Drook Wins 2025 Newlin Music Prize
The Newlin Music Prize announced this morning that Drook has won the 2025 award for the album The Pure Joy Of Jumping.
Released this past September, The Pure Joy Of Jumping was a masterful achievement for the trio, blending their bedroom pop and shoegaze roots with glitchy to create a whirlwind of musical emotion. Long celebrated as one of Richmond’s finest live acts–and also known for standout records like Life In Estates, a 2023 Newlin Music Prize nominee–they’ve further solidified their reputation with this album. It’s a vivid realization of their bold ambition and crafty skill, delivering a sound that feels both expansive and effortlessly fluid.
“We’re truly grateful that TPJOJ has been recognized with this edition of the Newlin Prize,” the band remarked in a press release. “Richmond is our home and it means everything to us for this record to be acknowledged by the people of this city. Thanks to the committee and to everyone who participated in organizing this iteration of the Newlin Prize!”
Voted on by a jury of over 105 local musicians, journalists, artists, photographers, and activists (including members of The Auricular), the Newlin Music Prize seeks to recognize the very best from albums in the Richmond-Petersburg metropolitan area every year. Drook’s record was previously announced as part of the Newlin Music Prize’s short list alongside 19 other records from the Richmond area, ranging from rap veterans and pop heavyweights to garage auteurs and folk artisans. In winning, Drook takes home a monetary reward of $2,500, while each of the remaining artists receive $250.
The award was named after Dika Newlin, a musical prodigy who embodied the spirit of the Richmond music scene. In addition to being a cabaret performer, Elvis impersonator, and punk lothario, Newlin was also a respected and beloved professor with VCU in the music department as well as a renowned symphonic composer in her own right. Her career covers the totality of musical performance from lauded classical settings to dingy bar scenes, and the way she embraced both ends of the spectrum are why she was a deserving person to recognize when naming this award.
The Newlin Music Prize aims to raise awareness of the diverse music scene in Richmond, Virginia and to encourage more great musical works to come out of the area. After the short list was announced on February 24th, jury members began casting their ballots up until March 20th. A fan vote was also open concurrently which asked people to choose their top 10 records from the batch of 20. The final fan vote served as one ballot in the final tally.
The 2025 Newlin Music Prize Short List was:
- Alex J Dimas – Alma Mia
- Doll Baby – Heirloom
- Drook – The Pure Joy Of Jumping
- False Nectar – Unlimited Things To Do Forever
- Fight Cloud – Ritual Disaster
- Holy Roller – Good Religion
- Inter Arma – New Heaven
- King Kaiju – Feature Film
- Landon Elliott – Aftermath
- Nickelus F – MMCHT
- Night Idea – Rocky Coast
- Prabir Trio – Long After The Empire
- Prisoner – Putrid | Obsolete
- Reppa Ton x Agent-X – Memento Mori: The Inevitability Of Death
- Rine – Intrusive Thoughts
- Tennishu – More To The Story
- Tentative Decisions – Public Access
- Terror Cell – All Quiet
- The Wayward Leaves – Thursdays At Six
- Tyler Meacham – Sad Girl Summer
Future prizes will be announced and awarded in the first quarter of each year and the Newlin Music Prize plans to partner with local charities in order to better help, support, and encourage the local music scene.
You can listen to Drook’s The Pure Joy Of Jumping above, but we encourage you to check out each of the amazing records that made up the 2025 short list for the Newlin Music Prize.
