A new year means a new batch of albums to which we can look forward. Some, like Gorillaz’s Cracker Island, feel like they’ve been on the way for as long as we can remember. While others, like Mac DeMarco’s Five Easy Hot Dogs and Popcaan’s Great Is He, seem to have taken us happily by surprise. And, of course, there are the records shrouded in mystery, the ones we hope to see, that feel as likely to drop tomorrow as they are to stay locked away at the studio—we’re looking at you, Rihanna, Cardi B, and Normani. Here are some of the most anticipated albums of 2023. (As of January 9, all release dates have been confirmed. But as usual, everything is subject to change.)
Andy Shauf: Norm
Andy Shauf thinks in scenes. The Canadian songwriter broke through with 2016’s The Party, a heartfelt account of a single night out told with grace and precision, which was followed by the astute The Neon Skyline in 2020. After a brief detour with the 2021 surprise album Wilds, Shauf’s upcoming album, Norm, is another character-driven comedy, this time focused on a single fictional person. The album’s lead single, “Wasted on You,” finds Shauf pondering the afterlife and wondering what to do when a lover dies. –Rob Arcand
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A$AP Rocky: Don’t Be Dumb
A$AP Rocky has had a tumultuous run of it since releasing 2018’s Testing. He made songs with Skepta, Slowthai, FKA twigs, and Nigo and Tyler, the Creator, among others. He joined Tame Impala at Coachella, starred in fashion campaigns and psychedelics documentaries, and endured a spell in Swedish jail, as well as other encounters with the law. He coupled up. With Rihanna. They had a baby boy, and looked consistently great. Then he trickled out more details on a new album, apparently called Don’t Be Dumb. At one point, when the album was called All Smiles, he said Morrissey would be on there; for now, we have his May single, “D.M.B.,” and the Need for Speed: Unbound song “Shittin’ Me,” both of which may or may not feature. Per Rocky, expect extensive production from Metro Boomin. –Jazz Monroe
Beyoncé
When Beyoncé dropped Renaissance last year, it came with the tantalizing subtitle “Act I,” with two more promised to follow. Does that mean two more full-length albums? Will “Act II” be the teased visuals for Renaissance’s music, and “Act III” an accompanying world tour? It’s hard to say, but after the superstar’s outstanding seventh studio album shook the table yet again for pop, R&B, and dance music, whatever comes next will be icing on the cake. –Eric Torres
Black Belt Eagle Scout: The Land, the Water, the Sky
Katherine Paul left Portland in 2020 to return to Washington’s Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, where she grew up, finding herself touched with grief, gratitude, and joy as she reflected upon her Indigenous lineage. The singer-songwriter, who’s operated as Black Belt Eagle Scout for the better part of a decade, unravels her feelings across her third full-length, The Land, the Water, the Sky. She considers her connections with her ancestors on “My Blood Runs Through This Land” and she finds comfort in connecting with the natural world on the gentle and hazy “Don’t Give Up.” –Allison Hussey
Cardi B
Cardi B knows we’re hungry for her sophomore LP. “HERE some scraps since yall STARVING,” the rapper recently tweeted along with a snippet of new music. In the nearly five years since she dropped her debut, Invasion of Privacy, Cardi has shared singles, collaborated with reigning hip-hop stars, revealed two baby bumps on live television, had the two babies, launched a Fashion Nova line, and branded her own boozy whip cream…. Basically everything imaginable but release a new album. Still, her regular teasing and steady release of tracks could be the preamble to that long-awaited full-length. Now that Kendrick, Beyoncé, and SZA have returned with new music—will 2023 mark the second coming of Cardi B? –Madison Bloom
Caroline Polachek: Desire, I Want to Turn Into You
Long removed from Chairlift, Caroline Polachek continued her evolution with 2019’s Pang, her first solo album under her given name. After a steady stream of recent singles that includes “Bunny Is a Rider,” “Billions,” “Sunset” and “Welcome to My Island,” Polachek recently announced that her next solo album, Desire, I Want to Turn Into You, is due out on Valentine’s Day. All four of the singles are set to appear on the album, which finds her reuniting with PC Music’s Danny L Harle and working with other producers including Dan Nigro and Jim-E Stack. –Rob Arcand
Danny Brown: Quaranta
Reliably unpredictable, Danny Brown has given few clues toward his next record, and only a fool would bet on what direction the Detroit eccentric might take. In 2019, he followed the eclectic Old and the industrially scorched Atrocity Exhibition with Uknowhatimsayin¿, a more classically produced LP helmed by Q-Tip. The new record, which Brown has said will include some production from the Alchemist and be “just all over the place,” has no release date, but the rapper, who previewed music from the LP at his Bruiser Thanksgiving show, has indicated that it might arrive sooner rather than later. –Jazz Monroe
