When the year began, we listed 100 albums we’re anticipating in 2023, many of which have since come out–check our list of 31 great albums from the first quarter of 2023 and catch up on Notable Releases and Bill’s Indie Basement for all of our recent album reviews–many of which are still to come, and some of which still haven’t properly been announced. Also, many more albums we’re looking forward to have been announced since then, so now that the first quarter of 2023 is a wrap and spring is here, we’ve put together a list of 55 albums that we’re looking forward to from now until the end of June. Some of these appeared on the list we did back in January, but most of them didn’t. We mostly kept things to albums that officially have release dates for this spring, but we’re still crossing our fingers that we’ll get new ones from The Cure, Rihanna, Frank Ocean, My Bloody Valentine, Cardi B, Danny Brown, and other long-teased comebacks this year too.
Read on for the list (in alphabetical order) and let us know what albums you’re looking forward to this spring…
The Acacia Strain – Step Into the Light & Failure Will Follow
due 5/12 via Rise
The Acacia Strain’s mix of death metal and hardcore was not only a precursor to the polarizing deathcore movement in the 2000s, it also helped pave the way for today’s exciting crop of hardcore-adjacent death metal bands, and The Acacia Strain continue to push themselves forward. They have two albums coming out on the same day this May, the more “standard” Step Into the Light and the more experimental Failure Will Follow, which features three lengthy tracks and has collaborations with members of Full of Hell and Primitive Man.
Pick up our exclusive banana vinyl variant of ‘Failure Will Follow.’ Our ‘Step Into the Light’ variant is sold out.
Alison Goldfrapp – The Love Invention
due 5/12 via Skint
Alison Goldfrapp made a name for herself guesting on other artists’ club tracks — Orbital, Tricky, Plaid among them — before forming her namesake duo with Will Gregory. She’s continued to do so and in that spirit is releasing her first solo album featuring collaborations with a bevy of cool cats, including Richard X, Claptone, Paul Woolford, and more.
Arlo Parks – My Soft Machine
due 5/26 via Transgressive
Arlo Parks follows up her critically acclaimed, Mercury Prize-winning debut by switching things up slightly. This time she’s working with producer Paul Epworth, who helped guide Adele and Florence to the top of the charts, and is getting more personal. “This record is life through my lens, through my body – the mid 20s anxiety, the substance abuse of friends around me, the viscera of being in love for the first time, navigating PTSD and grief and self sabotage and joy, moving through worlds with wonder and sensitivity- what it’s like to be trapped in this particular body.”
Avalon Emerson & The Charm – Avalon Emerson & The Charm
due 4/28 via Another Dove
Electronic musician Avalon Emerson already has years of singles and DJ mixes under her belt, but for her first full-length album, she’s going in a more pop song-oriented direction, and she’s referring to the project as Avalon Emerson & the Charm. We’ve only heard a couple tracks so far, but it already sounds like this new direction suits Avalon and her innovative production perfectly.
Baxter Dury – I Thought I Was Better Than You
due 6/1 via Heavenly
One of the masters of British Sexy Whispering and marble-mouthed South London elocution, Baxter Dury returns with his first album in three years. He made it with producer Paul White (Danny Brown, Charli XCX) and the album features contributions from Eska and JGrrey, along with longtime collaborator Madeline Hart. Inspired by writing his 2022 memoir Chaise Longue, Baxter revisits his youth, growing up the son of national treasure Ian Dury, for lyrical content.
bdrmm – I Don’t Know
due 6/31 via Rock Action
Bdrmm’s 2020 debut album Bedroom was one of the best UK shoegaze albums in years, and for its follow-up they’ve signed to Mogwai’s Rock Action label. It’s a good fit, with the group already in command of post-rock-style dynamics. “After touring with Mogwai and forming such a close relationship with them, we feel blessed to have been invited to work with them and their team,” say the band about their new label home. “To be on the same label as Arab Strap too? I mean, say no more.” First single “It’s Just a Bit of Blood” expands their universe with just a bit of punk as well.
BC Camplight – The Last Rotation of Earth
due 5/12 via Bella Union
Having released the great Shortly After Takeoff in 2020, Brian “BC” Christinzio made his sixth album twice when the breakup of a nine-year relationship caused him to scrap what he’d been working on and start again. He says The Last Rotation of Earth is “more cinematic, sophisticated and nuanced than anything I’ve done before.”
billy woods & Kenny Segal – Maps
due 5/5 via Backwoodz Studioz
One of billy woods’ most widely-loved albums is his 2019 collaboration with producer Kenny Segal, Hiding Places, so it’s very exciting news that the pair have another new album on the way. No music is out from it yet, but our hopes are already high.
