39 Albums We Can’t Wait to Hear This Summer

Many of the artists on this summer’s release calendar seem to be driven by a simple goal — to put their most authentic selves on record. Sure, fans have heard “it’s my most personal album yet” a billion times, but this season’s slate goes beyond that and into “this is who I am right now — take it or leave it.” BTS leader RM and Glass Animals write about staying present after feeling unmoored; Polo G and Nick Cave confront pain and mortality with clarity; DIIV and Ani DiFranco rage with anger at the societal systems that harm us; and upstarts like Ice Spice and Remi Wolf indulge in stylistic leaps that they’d previously considered too bold. Simply put, few of them, if any, have time for bullshit this summer, and perhaps we should all follow suit. If that’s the warm-weather vibe you’re after between now and Labor Day, then there’s an album (or five) coming for you this summer.

If you’re feeling a crushing sense of pessimism about the fate of humanity, or you just enjoy brooding yet gorgeous shoegaze, DIIV’s fourth effort is perfect for doomscrollers and fuzz fiends alike. Led by singer-guitarist Zachary Cole Smith, the Brooklyn quartet delivers a lush meditation on how to keep going as the world ends in slow motion. It’s not barbecue music, but hey, the horrors of life don’t take the summer off either.

On her 2023 solo album, Manzanita, La Luz mastermind Shana Cleveland focused on the swell of emotions that came with the birth of her son, Ozzy. News of the Universe, the psych-surf quartet’s first album on esteemed label Sub Pop, is understandably heavier and more expansive, given that it’s inspired by Cleveland’s breast-cancer diagnosis and invasive (and successful) treatment. Lyrically and sonically, it’s La Luz’s most ambitious effort to date without losing the band’s trademark fuzz and grit.

BTS leader RM is quite the multitasker. He began the year by completing basic training for his mandatory service in the South Korean army, and now he’s starting off summer with the sequel to 2022’s Indigo. Promising to be a less poppy project than what he and his bandmates have put out since enlisting, RM’s sophomore release is led by the six-minute “Come Back to Me,” a rich, acoustic-driven slow jam that highlights his quietly commanding tenor crooning. Sadly, he won’t be able to bring it out on the road until he’s released from service in June 2025.

If you’ve slept on Arooj Aftab’s blend of jazz and folk filtered through her Pakistani heritage, this is the season to wake up. After taking home a Best Global Music Performance Grammy for “Mohabbat,” a song off 2021’s Vulture Prince, and getting nominated again for last year’s collaborative Love in Exile, Aftab is back with her fourth LP — and a Tessa Thompson–directed video for the lead single, “Raat Ki Rani.” You’ll want to get into Night Reign before it lands on multiple “Best of 2024” lists.

After weaving a tale of teen vampires in ’80s L.A. on the 2019 album Lost Girls, Bat for Lashes’ Natasha Khan has found a new topic: motherhood. Named for her daughter, The Dream of Delphi is a synth-folk journey about the whole experience, told through Khan’s alter ego, the Motherwitch. Curious what that means? Khan has said that the title track is about being “stretched physically, mentally, even vaginally!”

On her third album, Maya Hawke addresses those nepo-baby barbs head-on. “I was born with my foot in the door / And my mind in the gutter and my guts on the floor,” she sings on the breezy indie-pop-ish single “Missing Out,” a rumination on the normie experiences she never had. More broadly, the alt-folky LP explores deeper themes about how we find beauty through turmoil, taking on anxiety and toxic relationships in ways that show the Stranger Things star is wise well beyond her 25 years.

Following his Rock Hall induction, a star-studded 90th-birthday concert bash, and a cameo on Cowboy Carter, one might expect Willie Nelson to bring tons of high-profile guests to his 75th studio album. But the beloved outlaw is keeping things simple with this collection of country originals and remakes highlighted by the title track, a cover of Rodney Crowell’s 2019 mournful tale of a border agent. It’s Nelson and his trusty guitar, Trigger — what more do you need?

After the ’80s pop stylings and tongue-in-cheek star posturing of 2022’s Crash, Charli XCX is taking things in a more direct and brazen direction with Brat. As evidenced by the single “Von Dutch,” there will be sounds evoking the London club parties she used to frequent (or the poppers-reeking one she DJ’d earlier this year), while the abrasively gorgeous SOPHIE tribute, “So I,” shows how raw the record will get.

