First Listen Fridays – New Music to Know – 3rd October 2025

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Hello First Listen Friday fans, we are back again this week for another round of ten top picks. We’re ten months into 2025, and the great tracks keep on flowing. Plenty of new music has dropped today, kicking October off with a bang. Whether you’re interested in a new track by Lianne La Havas, Leah Cleaver, or Planet Giza sounds exciting to you, our Editors, Tom and Kloe, have you covered. Let’s dive straight in.

Tom’s Picks

Lianne La Havas – Disarray

A comeback I have been eagerly awaiting, we have been gifted with 5 minutes of new Lianne La Havas. That smooth guitar playing eases you in, before her angelic voice reminds you of what a talent she is. This tells a tale of a love that is not what it once was, leaving the singer torn and unable to sleep. ‘Disarray‘ is perfectly titled to show the feelings on display, as do the high notes on the chorus. Very personal and poignant, we are sure to be in for a ride of sadness and emotion on the new record.

Buy the song here.

Carrie Baxter –Under My Skin

Having first heard this artist help make the 140 banger that is NOTION’s ‘FOUND LOVE‘, I was interested to hear her first solo release of 2025. ‘Under My Skin‘ is a late-night jazz club setting of a performance that showcases her silky delivery. Vocally, there is passion, oomph, and a vocal control that does the right things at the right time. This song needs to be heard in a live setting, as shown by the great background vocals. Put Carrie Baxter on stage and let her sang!

Buy the track here.

Fred again.. & Amyl and The Sniffers – you’re a star

Fresh off his great collaborative EP with Skepta, the producer extraordinaire has a new project on the way. ‘USB 2‘ will feature plenty of new and creative combos, but teaming up with pub-rock/post-punk band Amyl and The Sniffers did pique my interest. Putting a spin on the group’s ‘Big Dreams‘ provides a disorientating, late-night breakbeat with some blaring sirens. Fred is the master of sampling and flipping a track in a new direction, and that is certainly the case here.

Buy the track here.

Planet Giza FT. Kiefer & Braxton Cook – THE FALL

Having recently featured these guys off the back of their feature on Kojey Radical’s ‘Expensive‘, they now have some fresh material of their own. Their last album, ‘Ready When You Are‘, was very consistent, and I can say this track is the same. That subtle drum pattern and the whimsical sounds make for a calming and very Planet Giza beat. Trying not to ‘fall’ feels like a very prominent message in these times of turmoil, but the trio alongside Kiefer and Braxton Cook all bring their A-game. With the sax proving why it is one of the best instruments known to man, it is great to have these lot back on the scene.

Dry Cleaning – Hit My Head All Day

With the pounding of drums and breathy background vocals, post-punkers Dry Cleaning are back. Florence Shaw’s semi-sarcastic delivery and some excellent guitar-playing from Tom Dowse soundtrack the group’s comeback. I get some real 80s nostalgia here, as Shaw sings about hitting her head all day and wanting to be a horse. Some intriguing metaphors that leave more questions than answers, but I am excited for the new record.

Buy the track here.

Kloe’s Picks

Navy – Here for you

Bilingual beauty Navy showcases her velvety vocals and ability to make spellbinding R&B/pop in her new single ‘Here for you’. It’s a sweet, romantic track that is brings her fusion of island pop, reggae-soul, and modern R&B sounds to the forefront. Hailing from the Caribbean, this is a rising star that will seduce you with her effortless harmonies. Press play on this feel-good track all weekend long.

Karri FT. Kehlani – go

If you love your melodic, catchy R&B you’re going to love this track. Another artist putting California’s The Bay area on the map, Filipino-American singer Karri has dropped a mesmerising single set to shoot up the charts. This is helped by the prolific and charming Kehlani, who is continuing her run of collabing with up and coming R&B talent. This is a fun, enjoyable track perfect for weekend vibes. 

Mick Jenkins and EMIL – DeadStock

Mick Jenkins is one of the best rappers alive today. I said it! Several weeks ago he served fans his new album ‘A MURDER OF CROWS‘ and today, it is officially available on streaming platforms. Plus, the Chicagoan paired up up with a rising star and British producer EMIL on this atmospheric, lyrically dense, and introspective project typical of his much loved style. ‘DeadStock’ is a dominant track on the project, which hears Mick speak on the pitfalls of our digital age and how humanity has lost all faith. Listen to this track and appreciate the double, triple entendres we’ve come to expect from a master poet. 

Buy the track here.

Fickle Friends – Joe

Brighton based indie-pop band Fickle Friends have been a long term love of mine, and their new single does not disappoint. The collective have released a slew of singles this year to promote their upcoming third album, upping the ante for their full length release. ‘Joe‘ encapsulates the whirlwind of new love. It’s a bold and bright examination into infatuation, and I am infatuated by it.

Leah Cleaver – I Go (Outta My Mind)

Artist and activist Leah Cleaver is a true renaissance woman, capable of making catchy songs that defy genre boundaries. Her new six track EP ‘Pushing Up Flowers’ is a tantalising taster into the potential of this London-based talent. ‘I Go (Outta My Mind)‘ is the must-listen track off the new project and reminds me of ENNY mixed with Ella Eyre. If alt-pop, funky, electro soul is your jam (with a decent amount of hip hop influence sprinkled in), she will be a great new find. Also, check out hidden gem ‘Buttah’ on the new EP and thank me later.

Buy the track here.

Follow IndustryMe on Instagram, Threads, X, or YouTube. Press play on our First Listen Fridays playlist below to enjoy all our top picks. Read last week’s picks here. Don’t forget to follow the playlist on Spotify below or Apple Music.

About The Author