All the awesome new albums coming out in 2020

This year is gonna be stacked with big and brilliant releases from the likes of Green Day, Grimes and more. Lucky future us.

Happy New Year! We’ve already got a bunch of reasons to be excited about 2020, because loads of huge names have already confirmed new albums – or said they’re working on something, at least. From debut albums made by new bands spinning their promise into gold, to the return of acts that have already woven themselves into the fabric of the music world, whatever unfolds it’s going to be a big year.

1
Kesha – ‘High Road’

Kesha
Credit: Getty Images for LOVELOUD Festival

Release date: January 10
What’s the story?: Kesha is back, back, back and as uncompromising as ever, as she lays out in ‘My Own Dance’: “You’re the party girl/You’re the tragedy/But the funny thing is/I’m fucking everything.” Expect an album that merges the folky beauty of ‘Rainbow’ with sassy rap-pop.

2
Poppy – ‘I Disagree’

Credit: Getty Images

Release date: January 10
What’s the story?: She rose to fame by pretending to be an AI pop star, making teeth-achingly sweet pop treats. Now, she’s gone to the dark side – aka switched the rainbow colours for sludgy metal guitars and poured her anger at the world into the likes of the still-catchy sledgehammer-heavy title track.

3
The Big Moon – ‘Walking Like We Do’

The Big Moon
Credit: Pooneh Ghana/Press

Release date: January 10
What’s the story?: On their second album, The Big Moon are traversing instability and trying to find their place in the world. Oh, and they’ve written their first proper pop song in ‘Take A Piece’, which frontwoman Juliette Jackson initially wrote for a pop mega star.

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4
Halsey – ‘Manic’

Halsey
Credit: Press

Release date: January 17
What’s the story?: After two concept albums (one dystopian, one Shakespearian), Halsey’s stripping away her persona and showing us the real her. She’s described it as an album about “female rage”, but don’t expect a record of screaming stompers – she’s also called it bright and colourful, and the three tracks released at the time of writing back that up.

5
Bombay Bicycle Club – ‘Everything Else Has Gone Wrong’

Bombay Bicycle Club
Credit: Press

Release date: January 17
What’s the story?: It’s only been three years since Bombay Bicycle Club announced their hiatus but they’ve already gone and reneged on that split and made their way back to us. Thank god, because if their new album is as good as surging first track ‘Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You)’ they’ll be setting the high bar for 2020 right out the gates.

6
The Courteeners – ‘More. Again. Forever’


Release date: January 17
What’s the story?: You might think you know what to expect from The Courteeners, but the title track of their sixth album might just throw you a curveball. On it, frontman Liam Fray takes on spoken word while his bandmates loop an elastic bass groove and foot-shuffling beat beneath.

7
Pet Shop Boys – ‘Hotspot’

Pet Shop Boys
Credit: Pet Shop Boys

Release date: January 24
What’s the story?: This far into their career, these Godlike Geniuses know what works for them. On ‘Hotspot’, they’ve stuck to what they do best – decamping to Berlin and writing some great pop songs. There is one difference this time, though – Years and Years’ Olly Alexander lends his vocals to ‘Dreamland’ in a brilliant bit of pop teamwork.

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8
Sløtface – ‘Sorry For The Late Reply’

Sløtface
Sløtface CREDIT: Press

Release date: January 31
What’s the story?: The follow-up to their 2017 acclaimed debut ‘Try Not To Freak Out‘, their second record has been produced by Odd Martin Skålnes (who has worked with with the likes of Aurora and Sigrid), and is said to sound like “rock but it’s more defined,” as well as as more “minimalistic,” “braver” and more “raw” than their last effort. Bring it on.

9
Blossoms – ‘Foolish Loving Spaces’

Blossoms
Blossoms have announced the release of their third album next year

Release date: January 31
What’s the story?: Stockport’s finest told NME that their third album will be “a pure celebration of love in all of its splendid and baffling guises, toying with the so-called sins of lust and forbidden infatuation” – inspired by Talking Heads‘ ‘Stop Making Sense’, U2‘s ‘The Joshua Tree’ and Primal Scream‘s ‘Screamadelica’. Sounds good, eh?

