Five songs to hear this week (Nov 18-24)

Childish Gambino, aka actor Donald Glover, will release his third album early next month. He’s building anticipation for it with his new song Me and Your Mama, a rap-free psychedelic epic that sounds like Sly & the Family Stone.

A third album from The xx will provide welcome warmth in the dark days of early January. The minimal indie band’s relatively lively new song On Hold is now on YouTube.

Those missing new material from Haim, or indeed Fleetwood Mac, could do worse than check out the sunny pop of Candian trip DIANA, whose second album Familiar Touch is out today. Shiny ballad What You Get is on Soundcloud as a free taster.

Last year’s second album from singer-songwriter Gabrielle Aplin didn’t set the world on fire, so she’s taking a new tack on a forthcoming EP, Miss You, coming in December. The lead track, on YouTube now, has a relaxed tropical house feel.

Metallica haven’t been too busy lately, releasing their first album in eight years today. Hardwired… to Self-Destruct is the metal giants’ tenth studio album and it’s a noisy double, including Atlas, Rise! which is on YouTube now.