is making waves in the emo-rock scene. The new work is definitive for the group - listeners agree it’s undoubtedly their best, most refined album to date. Fans of the band praise The Sound a Body Makes for its raw sincerity, strong lyrics, and shattering breakdowns. The band is sometimes credited as launching the midwest-emo revival, and it’s easy to see why- the group’s sound is distinctly emo, but never feels cliche or too genre-captured. Hot Mulligan has a wider range, making sure to have catchy choruses, as well as more complex, musically avant garde songs. Refreshingly, the group also doesn’t take themselves too seriously, titling their tracks with names like “It Smells Like Fudge Axe in Here” and “Slumdog Scungillionaire.”  

Icelandic pop sensation Laufey just released her third studio album, Matter of Time, to overwhelmingly positive praise. Unofficially deemed a “no-skip” album, Matter of Time is her most ambitious yet, and also demonstrates a shift from a jazz sound, to a more refined emotional-pop sound. Laufey’s new album features standout tracks like “Tough Luck” and “Snow White,” and covers themes like loss of friendship, uncertainty in new relationships, and self-reflection. Laufey has a tandem tour for Matter of Time slated for this fall. 

Deftones - private music

August 22, 2025

Reprise Records

Kid Cudi - Free

August 22, 2025

Republic Records

Three Days Grace - Alienation

August 22, 2025

RCA Records

Hot Mulligan - The Sound a Body Makes When It’s Still

August 22, 2025

Wax Bodega Records

Laufey - Matter of Time

August 22nd, 2025

AWAL Records