Oregonians are in for a treat this summer: On July 27 and 28, Pabst Blue Ribbon will host Project Pabst at Portland’s Waterfront Park. The festival bills itself in a press release as “a two-day, two-stage celebration of live music, beer, and the local culture of the Pacific Northwest.”
The lineup is here and it’s diverse. The roster includes Big Thief, Billy Idol, T-Pain, Denzel Curry, Soccer Mommy, Manchester Orchestra, Violent Femmes, Militarie Gun, and more. As Oregon Live notes, this is the festival’s first time back in Portland in seven years.
Tickets for this year’s festival (a 21+ event, by the way) go on sale on March 8 at 10 a.m. PT, with a pre-sale starting March 5 at 10 a.m. PT. Prices for pre-sale tickets start at $99, and general on-sale tickets go for $115. Find more information about tickets here.
PBR Brand Director Rachel Keeton says of this year’s fest, “Ten years ago, the team threw the first Project Pabst in Portland, and this year we have the opportunity to bring it back to the city where it all started. We set out to create a festival that PBR fans would love, and I’m really proud of how this lineup delivers.”
Check out the full lineup below.
Project Pabst 2024 Lineup: Saturday, July 27
Billy Idol
T-Pain
Violent Femmes
Gossip
Strfkr
Shannon & The Clams
Dehd
La Luz
Home Front
Alien Boy
Project Pabst 2024 Lineup: Sunday, July 28
Big Thief
Denzel Curry
Manchester Orchestra
Jeff Rosenstock
Soccer Mommy
Militarie Gun
Kenny Mason
Miya Folick
Sweeping Promises
Glitterfox
Anybody who thought the vinyl resurgence was just a fad was mistaken: The industry has experienced a legitimate revival. As a result, music fans are interested in physical media in ways they may not have if the decades-old medium hasn’t made a comeback. That doesn’t mean everybody is listening to just their parents’ old music, though. That’s part of it, sure, thanks to rereleases that present classic albums in new ways. A vital part of the renewed vinyl wave, though, is new projects being released as records, of which there are plenty.
Whatever you might be into, each month brings a new slew of vinyl releases that has something for everybody. Some stand out above the rest, naturally, so check out some of our favorite vinyl releases of December below.
Keys had a striking start with her debut album Songs In A Minor, and she kept that success going with Diary Of Alicia Keys, her second No. 1 album. The latter LP turns 20 years old this year, so Vinyl Me, Please has come through with a gorgeous reissue. The 3LP release is pressed on gorgeous “piano key” vinyl and comes with a bonus disc of remixes and alternate takes, along with a live performance at Webster Hall.
Late footwork pioneer DJ Rashad ultimately only released one album during his lifetime, 2013’s iconic Double Cup. That project is now a decade old and it just got a reissue that comes with revamped artwork and a limited-edition gold vinyl pressing. There’s also a documentary in the works, so that’s something for Rashad fans to keep an eye out for.
Aretha Franklin — A Portrait Of The Queen 1970-1974
BMG
This 6LP set is a great way to get into Aretha Franklin, or to revisit some favorites you already know and love. The collection includes five albums from the early ’70s, plus a bonus LP of session alternates, outtakes, and demos. On top of that, the original albums have been remastered from the analog master tapes, so they’ve never sounded better than they do here.
Sheryl Crow — Tuesday Night Music Club (3oth Anniversary Reissue)
UMe
Crow’s Tuesday Night Music Club didn’t get a proper vinyl release back in 1993, so here’s one now, on the project’s 30th anniversary. Bernie Grundman originally mastered the album, and he returned to remaster it from the original master tape for this reissue. In addition to a standard black pressing, a translucent sea blue LP is also available.
Violent Femmes have been at it for over four decades now and it all started with 1983’s self-titled debut album. As the album turns 40, the band has reissued it in an expanded collection. The set features the remastered album, along with rare B-sides, live sessions, and demo recordings, as well as “a book featuring new liner notes by journalist David Fricke and interviews with the band.”
The Cranberries — Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? (Reissue)
Island/UMe
“Linger” by The Cranberries is often dubbed one of the best songs of the ’90s, and it comes from the band’s 1993 debut album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?. For the project’s 30th anniversary, the album has been pressed onto crisp gold vinyl, but do keep in mind that you might not want to waste time getting this one if you want it, as it’s a limited edition.
Willie Nelson — Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90 Live At The Hollywood Bowl
Legacy Recordings/Blackbird Presents
Earlier this year, Willie Nelson celebrated a major milestone: he turned 90 years old. There was a literal celebration, too, via a star-studded concert at the Hollywood Bowl that featured performances from Nelson, Beck, Dave Matthews, Gary Clark Jr., Keith Richards, Norah Jones, Miranda Lambert, Sheryl Crow, and Snoop Dogg. Now, that special night has been immortalized on vinyl.
For Big Thief, it all started with 2016’s Masterpiece, a boldly named debut album that lives up to the title. Now it’s gotten a reissue and the “evo-vinyl” edition is an opportunity for a fun surprise: The LPs are pressed on random recycled vinyl, so you won’t know what color record you get until you get it and open it up.
Gaucho was a major moment for Steely Dan, as the 1980 project was their last album before a lengthy hiatus, which they ended in 2000 with Two Against Nature. The band has been reissuing their old albums this year and the series continues with Gaucho, which just got a fresh remaster sourced from an analog tape copy.
Perhaps the most defining movie musical of all time, The Sound Of Music is a classic that still holds up, and now the film’s music has gotten a fresh reissue. This is the one fans have been waiting for, as this edition “collects every musical element from the film for the very first time,” including 14 previously unreleased tracks.
If 2022 has heralded any large-scale trends in the music industry, then the prominence of the double album is a surefire contender. Over the course of this year, we’ve had double albums from indie stalwarts like Beach House, Wilco, and Big Thief, plus the likes of King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Kendrick Lamar, Johnny Marr, Jeff Parker, and even two from Red Hot Chili Peppers. You could count Jack White’s two complementary albums this year, too, if you want. These sprawling, ambitious records have become a noteworthy staple, a major fixture of 2022 that’s become especially apparent as year-end coverage reaches a fever pitch. We’re aware this phenomenon exists, but why does it?
Double albums are not something new. They were particularly important in the 1970s, including seminal titles like Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti, Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk, and the Clash’s London Calling, to name just a few. But, they were spread throughout an entire decade. This year alone has seen a concentrated abundance of them. It’s a fruitless task to highlight only one reason for this surge, but the pandemic has likely played a significant role. Tom Schick, who co-produced Wilco’s twangy Cruel Country, mentions it. “With the pandemic, a lot of artists were able to get in a room together for a long time,” he says during a phone call. “There was just a lot of creative energy that was pent up, and the double album is just a natural result of that, at least in Wilco’s case.” Once frontman Jeff Tweedy and co. hit the studio, the music “naturally flowed out of them,” as Schick puts it.
