There are nearly 100 albums, EPs and singles being released next week. Mark your calendars and pre-order your favourites — but don’t blame me if things change at the last minute:
Bad Religion
Age of Unreason
SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Acclaimed Los Angeles punk rock band Bad Religion will release a new album entitled Age Of Unreason on Epitaph Records on May 3. Since the group’s formative years they have steadfastly advocated for humanism, reason, and individualism. Now, as these values are in decline, and nationalism and bigotry are on the rise, Bad Religion’s message has never been more essential. Age Of Unreason delivers a powerful and inspired rejoinder – a political and deeply personal treatise on all they believe in. “The band has always stood for enlightenment values,” co-songwriter and guitarist Brett Gurewitz explains. “Today, these values of truth, freedom, equality, tolerance, and science are in real danger. This record is our response.”
Vampire Weekend
Father of the Bride
SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: Father of the Bride closes a six-year gap since 2013’s Modern Vampires of the City—a period during which the band’s Ezra Koenig was anything but idle: In addition to touring the world and winning a Best Alternative GRAMMY for Modern Vampires…, Koenig released his Netflix anime series Neo Yokio, continued to host his Time Crisis show on Beats1, co-wrote and produced Beyonce’s Hold Up… all the while living the experiences and observations that would inform the next Vampire Weekend album.”
Little Steven & The Disciples of Soul
Summer of Sorcery
SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “My first five albums in the ‘80s were both very personal, and very political,” explains Little Steven aka Steven Van Zandt. “I wanted the new material to be more fictionalized. The way records were when I grew up. Before it was an artform. The concept was capturing and communicating that first rush of summer. The electricity of that feeling of unlimited possibilities. Of falling in love with the world for the first time. Obviously, there are occasional personal references, and a bit of what’s going on socially scattered throughout, but I achieved what I set out to do. I created a collection of fictional movies scenes that feel like summer. I’m quite proud of it.”
THE FULL LIST
A Certain Ratio | ACR:BOX
AlaskaAlaska | The Dots
Amon Amarth | Berserker
Arch Echo | You Won’t Believe What Happens Next!
Asomvel | World Shaker
Bad Religion | Age of Unreason
Bang Bros! | Big BANG! Theory Parts One & Two
Caterina Barbieri | Ecstatic Computation
Barrie | Happy to Be Here
Gregg Belisle-Chi | Book of Hours
Big Thief | U.F.O.F.
Body Type | EP2
Simon Bonney | Past, Present, Future
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes | End of Suffering
Clouds Taste Satanic | Evil Eye
Combo Chimbita | Ahomale
Club Kuru | Meet Your Maker
Jesse Mac Cormack | Now
Crabe | Notre-Dame De La Vie Intérieure
Craig’s Brother | Devils in the Details EP
D.O.A. | 1978
Drahla | Useless Coordinates
Kyle Bobby Dunn| From Here to Eternity
Dream Syndicate | These Times
Lorelei Dreaming | Banshee EP
Jon Durant | Alternate Landscapes
Editors | The Blanck Mass Sessions
Felice Brothers | Undress
Ruby Fields | Permanent Hermit
Filthy Friends | Emerald Valley
Flamingods | Levitation
Florida Man | Tropical Depression
Freddie Gibbs | Bandana (feat. Assassin)
Rhiannon Giddens | There Is No Other (with Francesco Turrisi)
Greens | Greens
Terry Hall | Laugh Deluxe
Corey Hart | Dreaming Time Again
Billy Jeter | House on Fire
Kampfar | Ofidians Manifest
Kode9 | Diggin’ in the Carts Kode9 Remixes
Lamb of God | Ashes of the Wake 15th Anniversary Edition (Vinyl)
Leaf Rapids | Citizen Alien
Lighthouse Family | Blue Sky in Your Head
Nadja Lind, D.Diggler, Klartraum, Spettro | 10 Years Lucidflow
Little May | Blame My Body
Kedr Livanskiy | Your Need
Loft | and departt from mono games
L7 | Scatter the Rats
Rita Marley | The Best of Rita Marley / Lioness of Reggae
Mexico City Blondes | Blush
Nathan Micay | Blue Spring
Mimetic | Deepfakes EP
Laura Misch | Lonely City
Morabeza Tobacco | Morabeza Tobacco
Mos Generator | Night of the Lords
Qasim Naqvi | Teenages
NYT LIV | Ensomhedens Kolde Kald
New Found Glory | From the Screen to Your Stereo
Oh Land | Family Tree
Patience | Dizzy Spells
Pheeyownah | Silver
Physical Therapy | It Takes A Village: The Sounds Of Physical Therapy
Pile | Green and Gray
Popul Vuh | Essential Collection Vol. 1
The Pretty Flowers | Golden Beat
Protomartyr | No Passion All Technique Deluxe
Ringworm | Death Becomes My Voice
Rising Appalachia | Leylines
Saffron A | Resilience
Pete Seeger | Pete Seeger: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection
Avery Sharpe | 400: An African American Musical Portrait
Johnny Shines | The Blues Came Falling Down: Live 1973
Caroline Spence | Mint Condition
SPINN | Spinn
Lucy Spraggan | Today Was a Good Day
Stellar Master Elite | Hologram Temple
Stickup Kid | Soul Drive
Matt Surfin’ & Friends | Matt Surfin’ & Friends
Sweet Whirl | Love Songs & Poetry
SYML | SYML
Tacocat | This Mess Is a Place
Paula Temple | Edge of Everything
Ashley Tisdale | Symptoms
Tisoki | Relate
Truth Club | Not an Exit
Vampire Weekend | Father of the Bride
Various Artists | Metal Swim 2
Various Artists | Pacific Breeze: Japanese City Pop, AOR & Boogie 1976-1986
Steve Van Zandt | Summer of Sorcery
Versing | 10000
Jenn Vix | 6 EP
Wild Wes | Trust Issues
Joy Williams | Front Porch
Donovan Woods | The Other Way
YG | 4Real 4Real
