Still waiting for your favorite artist’s new album to drop? You’re in good company. We’ve compiled a list of some of the most anticipated albums coming out in the second half of 2016 — but let’s face it, some of these may be rumors and all are subject to the whims of the artist who made them. Still, there’s hope these will see the light of day in the last half of the year.
June 17
Neko Case, k.d. lang and Laura Veirs, case/lang/veirs (Anti/Epitaph)
The fact that Neko Case, k.d. Lang and Laura Veirs have cast their lots together makes this one of the most intriguing releases of the year. Each of these ladies has their own distinct vocal style, and as solo artists slay in their own badass way, but when they blend together on such songs as “Honey and Smoke,” the result is ethereal and sublime. Produced by Veirs’ husband Tucker Martine, case/lang/veirs’ blended voices — which often channel ’60s-era girl groups — binds the sound together. –Linda Ryan
Unlocking The Truth, Chaos (Tunecore)
The most surprising and anticipated metal debut of 2016 comes from this trio of African American Brooklyn 14- and 15-year-olds who’ve already opened for Guns N’ Roses, Living Colour, Marilyn Manson, Motörhead and Queens of the Stone Age. Self-proclaimed “nerds” obsessed with Japanese manga, Unlocking the Truth have set a high bar for the album with its first single “Take Control,” a thrashing rejoinder to high school bullies. –Chuck Eddy
Kris Kristofferson, Cedar Creek Sessions (Legacy)
Recorded in Austin in 2014, Cedar Creek Sessions started as an informal session designed to get Kristofferson re-acquainted with Cedar Creek studio. Over the course of five days, he and his band (Shawn Camp on lead guitar, Kevin Smith on bass, Mike Meadows on drums and Michael Ramos on keys) ran through 25 of the songwriter’s best-loved gems while the tape rolled. He also invited Sheryl Crow to sing on Johnny and June Carter Cash’s affectionate “The Loving Gift.” How much you end up liking this probably depends on your appreciation for live recordings, but hey, it’s Kristofferson. –Linda Ryan
Jon Pardi, California Sunrise (UMG)
This California boy was heavily influenced by the Bakersfield sound — his twangy guitar tone is rich with its history. Pardi made a name for himself as solid songwriter, writing clever and catchy tunes on his 2014 debut Write You a Song. Anticipation for his sophomore effort California Sunrise heated up last September when “Head Over Boots” was released. The shuffling, slow-burner connected with its quick-witted lyrics and anthemic chorus, which propelled “Head Over Boots” into the Top 20 (it’s still climbing). Country music fans who appreciate songwriting from a more traditional starting point will want to check this out. –Linda Ryan
June 24
Rae Sremmurd, Sremmlife 2 (Interscope)
Last year, Rae Sremmurd stormed the music scene with its instant classic debut, Sremmlife, which yielded four Top 40 singles and introduced the world to the swag-riffic brother-tandem Swae Lee and Slim Jimmy. That album continues to get heavy rotation, so it’s surprising the Mississippi duo is striking while the iron’s hot with a sequel, as well as the new singles “Look Alive” and “By Chance.” –Mosi Reeves
The Avett Brothers, True Sadness (American/Republic)
In the band’s pre-release press, The Avett Brothers have said True Sadness was influenced by the likes of Queen, NIN and Tom Petty. I guess since this is their 12th album, they’ve already noted more obvious musical inspiration (The Band, Grateful Dead, et al), but listen to their new single “Happy Man,” and you can clearly hear the pulse of Queen’s “We Will Rock You” running through its veins. Rick Rubin is once again in the producer’s chair, and if “Happy Man” and the title track are anything to go by, Rubin has crafted an earthy, spacious sound for the album. –Linda Ryan
Jack Ingram, Midnight Motel (Rounder Records)
Jack Ingram is another Texas guitar slinger caught up in the classic struggle of good versus evil: the struggle to retain your sense of self while wheeling and dealing with the Nashville machine. Unless you live in Texas, you probably haven’t heard from Ingram since his 2009 effort, Big Dreams & High Hopes, after which he and Big Machine parted ways. And although the singer had a No. 1 hit with “Wherever You Are,” you got the feeling by the time Big Dream… rolled around that there were other places the singer would rather be. This time, Ingram has the backing of artist-friendly Rounder Records behind him, and if the pre-release track “I’m Drinking Through It” is anything to go by, Jack’s got his lyrical grit back. –Linda Ryan
July 1
Maxwell, Blacksummers’ Night (Columbia)
Throughout his three-decade career, Maxwell has burnished his deeply sensuous neo-soul with the patience of a craftsman. It often means we have to wait to hear him: He’s only released two albums in 15 years. But it also means his music has a certain timelessness, as proven by “Lake By the Ocean,” the excellent first single from his long-awaited Blacksummers’ Night. –Mosi Reeves
Blink-182, California (BMG)