Peter Standish, the Senior Vice President of Marketing at Warner Records (with whom Uproxx shares a parent company, WMG), worked on both of the Red Hot Chili Peppers albums from this year, and he echoed Schick’s rationale. “A lot of the recording occurred during the pandemic,” Standish says. “Maybe people have a lot more time on their hands to write and record.” Still, the SoCal funk rockers had another factor at play. It was their first time writing with guitarist John Frusciante since 2006’s colossal Stadium Arcadium, and the quartet was thrilled about the reunion. “John’s tenacious focus on treating every song as though it was equal to the next helped us to realize more songs than some might know what to do with,” goes one of the band’s quotes from the Return Of The Dream Canteen press release.
Even though touring is still highly infeasible for many artists today, it was completely put on hold during lockdown. This opened up more free time than usual for artists to write new material. It makes sense why so many of these massive albums are appearing just now, considering vinyl supply chain issues affecting the production process. At the time of this writing, Cruel Country is still unavailable on vinyl; it’s slated for a January 20 release date. “It takes forever for when you finish the record for the actual vinyl to come out,” Schick says. “[Cruel Country] came out in the summer. We’re still waiting on the vinyl; I think we might get it this week, which is just crazy.”
Johnny Marr, however, intended to create a double album from the outset. Surprisingly, he had never made one before Fever Dreams Pts. 1-4. Once he realized that, the influential English guitarist charted a course for his foray into more conceptual territory. Making a double LP appealed to him in the sense that it rejected the playlist-based streaming culture we currently inhabit. To Marr, this represents a sense of artistic freedom that’s often scarce.
“Generally, I think people like the idea of taking on something that’s a little less fiercely commercial,” the former Smiths guitarist explains over Zoom. Even in mainstream circles, that notion applies, as he cites prominent, critically acclaimed filmmakers like Wes Anderson and the Coen brothers. “I think Kendrick’s album is a really good example of it. Right out of the gate, it appears to be conceptual and expresses a bigger idea than just how many streams it can hit up.”
A double album can also allow for more expression. While some artists may use brevity as a tool to convey their ideas in a short-form capacity, a long-form project provides ample space to explore a wide variety of styles they may not have otherwise tried. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You, for example, shifts from ebullient alt-country (“Red Moon”), to spacious post-rock (“Little Things”), to MPC-driven lo-fi (“Heavy Bend”).
“I can try not to sound immodest, but I think what it suggests is people being inspired,” Marr says. Referencing fellow Odyssean efforts like Once Twice Melody, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, and Cruel Country, “I quite like the company that I’m in with this. I think it’s a really healthy inspiration and a healthy disregard for crass commercialism. Hopefully, that’s true.”
Artists’ reasons aside, however, why have listeners been gravitating toward these notoriously lengthy endeavors? The streaming industrial complex, after all, begets a single- and playlist-focused economy, one that doesn’t prioritize unified experiences like a deliberately sequenced, front-to-back album. Schick points toward a deeper connection with fans.
“For the fans and these artists, it’s exciting to see,” Schick explains. “To be able to sit with it [for a longer time], it’s just a more intimate thing. The double record is ambitious, and it’s exciting. It’s fun for the fans, and it’s fun for music-lovers.”
Length, though, isn’t always the definitive trait of a double album. Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, for example, is shorter than 2015’s To Pimp A Butterfly. Sonic Youth’s influential Daydream Nation, which clocks in at just under 71 minutes, is a paltry appetizer compared to the seven-course meal that is Smashing Pumpkins’ gargantuan Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness, whose original vinyl pressing is over 128 minutes long. To put it another way, the qualifications for a double LP are as nebulous as they are malleable. What constitutes an EP vs. an LP, a regular album vs. a double album, has been a long-standing curiosity. Some EPs, like Sufjan Stevens’ hour-long All Delighted People, are much longer than some LPs, such as Pusha T’s 21-minute Daytona.
If 2022 marked such a momentous time for the double album, then can we expect it to fade out of view in 2023? It’s a difficult metric to predict, one that Schick also agrees is inconclusive. “I can speak only from my experience and the people who I’ve been working with, like Jeff Tweedy and Wilco,” he says. “ But I wouldn’t be surprised to see the quadruple album, just from the amount of playing and writing that they’re doing. On my end, I don’t see that slowing down, but maybe it’s a different situation for other bands and other artists.”
As of now, the only major 75-minute-plus record slated for next year is Smashing Pumpkins’ “three-act” statement, ATUM. Maybe this is an ongoing trend we’ll see for the next year or two, or maybe 2022 has simply been an auspicious time for these enormous projects. If it continues, then 2022 has proven that double albums don’t have to be stuffed to the brim with filler. They don’t have to be tedious, monotonous experiences that we listen to all the way through exactly once. As incredible records like Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You, Mondays At The Enfield Tennis Academy, and Once Twice Melody demonstrate, an album’s length can easily be justified. The primary draw of a double LP, to begin with, is how different songs resonate with different listeners; seldom is there a steadfast consensus on the absolute best track. Part of that harkens back to what Schick mentions as a crucial raison d’etre for music writ large: human connection.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
There aren’t many drawbacks when it comes to vinyl, but here’s one that’s a perpetual elephant in the room: it sure can get expensive. So, if you have a vinyl collector in your life who could use a fancy new record and you want to save them the stress of selling a kidney to pay for it, why not get them a slick new LP for their library this holiday season?
In terms of where to start your hunt, we’ve done some legwork for you. A lot of fantastic new vinyl releases dropped this year (which we keep up with in our monthly Best Vinyl Releases round-up, by the way) and we’ve collected a few of our favorites here. These picks span genres, price points, and formats, so no matter who it is you’re shopping for, the following list should at least point you in the right direction.
Taylor Swift — Midnights
Republic
Price: $29.99
Midnights is perhaps the biggest album of the year, and as always, Taylor Swift came through with the merch. Her webstore has four differently colored versions of the album on vinyl, too. If you want to dig deep into your pockets and buy all of them, the four editions can be placed together and form a clock face on their back sides.
If your vinyl library doesn’t have any Blondie in it, this box set is probably the best possible place to start your collection off right. It has the band’s first six albums — Blondie, Plastic Letters, Parallel Lines, Eat To The Beat, Autoamerican, and The Hunter — as well as four additional LPs that feature outakes, B-sides, and other exclusive rarities that add up to 124 total studio tracks.
