The Lead Sheet ~ 9/30/25

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. 

Doja Cat’s new album Vie released this week to positive reviews. The pop-rap star’s third album features a distinctly 80’s aesthetic, with plenty of upbeat synths, sax and samples hearkening back to the heydays of Prince and Janet Jackson. One track, “Cards” even samples the theme from Knight Rider. The 80’s pop sound is a shift from her previous record, Scarlet, which had more of a hip-hop focus. Fans and critics appreciate the shift, as well as Vie’s overall production quality, praising collaborator Jack Antonoff, who seems to be the featured producer on nearly every new pop project. Doja Cat will kick off her new “Ma Vie World Tour” later this year, beginning in Australia, New Zealand and Asia. 

Pop legend Mariah Carey’s sixteenth studio album, Here For It All, released this week. Listeners and critics enjoy the album, but seem to be in agreement that it doesn’t take any risks, staying well within the singer’s comfort zone musically. Because of this, Here For It All doesn’t hit the same peak excitement as some of her best pieces. Here For It All showcases Carey’s prowess in top form, utilizing genres like gospel, R&B, disco and pop, and after a seven year album hiatus, shows that the singer’s instrument is resilient as ever. Here For It All charted at number 1 on iTunes’ US chart upon debut. 

Brooklyn-based alt-rock band Geese has been incredibly consistent with the quality of their studio album releases. Their first album, A Beautiful Memory scored well enough upon release in 2018, but with every consecutive LP the group receives more and more positive reviews from fans and critics. Their newest and fourth full album, Getting Killed is no exception to that pattern, once again breaking their own records and getting phenomenal reviews across the board. Geese’s sound also changes with each new project they embrace; Getting Killed centers around punk, but also features elements of jazz-fusion and metal. The band isn’t afraid to use dissonance either – tracks are often chaotic and sound almost improvisational, which excellently subverts the listener’s expectations.

Singer-songwriter Ash Blue Gutierrez, A.K.A Glaive, released his third full album, titled Y’all this week, and so far the critical reception has been generally positive. Glaive is a North Carolina native, and Y’all explores the feelings of disconnection that sometimes come with returning to a hometown after leaving and experiencing personal growth. The album’s core is a pop sound, with some trance and indie-folk flair, and the beats were made to be danced to. Y’all kicks off its sixteen tracks with big singles, “Asheville” and “Appalachia” which set the album’s emotional heartbeat in nostalgia and melancholy. 

Olivia Dean’s career has had a meteoric rise in popularity since her 2023 album debut Messy. The singer’s newest album, The Art of Loving released this week and was immediately met with high praise. Often compared to other British artists like Amy Winehouse and Duffy, Dean’s voice is perfectly suited for her neo-soul sound, and The Art of Loving demonstrates a more intimate, vulnerable quality in contrast to Messy. Thematically, Art of Loving is self explanatory, moving through the many different types of love that one can experience, and exploring each through nuanced lyrics and emotionally wrought melodies. Olivia Dean will tour the new record in April of 2026 for her Art of Loving Live tour, so far mainly in the UK and parts of northern Europe. 

Doja Cat - Vie

Released Sep 26 2025

RCA Records

Mariah Carey - Here For It All

Released Sep 26 2025

Gamma Records, MARIAH Records

Geese - Getting Killed

Released Sep 26

Partisan Records

Glaive - Y’all

Released Sep 26

Broke

Olivia Dean - The Art of Loving

Released Sep 26

Capitol Records