Every week the Stereogum staff chooses the five best new songs of the week. The eligibility period begins and ends Thursdays right before midnight. You can hear this week’s picks below and on Stereogum’s Favorite New Music Spotify playlist, which is updated weekly. (An expanded playlist of our new music picks is available to members on Spotify and Apple Music, updated throughout the week.)

Earlier this week, Stockholm post-punkers Viagra Boys were on The Daily Show, and frontman Sebastian Murphy wore an Adidas track jacket with the Viagra Boys logo on it. I was like, “Oh, that looks cool.” I didn’t realize it meant that the band was about to get its own Adidas sneakers and tracksuits. But that’s what’s happening. Like Oasis and Korn before them, Viagra Boys now have their own Adidas.

Sonic Youth broke up in 2011, seemingly irrevocably, amidst the divorce of formerly married bandleaders Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon. In the years since then, Gordon has not exactly given off the impression that she and Moore are still friends. A couple of years ago, however, Moore claimed that a Sonic Youth reunion is “always going to be on the table.” Last year, Moore got back together with ex-bandmates Lee Randaldo and Steve Shelley at a New York show. That night, Kim Gordon was conspicuous in her absence. But now, there’s at least some indication that Sonic Youth are doing something next year.

After teaming with his brother Josh on modern classics like Good Time and Uncut Gems, filmmaker Benny Safdie is making his solo directorial debut this Oscar-bait season with The Smashing Machine, which doubles as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s big prestige gambit. The film stars Johnson, opposite Emily Blunt, as amateur wrestler and MMA fighter Mark Kerr, and though the character doesn’t sound so different from his own background as a pro wrestler, he underwent a physical transformation for the role (for instance, he has hair).

I’m the narrator, and this is just the prologue, Brendon Urie sang in 2005. Here’s how the story goes: Four guys in Las Vegas got together and started playing music. First a Blink-182 cover band, they rehearsed in the drummer’s grandmother’s living room before making their own music. One member spammed the internet with their demos, and eventually Pete Wentz caved in and listened, prepared to tell these pests that the songs sucked. Instead, the Fall Out Boy bassist — in Los Angeles recording From Under The Cork Tree at the time — was in awe and drove down to Sin City to sign the group to his label. Thus began Panic! At The Disco, whose 19-year career had one of the bleakest arcs in recent history.

Lots of people seem to be interested in what’s happening on Jimmy Kimmel Live! these days. Weird, right? Earlier this week, Kimmel and his show returned from a Disney-mandated suspension after the host incurred the wrath of both Donald Trump and FCC head Brendan Carr. On Tuesday night, Kimmel made his return. His musical guest on that show was Sarah McLachlan, who canceled her performance at the premiere for Disney’s new Lilith Fair documentary over the weekend in solidarity. After McLachlan, Kimmel’s next musical guest was Alex G. He was on last night.

We all know Syd for her time in Odd Future and the Internet, and her solo music demands attention, too. A few weeks ago, Syd released the slinky, flirty single “Die For This,” her first solo music since the release of her 2022 album Broken Hearts Club. Today, she follows “Die For This” with the new song “GFMU.”

OK. Wow. Lot going on here. Young Thug is one of this century’s most important rappers, but he’s been going through some things lately. Last year, Thug was freed from jail after an extremely long RICO trial that had tons of consequences. After the longest trial in Georgia history, Thug accepted a plea deal that’ll keep him on probation for 15 years, mostly barred from his Atlanta hometown during that time. Thug didn’t release much music after he was freed, though he announced plans for a new album called UY Scuti, named for a red supergiant that maybe the largest star in the known universe. That album is out today, but its release is a complicated affair.

We last heard from Colter Wall in 2023 with the release of his latest album Little Songs. Now the Saskatchewan-raised country artist is announcing its followup Memories And Empties, arriving this fall.

Is Joni Mitchell a jazz artist? Short answer: No. Long answer: No, but…