One of the year’s most colorful albums has gotten a decidedly less vibrant vinyl release. It’s a beauty, though, as this edition of Special is pressed on silver vinyl, and if it piques your interest, you ought to act fast: It’s exclusive to Lizzo’s web store and only 7,000 copies are set to be sold.
It could be argued that Harry Styles had a bigger year than anybody else in music, with “As It Was” spending 15 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100, making it one of the longest-running chart-toppers ever. With that in mind, Harry’s House is a definite vinyl buy, especially if you opt for one of the exclusive colors (orange and seaglass green) available in his webstore.
A Beatles vinyl reissue isn’t exactly a hard sell, especially when it comes to this new release of Revolver. This version features newly mixed audio available in mono, stereo, and Dolby Atmos iterations, and the Super Deluxe edition even comes with a 100-page hardbound book. It’s a must-own for any Beatles fan, and probably any music fan, too.
Uproxx’s Ian Cohen previously declared that God Save The Animals, the new Alex G album, is the artist’s best. He wrote in part, “Folky Alex G, abstract Alex G, slowcore Alex G, rawk Alex G, it’s all here, but God Save The Animals manages to circle back to his origins placing the vocals higher than they’d ever been since Race or Rules.”
The War On Drugs — I Don’t Live Here Anymore (Limited-Edition Deluxe Box Set)
Price: $69.98
It’s been over a year since The War On Drugs dropped their latest album, 2021’s I Don’t Live Here Anymore. To mark the occasion, they have a limited-edition deluxe box set available now, which includes unreleased tunes “Oceans Of Darkness” and “Slow Ghost” on a 7-inch. They’ve even gone through the trouble of making an unboxing video for the release, so check that out above for more details about what’s included in the expansive set.
Steve Lacy was perhaps the year’s biggest breakout star thanks to his No. 1 hit “Bad Habit,” and furthermore, Gemini Rights was one of 2022’s best-received albums. The soulful, psychedelic R&B sounds of the LP are begging to be played via turntable, so you can’t go wrong adding this one to the collection.
Super young Paul McCartney fans might know the Beatles leader best by his latest solo album, 2020’s McCartney III (or perhaps the next year’s McCartney III Imagined project featuring contemporary artists). Well, as the title suggests, it’s part of a trilogy of albums, which have now been collected in a new box set. The vinyl edition includes special photo prints as well as notes about each album from McCartney himself.
The Weeknd had one of the year’s biggest albums with Dawn FM, and now fans can secure their own uncommon piece of it: The album has gotten an exclusive vinyl edition that’s only available at Target and features alternative artwork and silver translucent vinyl.
ABBA (who somehow only just picked up their first-ever Grammy nomination, by the way) have a storied discography and now you can own it all thanks to a new box set. It features each of the band’s nine albums — including their latest, last year’s comeback LP Voyage — along with ABBA Tracks, which includes non-album singles and B-sides.
Yusuf/Cat Stevens — Harold And Maude (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
A&M/Cat-O-Log/UMe
Price: $35.98
Harold And Maude has become one of the defining films of its era, and Yusuf/Cat Stevens played a part in that with his soundtrack. That first came out 50 years ago, and now this vinyl reissue of it combines Stevens’ songs with dialogue from the film for the first time.
Big Thief — Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
4AD
Price: $30
Not only is the latest Big Thief album a killer listen, but this particular vinyl edition of it is sustainably produced. The jacket is printed on 100-percent recycled board, while the two LPs are produced from recycled materials (which means any given individual record won’t look exactly like the one in the photo above, so it’s a responsible way to give a truly unique gift).
For months now, PJ Harvey’s entire discography has been getting the vinyl reissue treatment, so there are options here. A particularly compelling one is the 6-LP B-Sides, Demos & Rarities set, with features 59 tracks, most of which are unavailable on other formats and 14 of which were previously unreleased.
Roxy Music have been riding the same wave as PJ Harvey this year, as they too have given all eight of their albums fresh vinyl pressings. This is the best these classic LPs ever sounded, too, as they were all remastered at half speed and are packaged with revised artwork with a glossy laminated finish.
It’s Beyoncé. On vinyl. This one isn’t really a tough sell. Renaissance was one of the year’s most anticipated albums, “Break My Soul” was a hit, and some (like Questlove) are already calling the release a classic. So, if it’s not already in the collection, it ought to be.
Speaking of anticipated albums, Blue Rev was the Canadian group’s first album since 2017 and it’s perhaps the most critically acclaimed release of their career. Aside from the bold blue pressing shown above, there’s also a slick translucent edition that’s limited to just 4,000 copies that’s another appealing option.
Time and time again, Vinyl Me, Please comes through when it comes to exclusive, appealing vinyl pressings. Pictured above is a gorgeous reissue of Interpol’s Turn On The Bright Lights (grab it here if that’s what you want), but their entire inventory is worth perusing to find the right album for your giftee. They also offer different options for gift memberships, so sending a loved one on that journey could be the way to go and the gift that keeps on giving.
While we got a taste of it in the latter half of 2021, it’s now been several years since there was a normal touring year. And though 2022’s touring schedule is hardly set in stone for most musicians, it should see many artists doing their best to provide live entertainment to fans across the country. From stadium tours to clubs, these are just some of the artists we’re most excited to see, with more to be announced as the year goes by. Check out the most anticipated tours of 2022 below.
Bad Bunny
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Not only was Bad Bunny 2021’s most streamed artist in the world on Spotify, but the Puerto Rican star’s 2022 El Último Tour Del Mundo(translation: The Last Tour on Earth) smashed a number of sales records as soon as it was announced. When the pre-sale for the tour began in April, over 480,000 tickets were sold in less than a week. On April 15th alone, he sold more tickets on a single day than any tour since Jay-Z and Beyoncé in 2018. All stats and trivia aside, the reggaeton rapper is one of the biggest acts in the world and his on-stage persona reflects that. Look no further than the hyper-futurism of his performance on “Lo Siento BB:/” with Tainy and Julietta Venegas at the AMAs.
Check out Bad Bunny’s tour dates here. – Adrian Spinelli
Big Thief
With their fifth album coming soon, 2022 is shaping up to be the year of Big Thief. The band’s hotly-anticipated, impressively massive 20-song effort Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You is out in February, and they have quite a slate of tour dates on the books in support. Starting in late January, the quartet will bring their expanding, experimental Americana sound to life on a run that’s equally as ambitious as their new album, spanning nearly six months (with some breaks) and hitting cities across Europe and the US.