It’s a big year for Jon Bon Jovi. Not only is his namesake band celebrating its 40th anniversary with a four-part Hulu documentary, Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story, but the group is also releasing its 16th LP, Forever, his first since undergoing major vocal-cord surgery. Based on the upbeat lead single, “Legendary,” we’ll expect a theme of perseverance and gratitude from the veteran Jersey boys.

“On a diffеrent wave that I came in thе game on / When I levitate, grab my sneakers and hang on” Anderson .Paak leisurely raps on “86Sentra,” his latest single as part of the duo NxWorries alongside producer Knxwledge. That might well be the mission statement of their follow-up to 2016’s Yes Lawd!, and this time they’ve enlisted Snoop, H.E.R., Earl Sweatshirt, and Dave Chappelle to fancy up their controlled chaos of hip-hop, funk, and R&B.

Last year, LL celebrated 50 years of hip-hop and released a snippet of a forceful new Q-Tip-produced single, “The F.O.R.C.E.,” which oddly never made it to streaming services. Whatever happened there, we now know he’ll be back with an album of the same name that’s executive-produced by Tip with features from Eminem, Nas, Saweetie, Fat Joe, and Rick Ross. His 14th LP is his first since 2013’s Authentic and arrives an astounding 39 years after his debut, Radio.

After reforming Pedro the Lion in 2017, mastermind David Bazan plotted a five-album autobiography that centers on specific places and periods of his life. Santa Cruz is the third record in the cycle following 2019’s Phoenix and 2022’s Havasu and covers Bazan’s teen years into adulthood. The lead single, “Modesto,” tells the story of how he gave up selling vacuum cleaners and moved to Seattle to pursue music, a decision we’d classify as “a very good call.”

Since her breakout guest spot on Wizkid’s 2020 top-ten-charting global smash “Essence,” Tems has released an EP, won a Grammy for the Future and Drake collab “Wait for U,” and co-wrote Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up,” which earned her an Oscar nom. But the Lagos-born singer-songwriter took her time perfecting her first full-length, finally debuting its languid lead single, “Love Me JeJe,” at Coachella in April. Following the release of Born in the Wild, she’ll head out on her first-ever world tour and, more than likely, rack up even more award nods.

For their ninth LP and first since 2018’s I’ll Be Your Girl, the Decemberists are going big. As It Ever Was … is a 13-track double album split into “four thematic sides,” per a press release, and the group already previewed the scale by releasing both the James Mercer–assisted opening track, “Burial Ground,” and the proggy, 19-minute closer “Joan in the Garden.”

Announced in 2018 and teased mercilessly over the years, Normani’s debut album finally has a title and release date. Before Dopamine arrives mid-June, the former Fifth Harmonizer blessed us with the carnal single “1:59,” featuring a guest verse from Gunna. Per her label, the record will take us along “Normani’s journey of embracing her divine femininity.” Finally, we can move on and start wondering when she’ll bring us album No. 2.

It’s been ten whole years since Trainor introduced herself with “All About That Bass.” And though she’s never replicated the success of that diamond-selling single, the pop star has been plugging away, returning this year with her sixth album in a decade. While she initially considered doing a country record, the 30-year-old’s Timeless will be more of her traditional brand of pop, as heard on the Broadway-leaning T-Pain collab “Been Like This.” She’ll also hit the road this fall for her first tour in seven years.

A chronic vocal-cord condition may have robbed Thompson of her ability to sing, but she most certainly can still write. Undaunted by her malady, the 76-year-old kept writing songs and tapped a bunch of friends and family — including Martha and Rufus Wainwright, the Proclaimers, and John Grant — to record them, with ex-husband Richard providing guitar on several tracks. And if the album cover looks oddly familiar, that’s Thompson putting a cheeky spin on the photo from Roxy Music’s self-titled 1972 debut.

Though they’re outspoken on plenty of the issues bedeviling the globe, Kehlani wants their fourth album to give people a break from all that. They recently told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe that Crash was recorded between surfing seshes and is intended to exude only “joy.” That escapist vibe can be heard on lead single “After Hours,” a sultry dance ode to finding that special someone as the club starts to close.

