The New Albums We’ll Be Listening To All Spring
Last year was actually a great year for music, and it looks like we’re off to the races again in 2019. It’s actually somewhat counter-intuitive when you think about it. If you recall, the internet takeover was supposed to be the death knell for music. We were all warned of the impending chaos and doom that would surely befall the music industry. But it turns out, things are just fine. The democratization of discovering music has actually been quite good. Sure, the major labels may not be raking in as much cash as they used to, and a lot more garbage music is finding its way to the masses—but all things considered, good music has been winning too! To keep the good vibes going, we’re sharing the new albums we’ll be blasting loud from our O.N.S Downtown offices all thru spring.
KAREN O AND DANGER MOUSE, Lux Prima, March 15th
Newsflash: There’s only one Karen O. And oh, how we’ve deeply missed those rafter-reaching notes and that in-your-face entrancing stage presence. And, thank the rock Gods, she’s back! Well, this time, she’s without her Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ bandmates. But don’t you worry—in true rock goddess form, Karen O perpetually delivers epicness. The bonafide rock star finds herself pairing with producer Danger Mouse on Lux Prima, their collaborative album which arrives March 15th. In mid-January, the duo released the foot-stomping-inducing “Woman,” featuring Karen O’s siren-like, undeniably visceral vocals on full display. In a statement, she revealed that, though she usually makes music that anyone can relate to, “Woman” is for “the inner child in me that needed the bullies out there to know you don’t fuck with me. I’m a woman now and I’ll protect that inner girl in me from hell and high water.” Hell fucking yes.
CAUTIOUS CLAY, Zero Zero Reasons, Release date TBD, 2019
Things are looking really, really good in 2019 for Cautious Clay, a Brooklyn-based soul singer/songwriter/producer (oh, and multi-instrumentalist, including the flute!) He already killed it in 2018, which saw him releasing two stellar EPs, RESONANCE and Blood Type. As for his “breakout moment”? That had a lot to do with his atmospheric slow jam single, “Cold War,” being featured on the season 3 premiere of HBO’s Insecure. His zenned-out, R&B-infused sound, involving lots of shadowy, luscious layered vocals and subtle tick-tock drumbeats, is really something special AKA addicting. In other words, there’s a ton of reasons why Zero Zero Reasons can’t come soon enough.
ORVILLE PECK, Pony, March 27th
There’s something about Orville Peck, the perma-masked, dark-country crooner. And by “something,” we mean he’s pretty damn spectacular, and checks every “give him every Grammy!!” box. Whoever the hell is behind those fringed masks is serving some psychotically impressive vocals. For eargasm proof, listen to the slow-burning bold beauty that is “Dead of Night,” showcasing pipes that effortlessly stretch, leap, and soar like a damn Olympic superstar gymnast. He (again, who are you!?) starts off the song singing in a gravelly, whispery bass over some twangy guitar strums before launching into a heavenly falsetto-which-then-transitions-into-a-full-blown booming belt once the transcendent chorus hits. That voice is a rollercoaster of an experience! The Lynchian (with a side of a Western Tarantino film) music video is as equally as captivating. Based off of the handful of cinematic, timeless-sounding tunes that the mysterious musician has released thus far, it sounds like we’re in for a Roy Orbison x Ultraviolence era Lana Del Rey addicting treat on his debut album, Pony, which drops on March 27th via Sub Pop Records. We love you, Orville Peck, whoever the hell you are.
BILLIE EILISH, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP WHERE DO WE GO?, March 29th
A star is born, and she’s only 17. And she’s yet to release a full-length album. We’re talking about Billie Eilish, who’s been on the verge of becoming the next Princess of Pop (think Robyn and/or Lorde vibes) ever since the release of her debut single, “ocean eyes.” Then came her debut EP, which has amassed more than 750 combined total streams worldwide on Spotify. Wow. The skyrocketing success is never-ending: In the late summer of 2018, she released the trippy track “you should see me in a crown,” and it garnered a million combined streams within 24 damn hours. Wow, again. Her latest track, “bury a friend,” is a sassy and spooky as hell gem, replete with a goth Girl, Interrupted music video. On March 29th, she’ll finally release her debut LP, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP WHERE DO WE GO? We have a feeling Eilish isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Well, besides on tour. Good luck getting a ticket.
