Stream: New albums from Cory Hanson, Caroline Kingsbury, Friends of Clay, Kat Meoz and Mihi Nihil

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From left: Cory Hanson (by Asal Shahindoust); Caroline Kingsbury (by Lissyelle Laricchia); Friends of Clay; Kat Meoz (by Chris Camargo)

Catching up with more albums that arrived Friday — check out new releases from Cory Hanson, Caroline Kingsbury, Friends of Clay, Kat Meoz and Mihi Nihil


CORY HANSON, “Pale Horse Rider”

Grandiose, pretty like a desert sunrise and yet sad for what the light reveals, the second solo album from Wand frontman Cory Hanson views L.A. through the lens of cosmic Americana. “Pale Horse Rider” is cinematic in the way that drone footage is, a mix of gentle and prickly guitars, sorrowful pedal steel, strings and piano backing Hanson as he sings, mildly, a stark reality: “Gotta look the beast right in the eyes / Until you see yourself / And all that you can never be / But only see,” he decides on “Angeles.” It’s remarkable from the lilt of the title track right down to the Neil Young moment that is “Another Story From the Center of the Earth.”


CAROLINE KINGSBURY, “Heaven’s Just a Flight”

Released via Fortune Tellers, the label founded by Peter Matthew Bauer of the Walkmen, “Heaven’s Just a Flight” is an overstuffed bundle of love — for ’80s new wave and power pop, for romances past and present, for her brother (whose tragic passing from cancer is poignantly acknowledged) and, ultimately,  for herself, a queer artist from a religious family finding her place in the world. At 16 tracks, there’s no shortage of goodies; try “Fall in Love,” “Hero” and “U Take It Back.”


FRIENDS OF CLAY, “Friends of Clay”

Singer-songwriter-producer Clay Priskorn’s debut as Friend of Clay not only displays his deft feel for modern pop rooted in the ’60s and ’70s but also his newly honed skills as a visual artist. Each of the album’s singles — “What Percent Are Monsters,” “Livin Time,” “Growing Up” and “Pretend With Me” — arrived with claymation videos. The album’s release on Friday also launched Priskorn’s new video series, “Queen City Convicts.”


KAT MEOZ, “On the Run”

A garage-rocker in her early days with the trio Grit, Venezuelan-American rocker Kat Meoz expands her sound to arena proportions on her first full-length. Heavy electronics, lightning riffs and stadium choruses — even at just eight songs, it all adds up to in-your-face bombast


MIHI NIHIL, “Mihi Nihil”

After debuting last year with singles such as “Vertigo” and “I Eat You,” L.A. quartet Mihi Nihil chews up the alternative rock scenery on their debut, produced by Adam Lasus. They take cues from the dark post-punk, psych and shoegaze of ’80s — yes, Music to Wear Black To, but also at junctures (“Falling Star”) warm and inviting.


■ ALSO: For Jess Joy’s “Patreearchy,” see our interview.