25 Exciting Albums Still To Come In 2015

The first six months of 2015 have seen a generous smattering of amazing albums. But wait! There’s even more to come. Here’s 25 of our most most anticipated records expected to arrive before the year is out. Get excited…

1
Lana Del Rey, ‘Honeymoon’

Lana Del Rey, ‘Honeymoon’: Black Keys man Dan Auerbach is out and, according to rumours, Mark Ronson might be in on Del Rey’s next album, which will be released in September of this year. The singer has reportedly already written nine tracks for the LP, which she says will be “violent” and “very different” from 2013’s ‘Ultraviolence’. We can’t wait.

2
Kanye West, ‘SWISH’

Kanye West, ‘SWISH’: There’s no confirmed release date or tracklist for Yeezy’s next LP – even ‘SWISH’ is a title that, according to Kanye, is liable to change. But it’s possible to guess at what to expect from the ‘Yeezus’ follow-up, with potential songs including ‘All Day’ and Paul McCartney collab ‘Only One’, while he’s previously hinted it sounds like “cookout music that feels good.”

3
Foals, TBC

Foals, TBC: According to frontman Yannis, he and his bandmates guzzled around 130 bottles of red wine while making their new album. The singer, who’s also cited Nick Cave as a lyrical influence, told Q: “We wanted to push it out even further, so the extremes were further apart. The heavier songs are heavier, the poppy songs are poppier and weirder.”

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4
Grimes, TBC

Grimes, TBC: Grimes previously scrapped a whole album because she deemed it “too depressing”, but she’s not been twiddling her thumbs since. The singer told fans on Twitter that a new LP would be out in October, and that it will be a “surprise release” because all the songs should be “heard together”. She also described the album as “very different” to her past work with “real instruments.”

5
Frank Ocean, ‘Boys Don’t Cry’

Frank Ocean, ‘Boys Don’t Cry’: According to French pianist Christophe Chassol, Ocean roped him into a recent recording session at London’s legendary Abbey Road Studios. “The guy is smart. The way he works in the studio is really cool,” said Chassol. Ocean had previously hinted that the LP, which will be the follow-up to 2012’s critical darling ‘Channel Orange’, will be released in July.

6
The Libertines, TBC

The Libertines, TBC: One of the year’s most exciting, this – The Libs’ first album since their 2002 self-titled belter, and their first for new major label Virgin too. Both Pete and Carl told us earlier this year they were recording in Thailand, with Barat revealing last month that Jake Gosling, a previous One Direction and Ed Sheeran collaborator, would serve as producer.

7
PJ Harvey, TBC

PJ Harvey, TBC: Harvey’s “Recording In Progress” project made the headlines earlier this year, when the usually reticent musician invited fans to watch her work on her new LP as part of an installation at London’s Somerset House. The album, which will be produced by long-time collaborators Flood and John Parish, will be her first since 2011’s Mercury Prize winning ‘Let England Shake’.

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8
Albert Hammond JR, ‘Momentary Masters’

Albert Hammond JR, ‘Momentary Masters’: The Strokes’ guitarist will release his third studio LP next month. “The record is very danceable and fun,” he told NME, with songs including ‘Side Boob’, ‘Power Hungry’ and the 10-minute single ‘Born Slippy’ which, in his own words, is “a song about figuring out what to do when what has defined you for a long time isn’t there any more.”

9
James Blake, ‘Radio Silence’

James Blake, ‘Radio Silence’: Kanye West and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon are on the supposed list of collaborators for James Blake’s follow-up to the Mercury Prize-winning ‘Overgrown’. Since that brooding masterstroke of electronic melancholy, he’s also buddied up with everyone from Chance the Rapper to Warpaint after relocating to LA, so expect a star-studded affair.

10
Rihanna, ‘R8’ (rumoured)

Rihanna, ‘R8’ (rumoured): Rihanna’s already revealed the mighty first single from her eighth studio album, ‘Bitch Better Have My Money’, with the full LP set to follow later this year. Her collab with Kanye and Macca, ‘FourFiveSeconds’, is also likely to make the final cut, while the singer has claimed that the “soulful” new album will sound “timeless.”

11
Haim, TBC

Haim, TBC: The Haim sisters’ next step in world domination is already underway – they confirmed in January that work had begun on new music, with producer Ariel Rechtshaid overseeing studio sessions on their sequel to ‘Days Are Gone’. Recently out on tour with Taylor Swift, the only question is when the ultra-busy trio will have time to make the record…

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12
Radiohead, TBC

Radiohead, TBC: One of the year’s biggest, here: Radiohead have been working on a new album, expected to be released this year. As ever, details are scant, but guitarist Jonny Grennwood recently revealed: “We’ve done a couple of months of recording, and it has gone really well… It’s like we’re trying to use very old and very new technology together to see what happens.”

