10 Big Things That Happened in Music the Week of September 12, 2025
It's yet another monumental New Music Friday, with new albums from Ed Sheeran, CHAEYOUNG and Mimi Webb and so much more.
We we move ever closer to the official start of fall, we're seeing our favorite artists embrace change, tackling experimental new music styles, digging deeper into their emotional reservoirs and truly finding themselves, and the result has been fabulous new music. Can't wait to get listening alongside us? Keep scrolling to discover the 10 biggest things that happened in music the week of Sep. 12, 2025.
(Photo credit: Petros Studio)
1. Allie X Contemplates Isolation With 'Is Anybody Out There'
It'd been a minute since we'd heard from indie pop artist Allie X, but her first release of 2025, "Is Anybody Out There," couldn't be a more appropriate way to break the silence. With a thrumming bass and dark, moody sound, the track feels like a plea to the outside world as she ponders feelings of loneliness and isolation and wonders if there's more to it. The stinging synths take on a horror movie feel as she contemplates the possibility of authentic connection, and continues to struggle to find it. The song also signals more music to come before the end of 2025.
"Every so often, I was drawn away from my computer, toward the piano," Allie revealed in a press release." I was hearing these melodies and words that were totally out of place for 'Girl With No Face'—barely intelligible, as if a different person was writing them. Last summer, between tours, I found myself creatively restless. So I gave myself a challenge: to sift through this fragmented three-year archive of voice memos and try to turn them into actual songs."
2. Ray and Paul Reflect on the Journey So Far With Their Fading EP
Brother duo Ray and Paul are having a pretty momentous year in 2025. They've wowed audiences with performances at both SXSW and Treefort Festival, plus a tour supporting The Moss and Sun Room, and just kicked off their own headline tour. Today, they also released a new EP, Fading, the perfect showcase of their cool and hazy West Coast surf rock sound. Consisting of six tracks, including fan-favorites "Pelican" and "Blue," these songs encapsulate precisely the relatable lyricism and moody sounds the fans have come to know and love.
"These six songs reflect the past five years of our lives—love, heartbreak, sadness, doubt, confusion and pain," the duo revealed in a press release. "They've shaped who we are and changed how we see the world and our music. We're so grateful to finally share this with you and excited for what's ahead."
Check out the music video for the title track below, and listen to the EP in its entirety on Spotify HERE.
3. Mimi Webb Digs Deeper With New Album, Confessions
English pop sensation Mimi Webb has had viral moment after viral moment over the last few years, and with her sophomore album, Confessions, she's getting massively stuck in listener's heads all over again, but with even more substance. As the title suggests, this album is her confession, using 12 tracks to get more personal than ever, shedding her perfect pop girl image to show just how messy and chaotic her reality can be. Regardless, she's discovered that the greatest power and understanding can be found in the face of the struggle, and they can make for some truly iconic pop tracks.
"I feel like this album is a bit like a biography of my life over the last two to three years," Mimi explained in an interview with Sweety High. "It was very inspired by the quote, 'unexpected turn of events,' because as I've grown up into my 20s, when I look back at when I was 21, I'm a completely different person. I always think to myself, wow, you never really know what's in front of you. You never know what's what's going to happen. That was my big inspiration, what I wanted the album to based around. But then that didn't really even touch the surface. It felt like I was confessing to this kind of chaos within me. I'd been playing this act of the perfect pop girl. Everything was pink, pink, pink, all very light-hearted and fairy tale-mode, whereas actually, there was a lot more depth to me as a person. There was a lot more darkness when it came to the chaos and the kind of imperfect-perfect that I had, that makes me who I am and that I'm proud to be."
4. Abby Christo Points Out the Positives of a Toxic Breakup With 'Boy Bye'
New Zealand singer-songwriter Abby Christo has proved again and again that you don't have to be American to be a real country artist, and with her newest single, "Boy Bye," she's sure to win over even more new fans. The lively and energetic track takes an empowering approach to the breakup anthem, with playful fiddles and jangly steel guitar to drive the point home. Her sweet, warm vocals urge a friend not to be heartbroken by the end of the relationship, and instead to see her own worth and recognize that this is the best thing that could have happened to her. In fact, the story was inspired by a real life, with a friend venting to Abby about her toxic relationship.
"I told her, 'That man wouldn't know what love was if it hit him in the eye,' and that line became the seed for the song," Abby shared in a press release. "It's not about heartbreak—it's about strength, self-respect and walking away with your head high.""
5. Mon Rovîa Reflects on Identity and Lineage With 'Whose face am I'
Liberian-born, Nashville-based artist Mon Rovîa has a powerful story, and he's ready to tell it with his highly anticipated debut album, Bloodline. Mon was born into a civil war before being adopted by missionaries at the age of 7, escaping the life of a child soldier. In his new home, he fell in love with the music of Appalachia, developing his own soothing folk sound, sometimes serving a stark contrast to his lyrics about pain, self-discovery and resilience. Ahead of the album's release on Jan. 9 of next year, he dropped a new track, "Whose face am I," a reflection on self-understanding and a journey to discover more about his lineage and history.