Blondshell – Blondshell
due 4/7 via Partisan
Blondshell (aka Sabrina Teitelbaum) toes the line between ’90s-style grungy indie rock and modern pop sensibilities, and she’s been stirring up buzz ever since she dropped the debut Blondshell single last spring. All the other singles from her upcoming Yves Rothman-produced debut album have been great too.
Buggin – Concrete Cowboys
due 6/2 via Flatspot
We’ve been hoping for a full-length from the very promising Chicago hardcore band Buggin for a few years now, and this June it finally becomes a reality. First single “All Eyes On You” is a great example of Buggin’s ability to deliver bold aggression in a punchy, inviting way.
Bully – Lucky For You
due 6/2 via Sub Pop
Bully (Alicia Bognanno) has been at the forefront of the modern-day grunge revival ever since releasing her debut EP a decade ago, and she continues to write irresistible songs like new single “Days Move Slow.”
Cattle Decapitation – Terrasite
due 5/12 via Metal Blade
San Diego death metal vets Cattle Decapitation are true lifers, and they still make music with as much gnarly urgency as they did when they started out over 20 years ago. The recent singles from Terrasite are no exception.
Clark – Sus Dog
due 5/26 via Throttle
Veteran electronic musician Clark is putting out a new record and it finds him putting his own vocals at the forefront for the first time in his lengthy career. He recruited Thom Yorke to executive produce, play bass, and sing on one of the tracks, and Clark and Thom prove to be very natural collaborators.
Conway the Machine – Won’t He Do It
release date TBA via Drumwork/EMPIRE
The very prolific Griselda rapper Conway the Machine seems to have an endless arsenal of gripping stories and knockout punchlines, and just about every new project he puts out is full of show-stopping moments. The release date for this new one got pushed back, but it’s expected this spring.
Creeping Death – Boundless Domain
due 6/16 via MNRK
For their second album, Texas hardcore-infused death metallers Creeping Death worked with Killswitch Engage guitarist and veteran metalcore producer Adam Dutkiewicz, who they credit with challenging and pushing them more than ever, and they say they brought in more of a Texas hardcore influence, inspired by the passings of Riley Gale and Wade Allison.
Pick up our exclusive red & black vinyl variant.
Death Goals – A Garden of Dead Flowers
due 5/5 via Prosthetic
UK chaotic queercore duo Death Goals sound bigger, cleaner, and catchier than their already-great 2021 debut LP on this album’s new singles, but just as uncompromising.
Django Django – Off Planet
due 6/16 via Because Music
Scottish dance-rock band Django Django are now in their second decade and are mixing things up for their fifth album. It’s a high-concept double LP with each of the four sides representing a different “planet.” Not unlike what Beach House did with Once Twice Melody, the band are releasing whole sides of the album at a time, once a month, with the whole thing out in June
Created primarily by drummer/bandleader David Maclean, it’s a more purely studio based record that, in the first half that’s out already, doesn’t sound like they were worrying about how to play it live. Special guests abound including Self Esteem, Jack Peñate, Stealing Sheep, and more.
Don Letts – Outta Sync
due 4/28 via Cooking Vinyl
Don Letts is a living legend: as DJ at London’s The Roxy he introduced punks to dub reggae, and as a filmmaker he documented that scene in The Punk Rock Movie, which led to a successful career as a music video director. He was also a founding member of Big Audio Dynamite alongside The Clash’s Mick Jones, and has continued to make films, DJ, and this year released his memoir, There and Black Again, and a documentary on his life, Rebel Dread. But he’s only just now getting around to making a solo album, which was produced by Killing Joke’s Youth and includes collaborations with the late Terry Hall, Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne, Hollie Cook and more.
Drain – Living Proof
due 5/5 via Epitaph
Drain have become one of the most beloved and unique hardcore bands around. They fuse the genre with thrash and groove metal influences and the warmth of the California sun, and they’ve got an extremely charismatic frontperson in Sammy Ciaramitaro. Their upcoming sophomore album Living Proof is their first for Epitaph, and the rollout has just been one great single after the next.