There are some big questions marks surrounding Blink-182’s first album in five years: What will the trio sound like without the departed Tom DeLonge behind the mic? Can Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba successfully fill the singer’s shoes? Will drummer Travis Barker’s love of hip-hop play a larger role in their sound? The lead single “Bored to Death” offers no simple answers. The tune’s crunchy, introspective alt-rock vibe certainly doesn’t jibe with their pop-punk legacy, yet it’s an utterly infectious tune nonetheless. –Justin Farrar
July 8
Kenny Chesney, Some Town Somewhere (Columbia Nashville)
Usually when Kenny Chesney is talking about noise, it’s in reference to the cheering from rowdy fans who come en mass to his live shows. “Noise,” his recent single, may seem to be a nod to his road warrior status, but it actually has to do with constant barrage of noise/information/stimulation we experience each day. And summer just isn’t summer without something new from the leader of the No Shoes Nation as Chesney’s laid-back, beach-y vibe goes great with sunshine. –Linda Ryan
Schoolboy Q, Title TBD (Interscope)
As the second most popular member of the Black Hippy crew, Schoolboy Q tends to get overlooked in favor of the best rapper alive right now, Kendrick Lamar. But his 2014 album, Oxymoron, put up big sales numbers, debuted at the top of the Billboard album charts, and yielded a Top 40 smash in “Studio.” To prep us for his as-yet-untitled follow-up, he has released a handful of teaser singles including “That Part,” which features a cameo from Kanye West. –Mosi Reeves
The Avalanches, Wildflower (Astralwerks)
Having scored a hit in 2000 with the lighter-than-air dance pop hit “Since I Met You,” The Avalanches have long been filed under one-hit wonders. It took 16 years, but the Australian duo are finally releasing their sophomore effort, Wildflower. The carnivalesque single “Frankie Sinatra” (which samples The Sound of Music‘s “My Favorite Things”) shows a far more complicated sound — in fact, the duo said they worked through more than 100 mixes in a two-and-a-half year span to get the song to their liking. –Linda Ryan
The Julie Ruin, Hit Reset (Hardly Art)
Kathleen Hanna, the one-time frontwoman of Bikini Kill (best punk band of the decade) and Le Tigre (the band’s self-titled dance punk debut remains welcome at pretty much any party), now records bristling guitar pop with The Julie Ruin. The group’s second album looks to be the darkest, most politically urgent Hanna project since Bikini Kill’s early days. –Theon Weber
Kenny Garrett, Do Your Dance! (Mack Avenue)
At a moment when hip-hop, classic R&B and jazz seem to be tastily testing each others’ turf again, the Grammy-winning Detroit saxophone player and former Miles Davis sideman has set out with his sextet and a guest rapper to make a jazz album you can dance to. Rhythms are said to come from all over: ‘70s beach soul, street-party funk, calypso, bossa nova, hard bop, and a harmonium-like “shruti box” from India. –Chuck Eddy
July 15
Deerhoof, The Magic (Polyvinyl)
The intricate, spidery and punishing noise that spills from Deerhoof‘s albums never manages to obscure the sticky-sweet center of their songwriting. Their 16th album brings off-kilter melody and playful cacophony to the ’70s glam of “Plastic Thrills” and the mesmerizing momentum of “Debut.” –Theon Weber
July 22
Periphery, Periphery III, Select Difficulty (Sumarian)
Periphery have been on a tear over the last few years, and 2016 is shaping up to be yet another productive year. With head bangers still obsessing over last year’s twin albums, Juggernaut: Alpha and Juggernaut: Omega, the Washington, D.C. quintet is already to unleash their follow up. As per the usual, we should expect an utterly unique fusion of metalcore and progressive metal, one that will be imitated, but never equaled by the band’s hordes of followers. –Justin Farrar
August 5
Dinosaur Jr. Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not (Jagjaguwar)
The alternative rock gods return with their first album since 2012’s I Bet on Sky, making the announcement in pure and classy Dino style, letting Henry Rollins shill the album for them.
August 19
Lydia Loveless, Real (Bloodshot Records)
After scrapping an album’s worth of material, alt-country singer Lydia Loveless finally plans to release the follow-up to 2014’s Somewhere Else. If her new single “Longer” is any indication, Real will have plenty of heart-on-sleeve introspection articulated by the Ohio singer’s wicked way with words. –Linda Ryan
August 26
De La Soul And the Anonymous Nobody… (AOI)
This self-funded release (the group reportedly raised $600,000 on Kickstarter to make the album) is the group’s first in more than 10 years. Posting a video to their Facebook page about the Anonymous, they alluded to guests such as David Byrne and Damon Albarn (yes, really) as well as Usher, Pete Rock and others.
On the horizon:
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Skeleton Tree
The September 9 release is coupled with a documentary film One More Time With Feeling, which will have a one-day release on September 8 (it will hit cinemas later in the month). The Guardian calls the film “stark, fragile and raw,” and it features a performance of the album as well as examining the pain and devastation Cave faced after his teenage son Arthur died in an accident in 2015.