10
Green Day – ‘Father Of All…’

Green Day
Credit: Press

Release date: February 7
What’s the story?: Prepare for lightning speed Green Day. ‘Father Of All…’ is their shortest album ever, in which they – according to frontman Billie Joe Armstrong – “cut through the bullshit” and try to make you feel bad. Oh, and it’s influenced by Kendrick Lamar, which could be interesting.

11
La Roux – ‘Supervision’

La Roux


Release date: February 7
What’s the story?: In the five years since releasing her second album ‘Trouble In Paradise’, La Roux has kept a fairly low profile, only popping up on a track on Tyler The Creator’s ‘Igor’. We should see a lot more of her in 2020, though, when she returns with her third album ‘Supervision’. Its first single ‘International Woman Of Leisure’ suggests we should expect something typically vibrant, synth-laden and fun.

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12
HMLTD – ‘West Of Eden’

HMLTD
Credit: Press

Release date: February 7
What’s the story?: For a minute, HMLTD looked like they might be yet another band to fall by the buzzy wayside. Once the most-hyped group in the country, they were promised to be made the biggest by their former label, then quickly realised said label didn’t really get what they were about and split. Now, at long last, they’re ready to release their debut album, which holds “a mirror up to late capitalism” and proclaims the West to be “dead: atomised, alienated, and apathetic.” Sounds cheery.

13
Tame Impala – ‘The Slow Rush’

Tame Impala
Credit: Press

Release date: February 14
What’s the story?: ‘The Slow Rush’ seems like a fitting title for something that feels like it’s been on the horizon for a long time, for both fans and Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker. Parker’s been drip-feeding tracks from the record over the course of this year, including the psych drive of latest release ‘It Might Be Time’, and explained the delay was down to him not wanting to put out something that wasn’t the best his “entire heart and soul and brain could give.” Sounds like it should be good, then.

14
The 1975 – ‘Notes On A Conditional Form’

The 1975
Credit: Mara Palena

Release date: February 21
What’s the story?: The 1975’s Matty Healy intended to release two albums in under a year – first ‘A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships’, then ‘Notes On A Conditional Form’. That plan hasn’t quite stuck with the latter due to arrive 15 months after its predecessor, but it’ll likely be worth the wait. Already we’ve heard ‘The 1975’ featuring climate activist Greta Thunberg, the screaming, raging ‘People’, and the garage-y introspection of ‘Frail State Of Mind’, hinting at a varied album that takes its inspiration from “British nighttime culture”.

15
Grimes – ‘Miss Anthropocene’

Grimes
Credit: Rmv/REX/Shutterstock

Release date: February 21
What’s the story?: Buckle up, this one’s… interesting. Grimes’ follow-up to 2015’s ‘Art Angels’ is named after an anthropomorphic goddess of climate change, on which each song represents “a different embodiment of human extinction as depicted through pop star demonology”. Sonically, expect everything from a “cheesy love song” to an “ethereal chav jam” and “ethereal nu-metal”.

16
Circa Waves – ‘Sad Happy’

Circa Waves
Credit: Press

Release date: ‘Happy’ on January 10, ‘Sad’ on March 13
What’s the story?: Split into two halves – one sad, one happy – Circa Waves next album is built to reflect a world divided. Inspired by the feeling of constantly flitting between the two emotions it takes its title from, it dissects frontman Kieran Shudall’s feelings on love, mortality, and more. First single ‘Jacqueline’ promises big things, starting off indebted to Paul Simon before shifting gears into an enormous indie banger.

