New Radiations

The continuing excellence of Marissa Nadler’s work exploring the possibilities of what singing and acoustic guitar can do are demonstrated once more on 2025’s New Radiations, her tenth official full length release over the years. Aside from engineering by Randall Dunn and extra performances from Milky Burgess, it’s all Nadler throughout, from the layering of vocals to the additional instrumentation that shapes the often haunted, sometimes queasy flow of the eleven songs featured. That the opener, “It Hits Harder,” can feel both like a warm benediction and an uneasy sonic portrait at once speaks to her skill, and the sense of a careful balance between light and dark plays out throughout New Radiations, a title which itself suggests ways she looks to add to her approach. The title track is easily one of the most affecting moments, soft synth notes and a buried feedback snarl surrounding her remarkable vocal. Nadler’s easy interpreting of classic folk and country touches in her vocals as much as the sonics add to the album’s glow – when the slide guitar fully kicks in on “You Called Her Camellia,” it’s absolutely just right.