Check out Big Thief’s tour dates here. – Zac Gelfand
Bon Iver
Bon Iver put on some concerts last year to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Bon Iver, Bon Iver, but if you missed out on those, Justin Vernon and company are hitting the road this year. During the first half of 2022, they’ll travel across North America, then closer to the end of the year, fans in Europe and the UK will get the chance to see the show, too. How great can you expect it to be? Well, if you ask Uproxx’s Philip Cosores, he’ll tell you that Bon Iver “might be the best live band in the world right now.”
Check out Bon Iver’s tour dates here. – Derrick Rossignol
Clairo
After finding success within the bedroom pop genre on her 2019 debut album Immunity, Clairo made a decisive pivot to mesmerizing piano ballads inspired by iconic ’70s songwriters like Joni Mitchell on her 2021 album Sling. The shift in sound is thanks to Clairo’s new role as caretaker for her adorable dog Joanie (also inspired by Mitchell), which made her fantasize a life of rural domesticity. But her new direction of music also means she’ll take on a whole new stage presence for her 2022 tour. Bringing along breakout UK songwriter Arlo Parks as an opener, Clairo is set to embark on two-month US tour which kicks off in mid-February in Charlotte, North Carolina and comes to a close in April with a tour stop in Atlanta.
Check out Clairo’s tour dates here. – Carolyn Droke
Coldplay
When it came time to promote Everyday Life in 2019, Coldplay didn’t tour and vowed not to again until they made great strides in turning their global treks into more environmentally friendly affairs. Well, it appears they’ve made some progress, as they are indeed set to tour in support of 2021’s Music Of The Spheres between March and August after spending “two years consulting with environmental experts to make this tour as sustainable as possible, and, just as importantly, to harness the tour’s potential to push things forward.”
Cordae’s got some mighty big shoes to fill in 2022 — his own. After scoring two Grammy nominations with his debut album, The Lost Boy, the Maryland rapper is gearing up to release its long-awaited follow-up From A Bird’s Eye View. That means a tour to support the new project, which kicks off in February at the Dallas House Of Blues. Given his focus on demonstrating a couple of years’ worth of artistic growth on that album, it makes sense to expect some similar evolution in his live show, which was already a polished, must-see package.
Check out Cordae’s tour dates here. – Aaron Williams
Doja Cat
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Doja Cat’s 2020 was sensational, but it came with an asterisk: A global pandemic shut down her ability to tour with the songs that blew her up on the national stage, leaving her frustrated by a succession of seemingly empty televised performances of her No. 1 hit “Say So.” While she said that she was worn down from being overworked doing everything but music, good news is on the horizon, as 2022 will see the return of live shows and the opportunity to finally perform her Planet Her hits for an appreciative, live audience. – A.W.
Drake
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So, Drake’s set on Kanye’s Free Larry Hoover concert in LA was a little disappointing, but only in the context of his co-headliner reviving all of his own hits as a sort of mea culpa for the last five years of bluster and nonsense. Drake, who opted to play solely Certified Lover Boy singles — aside from a quick hit of “God’s Plan” from Scorpion — wound up giving something like a preview or dry run of what a Certified Lover Boy tour might look like. He hasn’t announced one yet but given his gift for recalibration in light of Twitter’s responses to his work, it appears probable he’ll be incorporating those critiques for whenever he actually does. – A.W.
Dua Lipa
@DUALIPA on Future Nostalgia Tour in UK & Europe, US, Australia & NZ, and Latin America in this year! Where do you see Dua on the stage? pic.twitter.com/AfplUnBG38
— Future Nostalgia Tour 2022 (@dualipafntour) January 3, 2022
Dua Lipa’s shimmering disco-pop album Future Nostalgia was written to be heard in nightclubs everywhere, but that didn’t quite go according to plan thanks to the pandemic. Now armed with several top-charting singles, a new album of revved-up remixes, and a number of showstopping Future Nostalgia livestream performances, Lipa is gearing up to bring her 2020 album to stages across the world in 2022. Bringing along Megan Thee Stallion and Caroline Polachek to set the tone for her concerts as openers, Lipa is plotting a two-month US tour starting in Miami in early February and closing out in Seattle in March.
Haim’s stellar album Women In Music Pt. III may have been released in 2020, but the sister trio are just now gearing up to embark on their supporting tour thanks to years of unpredictability in the live music industry. If Haim’s revved up 2021 Grammy performance was any indication, the band’s WIMPIII tour will be well worth the wait. While Haim have already played a handful of festivals this past year, their official tour kicks off in April in Las Vegas before coming to a close in late July in San Diego.
Jack White has been busy. The former White Stripe has two new albums slated for release in 2022 — Fear Of The Dawn is due April 8 and then Entering Heaven Alive drops a few months later, on July 22 — and he’s wasting no time getting on the road. The cleverly-titled “Supply Chain Issues Tour” kicks off on Fear Of The Dawn‘s release day in White’s hometown of Detroit and hits large theaters and arenas across the US and Europe through late August. Just don’t expect any cell phone footage from these shows, because your phone’s getting locked up!
Jazmine Sullivan began 2021 with her Heaux Tales EP, her first body of work in almost six years. Its 11 tracks and guest appearances from Ari Lennox, HER, and Anderson .Paak amounted to a project that R&B lovers praised and carried close to their hearts for the rest of the year. Sullivan received awards, love, and more as a result of Heaux Tales, and in response, she’s heading out on the road in 2022 for a tour in support of the project. The Heaux Tales tour begins in mid-February with Sullivan performing in a number of major cities across North America for a total of 26 shows.
Check out Jazmine Sullivan’s full tour dates here. – Wongo Okon
Justin Bieber
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Fans of Justin Bieber are in for quite the treat this year. After two failed attempts to hold a tour for his fifth album Changes, and the eventual release of his sixth full-length effort Justice, Bieber will hit the road for a massive world tour in 2022. It marks his first tour since 2016’s Purpose World Tour. Altogether, the Justice World Tour is comprised of 105 shows in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania while Jaden, ¿Téo?, Eddie Benjamin, and Harry Hudson will serve as opening acts.
A few months after releasing her 2021 standout Star-Crossed, the (maybe-not-so-country) star is just days away from getting to tour behind it. Her trek kicks off in January and runs for about a month (so far), hitting major markets like LA, New York, and Nashville along the way. If seeing just Musgraves perform somehow isn’t exciting enough of a prospect, she’s bringing a tremendous pair of openers, King Princess and Muna, along for the ride.
Check out Kacey Musgraves’ tour dates here. – D.R.