17
Weezer – ‘Van Weezer’

Weezer
Credit: Mauricio Santana

Release date: May 15
What’s the story?: As you might expect from an album whose name is inspired by Van Halen, Weezer’s 14th studio album is inspired by hard rock and heavy metal from the ‘70s and ‘80s. As first single ‘The End Of The Game’ suggests, it’s all about “big guitars”, while frontman Rivers Cuomo has also described it as being like ‘The Blue Album’ “but a little more riffy”.

18
The Killers – ‘Imploding The Mirage’

The Killers
Credit: Rob Loud/Press

Release date: Spring
What’s the story?: Details about ‘Imploding The Mirage’ are scarce at the moment, but the band have given us some crumbs to get excited about so far. According to drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr, the album is “more fun, a little bit more up” and “grateful sounding”. Frontman Brandon Flowers told NME that synths had been creeping back up in the music they’d been working on.

19
The Strokes – ‘TBC’

The Strokes at All Points East 2019. Credit: Andy Ford

Release date: TBC
What’s the story?: The indie icons haven’t released a full album since 2013’s ‘Comedown Machine‘. At recent comeback shows, the band have aired new songs ‘The Adults Are Talking‘ and ‘Ode To The Mets‘ – just a little taster of what’s to come. “Yeah, we have a new album coming out soon,” frontman Julian Casablancas told fans on New Year’s Eve. “Surprise. 2020 here we come. We took the 2010’s – whatever the fuck they’re called – we took ’em off but now we’ve been unfrozen and we’re back.”

20
The Cure – TBC

The Cure's Robert Smith
The Cure’s Robert Smith

Release date: TBC
What’s the story?: Last year Smith told NME that their new material was sounding “merciless”, and that he originally hoped to release it in 2019. It’s now been 12 years after predecessor ‘4:13 Dream’, with the new material shaped by his “experience of life’s darker side” and taking the form of three new albums. “I think I’m generally more of a balanced individual than I was 10 years ago,” Smith told NME. “I’ve experienced more of life’s darker side, for real. Before I used to write about stuff that I thought I understood. Now I know I understand it. The lyrics I’ve been writing for this album, for me personally, are more true. They’re more honest. That’s probably why the album itself is a little bit more doom and gloom. I feel I want to do something that expresses the darker side of what I’ve experienced over the last few years – but in a way that will engage people.”

21
The xx – TBC

The xx’s Romy Croft live at All Points East 2018

Release date: TBC
What’s the story?: The London trio kicked off the year with a promising update on the follow-up to 2017’s ‘I See You‘. “Looking forward to 2020,” the band wrote on Instagram. “We’ve all been working on new music can’t wait to share it with you! Hope you have the best new year!”

22
Foo Fighters – TBC

Foo Fighters

Release date: TBC
What’s the story?: Having previously teased that the follow-up to 2017’s ‘Concrete & Gold’ will be “fucking weird“, it looks like Foo Fighters could be celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2020 by dropping a new record. To start the new year, the band shared a photo of them recording in a bathtub with the caption “Come on in, the water’s fine…” and the hashtags #FF2020 and #FF25.

23
Matt Berninger – ‘Serpentine Prison’

The National's Matt Berninger live at The Brighton Centre.
The National’s Matt Berninger live at The Brighton Centre. Credit: Burak Cingi/Redferns

Release date: TBC
What’s the story?: The National frontman is going it alone for the first time, having promised fans that his debut solo album ‘Serpentine Prison‘ is on the way. Produced by Booker T Jones, the record came about after the pair attempted to record a covers album. “I didn’t think about the style of the songs or even trying to avoid sounding like The National or [side-project] El Vy,” Berninger told NME of the album. “There’s cross-pollination, but I wasn’t trying to go after anything. I just wanted to find some good songs. I just wanted to see if I could do something by myself, so I brought in 20 of the most brilliant musicians and some of the coolest people I know.”