Everything But the Girl – Fuse
due 4/21 via Buzzin’ Fly / Virgin
Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt have been a couple since the early ’80s but haven’t made an Everything But the Girl album since 1999’s Temperamental. Fans had long assumed that would be their last, but the duo surprised everyone last fall by announcing that they had finished a new EBTG album and it would be out in spring 2023. “We never imagined at the start of 2022 that this would happen, and yet here we are,” they wrote. Singles “Nothing Left to Lose” and “Run a Red Light” find the magic still there.
Feist – Multitudes
due 4/14 via Interscope
For two decades straight, Feist has released monumentally great records, each with its own distinct personality. Judging by the singles from Multitudes, she’s about to do it again.
Frozen Soul – Glacial Domination
due 5/19 via Century Media
Frozen Soul’s 2021 debut LP Crypt of Ice is one of our favorite death metal albums in recent memory, and the singles from their upcoming Matt Heafy-produced sophomore LP Glacial Domination pick right up where the band left off. Songs like “Morbid Effigy” capture everything that was great about the debut but also feel like a clear leveling up.
Godflesh – Purge
due 6/9 via Avalanche
Industrial metal legends Godflesh are gearing up for their first album in six years, and lead single “Nero” proves there’s still no one who sounds like them.
Heart Attack Man – Freak of Nature
due 5/26
Heart Attack Man’s influences range from underground heroes like Fugazi and Godflesh to not-so-guilty pleasures like Sum 41, and they’ve got a way of funneling it all into something they can call their own. Recent single “Freak of Nature” is a very good example of that.
Hot Mulligan – Why Would I Watch
due 5/12 via Wax Bodega
Emo/pop punks Hot Mulligan sound like they’re swinging for the fences like never before on the lead single off their upcoming album Why Would I Watch, and we’re looking forward to hearing what else they’ve got up their sleeves on this LP.
Incendiary – Change The Way You Think About Pain
due 5/26 via Closed Casket Activities
The six-year wait for a new album from Long Island hardcore heroes Incendiary is finally almost over. Guitarist Brian Audley says that the band “wanted it to be more aggressive and more abrasive, in terms of songs and production,” and you can definitely hear that coming through in lead single “Bite the Hook.”
Indigo De Souza – All Of This Will End
due 4/28 via Saddle Creek
Indigo De Souza’s 2021 sophomore album was one of our favorite albums of the year, and its follow-up is shaping up to be another great one. The first two, very different singles, heartfelt ballad “Younger & Dumber” and upbeat synth pop track “Smog,” keeping our anticipation high.
Initiate – Cerebral Circus
due 4/14 via Triple B Records
California hardcore band Initiate have shown off a more genre-defying, melodic sound than ever on their recent singles, and they’re also the strongest songs they’ve written yet.
Jake Shears – Last Man Dancing
due 6/2 via Mute
We are in a disco renaissance — just ask Beyonce, Kylie, or Roisin Murphy — and former Scissor Sisters frontman Jake Shears, is here to throw his hat in the ring. He is after all the one who turned Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” into a Bee-Gees song on Scissor Sisters’ debut album. Shears calls it his “ultimate house party album” and features contributions from Kylie Minogue, Big Freedia, Le Chev, and Amber Martin, with cameos from Iggy Pop and…Jane Fonda? Irresistible first single “Too Much Music” is pure disco dancefloor filler in the mode of Vickie Sue Robinson’s “Turn the Beat Around” and finds Shears’ ability to conjure Barry Gibb still in full force.
Jana Horn – The Window Is The Dream
due 4/7 via No Quarter
Having released one of last year’s best folk albums with Optimism, Texas singer/songwriter Jana Horn is already back with a followup. Her debut put a fresh spin on cult classic influences like Sibylle Baier, and these new singles scratch a similar itch.
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – Weathervanes
due 6/9 via Southeastern
The hot streak Jason Isbell has been on for the past decade is not ending anytime soon; Weathervanes lead single “Death Wish” is one of his best and most devastating songs yet.
Jeromes Dream – The Gray In Between
due 5/5 via Iodine
Screamo pioneers Jeromes Dream returned in 2019 with their untitled reunion album–their first in 18 years–and in hindsight, that album was just polishing off the rust compared to the new singles from their upcoming LP The Gray In Between. It’s their first with guitarist Sean Leary of Loma Prieta, who joined JD in 2021, and the new singles find them soujnding arguably better than ever.