13
Fat White Family, TBC

Fat White Family, TBC: London’s nastiest punks are currently beavering away on the follow-up to their squalid debut ‘Champagne Holocaust’. And how’s this for incongruity: they’ve been using John Lennon’s old Beatles equipment while working on the record at his son Sean’s recording studio in New York City. Bring it on.

14
Chvrches, TBC

Chvrches, TBC: Scot trio Chvrches are currently in Glasgow working on their second album. “I think we’ll use fewer instruments but ultimately try and do more with them,” instrumentalist Martin Doherty told NME. “When you listen to a Michael Jackson song or a Prince song, you realise there’s absolutely nothing in it but an amazing bassline, drums and singing. We wanna channel some of that.”

15
The xx, TBC

The xx, TBC. Now that Jamie xx’s solo debut has finally been released, it’s time for him to get back to the day-job: applying the finishing touches to The xx’s new album. The trio, who revealed last November that they would be going to LA to continue work on the LP, have said that writing material in new locations such as Texas and Iceland has had an impact on their sound.

16
HEALTH, ‘Death Magic’

HEALTH, 'Death Magic'

HEALTH, ‘Death Magic’: Deafeningly loud noise outfit HEALTH’s follow-up to 2009’s ‘Get Color’ will be released on August 7, with collaborators including electronic musician The Haxan Cloak, Mars Volta engineer Lars Stalfors and Kanye West engineer Andrew Dawson. Crank. It. Up.

17
Frank Turner, ‘Positive Songs For Negative People’

Frank Turner, ‘Positive Songs For Negative People’: “It’s a record about pulling yourself up and dusting yourself down, and about having a shit year and getting through it, and resolving to not surrender,” is how Frank’s describing his sixth studio album, which was recorded in Nashville and should have a rawer sound than 2013’s ‘Tape Deck Heart’.

18
The View, TBC

The View, TBC: The Scottish indie-rockers have been working with Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr and Gus Oberg on their fifth studio album, with frontman Kyle Falconer stating: “I would say that this record has really taken us out of our comfort zone. I think it’s our most inventive album yet, we really opened ourselves up to creative possibilities and thankfully the vision paid off.”

19
Deftones, TBC

Deftones, TBC: The Sacramento group release their first album since the death of former bassist Chi Cheng in October, with singer Chino Moreno apparently looking to Morrissey and Elvis for inspiration on the record, according to a recent chat with NME.

20
Primal Scream, TBC

Primal Scream, TBC: Details are thin on the ground for the Scottish band’s follow-up to 2013’s revitalising ‘More Light’, but their next move should be one of their most innovative for ages – they’ve been working with alt pop star Sky Ferreira on new material. “The reason I like working with them is because there’s absolutely no pressure,” she said.

21
The Maccabees, ‘Marks To Prove It’

The Maccabees, ‘Marks To Prove It’. It’s been a long time coming, but the wait should be worth it. Orlando, Felix and co have been slaving away on the follow-up to ‘Given To The Wild’ for three years, but it’s finally out on July 31. They say it’s an atmospheric record that’s a step forward from what’s gone before, even if it was “torturous” to get in the can.

22
Tame Impala, ‘Currents’

Tame Impala, ‘Currents’: Released in July, ‘Currents’ apparently finds Kevin Parker and co embracing clubbier territories than on last album ‘Lonerism’. “I wanted to make something that from the sound of it could be down at the club,” Parker told NME earlier this year. “I just realised that I’d never heard Tame Impala played somewhere with a dancefloor.”

23
Diiv, ‘Is The Is Are’

Diiv, ‘Is The Is Are’: Scheduled for a September release, Diiv leader Zachary Cole Smith says he and his band are “making non-traditional choices when it comes to rock music” as they “strip away” the heavy-rock excess in favour of a “real diverse” sound. “This is one shot at immortality, if I ever have one,” he told NME. “I know it’s by far the most important thing I’ll ever do.”

24
Coldplay, ‘A Head Full Of Dreams’

Coldplay, ‘A Head Full Of Dreams’: Could Coldplay’s next LP also be their last? “It’s our seventh thing and the way we look at it is like the last Harry Potter book or something,” says frontman Chris Martin. “Not to say there might not be another thing one day but this is the completion of something.” It’s said to be scheduled for release later this year.

25
The Kills, TBC

The Kills, TBC: “We’re trying to make a record that’s completely different,” singer Alison Mosshart said of The Kills’ new LP last year. “Anything that sounds like it could have sat quite easily on any of the other records will probably get scrapped or reworked, played on some kind of different instruments with a completely different kind of rhythm and a completely different kind of feel.”

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