LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥 Music fans, it is time to bid adieu to the sunny, , and welcome fall 鈥 historically, one of the busiest times in the calendar year for new albums, EPs, and mixtapes.
Trends have already begun to reveal themselves: Some of the biggest names in pop (and in pop's future) are gearing up for back-to-school releases. A-listers are returning after years. Country legends are taking on new genres. And hip-hop heavyweights are back in full force.
Others defy categorization 鈥 like a new Pretenders record (鈥淩elentless鈥), the swoon-worthy 鈥淟ive for Me鈥 EP from Omar Apollo, and Steve Aoki鈥檚 鈥淗iROQUEST: Double Helix" 鈥 and even more have yet to be announced. Take a look at what's in store with 鈥 a collection of releases scheduled to arrive between September and November.
Pop powerhouses
After a summer full of superstar tours 鈥 Taylor Swift, Beyonc茅, and Drake among them 鈥 surely, it鈥檚 time to dive deep into a new hook or two. The season is stacked: Olivia Rodrigo will drop her highly anticipated Kylie Minogue鈥檚 more than 鈥淧adam Padam,鈥 with her new athletic-pop album 鈥淭ension." arrives.
Ed Sheeran has seemingly run out of mathematical symbols to name albums after and will return with an autumnal release. After Troye Sivan gears up to release his third full-length album. If the rest of the tracks contain songs half as sexy as the football chant homoeroticism of the lead single listeners are in for a treat.
BTS member V will release his debut solo album; Korean American popstar Eric Nam will drop another self-released record, centered on a pandemic-induced existential crisis.
Demi Lovato is reimagining some of her pop tune as rock anthems; Taylor Swift鈥檚 re-recording series continues with
As for ones to watch: Chappell Roan, your favorite pop star from the future, will release her debut album. Madrile帽o Ralphie Choo is also gearing up for his debut, and La Do帽a's new EP promises to weave together cumbia, salsa, oldies and reggaeton.
Sept. 8: Olivia Rodrigo, 鈥淕uts鈥 Sept. 8: V, 鈥淟ayover鈥 Sept. 8: Eric Nam, 鈥淗ouse on a Hill鈥 Sept. 15: Demi Lovato, 鈥淩evamped鈥 Sept. 15: Ralphie Choo, 鈥淪upernova鈥 Sept. 15: La Do帽a, 鈥淐an鈥檛 Eat Clout鈥 Sept. 22: Kylie Minogue, 鈥淭ension鈥 Sept. 22: Doja Cat, 鈥淪carlet鈥 Sept. 22: Chappell Roan, 鈥淭he Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess鈥 Sept. 29: Ed Sheeran, 鈥淎utumn Variations鈥 Oct. 13: Troye Sivan, 鈥淪omething to Give Each Other鈥 Oct. 27: Taylor Swift, 鈥1989 (Taylor's Version)鈥
Hip-hop heavyweights
Blink, and you might miss a shifting release date: In 2022, rumors swirled that Kid Cudi would take a hiatus from music making. They proved to be just that 鈥 rumors 鈥 and a new album was announced for September. However, a little over a week before it was scheduled to arrive, the rapper announced the release would be pushed back to January.
A few days later, Drake announced for his highly anticipated eighth studio album, 鈥淔or All the Dogs.鈥 Are the days of dropping records without warning behind him?
Elsewhere, Vic Mensa has explored social work, sobriety, Ghana and himself, leading to an ambitious and self-reflective new record.
The legendary Gucci Mane returns; Chief Keef is also back.
Flo Milli鈥檚 forthcoming album delivers her idiosyncratic 鈥 at times, absurdist 鈥 and certainly hard-as-hell raps. South African rapper Nasty C continues his global growth.
And that鈥檚 not even including all of the surprise releases that may drop in the next few weeks.
Sept. 15: Vic Mensa, 鈥淰ictor鈥 Sept. 15: Nasty C, 鈥淚 Love It Here鈥 Sept. 22: Drake, 鈥淔or All the Dogs鈥 Oct. 13: Gucci Mane, 鈥淏reath of Fresh Air鈥 Oct. 13: Chief Keef, 鈥淎lmighty So 2鈥 TBD: Flo Milli, 鈥淔ine Ho, Stay鈥 Delayed until January: Kid Cudi, 鈥淚nsano鈥
Country classics
Reinvention and experimentation is in the air. Willie Nelson will release his first bluegrass record; Dolly Parton will release her first rock album.
Ashley McBryde will release her fourth studio album, and if the single is any indication, we can鈥檛 wait for more mandolin.
Reba McEntire returns with her first album in five years; a few months , Chris Stapleton is back. Margo Price preps a double album in three acts.