Fever Ray: Radical Romantics
Fever Ray’s 2017 album, Plunge, explored the chaos of digital life with absolute precision, and its follow-up promises a similar conceptual bent. Radical Romantics was announced with “Carbon Dioxide,” an explosive single about love and sex in a moment of climate apocalypse. The album includes the excellent track “What They Call Us” and contributions from Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Nídia, Johannes Berglund, and more. –Rob Arcand
Fucked Up: One Day
“What could you do in just one day?” That’s the basic question that powers Fucked Up’s One Day, the Canadian post-hardcore institution’s first album with frontman Damian Abraham contributing lyrics since 2014’s Glass Boys. They’ve accomplished plenty in Abraham’s time away from the pen, including last year’s reissue of early recordings and Year of the Horse. –Marc Hogan
Gorillaz: Cracker Island
Gorillaz’s new album, Cracker Island, will pick up where their 2020 collection Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez left off, at least in terms of its star-studded tracklist. Cracker Island is another collaboration-heavy affair, with a tracklist that boasts guests like Bad Bunny, Stevie Nicks, and Beck, among others. Gorillaz have shared four singles ahead of the album’s release on February 24: “New Gold” featuring Tame Impala and Bootie Brown, “Cracker Island” featuring Thundercat, “Baby Queen,” and “Skinny Ape.” –Nina Corcoran
H.C. McEntire: Every Acre
North Carolina’s H.C. McEntire continues her twang-inflected spiritual searching with Every Acre, her third solo album. Opening from the gentle patter of “New Day,” McEntire places herself against an instrumental backdrop of loose guitars, piano, and the occasional groove that feels as comforting as an heirloom quilt. Kentucky singer-songwriter S.G. Goodman joins McEntire on “Shadows,” and Indigo Girls’ Amy Ray is on “Turpentine.” Drawing inspiration from rural living and celestial forces, McEntire’s reconciles with reckons with her faith, fate, and herself on her warm collection of songs. –Allison Hussey
Jennifer Lopez: This Is Me … Now
News of a sequel to J. Lo’s This Is Me... Then came on the 2002 album’s 20th anniversary. One song on the new LP is titled “Dear Ben Pt. II,” suggesting a follow-up to her 2002 song “Dear Ben,” about her then-partner, then ex, now husband Ben Affleck. Since her last album, 2014’s A.K.A., Lopez has performed at the Super Bowl LIV halftime show with Shakira, sung at Joe Biden’s inauguration, performed a Motown tribute at the 2019 Grammys, and won the Video Vanguard Award at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards. –Jazz Monroe
Jessie Ware
Dance beats and moonlit ambience have long suited Jessie Ware, who made her mark with her 2012 debut album, Devotion. But, with 2020’s What’s Your Pleasure?, she transformed into a libidinous disco-pop queen. On last year’s “Free Yourself,” billed as a “taster” to her upcoming fifth album, Ware stayed well within that “sex and dancing” sweet spot—and why not? After a brief run of fall 2022 shows that included a stint opening for Harry Styles, Ware recently teased a springtime release for the as-yet-untitled record. Pleasure seekers, rejoice! –Marc Hogan
Kate NV: Wow
Between 2018’s для For and 2020’s Room for the Moon, Kate NV moved from squishy soundscapes to polyglot pop, but a sense of wonder remained present. The Moscow-based singer, songwriter, and producer returns with Wow, preceded by the singles “Oni (They)” (with Japanese lyrics by Yokohama producer Foodman), “Early Bird,” and “D D Don’t.” Last May, Kate NV also released the improvisation-based set Bouquet to benefit Ukrainian refugees. –Marc Hogan
Kelela: Raven
The cult of Kelela started brewing long before her landmark mixtape, Cut 4 Me, arrived in 2013, and has scarcely let up in the intervening decade, despite relatively little output. Her debut album, Take Me Apart, delivered on the R&B innovator’s potential, and, now, she is finally readying a follow-up. Singles “Washed Away,” “Happy Ending,” and “On the Run” have led Raven. –Jazz Monroe
Lana Del Rey: Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd is Lana Del Rey’s first album since 2021, a year that saw the release of both Blue Banisters and Chemtrails Over the Country Club. Her new LP includes production from Jack Antonoff, Drew Erickson, and Zach Dawes, plus guest turns from Jon Batiste, Father John Misty, and more. So far, the singer-songwriter has shared the album’s title track, which makes reference to the Harry Nilsson song “Don’t Forget Me,” as well as the Eagles’ “Hotel California.” –Rob Arcand
Liv.e: Girl in the Half Pearl