The Killers
Since The Killers couldn’t tour in support of 2020’s Imploding The Mirage, they went ahead and made another album, Pressure Machine, instead. That one will get a tour, as the band is set to hit the road in the latter half of 2022, hitting North America this summer and fall, between August and October. For a preview of what those shows might look like (or at least a reminder of what a force the band is live), revisit their Tonight Showperformances of “Dying Breed” and “When You Were Young” from a few months ago.
Like many of her peers who also saw their public profile rise drastically in 2020, Latto found herself hamstrung by her inability to get out into the world and play her Queen Of Da Souf records live. The Uproxx cover artist had a succession of fan-favorite singles over the past two years, but the corona happened. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise, though, affording her enough off time to effect her name change, and with her headlining set on the Monster Energy Outbreak Tour, she’ll be able to test the waters without assuming as much of the risk.
Little Simz could be currently in the midst of a one-woman British Invasion thanks to her Best of 2021 album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert — the only thing missing is a North American tour. While she almost certainly won’t draw the levels of mass hysteria implied by that prediction, she will have a chance to reinforce her grip on Stateside pop culture, which could ensure that when she returns for a follow-up to SIMBI, there’ll be much more well-deserved fanfare.
Lorde may be one of today’s biggest pop stars, but she only emerges into the public eye when she’s releasing new music. That’s why fans were overjoyed Lorde officially began her Solar Power era last year, which included the announcement of a massive 2022 tour. Though actually securing tickets to her 58-date 2022 world tour before it sold out was difficult to say the least, those who are able to attend the singer’s tour are in for a treat. Bringing along openers like Remi Wolf and Marlon Williams, Lorde will kick off her tour by playing shows through major cities in the US starting February 26 before heading over to Europe in May and returning to her New Zealand homeland in 2023.
My Chemical Romance played exactly one show on their sold-out reunion tour all the way back in December of 2019, seemingly eons before the world shut down. Their return to the stage was originally scheduled for Riot Fest 2021, but the band ultimately pushed their headlining appearance back one year during a spike in COVID cases last summer. Now, finally, all of the dates have been rescheduled and the band is set to hit the road in the UK and Europe in May of 2022 before returning to the United States next summer. Fingers crossed it actually sticks this time.
Check out My Chemical Romance’s tour dates here. – Z.G.
Olivia Rodrigo
In 2021, Olivia Rodrigo went from Disney channel lead to certified pop star. She took the world by storm, earned several Grammy nominations, various awards, and even the chance to meet with President Biden without ever having gone on tour. But that’s all about to change this year as the singer is set to embark on her first-ever US and European tour in support of her smash-hit album Sour. Rodrigo’s (already sold-out) 47-date tour kicks off in San Francisco in April before heading to Europe in June and coming to a close in London in July.
There’s a generation of indie rock fans that hasn’t had the opportunity to see Pavement live, as the legendary group last toured in 2010. Now, though, Stephen Malkmus, Scott “Spiral Stairs” Kannberg, and the rest have a reunion tour on the docket for 2022. The North American leg of the tour kicks off in September, and while that’s a few months away, that wait is nothing compared to the past 12 years fans have spent hoping that this day would actually come.
One of the most anticipated runs of 2020, “The Public Service Announcement Tour” was set to feature the reunion of Rage Against The Machine — the modern era’s most revolutionary rock band — with support from Run The Jewels — the most outspoken rap duo on the scene. But, just like everything else, we had to wait an additional two years to see Rage Against The Machine return to the stage this spring for their oft-rumored reunion tour. The new set of dates kick off in Texas in March and features a number of North American stops before wrapping up with a week of shows at Madison Square Garden in August.
Check out Rage Against The Machine’s tour dates here. – Z.G.
Sharon Van Etten / Angel Olsen / Julien Baker
Back in 2018, we got to see some of the most promising artists in indie rock — Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus — team up for the Boygenius tour. Now, Baker is set to team up with more indie rock royalty on “The Wild Hearts Tour,” which will find her sharing the stage with Sharon Van Etten and Angel Olsen. The monthlong, mostly outdoor jaunt kicks off in July in Virginia and treks across the entire continental US before wrapping in New York City at the Central Park Summerstage in late August.
Check out Sharon Van Etten / Angel Olsen / Julien Baker’s tour dates here. – Z.G.
Snoh Aalegra
Two years after her beloved second album Ugh, Those Feels Again, Snoh Aalegra returned to the summer of 2021 with her third project Temporary Highs In The Violet Skies. With help from Tyler The Creator, Pharrell Williams, and James Fauntleroy, Snoh Aalegra created a project that was sonically different when compared to her first two albums. This will make for a unique live show experience, at least on her terms, that fans will see when she hits the road for the Temporary Highs Tour later this year. Snoh will perform at 21 shows across North America with British singer Ama Lou serving as her opening act for the string of concerts.
Check out Snoh Aalegra’s full tour dates here. – W.O.
Tyler The Creator
Call Me If You Get Lost is officially one of the biggest albums of the year, and Tyler’s tour supporting it will almost certainly be one of the year’s must-sees. He’s already proven to be one of the top performers in hip-hop, giving aesthetic overhauls to his looks between album cycles and incorporating those changes into his innovative, thoughtful live shows. And, since he’s also bringing along fellow 2021 standout Vince Staples and the bafflingly intriguing Teezo Touchdown, as well as Kali Uchis, it’ll be worth catching his concerts from beginning to end.
Check out Tyler The Creator’s tour dates here. – A.W.
The War On Drugs
The War On Drugs’ latest effort, I Don’t Live Here Anymore, was one of 2021’s best albums, putting on full display the band’s power and promise as they elevate to festival and arena headlining status. Kicking off in January, the group’s hefty tour takes them through some of the most prestigious theaters in the continental United States and Europe. The routing also includes an anticipated stop at Madison Square Garden, where they will really put their lofty, emotional guitar solos to the test.
Check out The War On Drugs’ tour dates here. – Z.G.
The Weeknd
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Good things come to those who wait. It’s a saying that fans of The Weeknd are certainly feeling days into 2021. The singer just released his sixth album Dawn FM, now giving his supporters not one, but two albums worth of music to see The Weeknd perform live. This summer, The Weeknd will take over stadiums all over the country for the After Hours Til Dawn world tour. It will commence after multiple attempts, many hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic, from The Weeknd to tour in support of his 2020 album After Hours. Two years after that album’s release, attendees will be able to experience what will surely be an amazing show curated by the singer himself in support of his most recent bodies of work.
Stay tuned for the full dates for the After Hours Til Dawn world tour. – W.O.