24
Yungblud – TBC

Yungblud
Yungblud performs live

Release date: TBC
What’s the story?: It sounds like the follow-up to 2018’s ’21st Century Liability’ is coming very soon, and it could have a touch of the Thin White Duke about it. “There’s a song called ‘Mars’ which is important to me ’cause I had a trans man come up to me and say my track ‘Kill Somebody’ last year helped his parents with the community he wanted to be in,” he said of what to expect from the album. “And allowed him to go from being a girl – they sat with him through his transition to be a boy. I thought that was fucking crazy.He told me about his story, about how nobody understood him, and it clicked with me because it reminded me of ‘Life On Mars’ by David Bowie –  so I’m paying homage to that. [The album] is kind of a nod to Bowie, and it’s stories about young people.”

25
Deftones – TBC

Deftones’ Chino Moreno

Release date: TBC
What’s the story?: Frontman Chino Moreno has declared that the long-awaited follow-up to 2016’s ‘Gore’ is “definitely” coming in 2020, and that it reminds him of their classic third album ‘White Pony‘. “We’re definitely getting into experimental sort of modes, which is the funnest phase that we get into,” he said. “One of the biggest records in our career is obviously ‘White Pony’, and it’s our most commercially successful record, as well, but that was also one of our most experimental records, especially for the time when it came out. That record, making it was… what’s a good word to describe it? We felt really free.”

26
Mystery Jets – ‘A Billon Heartbeats’

Mystery Jets
Credit: Press

Release date: TBC
What’s the story?: Originally intended to be released in September, the Jets’ seventh album was postponed to 2020 after frontman Blaine Harrison had to undergo emergency surgery. There’s no word yet on when it will arrive exactly, but when it does expect something hard-hitting and confrontational. The band recently told NME the album captured “the spirit of protest”, covering the rise of the alt-right, the Women’s March, and the privatisation of the NHS.

27
Normani – ‘TBC’

Normani
Credit: Getty Images

Release date: TBC
What’s the story?: We don’t know much about Normani’s hotly anticipated album yet, but she has been working with some of the most tried-and-tested producers in pop, so it seems a sure bet that it’ll be packed with pop gold. Her single ‘Motivation’ also reinforces that notion and could hit at more ‘00s RandB-influenced earworms to come.

28
BTS – ‘Map Of The Soul: Shadow’ (TBC)

Credit: BigHit Entertainment

Release date:TBC
What’s the story?: On 2019’s ‘Map Of The Soul: Persona’, BTS delved into Jungian theories of psychology, using them to explore ideas of identity. If fan theories that the second part of the series will be called ‘Shadow’ are correct, it should look into the darker side of our psyches, all while making the kind of genre-hopping gems that have made them one of the biggest bands in the world.

29
Migos – ‘Culture III’

Migos
Credit: Getty Images

Release date: TBC
What’s the story?: ‘Culture III’ was intended for release at the start of 2019 but got pushed back for Offset to release his solo album. Despite the delay, we still don’t know much about it, except it’s likely to arrive in January 2020. Other than that, it’s anyone’s guess, although it seems plausible that it will feature some big guest features – perhaps Offset’s other half, Cardi B.

30
King Krule – ‘TBC’

King Krule


Release date: TBC
What’s the story?: Following the success of 2018’s Mercury-nominated ‘The Ooz’, King Krule (aka Archy Marshall) hasn’t wasted any time getting back into the studio. A new album is on the way with a grand total of four tracks that could feature on it already out via a new short film, titled Hey World!

31
Lana Del Rey – ‘White Hot Forever’

Lana Del Rey
Credit: Mat Hayward/Getty Images

Release date: TBC
What’s the story?: Before she’d even released ‘Norman Fucking Rockwell!’, Lana Del Rey confirmed there was another record on the way, titled ‘White Hot Forever’. While the star has yet to speak on what it’ll sound like, she did say in August that it would likely be a “surprise release sometime within 12 or 13 months”, so you might want to keep your ear to the ground.

32
Cardi B – ‘TBC’

Cardi B
Credit: FilmMagic

Release date: TBC
What’s the story?: Since the release of 2018’s critic-silencing ‘Invasion Of Privacy’, Cardi’s been keeping herself busy, dropping standalone singles like ‘Press’ and ‘Please Me’, and likely gathering inspiration from working on her first movie Hustlers, and getting to grips with motherhood.

