Lettuce, photo by Sam Silkworth

Every Friday, Relix surveys the wealth of new music released over the past seven days and selects dozens of standouts for the Relix Staff Picks playlist. Read on for the highlights from this week’s batch.

On Wednesday, Dec. 3, Lettuce unveiled their long-awaited ninth studio album, Cook. The celebrated funk sextet’s latest full-length offering is their first since 2022’s Unify and a testament to how their tireless touring and ambitious live collaborations – including recent team-ups with GZA, Ziggy Marley and the Colorado Symphony – have come to inform their studio sound. Across 16 tight tracks, the three-decade jam powerhouse seasons its signature deep grooves with shades of soul, jazz, fusion, gospel, rock, hip-hop, global beat and more, resulting in a layered richness that rewards repeat listens.

“This record is a little more three-dimensional than our past albums,” said founding drummer Adam Deitch. “It shows a lot more sides to the band, exploring further depths of production and arrangements.” 

From the smoky Middle Eastern-inspired melody of “Seven Tribes,” through the tart cinematic soul of “Storm Coming,” to the vibrant polyrhythmic funk of “Keep On,” co-written by Tower of Power’s Emilio Castillo, Lettuce’s triumphant return is a heady and infectious buffet that serves up new possibilities while remaining rooted in their time-honored style. Also in line with their legacy, the long rollout for Cook has been uncommonly fun, including the launch of two signature wine brands in collaboration with Aquila Cellars and a recipe book packaged with the album’s vinyl pressing.

“Music and food are very related,” Deitch observed. “Use the wrong ingredients in either and you can ruin the sound and the meal.”

Today, as immigrants’ rights fall into crisis, a cast of storied musicians united in defense of those facing unimaginable challenges to find a home with Passages: Artists in Solidarity with Immigrants, Refugees, and Asylum Seekers. Western Vinyl’s new benefit collection, produced by Emilie Rex and Rick Alverson, prompted 17 contributors to write and record a song in a place that feels like home; the featured artists include Alan Sparhawk, Dirty Projectors, Daniel Lopatin (Oneohtrix Point Never), Tim Heidecker, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, William Tyler, Lonnie Holley, Lambchop, Benjamin Booker, Y La Bamba, St. Panther and more. All proceeds from the intimate mix, stitched together from home studio tapes and direct-to-phone recordings, will go to American Gateways and Casa Marianella. Learn more at passagesrecord.org.

The past week also brought a slew of singles that promise interesting projects for 2026. Among the most enticing were the return of Chicago alt-rock forerunners Ratboys with “What’s Right,” English duo King Hannah’s take on Gillian Welch’s “Look at Miss Ohio,” Portland, Ore. indie pop mainstays The Softies’ cover of Father/Daugher Records labelmate Lisa Prank’s “Turn It Up,” Shane Parish’s solo acoustic guitar treatment of Autechre’s “Maetl” and Flea’s “A Plea”: The lead single from the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist’s first independent album is a spiraling, spastic jazz meltdown that presents the soloist on lead vocals, electric bass and trumpet (who knew?) alongside a stacked ensemble of his Atoms For Peace bandmate Mauro Refosco, Tortoise’s Jeff Parker, Rickey Wasington (Kamasi’s father), Deantoni Sparks, Vikram Devasthali, Anna Butterss and Chris Warren.

“I don’t care about the act of politics,” Flea said. “I think there is a much more transcendent place above it where there’s discourse to be had that can actually help humanity, and actually help us all to live harmoniously and productively in a way that’s healthy for the world. There’s a place where we meet, and it’s love.”

This week’s batch of Relix Staff Picks also includes new music from the Zac Brown Band, Warren Zevon, Margo Price, Nick Cave, Crumb, Natalie Cressman & Ian Faquini, Dove Ellis, Bill Fay, WITCH, The Waterboys, Out Of/Into and many more gems. Tune in here.