Yves Tumor
Philip Cosores
In 2020, Yves Tumor’s fourth album Heaven To A Tortured Mind introduced the artist to a wider audience, opening the door to critical acclaim and a breakout year for the experimental musician. Tumor was able to capitalize on that buzz in 2021 with the EP The Asymptotical World, but thanks to various variants, wasn’t able to organize a full global tour behind either release until very recently when they announced a nearly 50-city world tour encompassing Europe, the UK, and United States. –
As 2021 fades in the rearview, it’s time to start looking forward. 2022 will hopefully bring us more normalized touring and festivals, while also seeing a number of our favorite artists returning with new work. Whether hip-hop, pop, or indie (or entirely different genres), 2022 will have no shortage of new tunes, and here’s a selection of the most anticipated albums of 2022 that we’re excited about.
6LACK
After cutting himself free from the chains of life and love on Free 6lack and grappling with his own faults in romance on East Atlanta Love Letter, 6lack is perfecting the next story he wants to tell the world. The singer’s third album is set for release at some point in 2022, and if there’s anything we can expect, it’s another batch of songs backed by strong songwriting and his trademark gloomy and clouded production. 6lack ended 2021 with two singles — “Rent Free” and “By Any Means” — both of which evoked optimism for what he has to offer in the future. – Wongo Okon
Arctic Monkeys
Philip Cosores
We last heard from Arctic Monkeys on 2018’s weird, excitingly experimental Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino. Despite its left-turn sound for the band, the record still cracked the top 10 of the Billboard albums chart, and signaled a fruitful future for the English rockers. The band has been pretty silent since the conclusion of the album’s accompanying tour, and it would appear that their return is imminent. Drummer Matt Helders confirmed in an interview earlier this year that the Monkeys’ seventh album is just about “ready to go,” saying that fans can expect the project’s sound to “pick up where the other one left off in a way. It makes sense when you think about it in the context of the last record. But we always do try and do something a bit different.” – Zac Gelfand
Bartees Strange
Philip Cosores
Pandemic be damned, Bartees Strange was still 2020’s breakout indie star with his incredible debut, Live Forever. The album picked up massive critical acclaim, and when touring returned earlier this year, Bartees was catapulted onto festival stages and support slots alongside the likes of Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Courtney Barnett. Rumor has it that the producer/songwriter has been hard at work on the follow-up to Live Forever during breaks on his grinding tour schedule, and that we can expect new music soon. We’ve already heard the new song “Weights,” a Live Forever bonus track that quickly made its way onto our list of the year’s best songs. If that track is any indication of what we can expect from his sophomore album, 2022 is set to be the year of Bartees Strange. – Z.G.
Beach House – Once Twice Melody (2/18)
The gazy pop duo’s first album in four years is following an ambitious rollout. Once Twice Melody’s 18-track’s are being released in four separate chapters. The first two are already out, with part three due out January 19th and then chapter four on February 18th, marking the project’s completion. Singer Victoria LeGrande has said that these songs are her attempt to channel not her personal heartbreak, but that of the whole world’s as we try to emerge from a number of dark years. This is also the first time that the band has featured a live string ensemble, which is a promising advancement, considering their arrangements have always had a layered, cinematic feel to begin with. – Adrian Spinelli
Beyonce
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While Beyonce certainly hasn’t been resting on her laurels, the BeyHive is pretty sure that five years since a de facto solo album is long enough. Between her joint album with Jay-Z as The Carters, Everything Is Love in 2018, coordinating and contributing to The Lion King: The Gift soundtrack in 2019, and putting together the Black Is King film in 2020 to go along with The Gift, the biggest pop star in the world has been expanding her vision into many different avenues. But, hey, who can blame us for pinning our hopes on the idea that she’s been steadily and quietly putting together another solo opus all the while? What’s the one thing that could make 2022 feel like a real break from the rest of this pandemic hell? A new Beyonce album. – Caitlin White
Big Thief – Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe You (2/11)
Big Thief just won’t quit. 2019 saw the Brooklyn quartet releasing two stellar albums in Two Hands and U.F.O.F. 2020 brought singer Adrianne Lenker’s double solo album in the sublime songs and the hypnotic instrumentals. Then in 2021 guitarist/vocalist Buck Meek released his own solo album of charming Southern folk in Two Saviors. Now the double LP, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You presents 20 new tracks showcasing the band’s chemistry in enacting music from perhaps today’s finest folk lyricist in Lenker. More than a third of the songs have already been released for your listening pleasure, like the beautifully fluttering “Change” and the elated banjo-studded Americana of “Spud Infinity.” – A.S.
Cardi B
Despite how well Cardi has managed to remain a part of the cultural conversation lately, it’s been a while since her last album, her 2018 debut Invasion Of Privacy. She’s brought up her upcoming sophomore LP here and there, but she recently gave a strong indication that it’s finally coming in 2022: In a December video in which she discussed her hectic life, she noted, “I’m in a lot of positions and that requires a lot of my time, and on top of that, I gotta put out this album next year.” – Derrick Rossignol
Charli XCX – Crash (3/18)
Charli XCX kept her fans completely in the loop as she wrote her 2020 album How I’m Feeling Now. But for her 2022 release Crash, the pop singer is keeping things a bit more guarded. Bringing on a new era filled with bold leather, dramatic eyeliner, and blown-out hair, Charli announced Crash is set for a March 18 release and has shared the two disco-infused singles, “Good Ones” and the Christine And The Queens and Caroline Polachek collaboration “New Shapes.” Charli noted in a radio interview on Apple Music 1’s The Chart Show that her upcoming LP “heavily ’80s-inspired.” “There are a lot of uptempo tracks,” she said. “It’s dark, it’s kind of sexy and sexual and sort of demonic at points, I suppose. But then there are lighter moments, too. But yeah, I think the whole record is about my relationship with relationships and sex and power.” – Carolyn Droke
Coi Leray
Coi Leray’s rise to fame seemed to occur right when our calendars flipped to 2021 earlier this year. The New Jersey native got a taste of stardom thanks to records like “No More Parties” and “Big Purr (Prrd)” as well as success on TikTok. With a XXL Freshman class inclusion under her belt as well as multiple plaques, the clock is ticking for a new project from Coi Leray. If it arrives in 2022, it’ll be her first body of work since 2020’s Now Or Never, which was quite the appetizer from her thanks to help from Gunna, Kiana Lede, Sevyn Streeter, and more. Coi stepped into the spotlight in 2021, and all she has to do this year is find a way to stay in. – W.O.
Dua Lipa
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Sure, Future Nostalgia is barely two years old this spring. And sure, Dua hasn’t even had the chance to really tour behind it due to the pandemic. And yes, there’s been multiple reworks of the project that surely took up some of her time, like the Club Future Nostalgia take, and my personal favorite, the Moonlight Edition. But even with all of those irons in the fire, that still leaves plenty of time for Dua to have written and recorded her third album! With a potential breakup on the horizon, the freed up schedule of the pandemic, and increasing recognition from her industry and peers, now is the time for Dua to strike. Release that epic third album midway through your world tour, and let the veteran icons know that a new star is ready to ascend. – C.W.