Jessie Ware – That! Feels Good!
due 4/28 via PMR/Interscope
Jessie Ware’s recent singles find her really leaning into her love of nostalgia-inducing disco and house-pop, and just coming out with the most ecstatic music she can. Speaking about recent single “Pearls,” she said, “‘Pearls’ is a record that doesn’t take itself too seriously but demands you to have a dance. It’s inspired by divas like Donna Summer, Evelyn Champagne King, Teena Marie and Chaka Khan and I guess attempts to show – in lightness – all the hats I try to wear (usually at the same time).”
Jesus Piece – …So Unknown
due 4/14 via Century Media
Drummer Luis Aponte says, “A big goal on …So Unknown, outside of songwriting and technical goals, was to capture the same energy on record that we have live – for people to get that sense of urgency and danger.” Given what we witnessed on the band’s recent tour with Show Me The Body, Scowl, and Zulu, that’s a very exciting prospect.
Joanna Newsom
release date TBA
Joanna Newsom recently returned from hibernation as the surprise opener at Fleet Foxes’ LA show, and used her set to debut five new songs and reveal that she has 11 new ones written–her first new music since 2015’s Divers. No word yet on when we’ll get a new album, but our fingers are crossed that it’s sooner rather than later!!
Lael Neale – Star Eaters Delight
due 4/21 via Sub Pop
Singer/songwriter Lael Neale made her third album, and second for Sub Pop, after moving from Los Angeles to her family’s farm in rural Virginia. Powered by her Omnichord, the three tracks she’s shared from it so far are spare but compelling, especially the eight-minute, dirge-like “In Verona,” and they have us keen to hear the rest of the album too.
Mandy, Indiana – i’ve seen a way
due 5/19 via Fire Talk
Manchester, England’s Mandy, Indiana sound like an illegal warehouse party in an abandoned factory. With pummeling beats, shearing guitar noise, depthcharge bass and woozy synths, they could be mistaken for that factory being back in operation. The four piece, which includes theatrical French singer Valentine Caulfield (who wails icily in her native tongue), released their excellent debut EP back in 2021 and are finally unleashing their full-length debut. If it’s anything like their blistering live show, get ready.
Militarie Gun
release date TBA
Militarie Gun recently released “Do It Faster” and revealed that it’s the lead single off their upcoming debut full-length. No word yet when the album is arriving, but let’s hope it’s soon; we need more hardcore/power pop crossover like “Do It Faster” in our lives.
The National – First Two Pages of Frankenstein
due 4/28 via 4AD
It doesn’t take much to get us excited about a new album from eternal indie faves The National. They always deliver, these new songs are great, and they’ve got some amazing guests lined up for this LP: Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers, and Sufjan Stevens.
Never Ending Game – Outcry
due 5/12 via Triple B Records
Never Ending Game have become one of the most beloved newer heavy hardcore bands around, and they’re finally ready to follow their 2019 debut LP Just Another Day with a new album. If the rest of it is anything like the two great lead singles (one featuring Justice and Sam from Trapped Under Ice), we’re gonna be in for a treat.
Pick up our exclusive splatter vinyl variant.
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Council Skies
due June 2 via Sour Mash Records
Despite everyone, including his brother Liam, wanting Oasis to reform, Noel Gallagher seems more than happy as a solo artist.. His fourth album with High Flying Birds features Johnny Marr on a few songs and the singles show he still has a way with a soaring melody, while the deluxe edition of the album — featuring remixes by The Cure’s Robert Smith and Pet Shop Boys — finds him expanding his wings.
Overmono – Good Lies
due 5/12 via XL
UK dance duo Overmono have been dropping singles and EPs for years, but they’re only just now putting out a full-length album. Their catchy, sample-based sound has been truly infectious on all the singles we’ve heard thus far.
Portrayal of Guilt – Devil Music
due 4/21 via Run For Cover
Screamo/metal band Portrayal of Guilt’s new album is split into two halves, with five new original songs on Side A, and an orchestral re-imagining of those same five songs on Side B. Side B is out now, and it’s gorgeously haunting and has our hopes high for the band versions.
Pick up our exclusive grey-in-clear vinyl variant.
Protomartyr – Formal Growth in the Desert
due 6/2 via Domino
Protomartyr haven’t made an album since 2020’s Ultimate Success Today, a record that was made the year before but felt very of the moment. (The band have always had a way with foreboding doom and dark humor.) So what will a record made in the wake of the pandemic, social upheaval, and death? Maybe not what you think. In an interview with Nashville Scene last fall, frontman Joe Casey said the band’s new album was “A happy Protomartyr record, just as we slide into nuclear war? I’m the king of bad timing.” Happy is not a word we’d associate with first single “Make Way,” though.
