Lars Gotrich

Recent songs by Maggie Rogers and Kacey Musgraves took NPR Music’s Lars Gotrich back to a familiar sound and ethos. On this edition of 8 Tracks, we dream up a Lilith Fair lineup.

The free jazz band with a punk ethos runs through six songs without breaks.

Can you taste color or hear pictures? You might have synesthesia. This week on 8 Tracks: A few songs that pirouette and paint, plus new music by Charli XCX, Mdou Moctar and TikTok shoegazer Wisp.

Music can shift, uplift or even subvert a scene. This week on 8 Tracks, we play music supervisor, imagining songs by Kamasi Washington and Carin León on the big screen.

An entire industry wouldn’t exist without him, yet few know his name. In his songs, Knott challenged the faithful to examine their faults and hypocrisies.

For the first time, a hardcore punk band graces the Tiny Desk — and ignites a mosh pit in the office.

What do New Jazz Underground, Black Sabbath and Remi Wolf have in common? According to NPR Music producer Lars Gotrich, they put out the best tracks of the week.

Sonhos Tomam Conta captures an oceanic dream, Fuubutsushi soundtracks a pastoral adventure and ILLIT is pure bubblegum. Those and more are the 8 Tracks to know this week.

In Jim White’s drumming, there’s a restless wonder. On this 8 Tracks, we lead off with a sprawling rocker by his band Dirty Three, but also feature new music by Chappell Roan and Amber Mark.

Thursday’s first song in 13 years leads off this edition of 8 Tracks, which we’ll have to call 10 Tracks because there’s been too much good music lately.