Stream: New albums from Current Joys, Johanna Samuels and Lionel Boy

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From left: Current Joys (by Brooke Barone); Johanna Samuels (by Ellyn Jameson); Lionel Boy (by Basil Vargas)

Catching up with three notable new albums — from Current Joys, Johanna Samuels and Lionel Boy …

CURRENT JOYS, “Voyager”

Nick Rattigan’s filmic seventh album as Current Joys, “Voyager” draws riveting vignettes from a broad emotional landscape. It’s indie-rock fitting for a playlist of Aughts all-stars — think Bright Eyes, Arcade Fire, the National and “Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!”-era Nick Cave — with Rattigan channeling any number of rock’s wounded-sounding warriors to inhabit his characters’ inevitable contradictions in often-cutting couplets. “Play me something old / Play me something I don’t know / Maybe then I can just go on forever,” he sings on “Big Star.” “Play me something that you wrote / I don’t care if it makes it worse or makes it better / Play me something sad / but just happy enough to dance / Like the ones from way, way back when we were together.” The brilliant singles (“American Honey,” “Amateur” and “Money Making Machine”) only scratch the surface; songs like “Altered States,” “Calypso” and “Vagabond” make this a true long-player. (Current Joys will present their livestreamed “horror-comedy-play-concert-film-experience” titled “The Phantom of the Highland Park Ebell” on Wednesday night at 7 Pacific time. Tickets.)

JOHANNA SAMUELS, “Excelsior!”

Johanna Samuels’ “Excelsior!” derives its title from the valediction her late grandfather used on his letters, Latin for “ever upward!” It’s the songwriter’s wish for her album, too — that (and this seems so simple) relationships can be elevated if we actually listen to each other. The album’s sweetly soft dynamics carry some hard truths; Samuels’ keen lyricism is boosted by Sam Evian’s production and backing vocals from the likes of Courtney Marie Andrews, Hannah Cohen, A.O. Gerber, Olivia Kaplan, Maví Lou and Lomelda’s Hannah Read. “All Is Fine,” “High Tide for One” and “Nature’s Way” are exemplary of its understated charm. (Samuels will perform “Excelsior!” on a livestream at 6 p.m. on June 9. Tickets.)

LIONEL BOY, “Lionel Boy”

The follow-up to last year’s debut EP “Who Is Dovey?,” the self-titled full-length from Long Beach-based Hawaiian Lionel Deguzman serves up some cozy, soft-focus pop-soul, heavy on the synths and contemplation. As singles “Flower Girl” and “Mango Michelada” suggest, a laid-back vibe dominates, but not at the expense of the vignettes Deguzman draws. Should summer ever really return, “Lionel Boy” can ride on your breezes.