Earl Sweatshirt – Sick (1/14)
When Earl dropped “2010” this past November, the Black Noi$e-produced track called back to the introspective early days of the LA rapper’s career, when on tracks like “Chum,” he lamented the family and slimy media roadblocks that were standing in the way of his budding career. Earl and Alchemist teased a new album from the rapper throughout 2021, citing everything from a hidden album on YouTube under a fake name, to a 21-minute release. Earl set it straight when he announced Sick in December, dropped the no-nonsense “Tabula Rasa” with Armand Hammer and said that the ten songs on the new album created during the pandemic “are what happened when I would come up for air.” – A.S.
Father John Misty – Chloe And The Next 20th Century (4/8)
Over the last few months, Father John Misty has been slowly teasing away at what appears to be his first full-length release since the 2018 album God’s Favorite Customer. First came the reactivation of his social media accounts, which have been mostly silent for the last few years. Then, back in November, he shared a mysterious video on that newly-reactivated account featuring a nighttime cityscape and some reverb-heavy musical ambience. Now, it would seem that fans are receiving vinyl in the mail containing a pitch-shifted voice declaring “Available April 8, 2022 on Sub Pop and Bella Union. Father John Misty’s new album: Chloe And The Next 20th Century.” There still hasn’t been a “conventional” announcement, but when has Father John Misty been one for conventional? – Z.G.
Future
Philip Cosores
For well over a decade, Future has opened various doors of his artistry to the world. When it’s the truth of his life as Honest presented or a wave of toxicity as he grapples with love on HNDRXX, each album Future presents offers a slight change in the lens from the last one. It’s what makes the impending arrival of his upcoming ninth album so intriguing. What will the Atlanta trap star bring to the table thing time around? A focus on fame, pain, love, or evildoings? Or mix of it all? Whatever it is, we can rest assured knowing that it’ll continue his streak of strong releases. – W.O.
JID
The Forever story is the one.. it’s otw soon I been working for years on dis bitI feel good about my growth
We haven’t heard a full-length project from Atlanta-bred Dreamville artist JID in over three years — Spillage Village’s extremely good 2020 group effort Spilligion notwithstanding. While DiCaprio 2 showcased an artist at the absolute peak of his craft, the events of the intervening years have given us all cause for reflection and a wealth of weighty matters to unpack. JID’s already proven adept at addressing tough topics with tracks like “Skeegee” in the past year and with the next wave of Dreamville releases in the wings, he could very well prove once again to be the crew’s standout. – Aaron Williams
Kehlani – Blue Water Road
Since her emergence with her 2014 debut mixtape Cloud 19, Kehlani has gone without releasing an project in a calendar year on three occasions: 2016, 2018, and 2021. It truly speaks to the Oakland native’s consistency and it’s something she looks to continue with her upcoming third album, Blue Water Road. So far, we’ve received it’s lead single “Altar,” a pop-leaning declaration of love, and the confirmation that the album will arrive this winter. With less than three months left until the seasons change, Kehlani’s Blue Water Road could be an early favorite in 2022. – W.O.
Kendrick Lamar
Philip Cosores
It’s been four years since Kendrick Lamar’s last album, DAMN. — practically an eternity in the streaming era. Of course, the delay in following up is perfectly understandable from Kendrick’s perspective. Aside from the obvious global disruption of a deadly pandemic, the Compton rapper must also contend with nearly insurmountable expectations after DAMN. accumulated both the usual assortment of accolades (Grammy nods; critical acclaim) and less than usual ones (a freaking Pulitzer Prize). That’s not the only reason he’s taking his time; his next album will be his final one for TDE, so it’s important that he goes out on top. – A.W.
Khruangbin/Leon Bridges – Texas Moon (2/18)
The union of these native Texan acts really is the best of both worlds. 2020’s Texas Sun EP was like a gift from the sky that met squarely in the middle of Khruangbin’s globally-inspired funk and Bridges’ buttery soul coo. It sure felt like a one-off project that we’d merely turn to in those sun-soaked days on the porch, but lo and behold, its companion piece is now set to drop in February. The foursome have indicated that Texas Moon is indeed the yin to the first edition’s yang: “Without joy, there can be no real perspective on sorrow,” Khruangbin explained. “Without sunlight, all this rain keeps things from growing. How can you have the sun without the moon?” – A.S.
Latto
My album been done I’m just a perfectionist so I’m tryna beat out the songs with better songs until the shit just undeniable
Kicking off the run-up to her new album with the “Fantasy”-sampling “Big Energy,” the Uproxx cover artist from Atlanta is already showing growth and experimentation to begin the next phase of her career — the first part she’ll be able to tour behind, as well. And, lest anyone get nervous that she’s wandered too far afield of her comfort zone, she’s made sure to allay those concerns with tracks like “Soufside,” showing she’ll stick to her punchline-slinging trap rap roots even as she strives for the next level of pop stardom. – A.W.
Lil Uzi Vert
Lil Uzi Vert has been promising a handful of new albums ever since releasing his double album Eternal Atake in 2020 after a multi-year delay — or it could just be one album with an ever-evolving title. Whether it’s The Pink Tape, Forever Young, or Luv Is Rage 3, the wait has extended from 2020 into 2022, with a projected Halloween release date scuttled so as to not rush the work. Considering the Philly rapper’s intimation that Eternal Atake was “dumbed down” despite its warm reception from fans, it’s possible that whenever the new album drops, under whatever title it drops, it’ll display new dimensions to his quirky sound. – A.W.
Mitski – Laurel Hell (2/4)
Mitski’s 2018 album Be The Cowboy was one of the best albums of that year, so of course her follow up Laurel Hell is hotly anticipated. The LP is set for an early February release and the singer has already previewed the effort with three singles, showing that she’s is back and better than ever with poetic, heart-tugging lyrics which give an intimate look at the highs and lows of her lust for love. Named after a thicket of poisonous plants in the Appalachian Mountains, Laurel Hell, according to a Rolling Stone interview with Mitski, went through several different genres before landing in a pop-leaning direction. “This album has been a punk record at some point, and a country record,” she said. “Then, after a while, it was like, ‘I need to dance.’ Even though the lyrics might be depressing, I need something peppy to get me through this.” – C.D.
