Month: March 2018

Our Most Anticipated Albums of 2018

~ The JoSHUa Tree ~ Leave a comment

EXPECTED ALBUMS
Definite or highly likely releases for 2018

James Bay – Title Unknown (Spring 2018)

The long hair? Gone. The fedora? Gone as well. With the announcement of an upcoming new album last month, James Bay is back – and it’s clear that his next record won’t be anything like his Chaos and the Calm debut. Unlike the soft rock, soul-infused “Let It Go” and “Hold Back the River” singles from his successful first album, Bay’s just-released lead single “Wild Love” is an electronic, groovy slow jam that draws its influences from the likes of Frank Ocean, Chance the Rapper, Lorde, and and David Bowie.

Carly Rae Jepsen – Title Unknown (Release date TBA)

It’s hard to believe that the same artist who took the world by storm with her bubble-gum mainstream hit “Call Me Maybe” was also responsible for the critically lauded Emotion in 2015. While not as commercially successful, Emotion was a pivotal album that distanced herself from her worldwide smash and established herself as a credible, musically bold artist. While we don’t know much, she has hinted that this record has been influenced by disco music. Expectations are riding high for this next release, and she has claimed to have already written more than 80 songs for the project. It’s expected that she will be announcing a new album any day now. Stay tuned.

Troye Sivan – Title Unknown (Release date TBA)

In Troye Sivan’s recent single, “The Good Side”, Sivan extends sympathy to a former partner that he left behind. But when the gentle guitar ballad ends in a burst of of warped synths and static, one wonders if that apology will be accepted, or echo meaninglessly in the cavernous void of a broken heart. That track, and his exuberant lead single, “My My My!” suggest that Sivan’s upcoming album will navigate the emotional extremes of young adulthood with songs that stretch his creativity- like his artistic peer, Lorde, did with Melodrama last year.

The 1975 – Music for Cars (Release date TBA)

While their maximalist and unabashedly pretentious approach to pop-rock doesn’t please everyone, the 1975 have commanded the attention of the press, the adoration of fans and admiration of fellow musicians like few other bands this decade. Frontman Matt Healy has said their third album, Music for Cars, will be the final volume of a trilogy that started with their eponymous debut and continued with their awkwardly titled, but excellent I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It. It’s unclear exactly how Music for Cars marks an ending for the 1975, but the album will surely be a wild ride into their imagination’s technicolor sunset.

HOPEFUL WILD CARDS
Albums We’d Love To See This Year

Beyoncé

The rumors are everywhere. Fans are reading into every rare, public appearance, and Beyonce has continued to be characteristically tight-lipped about a follow-up to her 2016 tour-de-force, Lemonade. Rumors surfaced immediately after her pregnancy last June that she was planning a new album and surprise tour. According to the Beyhive’s die-hard fans, Beyoncé wears braids anytime she is working on new music, leading to fervent online chatter when she posted such a photo in November. If she is planning anything like her past two surprise-release albums, we won’t know anything until Queen B herself wants us to know. Prepare yourself for another earth-shattering release (and hopefully in 2018).

Sky Ferreira

Sky Ferreira was only 20 when she released her debut album, Night Time, My Time, in 2013.

By turns ferociously defiant and touchingly fragile, the album was a landmark for left-field pop and proof of her incredible potential as an artist. While she has shared little music since then, Ferreira has remained present in visual media; she produced a 2016 issue of Playboy and acted/sang in the music-driven action flick Baby Driver last year. In January, she posed in stilettos and a swimsuit to promote an “upcoming music release.” We hope it will be worth the wait.

Robyn

It’s been nearly a decade since Robyn has released a new album, and the world has never ceased to count every minute. But just last week, out of nowhere, she gave millions of fans a glimmer of hope that the wait would end this year. Asked by a user on Twitter, “Who decides your next album release tbh”, Robyn replied, “I do. Some time this year honey”. With such a long gap between albums and just a handful of one-off releases in between, it’s hard to which direction she is headed. In the meantime, we’ll have to continue to revel in the undeniably Robyn dance moves in the “Call Your Girlfriend” music video.