Sept. 8: Ashley McBryde, 鈥淭he Devil I Know鈥 Sept. 15: Willie Nelson, 鈥淏luegrass鈥 Oct. 6: Reba McEntire, 鈥淣ot That Fancy鈥 Oct. 13: Margo Price, 鈥淪trays ll鈥 Nov. 10: Chris Stapleton, 鈥淗igher鈥 Nov. 17: Dolly Parton, 鈥淩ockstar鈥
Metal mavens
Cool air and a heavy riff 鈥 few partnerships make more sense. For metalheads, it is a stacked season: Baroness and Cannibal Corpse return, as do Pittsburgh punks Code Orange.
For the alternative crowd: Poppy continues her Nine Inch Nails-inspired industrial streak, Beartooth's melodic screamo powers on and 鈥檚 Thirty Seconds to Mars bring an optimistic take on the apocalypse.
Deftones fans will have to continue to wait for a new record from the only nu-metal act able to transcend the limitations of that genre 鈥 the California band is celebrated for taking an artful approach to a musical genre most commonly associated with backwards baseball caps and machismo. In the meantime, they can enjoy a new one from 鈥犫犫 (Crosses), the dark wave side project of frontman Chino Moreno and Far guitarist Shaun Lopez.
Sept. 15: Baroness, 鈥淪tone鈥 Sept. 15: Thirty Seconds to Mars, 鈥淚t鈥檚 the End of the World but It鈥檚 a Beautiful Day鈥 Sept. 22: Cannibal Corpse, 鈥淐haos Horrific鈥 Sept. 29: Code Orange, 鈥淭he Above鈥 Oct. 13: 鈥犫犫 (Crosses), 鈥淕oodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete鈥 Oct. 27: Poppy, 鈥淶ig鈥
Indie鈥檚 not dead
At some point in the last few years, 鈥渋ndie鈥 has morphed into a genre designation (think Taylor Swift's 鈥渇olklore鈥 and 鈥渆vermore鈥) instead of shorthand for 鈥渋ndependent鈥 artists 鈥 you know, acts who self-release their own music and/or work with a niche record label. Despite that confusion, truly 鈥渋ndie鈥 releases aren鈥檛 going anywhere, with forthcoming releases from established voices Sufjan Stevens (Asthmatic Kitty Records), Teenage Fanclub (Merge) and Wilco (released on the band鈥檚 dBpm Records).
Nostalgia runs deep for Puerto Rican reggae artist PACHYMAN, who preps the sentimental 鈥淪witched-On鈥 for a late September release. Lead single is all vintage Korg Poly-800 synths and sunshine.
Most fascinating of all are the newer class of talents, driven by women: (Dead Oceans), Cherry Glazerr (Secretly Canadian), L鈥橰ain (Mexican Summer), Vagabon (Nonesuch), and the Indonesian power-pop-punk group GRRRL Gang (Kill Rock Stars).
Sept. 15: Vagabon, 鈥淪orry I Haven鈥檛 Called鈥 Sept. 15: Mitski, 鈥淭he Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We鈥 Sept. 22: Teenage Fanclub, 鈥淣othing Last Forever" Sept. 22: GRRRL Gang, 鈥淪punky!鈥 Sept. 29: Wilco, 鈥淐ousin鈥 Sept. 29: PACHYMAN, 鈥淪witched-On鈥 Sept. 29: Cherry Glazerr, 鈥淚 Don't Want You Anymore鈥 Oct. 6: Sufjan Stevens, 鈥淛avelin鈥 Oct. 13: L'Rain, 鈥淚 Killed Your Dog鈥
Long-awaited returns
Nostalgia rules the entertainment industry, but that doesn鈥檛 necessarily make for derivative work. Often, it means celebrating the artists we love after years of inactivity, or a simply a break between albums. Such is the case in this grouping. Diddy will release his first full-length album since 2006鈥檚 鈥淧ress Play.鈥
In fact, it's a strong season for R&B returns: Jorja Smith will release her first album since 2018; Jamila Woods follows up 2019鈥檚 鈥淟egacy! Legacy!鈥 with 鈥淲ater Made Us.鈥
Elsewhere, the New Jersey band The Gaslight Anthem will release their first album in nearly a decade, 鈥淗istory Books.鈥
And Nicki Minaj, , will bring back with 鈥淧ink Friday鈥 franchise with 鈥淧ink Friday 2,鈥 her fifth full-length album and first since 2018鈥檚 鈥淨ueen.鈥
Sept. 15: Diddy, 鈥淭he Love Album: Off the Grid鈥 Sept. 29: Jorja Smith, 鈥淔alling or Flying鈥 Oct. 13: Jamila Woods, 鈥淲ater Made Us鈥 Oct. 27: The Gaslight Anthem, 鈥淗istory Books鈥 Nov. 17: Nicki Minaj, 鈥淧ink Friday 2鈥
Maria Sherman, The Associated Press
