New Music Friday: 9 essential albums from Doja Cat, CARRTOONS, Olivia Dean, Mulatu Astatke

New Music Friday delivers nine essential albums this week, featuring marquee drops from Doja Cat and Lady Wray alongside notable projects from Olivia Dean, Rochelle Jordan, and Ethio-jazz legend Mulatu Astatke. This week’s new music releases span pop, R&B, Afrobeats, club, jazz, and global grooves, with tight LPs and EPs built for both headphones and the dance floor.

---

Doja Cat — “Vie” (Kemosabe/RCA)

Doja Cat’s fifth studio album arrives as a pop-forward pivot after 2023’s “Scarlet,” signposted by the glossy single “Gorgeous” and its high-fashion video directed by Bardia Zeinali. The rollout positioned the record in an ’80s-leaning, retro-glam lane, with Doja emphasizing that she’s “a rapper who makes pop music,” a frame that fits the buoyant hooks and sleek synths teased ahead of release.

Across a 15-song tracklist revealed one week out, “Vie” includes “Cards,” “Jealous Type,” “Aaah Men!,” “Couples Therapy,” and “Take Me Dancing,” among others—signals of a project balancing playful wordplay with streamlined radio instincts. Early coverage and official posts centered the album’s pop drive and visual ambition rather than features, setting expectations for a no-guest, front-to-back Doja statement.

Lady Wray — “Cover Girl” (Big Crown)

Nicole “Lady Wray” Wray returns with her third Big Crown LP, a bright, free-spirited set rooted in ’60s/’70s soul, disco sparkle, ’90s R&B and gospel uplift. She reunites with longtime producer Leon Michels, whose warm, analog palette anchors the singles and frames Wray’s powerhouse vocals. Lead single “You’re Gonna Win” channels Studio 54 euphoria with a choir-lifted hook and four-on-the-floor pulse.

Olivia Dean — “The Art of Loving” (Capitol/Polydor) — Release date: 2025-09-26

The London singer’s second album expands on the classic-soul palette of her debut “Messy” with horn and string flourishes, ear-worm hooks and diaristic lyrics. Singles like “Nice to Each Other” and “Man I Need” frame a record about emotional maturity and self-regard, while Dean’s velvet tone keeps everything radio-ready. It’s a confident step-up that arrives as she preps U.S. dates with Sabrina Carpenter.

Rochelle Jordan — “Through the Wall” (EMPIRE) — Release date: 2025-09-26

Rochelle Jordan’s first LP since 2021’s “Play With the Changes” doubles down on club-minded R&B. The album announcement confirmed “Crave” (produced by Chicago house mainstay Terry Hunter) and the title track “TTW” (produced by Byron the Aquarius and KLSH). Apple Music’s editorial notes add that KLSH handles the bulk, with additional production from DāM-Funk—mapping a lane between luxe house, future-R&B, and late-night electronics.

Themes of resilience and self-definition thread through the project, with Jordan describing “TTW” as a mantra for breaking through doubt. Release-week listings confirm a full-length designed for both club systems and close headphone listens.

CARRTOONS — “Space Cadet” (+1 Records)

The NYC bassist-producer turns his ear for buttery low-end and syncopated pocket into a guest-rich full-length that threads hip-hop, soul and lounge-funk. “Space Cadet” features turns from DJ Jazzy Jeff, Phonte, Topaz Jones, BeMyFiasco, Erick the Architect and more—a lineup that mirrors CARRTOONS’ crate-digging sensibility and live-band chops. Early highlights include the neck-snap “Action” with Jazzy Jeff, the swaggering “Tightrope” (Phonte/Topaz/BeMyFiasco), and “Walls Up” with Erick the Architect, each built on concise arrangements and warm, analog-leaning sonics.

Shygirl — “Club Shy Room 2 + 2” (Because Music)

Following February’s “Club Shy Room 2” EP—featuring Saweetie, Yseult, Jorja Smith, BAMBII, PinkPantheress and more—Because Music lists a Room 2 “+ 2” edition landing Sept. 26. The expanded physical edition sits within a broader “Club Shy / Room Service” run and extends Shygirl’s DJ-ready world of icy textures and sly, conversational hooks.

If you missed the earlier drop, the EP’s core tracks (“Immaculate,” “Wifey Riddim,” “True Religion,” “Flex,” etc.) map a continuum from grime-tinted rap to sugar-rush club pop.

Fireboy DML & Pheelz — “Peace by Piece” (EP) (Riidiimacool/YBNL/EMPIRE)

The longtime collaborators formalize their chemistry on a concise five-track EP that hit streaming today. Apple Music and Spotify confirm the set and label credits, with editor notes calling out amapiano textures (“Gozi,” “ILWY”) and a disco-pulsed club cut (“Shake”), plus an anthemic opener “On a Kentro.” It’s a tight Afrobeats-meets-Afro-fusion listen built for playlists and parties.
Chart snapshots show immediate traction on Apple Music Nigeria; Fireboy’s official social posts point directly to EP tracks. Consider this a proof-of-concept for a future full-length—streamlined, melody-rich, and dance-floor aware.

Cochemea — “Vol. 3: Ancestros Futuros” (Daptone)

The Dap-Kings saxophonist completes his ancestral-roots trilogy (after “All My Relations” and “Vol. 2: Baca Sewa”) with a set tracked live to 8-track analog under producer/mixer Gabriel Roth (Bosco Mann). Official announcements and Bandcamp detail a percussion-heavy, spiritual-jazz palette—polyrhythmic grooves, chant-like horn lines, desert-sun ambience—cut with Daptone’s trusted rhythm section.

The nine-song sequence (“Transmisión del Soñar,” “Ancestros Futuros,” “Omeyocan,” “Procession of Spirits,” etc.) is presented as the trilogy’s capstone, with Daptone and Red Light materials emphasizing continuity of vision and deep family-band interplay.

Mulatu Astatke — “Mulatu Plays Mulatu” (Strut)

Strut bills this as the father of Ethio-jazz’s first major studio album in over a decade: newly recorded, expansive arrangements of signature compositions such as “Yèkèrmo Sèw,” “Nètsanèt,” and “Kulun.” Label materials confirm production by Dexter Story, with sessions between London (RAK Studios) and Addis Ababa, and contributions from Carlos Niño and Kibrom Birhane. Traditional instruments (krar, masenqo, washint, kebero, begena) sit alongside Western jazz orchestration.