La Presse's critics pick the albums worth your time this week

Four music critics at La Presse have picked the albums capturing their attention this week, across genres from indie folk to country to heavy metal.

Alexandre Vigneault recommends Phoebe Bridgers' "Lost Weekend," an album built on atmosphere and soft melody. Bridgers, who has stepped back from public life over the past six years following a breakup and the death of her father, layers spectral vocals over electronic textures and traditional folk instruments like banjo and harmonica. The effect is nocturnal and intricate, Vigneault writes—an inward journey.

Josée Lapointe highlights Ninja Barbecue from the Magdalen Islands, a trio that blends punk, surf, rap and garage rock. The group's lyrics anchor themselves in island life and territory—housing crisis, seal hunting, depression, disappearing fish stocks—delivered with blunt language and corrosive humour. It's a portrait of the Magdalen Islands far from the usual postcard image.

Dominic Tardif surveys Brandon Flowers' third solo chapter, "TRASHER," recorded in Nashville with session legends including harmonica player Charlie McCoy, who played on Dylan's "Nashville Skyline." The album follows Flowers' 2021 album "Pressure Machine" in an americana mode, exploring the darker side of the American dream through his hometown of Nephi, Utah.

Pierre-Marc Durivage writes about Mastodon's "Marrow Deep," recorded amid tragedy—guitarist and founder Brent Hinds died in a motorcycle accident in March 2025 just as the band entered the studio for their ninth album. The new record carries visceral emotion, with drummer Brann Dailor singing lines like "I saw your ghost again, followed by crushing feelings of regret." The album pairs heavy, complex arrangements with rare melody for a metal record, Durivage notes, featuring collaborations from Josh Homme, Randy Blythe and others.