Nilüfer Yanya – Painless (3/4)
UK musician Nilüfer Yanya burst onto the indie scene with her 2019 album Miss Universe and after a series of singles, EPs, tours, and TV performances, Yanya is set to make a grand return with her sophomore studio album Painless. Out in late March this year, Painless is set to feature the singer’s textured, lilting vocals while taking a more direct sonic approach. So far, Yanya has shared the full track list and cover art to the new album along with her lead single “Stabilise,” a song which boasts rapid-fire instrumentation and musings on the monotony of city life. As a whole, though, Yanya says in press materials that Painless is a “record about emotion” in which she’s not scared to admit her feelings. “I think it’s more open about that in a way that Miss Universe wasn’t because there’s so many cloaks and sleeves with the concept I built around it,” she said. – C.D.
Rihanna
Rihanna responds to paparazzi asking if she has any new music coming:
Rihanna has been endlessly teasing the release of her ninth album for years. So much so, it’s even turned into a joke that she’s fully aware of. But if everything goes according to plan, it looks like 2022 is the year R9 finally arrives. While she’s notoriously tight-lipped about her new music, Rihanna has said her album is going to be “completely different.” Based on previous interviews and a collaborative song teased by Skylar Gray, all signs point to Rihanna pivoting to a Reggaeton-inspired sound. “Whatever you know of Rihanna is not going to be what you hear,” she told Billboard. “I’m really experimenting. Music is like fashion. You should be able to play. I should be able to wear whatever I want. I treat music the same way. So I’m having fun and it’s going to be completely different.” – C.D.
Rina Sawayama’s 2020 album Sawayama cemented her status as a buzzworthy pop star, boosted her fanbase, and earned her a number of accolades. That’s why many have been impatiently awaiting any news of a new release from the UK pop singer. And based on a series of tweets from September, the wait won’t be too much longer. Though she hasn’t yet officially revealed the title or date of her upcoming LP, Sawayama did confirm that her next project is set to arrive in late summer of 2022. The singer said her LP won’t be highly refined as it was written in “1/20th of the time of the first one.” She noted that she’s “working with some producers [she’s] always dreamed of” and cannot for the life of her “write a heterosexual love song.” – C.D.
Rosalía – Motomami
While 2018’s El Mal Querer was Rosalía’s second album, it was undoubtedly her breakthrough. The Spaniard effectively took the flamenco pop sound mainstream, winning the Grammy for Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album, as well as the Latin Grammy for Album Of The Year. Suffice it to say, the stakes are high for Motomami and she’s poised to go big in every way. Like on the official first single from the album, “La Fama,” which features The Weeknd and a wild video with Danny Trejo that would make Robert Rodriguez proud. – A.S.
Sky Ferreira – Masochism
2022 marks almost a full decade since Sky Ferreira dropped her debut album Night Time, My Time. Since then, Ferreira has regularly been promising the release of her sophomore album Masochism is coming soon, citing difficulties with her health and her label as the cause for continued delays. Back in 2019, she released the single “Downhill Lullaby,” which seemed to indicate that Masochism was actually ready. Three years and zero new songs later, Ferreira is once again claiming that the album will finally drop in 2022. “Top 5 most anticipated albums of 2022 @Stereogum,” she wrote on Instagram. “(it happens every year, but it’s actually coming out this time).” – Z.G.
Spoon – Lucifer On The Sofa (2/11)
Spoon does everything well. The Austin staples fronted by Britt Daniel have been one of the tightest units in indie for the past 25 years. When their 10th album and follow-up to 2017’s well-received Hot Thoughts is released, it will end the longest period the band has gone without releasing an album. For Lucifer On The Sofa, Daniel and company moved back to Texas to write and record and were feeding off the energy they built from years of touring Hot Thoughts. Daniel told NME that rather than recording demos and using that as a starting point, they tried to channel the magic that they were finding on stage: “You’re not figuring out the song as you record it: You figure it out, then you record it.” First single “The Hardest Cut” features a furious guitar part that Daniel refers to as “the Texas riff” and it’s a fresh wrinkle in their always impeccable sound. – A.S.
SZA
Recorded w lizzo til 5 last night .. very pure experience. Always a vibe .Really love my fren
For seemingly the third or fourth consecutive year, SZA fans will begin a new year with the hope that TDE’s first lady will grace them with a new body of work in 2022. For what it’s worth, the past year and a half has been the most active period for SZA since she released her 2017 debut Ctrl. She delivered a trio of singles with “Hit Different” alongside Ty Dolla Sign, “Good Days,” and “I Hate U.” If there’s any year in the past half-decade that points to good signs of a SZA album en route, 2022 is the one. – W.O.
Troye Sivan
After a massive breakthrough with his second studio album, Bloom, back in 2018, Troye Sivan has been biding his time for the follow-up. Focusing on a a shorter EP in 2020, In A Dream built up more dream-pop synths and yearning lyrics. But he released a string of new singles last year, like a collaboration with Regard and Tate McRae on “You,” and the adoring “Angel Baby,” paving the way for a full-length in 2022. Between quarantine romances and pandemic-induced loneliness, listeners around the world could really use more polished, romantic pop from one of Australia’s brightest stars. – C.W.
Vince Staples
Philip Cosores
Before dropping Vince Staples, his eponymous third studio album, in July, the Long Beach rapper had been teasing numerous new projects to be released in the coming year. Circumstances being what they are, it makes sense that he wasn’t able to follow through on these designs — but that just gives fans more to look forward to in 2022. While we were never quite sure whether the full project Vince had supposedly completed with Alchemist was the same one he teased prior to the release of Vince Staples, the possibilities are truly endless when it comes to Vince, who takes delight in defying expectations. – A.W.
The Weeknd – Dawn FM (1/7)
In October 2021, The Weeknd noted his impending After Hours follow-up was just “a couple characters that are key to the narrative” short of being finished. He then started 2022 by not-so-subtly hinting that he’s just about ready to drop the project. It didn’t take long for him to return with some more substantial, concrete, and exciting info: Dawn FM, as it is titled, is dropping on January 7. Jim Carrey, who is featured on the project, has already heard it and declared it’s “deep and elegant.” – D.R.
Wet Leg – Wet Leg (4/8)
The next big thing? Here it is. The debut album on Domino Records from Isle of Wight duo Wet Leg comes on the heels of earth-shattering singles like “Chaise Lounge” and “Wet Dream.” The post-punk matter-of-factness of singers Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers comes across like recent London revelations Dry Cleaning, but with a far more playful streak. And they totally rip. Big basslines lean up against sticky guitar hooks and F Yeah lyrics like “Is your mother worried? Would you like us to assign someone to worry your mother?” This is the stuff right here, man. – A.S.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
I feel good about my growth
(@Latto) 