Liv.e’s ascent has caught the attention of Earl Sweatshirt and Erykah Badu, among plenty of others. The Los Angeles–based artist’s 2020 debut, Couldn’t Wait to Tell You, was a rough-edged text of modern love songs, blending lo-fi hip-hop, jazz fusion, and the soul-meets-rap romance of the late ’90s. Liv.e’s follow-up LP, Girl in the Half Pearl, retains those influences, and focuses on her personal growth—namely, letting go of “people pleasing habits,” as she wrote in press materials. The new record is led by “Wild Animals,” which extends the timeless metaphor that men are dogs. And, for Liv.e, the new album is a “depiction of gaining the strength and courage to choose [herself] every time.” –Madison Bloom
Lydia Loveless
Lydia Loveless wrote most of her new album at Ohio’s Secret Studio while navigating the end of a relationship. The singer-songwriter says the Daughter follow-up slips into a more succinct songwriting style. “I think this is probably the most punch I’ve packed into my lyrics, and without being so verbose,” she told Matter News. –Jazz Monroe
Mac DeMarco: Five Easy Hot Dogs
Mac DeMarco recorded his new album, Five Easy Hot Dogs, on the road. “The plan was to start driving north, and not go home to Los Angeles until I was done with a record,” he explained in a press statement. Each song on the album, as a result, is named after the city in which it was recorded, including three in DeMarco’s native Canada—Victoria, Vancouver, and Edmonton. Five Easy Hot Dogs follows DeMarco’s 2019 record Here Comes the Cowboy. –Matthew Strauss
Margo Price: Strays
Just after releasing her memoir, Maybe We’ll Make It, Margo Price continues to dig into herself with her fourth LP, Strays. A mind-opening experience with psilocybin mushrooms brought on new revelations about personal growth, love, and purpose for the singer-songwriter. She leverages the psychedelic influence in songs like “Been to the Mountain” and “Change of Heart,” while “Lydia” is a harrowing reflection on reproductive freedom. –Allison Hussey
Metallica: 72 Seasons
Over six years after Hardwired…To Self-Destruct, Metallica return this spring with an album named for the seasons navigated in the first 18 years of our lives. “Much of our adult experience is reenactment or reaction to these childhood experiences,” James Hetfield said of the concept. “Prisoners of childhood or breaking free of those bondages we carry.” The Greg Fidelman–produced LP’s lead single and title track signaled a band content to menacingly thrash about in its tried-and-true comfort zone. –Jazz Monroe
Normani
Last year, Normani assured fans that her debut solo album would be “worth the wait.” A teased summer release date came and went, but the former Fifth Harmony member did return with a wounded, downtempo single, “Fair,” and a gaudy, string-drenched collaboration with Calvin Harris, Tinashe, and Offset, “New to You.” She has indicated that the delays are due to “personal life stuff,” as well as her own high standards. No one who has heard her 2019 breakout single “Motivation” and 2020 Cardi B collaboration “Wild Side”—or witnessed their stunningly choreographed videos—needs to doubt Normani’s determination for quality control. –Marc Hogan
Paramore: This Is Why
If the two singles that Paramore released are any indication, then their new album This Is Why is a reaction to being pent-up during the pandemic. The title track is a paranoid tale of isolation and hesitancy set to the tune of groove-forward indie rock, while “The News” is a whiplash single about the inability to shake that feeling of helplessness while doom-scrolling. “You’d think after a global pandemic of fucking biblical proportions and the impending doom of a dying planet, that humans would have found it deep within themselves to be kinder or more empathetic or something,” frontwoman Hayley Williams explained in a statement. This Is Why is Paramore’s first album in six years and the follow-up to 2017’s After Laughter. –Nina Corcoran
Philip Selway: Strange Dance
Radiohead drummer Philip Selway has already released a pair of solo albums, 2010’s Familial and 2014’s Weatherhouse. “Check for Signs of Life” is the lead single from Selway’s third album, Strange Dance. The 10-rack set features collaborators such as Hannah Peel, Adrian Utley of Portishead, Quinta, Marta Salogni, Valentina Magaletti, and Laura Moody. It also follows Selway’s 2017 soundtrack to the Polly Steele–directed drama Let Me Go. –Marc Hogan
Popcaan: Great Is He
Popcaan has trickled out singles since his 2020 project Fixtape, and now, the Jamaican dancehall superstar’s long-teased follow-up is imminent. Early this year, a collaboration with Drake, “We Caa Done,” preceded the release, with a video shot in Turks and Caicos. (The pair last collaborated on a pair of songs for Fixtape, and Drake will release Great Is He through OVO Sound.) The single, Popcaan said, “is all about persevering. We don’t think about limits. We’re living the life we’ve dreamed of, and despite what the haters and naysayers have to say, we will only be greater.” –Jazz Monroe
Quasi: Breaking the Balls of History