You’d think the Johnny Cash vaults would be empty by now, but nope. Cash’s son John Carter recently dug up a 1993 session where the Man in Black demoed a handful of originals, singing and playing guitar with Waylon Jennings supplying backing vocals. The tapes were buried when Cash signed with Rick Rubin, and now an all-star cast, including Dan Auerbach and Vince Gill, help bring the 11 tracks, including the timeless “Well Alright,” back to life.

Despite chronicling all the moods and vibes Cabello says her fourth album is giving, we didn’t expect the former Fifth Harmony member to go veering into hyperpop. (Her going platinum blonde was also a surprise but not that big of a stylistic jolt.) The pivot first appeared on the Playboi Carti–assisted lead single “I Luv It,” which is backed by a berserk video featuring Camilla drinking gasoline and getting chased by dogs. We’ll see how well she pulls off this new career era when all of C,XOXO arrives in June.

Imagine Dragons were pretty quiet in 2023 (with one notable exception when they played for WGA picketers). Turns out they were recharging their creative batteries and working on album No. 6. Loom is preceded by the dubstep-y single “Eyes Closed,” which would’ve been a perfect end-credits theme for a Fast & Furious movie, and a revamped, wub-wubbier version featuring the reggaeton stylings of J Balvin.

Melbourne’s Hiatus Kaiyote dazzled us in 2021 with their soulfully funky third album, Mood Valiant. For their fourth LP, the group, led by singer/guitarist Naomi “Nai Palm” Saalfield, teamed with Brazilian producer Mario Caldato Jr., best known for his work with the Beastie Boys. Lead singles “Make Friends” and “Everything’s Beautiful” are jazzy blasts of positivity guaranteed to help you get through the season’s cloudiest days.

Reproductive rights, the pandemic, our inhumane justice system: You’ll find those topics and more on Ani DiFranco’s 23rd album, Unprecedented Sh!t. Produced by BJ Burton (Low, Bon Iver), the album’s title speaks to both the current state of affairs in the country and the singer-songwriter’s bolder musical direction, which can be heard on the twitchily fraught “Baby Roe” and darkly jazzy “The Thing at Hand.”

Even if you’ve never attended a Phish concert, you’ve no doubt heard about them; the band’s reputation as a live act is its calling card. Less discussed is the group’s studio work, which is plenty impressive in its own right: Months after Phish’s four-night triumph at the Sphere in Vegas, the quartet is releasing Evolve, its 16th proper full-length album. The exuberant title track is great for a sunny afternoon stroll — and a sample of what’s to come during the band’s summer tour.

Summer is not typically associated with seasonal affective disorder, but hey, the doldrums can arrive at any time; might as well have a playlist ready for the moment. Cigarettes After Sex’s third album, X’s, could fit the bill: Front man Greg Gonzalez has cited ’70s and ’80s slow-dance music, Sade, and his own post-relationship blues as the driving forces behind this project, with lead single “Tejano Blue” doing a bit of “Selena meets the Cocteau Twins.” If you like what you hear, the trio will be headlining arenas worldwide through autumn.

“I just want to live on the edge of genre, on the edge of profanity, on the edge of everything,” Remi Wolf told DIY Mag about her forthcoming second LP, Big Ideas. The follow-up to 2021’s fantastic Juno comes on the heels of opening slots for Paramore and Olivia Rodrigo and the release of the insanely catchy synth-pop single “Cinderella.” With a sound and persona reminiscent of the more carefree, “Let ’Em Say”–era Lizzo, we can easily see Big Ideas propelling her into the same levels of stardom (hopefully sans the lawsuits).

An album that answers the question, “What would it be like if my longtime band suddenly became famous during the COVID-19 lockdown?,” Glass Animals’ new record brings us into the conflicted mind of singer Dave Bayley, who went into an existential tailspin after the English dance-pop act had a breakout 2020 hit with “Heat Waves.” Rest assured that Bayley’s in a better place now, which is apparent on the glittery sing-along lead single, “Creatures in Heaven.”

Hood Poet is Polo G’s first release since 2021’s double-platinum Hall of Fame and its chart-topping single, “Rapstar.” The project follows the Chicago MC’s recent break from the spotlight, along with recent arrests on weapons, robbery, and kidnapping charges. Between the incendiary two-minute single “Cloudy Sky” and the title itself (an acronym for “he overcame obstacles during pain or emotional trauma”), Hood Poet promises to be one of the most searingly candid albums of the year.