"A lot of life is about your history," Mon explained in a press release. "The search for understanding what has happened, what is and what isn't. The Truth lies at the epicenter of the case. For many adopted children, or those who have lost parents when young or never knew theirs to begin with, there can be an unspoken weight. We all long to know who brought us into this world, and at what cost. Relief releases sweetly as answers come to light. Know you aren't alone in your search for your story. Many seek with you."
6. Faith Schueler Embraces Healing and Moving on With 'Forgiving Me'
Country-pop singer-songwriter Faith Schueler has clearly earned her laurels this year, not only making her Grand Ole Opry debut but also being named one of The Women of Country's Artists to Watch for 2025. Her new single, "Forgiving Me," is poised to generate even more attention with its emotional instrumentation and Faith's dreamy, heartfelt vocals. In the song, Faith tackles the subject of heartbreak from an unusual angle, focused not on the pain itself, but on how important it is to practice self-forgiveness after being careless with your heart, entrusting it to someone despite all the red flags.
"This song is about learning to forgive yourself after giving your heart to the wrong person," Faith shared in a press release. "We all go through experiences that test us emotionally, but there is so much strength in showing yourself grace, learning from mistakes and moving forward. I hope that this song inspires healing and reminds people they're never alone in what they're feeling."
7. Cavetown Teases His Upcoming Album With 'Rainbow Gal'
English indie artist and producer Cavetown just announced that his next album, Running With Scissors, is dropping on Jan. 16 of next year, and we're starting our countdown now. He also gave us yet another taste to come with his cozy new single, "Rainbow Gal." Propelled by vibrant, chiptune-inspired synths and digitized vocals, it's a song about a partner who makes him feel safe and loved, even when they can't be together. We feel healed ourselves just listening to it.
"'Rainbow Gal' is like a light display turned into a song, she brings all the color into my life," Cavetown explained in a press release.
8. Kali Uchis 'Cry About It!' Featuring Ravyn Lenae
Grammy-winning artist Kali Uchis never misses the mark, and with the deluxe vision of her latest album, titled Sincerely: P.S., arriving on Sep. 26, she has more to add to her story. Its first new single is "Cry About It!," featuring R&B singer-songwriter Ravyn Lenae. With lyrics seamlessly bouncing between lyrics in English and Spanish, the track is nostalgic yet modern, with a romantic doo-wop sound, sweeping strings and a bossa nova beat highlighting just how unbothered she is by the fact that she's making another woman weep with jealousy.
"I wrote this song to celebrate the fact that I'm gonna keep getting better/hotter/more abundant etc. and nobody can stop me MUAHAHAHAH," Kali wrote in a post on Instagram. "No, but for real, I hope everybody keeps living and striving for their best lives and anyone bothered can go cry about it coz why are you bothered by a life that isn't yours?"
9. CHAEYOUNG Sets Herself Apart With Debut Album LIL FANTASY vol.1
South Korean artist CHAEYOUNG is best known K-pop superstar group TWICE, but she's ready to finally establish herself as a soloist and show us what she's all about with the release of her debut solo album, LIL FANTASY vol.1. CHAEYOUNG wrote on every one of the nine tracks, eager to showcase her individual identity and her unique vision as an artist. The result is dynamic and diverse, jumping effortlessly between pop ballads, dreamy R&B, moody electronica, funky disco-infused beats and more. It's obvious CHAEYOUNG can do it all, and we look forward to more LIL FANTASY volumes to come.
10. Ed Sheeran Embraces a Global Sound With New Album, Play
Ed Sheeran is one of those pop megastars who requires zero introduction, and ever since the conclusion of his Mathematics series, we've loved seeing him get more and more experimental, pushing the boundaries of what a pop record can be. With his eagerly anticipated eighth album, Play, he's embarking on a new musical era, inspired by his travels around the world and incorporating the sounds of Indian and Persian music, collaborating with global artists and producers to bring his unique vision to life. Play's 13 songs are a celebration of the goodness in life, with the album kicking off a new symbol-themed era, to be followed by Pause, Fast Forward, Rewind and Stop.
"Play was an album that was made as a direct response to the darkest period of my life," Ed said in a press release. "Coming out of all of that I just wanted to create joy and technicolor, and explore cultures in the countries I was touring. I made this record all over the world, finished it in Goa, India, and had the most fun, explorative creative days of my life. It's a real rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish, it encapsulates everything that I love about music, and the fun in it, but also where I am in life as a human, a partner, a father. Going into this album campaign I said to myself 'I just want everything I do to be fun and playful'—so that's why we are building pubs for folk jams, doing gigs on open top buses and singing in pink cowboy hats on bars. The older I get the more I just want to enjoy things, and savor the moments that are mad and chaotic."
Missed our favorite tracks last week? Click HERE to check out our top 10 favorite releases for the week of Sep. 5, 2025.