5 New Albums To Check Out On December 12, 2025

Tacos may rule Tuesdays, but Fridays are all about new albums. This week’s list of new releases features offerings from 21 Savage, Nas, Juliana Hatfield, and more. Whether you favor CDs, vinyl, or digital downloads, it is time to start making your shopping list. Here is a look at this week’s new music and five new albums that you definitely need to check out this Friday.

21 Savage — What Happened to the Streets? (Epic)

British-born rapper 21 Savage will release his follow-up to the Grammy-winning, chart-topping smash American Dream on Friday. The cover art for the new album was from the same artist (Slawn) who did a 20-foot installation featuring the rapper’s face at Miami’s Art Basel this month. What Happened to the Streets? was a big surprise for the rapper’s fans, as he just announced the album’s existence and release date last weekend on social media. Not much is known about the 14-track album beyond the tracklist and the cover art.

Juliana Hatfield — Lightning Might Strike (American Laundromat Records)

Alt-rocker Juliana Hatfield is set to release her 21st studio album on Friday, entitled Lightning Might Strike. The album walks the listener through the “Long Slow Nervous Breakdown” (an actual song title on the album) that she felt she was going through over the last year.  “Falls Apart,” “Popsicle,” and “Ashes” all follow that narrative, as well. Despite the theme, the album has its share of scratchy guitars, hard edges, and upbeat chords to balance everything out.

Nas & DJ Premier — Light-Years (Mass Appeal)

Grammy-winning East Coast hip-hop legend Nas returns Friday with a collaboration with DJ Premier. Light-Years has been 19 years in the making, and some of the songs on the album were recorded back in 2006 when the collab was first announced. The 15-track offering will have an appearance by Nas’ long-time buddy AZ, as well as one by the Steve Miller Band. Light-Years marks the final installation in Mass Appeal Records’ 2025 “Legend Has It…” album release series.

Pebe Sebert — Pebe Sebert (Kesha Records)

If the name Pebe Sebert isn’t ringing any bells, it should. Sebert has co-written hits for the likes of Dolly Parton, Pitbull, and her daughter, Kesha. While Sebert has done vocals on other people’s albums before, this will be her debut studio album. The eponymous 11-song album, which will be released on Kesha’s label, was actually recorded forty years ago. The lead single, “City’s Burning,” has an ’80s synth-pop feel.

Boy & Bear — Tripping Over Time (V2 Records)

Australian indie folk band Boy & Bear offer up their sixth studio album on Friday. Tripping Over Time is a soulful, but powerful 11-track rollercoaster ride through melancholy and optimism on the road to self-growth. The band has won numerous awards in Australia over the past 16 years, and they show no signs of stopping with their latest effort. Boy & Bear will celebrate the release with a performance on the steps of the Sydney Opera House on December 14.

The Best of the Rest

If none of the above releases fit your musical tastes, here are some of the other new albums and re-releases due out on December 12:

Abbie Falls — Life Is Just a Temporary Plan (Out of Line Music)
Arlie — Someone You Can Believe In (SoundOn)
Black Swan Lane — The Messenger (Eden Records/Wanderland Music)
Blur — The Great Escape (Parlophone)**
Conway the Machine — You Can’t Kill God with Bullets (Drumwork Music Group)
FattMack — McKenzie (Great Day Records & Santa Anna)
Flipturn — Live From Orlando (Dualtone Music Group)
Fred Again — USB (Atlantic)
Harmer — Descent (Suspected of Arson Records)
Hercules & Love Affair — Someone Else Is Calling EP (Stratasonic)
Iron Maiden — Live After Death (Parlophone/BMG)**
Jad Fair & Yo La Tengo — Strange but True (Joyful Noise & Bar/None)**
Kill Karl — Suck on My Album (self-released)Leif — Collide (AD 93)
Pink Floyd — Wish You Were Here 50 (Sony)**
R. Missing — Like the Sound of Injured Love (Terminal Echo)
Rotten Sound — Mass Extinction (Season of Mist)
Salimata — The Happening (10k Global)
Seven Lions — Asleep In The Garden Of Infernal Stars (Ophelia Records)
Snow Tha Product — Before I Crashout (Product ENT.)
Stain the Canvas — Honey Rot (InVogue Records)
Steve Forbert — The Things That I See (Cameron Records/Rock Ridge Music)**
Sun of the Suns — Entanglement (Scarlet Records)
The Band — The Best of the Band (Capitol/Universal)**
This Is Lorelei — Holo Boy (Double Double Whammy)
T. Rex — The Studio Albums: 1970-1977 (Demon Records)**
Veronicavon — Icecream (Born Losers Records)
Volumes — Mirror Touch (Fearless)

** Reissue