The event “New Music Friday” brought exciting albums to fans at the end of August. How do they hold up?
by Alex Gallagher
Web Master
Deftones, Mac DeMarco, Sir Chloe, and various other artists brought forth a new sound during New Music Friday on August 22nd, 2025. The event marked the release of many new albums from notable artists, which received an overall positive reaction from fans. With this much musical history in one day, each artist should be recognized for their work and creativity.
Deftones—an American alternative metal band based in Sacramento, California that are considered a cornerstone of the genre—released a new album titled “private music” on August 22nd, 2025. Featuring touring bassist, Fred Sablan, and Nick Raskulinecz, producer of two former Deftones albums, Koi no Yokan and Diamond Eyes, the band combines their alternative metal roots with an ethereal sound to create a personal experience out of the album. For this reason, the production is more polished and the quality of the music remains significant. Many artists tend to taper off in quality of writing when using more modern production techniques—Deftones did not suffer from this effect. Lead singer Chino Moreno states in a Genius interview that the album has an “invigorated kind of sound,” which is especially seen in the flow of energy present in their single, “my mind is a mountain.” The lyricism of the album contains a lot more imagery and less of an overarching theme for each song – which has been a continued trend since they released “White Pony,” in the year 2000. The last track, “departing the body,” shocked fans with Moreno’s extensive range, particularly his lower notes which displays how Moreno has taken inspiration from Mike Patton of the band Faith No More. This album is an encapsulation of the band’s progress from their first album, Adrenaline. With a similar feel to Ohms and Koi no Yokan, “private music,” according to guitarist Stephen Carpenter, will allow the audience to hear certain details on this album that aren’t present in their prior albums.
Mac DeMarco’s new album, “Guitar,” is a simple yet unique album in its own right. This aptly titled album showcases a perfect mix of simplicity in sound and intricate songwriting. A calmer sound—though a very common theme in DeMarco’s writing—is at the forefront of what makes this album unique and more down to earth. The album displays how DeMarco has developed throughout the years, as he is now very grounded in his own sound; DeMarco’s music is more authentic than ever. Mac DeMarco stated in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald about the album, “The cool thing about ‘Guitar’ is that all these songs are the first time they were recorded. They’re the demos, essentially.“ Despite only being recorded in one take, these songs perfectly encapsulate the ideas and emotions behind them, particularly in the track “Home,” whose lyrics and melodical structure establish a melancholic mood. Additionally, the song, “Nothing at All” mainly features DeMarco’s soft falsetto over a tame chord progression, while also possessing hard hitting lyrics with themes dealing with addiction and mental health. Throughout his musical career—such as his album “2”-–his lyrics have had similar themes. However, DeMarco’s development as an individual bleeds into his music; he speaks upon his journey to living in moderation in a Far Out interview from 2023, stating he doesn’t “want to be trapped by” drug addiction. The lyrics within “Guitar,” establish this development further, especially when it comes to his exploration of spirituality to combat bad coping mechanisms, as seen in the song “Holy.”
“Swallow the Knife” is Sir Chloe’s third studio album, which features collaboration from drummer, Sarah Jones, and producer, Steph Marziano, as well as various other studio musicians. In the song, “Kiss,” from the album, the recurring theme of abuse and recovery is very prominent; the lyrics identify the feelings of being in an abusive relationship and only realizing the extent of the damage done until after. The chorus repeats the idea that the singer did not see the full picture until she was “far away.” “Swallow the Knife” mildly contrasted from Sir Chloe’s prior albums, showcasing more of a pop influence on her music while still maintaining the grunge-rock style. Dana Foote, the writer and lead vocalist behind Sir Chloe, says this about the album on a Consequence interview: “I sing a lot about longing for relief on this record, because for a long time, I couldn’t get any. You just have to wait it out and be sane and perfect and calm and smiling with your nose ripped off.” Track four on “Swallow the Knife,” titled “Passenger,” effectively goes along with Foote’s description by establishing a dark mood and featuring vague yet haunting lyrics that hold a deeper meaning regarding past trauma, much like the lyrics for “Kiss.” Overall, the release of this album—a logical step in her career—display’s Foote’s talented vision and producer Steph Marziano’s excellence in executing this vision.
In addition to these releases, Laufey released “A Matter of Time,” on the same day—which many fans found did not disappoint whatsoever—along with many rock artists, such as Three Days Grace, Dinosaur Pile-up, Hot Mulligans, and Wolf Alice. Another album, “Headlights” by Alex G, was released on July 18th, which brought the artist’s country influence to the spotlight of his music. These artists put forth plenty of effort and emotion into these albums, and fans are excited to see what’s next.