Pupil Slicer – Blossom
due 6/2 via Prosthetic
Pupil Slicer’s upcoming sophomore album Blossom sets out to prove they’re more than just a mathcore band. Singer/guitarist Kate Davies says they aim to “break down the walls between metal, hardcore, shoegaze, electronic music and pop” with the album, and the lead single/title track does exactly that.
Pynch – Howling at a Concrete Moon
due 4/14 via Chilburn Recordings
One of our Artists to Watch in 2023, London’s Pynch recall the mid-’00s days of post-Libertines guitar pop, but in a very 2020s way. Following a few singles produced by Dan Carey, they’ve hooked up with Stereolab drummer Andy Ramsey for their debut album that is breezy, dipped in nostalgia but fearful of the future.
redveil – playing w/ fire EP
due 4/19
Rising rapper redveil has been on a roll lately. Since releasing one of the best albums of 2022 with learn 2 swim, he appeared on JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown’s excellent new collaborative album Scaring the Hoes and dropped more of his own great singles, including one with JPEGMAFIA. Two of those (“giftbag” and “black enuff”) will appear on this new EP, out in April.
Rose City Band – Garden Party
due 4/21 via Thrill Jockey
Ripley Johnson’s liquid guitar leads have flown freely since the mid-2000s with psych band Wooden Shjips and the alternately motorik/danceable Moon Duo, but solo project Rose City Band is where he really gets his jam on, surrounded by some of the best players in the biz. Like 2021’s great Earth Trip, Garden Party is enlivened by the magical pedal steel work of Barry Walker.
SBTRKT – The Rat Road
due May 5
SBTRKT is gearing up to return with his first album in seven years. The singles have all been pretty different, and some of them–like “Forward” with LEILAH–offer up pure electronic pop bliss.
Scowl – Psychic Dance Routine EP
Flatspot Records
“I wanna be a hardcore kid writing pop songs,” Kat Moss of Scowl tells us in our new feature on the band, and their new EP owes as much to hardcore bands like Negative Approach and Ceremony as it does to melodic alt-rock bands like Nirvana, Sonic Youth, and Hole. Read our full article and listen to our podcast episode with Kat for much more.
Pick up our exclusive red “cloudy” vinyl variant.
Sparks – The Girl is Crying in Her Latte
due 5/26 via Island
Ron and Russell Mael are still riding on what is Sparks’ most-high profile era in ages, thanks to two acclaimed 2021 films: Edgar Wright’s career-spanning documentary The Sparks Brothers and Annette, their musical with director Leos Carax. They will keep the momentum going with The Girl is Crying in Her Latte, their 26th album, that has them back on Island Records who released such ’70s Sparks classics as Kimono My House. Still more to look forward to: another movie musical, X Crucior.
Wednesday – Rat Saw God
due 4/7 via Dead Oceans
Wednesday’s fusion of shoegaze, grunge, and alt-country feels genuinely new and fresh, and the singles off their upcoming Dead Oceans debut–sprawling, lengthy mini epics like the country-gazing “Chosen to Deserve” and the explosive grunge journey “Bull Believer”–feel like a big step up for this already-great band.
Westerman – An Inbuilt Fault
due 5/1 via Partisan
Born and raised in the UK, Westerman currently lives in Athens, Greece but wrote many of the songs on his sophomore album in Italy, and made it in Los Angeles with Big Thief drummer James Krivchenia.It’s an even more ambitious record than his 2020 debut and new singles “CSI: Petralona” and “Idol: RE-run” show an affinity for gorgeous, expansive arrangements and unusual song title punctuation.
Yaeji – With A Hammer
due 4/7 via XL
Yaeji has two great EPs, a mixtape, and other singles, remixes, and miscellaneous releases dating back to 2015, but she’s only just now releasing what she considers her first official full-length album. Her electronic outsider pop sounds great on the tracks we’ve heard so far.
Youth Lagoon – Heaven Is A Junkyard
due 6/9 via Fat Possum
Trevor Powers retired the Youth Lagoon moniker after 2015’s Savage Hills Ballroom and then released two albums under his given name, but now Youth Lagoon is back with new album Heaven Is A Junkyard. Lead single “Idaho Alien” is a lovely offering of off-kilter pop rock, delivered in the way that only Trevor can.
—
SEE ALSO: 31 Great Albums from 1st Quarter 2023