By Socratis Santik Oglou,
The Weeknd surprised many of us last year by releasing “Dawn FM” and setting the bar high right away but this year so far has no huge music releases to kick things off. When you look at everything that has been officially disclosed so far for this year, things seem a little odd.
Will Cardi B have a new album coming out this year? She has stated that had no choice but to proceed with it now, five years after the release of “Invasion of Privacy”. Time is running out on Sky Ferreira since “Masochism” is likewise disregarded. And what about Miss Rihanna? Her very much anticipated appearance in the Superbowl may also mean the arrival of that dancehall album she was supposed to be preparing throughout these many years.
Anyway, 2023 has begun with Ryuichi Sakamoto’s “12″ who had been fighting cancer for a while but sadly, on January 11, another member of the storied Yellow Magic Orchestra, Yukihiro Takahashi, passed away relatively quietly and unexpectedly from the same illness. The renowned Japanese composer’s first composition since “Async,” a soundtrack-free album from 2017, is “12.” With guests like Ed Sheeran and the Koffee crew, Sam Smith’s much-anticipated album “Gloria” provoked conflicted feelings and brought it back to the top charts the queer music.
“Raven” is Kelela’s second album since her 2017 debut, “Take Me Apart,” which helped her build cults around her name as one of the most promising R&B musicians a decade earlier. Yo La Tengo’s “This Stupid World” is, of course, highly anticipated. Since 2020’s “We Have Amnesia Sometimes,” they have released 17 albums, and they are already recognized as the best songwriters overseas. “Desire, I Want to Turn Into You,” Caroline Polachek’s new single, was released on Valentine’s Day. Perfect title for the day, and listening to their podcasts will show you how much they value her work as an artist. On February 24, Gorillaz’s “Cracker Island” with a whopping list of guests, including Bad Bunny, Stevie Nicks, and Beck, as well as “Food for Worms,” Shame’s third album on friendship, will both be released.
In March, which is arguably the most fascinating in terms of new releases, we have on the 10th, Fever Ray will release “Radical Romantics” which will feature a few songs from Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, NDIA, and Johannes Berglund. Excellent release with the same look. We, therefore, declare that we are prepared for “10,000 Gecs,” the hyper pop duet of 100 Gecs which will be released on March 17.“Memento Mori,” Depeche Mode’s debut album since the death of Andy Fletcher, will be released on the same day and will be supported by a tour.
On March 24, Lana Del Rey will release another eagerly anticipated album called “Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd” which has collaborations with Jon Batiste and Father John Misty, references to the Eagles, and a nude picture shoot for the album. With Smashing Pumpkins’ “Atum,” a three-part rock opera, and 33 tracks in April, Metallica’s “72 Reasons” (14/4) and Metallica’s “Atum,” a three-part rock opera, both honor the hard sound.
Finally, in the upcoming period, look for long-awaited works by Asap Rocky, Death Grips, Beyoncé, Dua Lipa, Olivia Rodrigo, Grimes, Slow Thai, Frank Ocean, Jessie Ware, and Travis Scott. We can do nothing but wait patiently for the albums of the greatest musicians, about which much has been said.
References
- New Album Releases. pitchfork.com. Available here
- Best New Music Album Releases. vulture.com. Available here
- Upcoming Album Release Dates. metacritic.com. Available here