33
Blackpink – ‘TBC’

Credit: Getty Images

Release date: TBC
What’s the story?: Since their last release (April 2019’s ‘Kill This Love’ mini-album), Blackpink’s star has grown massively. They’ve gained love from stars like Ariana Grande, Diplo, and Halsey, become the first all-female K-pop group to play Coachella. ‘Kill This Love’ mixed bolshy hip-hop with softer pop moments and it seems likely a follow-up would stick to that loose template. When will we get it? There’s no word yet amidst the problems of their label YG, but when it arrives, expect it to be big.

34
Kasabian – ‘TBC’

Kasabian
Credit: Samir Hussein/WireImage

Release date: TBC
What’s the story?: It’s early days on this one, but the band have confirmed they’re working on it. Speaking to NME, Serge Pizzorno said it would be both experimental and full of “loud guitars”. The Leicester group have got a big show in their hometown in June so it’s possible that the new record could be out beforehand, or there’ll at least be one new track or two out in the world.

35
Megan Thee Stallion – ‘TBC’

Megan Thee Stallion
Credit: Getty Images

Release date: TBC
What’s the story?: Expect the debut album from the queen of ‘Hot Girl Summer’ to be a big girl power-fest. Although the rapper has yet to confirm many details about the record, she has stated it will feature a collaboration with Kehlani and “a lot of ladies”. It could also be released under a different name, with her saying she’s invented a new alter-ego called Suga.

36
Dua Lipa – ‘Future Nostalgia’

Dua Lipa announces fan video submission contest
Credit: Press

Release date: TBC
What’s the story?: Her first album made her a global star, now Dua’s looking to cement that position with a record she’s described as “nostalgic”. Get ready for a lot of disco sounds and a project that “doesn’t take itself too seriously”. It’ll also feature some collaborations, which the singer is keeping to herself for now. One thing we do know is that, despite being photographed in the studio with him, disco legend Nile Rodgers won’t feature on the album.

37
J Cole – ‘The Fall Off’

J Cole
Credit: Getty Images

Release date: TBC
What’s the story?: The follow-up to 2018’s ‘KOD’ was announced during Cole’s headline set at Day N Vegas festival, backed with a parody of a campaign advert for a politician. ‘The Fall Off’ – the rapper’s sixth studio album – could be our only taste of Cole’s work in 2020, too, after he suggested he would no longer be recording guest features for other artists.

38
Lady Gaga – ‘TBC’

Lady Gaga
Credit: Getty Images for SIRIUSXM

Release date: TBC
What’s the story?: “I’m gonna call my next album ADELE,” Lady Gaga tweeted in October. Was it a joke, a hint at a forthcoming collaboration, or a big, early reveal? Only time will tell. Elsewhere, Gaga’s sixth album is rumoured to feature collabs with Sophie, BloodPop, and former Dirty Pretty Things member/‘Shallow’ co-writer Anthony Rossomando.

39
Noname – ‘Factory Baby’

Noname
Credit: Getty Images for Governors Ball

Release date: TBC
What’s the story?: Chicago rapper Noname feels like she’s only just getting started, but recently implied her second album ‘Factory Baby’ could be her last. The musician told her Twitter followers that her heart “wasn’t fully in it anymore” and called the dynamic between artist and fan “really fucking unhealthy”. Better make the most of this unique talent while she’s still in the spotlight then.

40
Haim – ‘TBC’

Haim Robyn Show Me Love
Credit: WireImage

Release date: TBC
What’s the story?: “The whole mantra of the record is about being fearless and not holding yourself back,” Alana Haim told NME of their next record. Judging by the songs we’ve heard so far – ‘Summer Girl’, ‘Now I’m In It’, and ‘Hallelujah’ – the sisters are really going there on album three, in terms of new sounds and sharing deeply personal stories.

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