New year, new music — 2017 will be the year that many artists will finally drop new music to anxiously awaiting fans. All this great music can be overwhelming, so keep reading below to discover my top seven albums to be on the lookout for in 2017 so you don't miss a thing!
1. Lorde
Lorde was famously only 16 when she wrote her ode to the teenage years—her 2013 debut Pure Heroine. We all related to her honesty about her anxiety with getting older, and to celebrate turning 20, Lorde has revealed that she will finally release new music. She says that this album is her journey to come to terms with the inevitability of getting older. She disclosed on social media, "Writing Pure Heroine was my way of enshrining our teenage glory, putting it up in lights forever so that part of me never dies, and this record — well, this one is about what comes next".
2. Haim
The anxiously anticipated sophomore album to follow up Days Are Gone is finally on the horizon, and the trio of sisters Haim reportedly has decided to keep the recording process minimalistic on this record, working only with Ariel Rechtshaid and Rostam Batmanglij as producers. Judging by the new songs they sneak-peaked during the summer, they will remain faithful to the eighties pop sound we all fell in love with. Expect a drop date later this spring.
3. Sky Ferreira
Ferreira’s debut album, Night Time My Time, came out in 2013 and just getting it out the door was years in the making. Given her track record, it’s not surprising that her next EP has taken so long to deliver, too, but those of us who fell in love with her electronic pop sound don’t mind the wait. This new album is sure to excite, but a release date still looms unannounced—stay on the lookout.
4. St. Vincent
St. Vincent recently confided in an interview that her next album will
be the "deepest, boldest" work she has ever released, which, if you are familiar
with Clark's emanation, is really intriguing. It's hard to imagine how it could
ever top her self-titled masterpiece of 2015, but yet we have complete faith in
St. Vincent to deliver. She says this album is largely is a reflection of the
current political climate and determinedly said "only music that has
something pretty real to say is gonna cut the mustard." This album is sure
to stun, so be on the lookout later this spring.
5. The Shins, Heartworms
The Shins’ fifth album is the band’s first since their 2012 release titled Port of Morrow, and critics widely predict a strong change in musical direction—they think their five-year break was a game-changer. According to Mercer, the band’s founder and frontman and producer of the record, they went for an OG Pop vibe reminiscent of The Beach Boys. They throw in some synths and country influences, but with the quintessential moody attitude that made them an essential among fans of the genre.
6. The National
After touring 2013’s Trouble Will Find Me to Death, The National took a rest and began to experiment. Frontman Matt Berninger formed a side project called EL VY, while twin guitarists Aaron and Bryce Dessner unexpectedly put together The Grateful Dead charity compilation album, Day of the Dead. As of late the band has been quietly working on their seventh album at a sequestered upstate New York studio; Berninger saying they’re tinkering with “weird, math-y, electronic-y stuff” and, as a band, that they’re “in the middle of the wilderness, in a rainforest full of really fun noises.” So far, they’ve debuted one new song with the extensive title “Prom Song 13th Century (Frankie & Johnny)," which is in the signature National mellow, bordering on melancholy style.
7. Gorillaz
Shortly after Plastic Beach’s 2010 release, key members of Gorillaz Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett had a public falling out and it looked like the end of the band as a whole. Luckily, they were able to make amends and the animated band’s fourth album has been confirmed, though they’ve only hinted at what to expect through cryptic Jaden Smith-esque social media accounts, including an OKCupid profile for guitarist Noodle that was only up for a few hours. It’s unclear what exactly is coming, but Albarn and Hewitt were in the studio with De La Soul, and a wide range of top musical acts, so it is sure to be an unmissable album.
