The Lead Sheet ~ 11/18/25

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. 

English experimental-pop star FKA Twigs released her fourth studio album, Eusexua Afterglow this week, which functions as a companion and successor to January’s Eusexua. The idea behind Eusexua was to capture the feeling of Prague rave culture, and emulate a club scene, but Afterglow is about the comedown, and has a dirtier, grittier tone throughout. Twigs expertly blends genres in her signature style, incorporating elements from R&B, Electronic, and garage-pop. The music is disorienting, chaotic and carnal. Twigs' production plays with glitch, distortion and pitch-shifted vocals to make the listener feel almost intoxicated, establishing a post-rave, hazy atmosphere. The new album is being received well by fans and critics, who call it Twigs' most raw album yet, and recommend standout singles “Cheap Hotel” and “Predictable Girl”. 

This week Australian pop-rock band 5 Seconds of Summer released their new album Everyone’s a Star to mostly positive critical reception. The new album sees the band’s sound return to an earlier time in their discography, with plenty of upbeat energy in contrast to their most recent work, the subdued and introspective 5SOS5. Everyone’s a Star has a self-aware sense of irony, and the group pokes fun at being labeled a “boyband”. Fans note a sense of growth and wisdom in the record’s lyrics, and listeners approve of the change-up to a more 80’s, synthy pop-rock sound. 5 Seconds of Summer will tour in spring and summer of 2026, across Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. 

Cheap Trick, the legendary rock band that gave us timeless hits like “I Want You to Want Me” and “Surrender”, released their twenty-first studio album All Washed Up, to somewhat mixed-to-positive reviews. The album is rated more highly by critics than casual listeners but both agree that lead vocalist Robin Zander’s voice sounds fantastic after five decades of rock-belting. Unfortunately, both agree that the album isn’t particularly memorable, and suffers from some generic sounding melodies and lazy lyrics. Still, All Washed Up has a few good singles like “Twelve Gates” and “The Riff That Won’t Quit”, and the group seems to be having fun on every track. 

Rapper and pro-skater Sage Elsessor A.K.A. Navy Blue, released his ninth LP The Sword & the Soaring to excellent reception. The album receives praise from listeners and critics for its emotional depth and authenticity; on the new project Blue opens up about personal struggles with grief, following the passing of his mentor, rapper Ka. According to Blue, thematically, “the sword” refers to the tool we use to overcome the constant battle of grief, and “the soaring” refers to the rapper’s guardian angels and spiritual support he received in the aftermath of his loss. The Sword and the Soaring is elegantly crafted- using Navy Blue’s signature drumless sound, the album explores understated soul, jazz, and hip-hop, supporting Blue’s lyrical flow with minimalist precision. Navy Blue will tour in North America in February of 2026, after wrapping up his Australian leg in December of this year. 

British-Jamaican soul-pop princess Celeste released her highly anticipated second album, Woman of Faces this week, and is generally receiving higher scores than her 2021 debut Not Your Muse, which charted at number one in the UK that year. Woman of Faces, named for the multi-faceted nature of femininity, features nine tracks of pop-soul, jazz and R&B that feel cinematic, using at times full-orchestra sounds to give the album dramatic punch. Thematically, Celeste explores the discovery of personal strength in the aftermath of a break-up. Often compared to singers like Adele and Amy Winehouse, Celeste’s gorgeous alto is in top form, infusing each song with powerful, smoky vocals. Celeste will kick off a European tour in April of 2026, with concerts in Germany, England and France. 

FKA Twigs - EUSEXUA Afterglow

Young, Atlantic Records

November 14, 2025

5 Seconds of Summer - EVERYONE’S A STAR

Republic Records

November 14, 2025

Cheap Trick - All Washed Up

BMG Records

November 14, 2025

Navy Blue - The Sword and the Soaring

Freedom Sounds

November 11, 2025

Celeste - Woman of Faces

Polydor Records

November 14, 2025