The year might be getting away from us despicably fast, but there are still (almost) six long months left before the politically troubling garbage fire that was 2017 sputters out into a pile of sodden embers. Which means we still have a while to wait before we can enjoy some of the excellent records that have been promised to us, a delectable bevy of audible delights due to drop some time before December 31 rolls around (we hope.)
To that end, here are twelve of our most anticipated upcoming records. Some have been guaranteed, others have been rumoured, but all have our mouths salivating.
Arcade Fire – Everything Now
Arcade Fire have gone disco. All three singles released from their upcoming record Everything Now have a thumping, glitzy quality all of their own – particularly the title track, a folk rock banger that sounds like an unholy mash-up of ABBA’s gild-coated melodies and the dystopian anti-capitalist tirades of writer JMG LeClezio. Whether the rest of the record holds up to the first three morsels we’ve had to snack on so far remains to be seen, but the future sure does look promising.
Sky Ferreira – Masochism
It’s been four long years since Sky Ferreira released her excellent, grimy collection of electro-pop bangers Night Time, My Time – not that she’s been exactly quiet in the meantime, mind you. Quite the reverse, in fact: since that debut studio record dropped, she’s made an appearance in everything from Edgar Wright’s musical automobile extravaganza Baby Driver to David Lynch’s Nyquil-sodden Twin Peaks: The Return, fitting in time to produce Playboy’s “Renegades” issue and endlessly hinting about the whereabouts of her follow-up record Masochism. Although we’ve been promised the thing for almost two years now, Ferreira has assured her fans it’s right around the corner – and we couldn’t be more ready.
LCD Soundsystem – American Dream
Nothing has been able to keep James Murphy away from the mic. The musical genius might have retired his era-defining act LCD Soundsystem back in 2011, but it only took four years before he pulled the gang out of retirement and the rumours began swirling that a new record was not far away. Now that album has been confirmed: it’s called American Dream, it’s out September 1, and if the singles released so far are anything to go by, it’s gonna be one hell of a return.
Torres — TBA
Back in 2015, a musician called Mackenzie Scott quietly released Sprinter, the best album of the year. A fiery collection of cathartic, confessional tracks that conflated the lyricism of Springsteen with the experimental rock bent of Scott’s beloved St. Vincent, the record cemented the musician as one of the most talented of her era. Now she’s back – or so it seems, at least. Although nothing has been confirmed, she’s promised that information about the Sprinter follow-up is coming “soon”, has dropped the terrifying single ‘Skim’, and has shared a number of enigmatic gifs on her Facebook page. Our fingers are very much crossed.
Jen Cloher – Self-Titled
Jen Cloher is one of the most exciting artists work in Australia today, a master wordsmith renowned for the kind of lyrics you want to either scream at the top of your lungs or get tattooed all over your body. Now she’s back with what seems set to be one of her most uncompromising, unflinching records yet – a collection of songs that will touch on everything from long-distance love to the discovery of personhood. It’s due August 11, so get ready.
King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard – TBA
Relentlessly prolific psych rock face-melters King Gizzard might have already delivered two exceptional records this year – the spoken word-laden Murder Of The Universe and the jazzy and experimental Flying Microtonal Banana – but they are far from done, and if their comments from the end of last year are to be believed, they’ve got three more records on the way this year. It looks like at least one of those will be a split with US band Mild High Club, but even that isn’t set in stone. Prepare thyselves.
St Vincent – TBA
If the shimmering ‘New York’ is anything to go by, St Vincent, AKA Annie Clark, has one hell of a record up her sleeve. And although her ardent fans might find it hard to believe she could do anything to top 2014’s self-titled masterpiece, a cubist collection of orthogonal bangers like ‘Digital Witness’, at this stage, one would do well never to doubt her. We might not know what her upcoming record is called, but goddamn we’re excited for it.
Chromatics – Dear Tommy (maybe)
It’s been five years since Chromatics released the exceptional Kill For Love, but they haven’t been wasting the half a decade that’s passed since the album dropped. In fact, they’ve already recorded Dear Tommy, their follow-up, at least once – after a near death experience, their lead singer Johnny Jewel scrapped the whole thing and restarted it afresh. Whether or not that means we’ll see version two of the album before the end of this year remains to be seen, but surely the thing must be on the way soonish, right? Right?