U2, Songs of Experience (Interscope)
Avid readers of William Blake knew instantly that U2 would eventually release a sequel to 2014’s Songs of Innocence. After all, the title was nicked from the Romantic poet’s Songs of Innocence and of Experience collection. “We’re going to get this album out next year,” the mighty Bono told the Irish Times last fall. “Unusually for us, a lot of the songs are done already. If Songs of Experience is anything like its predecessor (which many critics hailed as the rock icons’ best album in well over a decade), then U2 should expect another monster year. –Justin Farrar
Alicia Keys, Title TBD (RCA)
What should we expect from the woman who has written such modern classics as “Fallin’,” “No One,” “You Don’t Know My Name” and “If I Ain’t Got You”? If Alicia Keys’ 2012 album Girl on Fire is any indication, expect a little bit of woozy Tumblr R&B similar to the single “In Common,” some notes about the domestic bliss she enjoys with her children and husband Swizz Beatz, and, of course, those big-voiced, arena-shaking piano hits we’ve come to expect and love. –Mosi Reeves
Chris Brown, Heartbreak on a Full Moon (RCA)
Turn on any hip-hop/R&B station in America for a half-hour, and you’re likely to hear Chris Brown’s earnest, honeyed voice. The Virginia singer seems as essential to the R&B landscape as any other performer, and he’s a fountain of pop hits, with “Back to Sleep” being the most recent. The mysteriously titled Heartbreak on a Full Moon should continue the tradition, and the single, “Grass Ain’t Greener,” leads the album. –Mosi Reeves
Young Thug, Hy!£UN35 (Warner)
This ATL rapper has been ranked as “next to blow up” ever since his 2013 mixtape 1017 Thug went viral. He has since released numerous projects, as well as the 2014 hit single “Lifestyle.” But the anxiously awaited Hy!£UN35 has been tipped as his first “official” album, and the one that will determine if he’s truly the inheritor to Lil Wayne’s Dirty South throne. –Mosi Reeves
Sky Ferreira, Masochism (Capitol)
Since her first studio album — a romantic fusion of synth pop and grunge-y alt rock — Sky Ferreira‘s appeared in an Eli Roth movie, collaborated with Primal Scream, opened for Miley Cyrus, and been our favorite part of DIIV’s Is the Is Are, which makes her long-awaited follow up just the next entry on the strongest alt pop star resume around. –Theon Weber
Brand New, Title TBD (Interscope)
These Long Island emo kids let their first album’s girls-and-parties pop punk evolve into the sprawling, intricate guitar epics of The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me and then stripped-down angst on Daisy. A recent, heartfelt onstage monologue from frontman Jesse Lacey made it sound like their upcoming fifth album could be their last, which would be too bad. But it’s a chance to stick the landing on a career that’s so far gone without a misstep. –Theon Weber
Frank Ocean, Boys Don’t Cry (Def Jam)
Frank Ocean first hinted at the release on his Tumblr blog in April 2015 and the anticipation for Boys Don’t Cry has been steadily growing ever since. Humorous jabs on social media about waiting for his sophomore effort has kept Ocean top-of-mind, often sending the Twitterverse into overdrive at the mere mention of a release date — all of which speaks to the demand the runaway success of Channel Orange created. — Linda Ryan
M.I.A., Metadatah (Interscope)
In March 2015, controversial rapper M.I.A. shared “Can See Can Do” on SoundCloud, her first song since 2013’s Mantangi. With the release of “Matahdatah Scroll 01 Broader than a Border” came a few tidbits about the inspiration for Meradatah, which seem to be drawn from her journals (and fascination about the concept of borders) written while filming videos for the project. Additionally, M.I.A. posted a picture of Skrillex at work, perhaps hinting at his involvement in the project. –Linda Ryan
The Strokes, Title TBD (Cult Records)
On June 3 The Strokes released the three-song EP Future Present Past (featuring the single “Oblivius”), perhaps testing the waters for a new album. The group, still a New York City institution, did a couple of shows, including the Governor’s Ball, but has only performed the three new EP songs live. –Linda Ryan
Cassius, ACTION (Interscope)
French electronic duo Cassius haven’t released a proper album since 2006’s 15 Again, but the two — especially Phillipe Zdar — have stayed busy. Over the past decade, Zdar has worked with Phoenix, Chromeo, and Kele (among others), as well as the Beastie Boys and Cat Power. The latter two have shown up on Cassius’ recent single, “Action.” It’s hope that it doesn’t take 10 more years for an album to follow. –Linda Ryan
Timbaland, Opera Noir (Epic)
Maybe it’s because the hit show Empire (for which Timbaland is the Music Producer) is on hiatus for the summer or that the single “Don’t Get No Better” dropped in February. Then again, it could be the snippets of thick, juicy beats that have been posted to social media that has us clamoring for Timbaland’s Opera Noir. At a Q&A session for ASCAP’s Expo in April, the producer confirmed six tracks for his upcoming album (which has at various times been called Rebirth and Textbook Timbo) are written, but not completed. –Linda Ryan
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