MARK RONSON, Late Night Feelings, Date TBD, 2019
Speaking of stars being born and all… Mark Ronson. The connection: He contributed heavily to the A Star Is Born soundtrack, including co-writing the Grammy-winning rock ballad “Shallow” with the film’s star, Lady Gaga. Well, the British superstar songwriter and producer himself has got an album coming out! An album that features another pop star: Miley Cyrus. “Nothing Breaks Like A Heart” features Cyrus’ twangy vocals. It’s the lead single from Ronson’s fifth studio album, Late Night Feelings, which is set to drop at some point in 2019. It’s a glistening, road-trip-friendly number replete with frenetic strings and trippy beats and a Dolly Parton Goes Power Pop feel paired with bruised, breakup anthem-y lyrics. And it’s packed with an emotional punch in the heart — the perfect, let-loose lead single for an album called Late Night Feelings. (It recently topped the Billboard Dance Club Chart, by the way.) Not many other details have been revealed about the LP, but rumor has it that emo indie singer Lykke Li, whose album titles include Wounded Rhymes and So Sad So Sexy, will be one of the guest vocalists providing the feels. Sounds like an emotional rollercoaster we won’t wanna get off.
LANA DEL REY, Norman Fucking Rockwell, Date TBD, 2019
Even though Lana Del Rey hasn’t released an album since 2017’s lauded Lust For Life, she always gives us something to talk about. (You thought we were gonna say she always “gives us life,” didn’t you?) Headline-making examples include the pretty voiced-provocateur beefing seemingly out of nowhere on social media with Azealia Banks as well as encouraging her fans to join a mass occult ritual against Trump. But it seems like LDR will be putting down her armor when it comes to her forthcoming album, Norman Fucking Rockwell, which is apparently mostly produced by Jack Antonoff and due in mid-2019. The sonic proof is in the three tunes she’s released in a spaced out manner, starting in September: They’re all pretty ballad-y, they lack a soaring chorus, and they’re not very Top 40-y (the Xanax ballad “Venice Bitch” is over nine minutes!). This is a far cry from Lust For Life, which featured a cutesy-cool duet with The Weeknd and debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200. Assuming that the vibe of Norman Fucking Rockwell will match with the aforementioned songs, then fans of the stripped down, dreamy Honeymoon should be quite pleased. But you never know what to expect from Lana — she also says she’s going to self-publish a book of poetry — so we’ll have to wait and see
J. COLE, 6th album, Date TBD, 2019
J. Cole needs no introduction, but he does need to drop a new album like, right now. 2018’s KOD (Short for Kids on Drugs, King Overdosed and Kill Our Demons) topped many a Best Album of 2018 for a reason. (Correction: MANY reasons.) It was also the North Carolina rapper’s fifth album to reach the top of the Billboard 200. Meanwhile, we’ve lost count of the slew of killer features that were everywhere in 2018. Well, to no one’s surprise, the rap veteran is spicing shit up once again in 2019. He recently released the strong as shit single, “Middle Child,” which is co-produced by T-Minus and swiftly climbing the charts, as it should. The beat goes hard, with the rap genius firing off memorable verses that’ll surely cause many to lose their minds. Meanwhile, he’s been previewing bits of “Want You To Fly” on social media as of late, and we’re expecting it to drop any day now. (Prayers up!) As for the album? If whispers are to be trusted, it should be coming in 2019 via Dreamville Records, J. Cole’s very own record label.
Words by: Alex Catarinella
And if you enjoyed this story, check out our Urban Transplants issue here.