Quasi’s Breaking the Balls of History is an album of several firsts for the Portland duo of Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss. It’s their first album in a decade, on the heels of 2013’s Mole City. It’s Weiss’ first project since parting ways with Sleater-Kinney in 2019. And, with second single “Doomscrollers,” which follows the early advance track “Queen of Ears,” it’s also certainly the first Quasi album to contain a lyric about “teenage TikTok stars.” On a much more serious note, the album comes after Quasi had to reschedule a planned 2019 reunion tour as Weiss recuperated from a car accident. –Marc Hogan
Rihanna
Rihanna’s long-awaited follow-up to 2016’s Anti somehow seems closer than ever. The pop star released her first new songs in years for the Black Panther sequel soundtrack last November, and was announced as the Super Bowl halftime headliner this winter. Signs are as good as ever that her elusive ninth LP, described as a “reggae album” back in 2018, could be imminent. But we’re still keeping our fingers crossed. –Eric Torres
Róisín Murphy
Nearly 30 years after her breakout with the dancey trip-hop duo Moloko, Róisín Murphy has carved a singular lane as the disco-pop star of an alternate reality that’s both more glamorous and less inhibited than our own. Last summer, the Irish solo artist told NME she was in the “final stages” of a new album with whimsical German producer (and past collaborator) DJ Koze. The time seems almost at hand: She recently hinted that a “new era” would soon begin. Murphy’s first non-remix album since 2020’s Róisín Machine will follow her acting debut, in last fall’s Netflix drama The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself. –Marc Hogan
Sam Smith: Gloria
Sam Smith released their last album, Love Goes, back in 2020. Now the pop singer will return at the top of the new year with Gloria, led by the piano ballad “Love Me More” and the campy, chart-topping Kim Petras collaboration “Unholy.” Smith worked on the new album with producers Jimmy Napes, Stargate, and Ilya in Los Angeles, Jamaica, and London, and also recruited guests Ed Sheeran, Koffee, and Jessie Reyez. “Gloria got me through some dark times and was a beacon for me in my life,” they wrote about the album. “I hope it can be that for you.” –Eric Torres
Shame: Food for Worms
On their third full-length, Food for Worms, UK quintet Shame leave behind the bratty angst of their 2018 debut, Songs of Praise. They even blow past the pummeling existential dread of 2021’s Drunk Tank Pink. The band’s next entry is a paean to friendship—particularly, the bonds they’ve forged as a touring group, coming of age together in vans, venues, and shared flats. “Popular music is about love, heartbreak, or yourself,” frontman Charlie Steen mused in an announcement for the album. “There isn’t much about your mates.” Shame recorded Food for Worms live with producer Flood, who has managed to smooth some of Shame’s craggier edges without erasing their ragged charm. –Madison Bloom
The Smashing Pumpkins: Atum
If there’s one thing the Smashing Pumpkins at which have always excelled, it’s making melodramatic rock. Their expansive new album, Atum, pronounced “autumn,” plans to do just that. Billed as the sequel to 1995’s Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and 2000’s Machina/Machine of God, it’s a 33-song rock opera split into three acts. Each act of Atum will be released every 11 weeks until the full version comes out on April 21. That means the first part—which spans 11 tracks, including the instrumental title track—is available to stream now, with the second act arriving on January 31. The Smashing Pumpkins’ previous album, Cyr, came out in 2020. –Nina Corcoran
Yo La Tengo: This Stupid World
Roughly five years since swiping an album title from Sly and the Family Stone with There’s a Riot Going On, Yo La Tengo have found something even more to the point. This Stupid World is the band’s 17th studio album, following 2020’s We Have Amnesia Sometimes. The album marks a return to the live feel of Yo La Tengo’s earlier material and was self-produced by the band. The lead single, “Fallout,” for one, wouldn’t feel out of place on 1997’s I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One. –Rob Arcand
Young Fathers: Heavy Heavy
Just about five years after Cocoa Sugar, Young Fathers are returning with Heavy Heavy. The album was recorded in the band’s basement studio, and was announced with a single called “I Saw.” The album also includes the track “Geronimo.” –Rob Arcand
Yves Tumor
Since releasing the raw, shapeshifting goth opus Heaven to a Tortured Mind in 2020, Yves Tumor has collaborated with Joji (“Reanimator”) and Kelsey Lu (“Let All the Poisons That Lurk in the Mud Seep Out”), and released a six-song EP titled The Asymptotical World. In recent months, they dropped a new song called “God Is a Circle,” along with a playfully sadistic music video directed by Jordan Hemingway. The track—which was produced by Noah Goldstein and features backing vocals by Ecco2K and Thoom—could be a hint that a new album is coming shortly. –Madison Bloom