Blending the pub rock of the Libertines with the gloomy intensity of Interpol, the London-via-Dublin post-punk quartet Fontaines D.C. released their well-received third album Skinty Fia in 2022; front man Grian Chatten followed that a year later with a more austere solo debut, Chaos for the Fly. Now the group returns with a record influenced by Outkast, Slowdive, the Prodigy, and Shygirl, among others, led by the rugged single “Starburster.”

It’s remarkable that Nick Cave was able to put out any music after his teenage son Arthur’s 2015 death, let alone make some of the best albums of his career in Skeleton Tree (2016) and Ghosteen (2019). Cave’s latest, Wild God, comes after another tragedy, the 2022 loss of his oldest son, Jethro. But as he wrote on his blog — and as the title track evinces — the record has a “joyful” spirit in spite of the darkness. As Cave expressed, “There’s no fucking around with this record. When it hits, it hits. It lifts you. It moves you.”

Following the brutal Tory Lanez saga and a drawn-out contractual battle with her former label, Megan Thee Stallion is finally free to confront all the pain and frustration of the past few years on the self-funded follow-up to 2022’s Traumazine. The three singles so far from the still-untitled LP all share snake imagery and Megan’s trademark ferocity, with the diss-heavy “Hiss” being credited for kick-starting the feud between Kendrick Lamar and the Lanez-supporting Drake.

Maybe another season won’t pass without the follow-up to 2018’s Invasion of Privacy? According to a Rolling Stone cover story, Cardi was still recording her second album around the same time she dropped the tenacious “Enough (Miami)” in March. She’s since said she won’t release anything this year, only for her reps to say they definitely plan on putting it out.

Back in March, Dr. Dre revealed that his protégé’s 12th LP was on the way this year, telling Jimmy Kimmel, “He has an album coming out. I’ve got songs on it. It’s fire.” Little else was known about the follow-up to 2020’s Music to Be Murdered By until NFL Draft night, when Eminem revealed that his new record will see him killing off his beloved (we guess?) alter ego, Slim Shady. Funeral arrangements, and a release date, are still pending.

Following a 2023 full of collaborations, including the Nicki Minaj duet “Barbie Girl,” we’re finally getting a better picture of what Ice Spice’s debut album, Y2K, will sound like. The Bronx rapper recently said the record, which was finished in March, has a loose concept about the turn of the millennium, a fitting theme given she was born on January 1, 2000. She and producer RiotUSA are bringing the sounds of that era back too, as heard on the Sean Paul–sampling “Gimme a Light.”

It’s beyond understandable that Liam Payne is taking his time releasing the sequel to his 2019 debut solo album, LP1. Last summer, the 30-year-old former One Direction member revealed that he was working on the record after going to rehab for alcoholism, and earlier this year, Payne teased the project while saying he scrapped much of what he’d written in favor of more honest songs. For a taste of Payne’s authentically vulnerable side, check out the March-released single “Teardrops,” which was co-written by ’N Sync’s JC Chasez.

It’s been four years since Solar Power, so we’re due, right? Last December, after performing new songs “Silver Moon” and “Invisible Ink,” Lorde took to social media to say the completion of her fourth album was “not CLOSE close.” Her latest release is a cover of Talking Heads’ “Take Me to the River,” which she says helped her creative process. “Stepping away from my own project for a couple ended up giving me a HUGE piece of the puzzle,” the New Zealand wunderkind wrote in an Instagram Story.

In an era when stars rarely seem to announce a new release without a massive publicity push, we have to credit hip-hop’s most esteemed medical professional, Dr. Dre, for giving it to us straight. For the second time on this list, we’re talking about an LP he announced during his March appearance on Kimmel — a reunion with Snoop Dogg to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Snoop’s debut, Doggystyle. What we know at the moment is that 50 Cent and Erick Sermon are featured on the record and that the title is reflective of Snoop’s maturity: As Dre said, “The first album was called Doggystyle, so we decided to flip it and call this one Missionary.”

It’s hard to suss out where SZA’s third album stands. Following the February release of the wistful “Saturn,” she announced she was scrapping all of what she’d tracked for the full-length following leaks of several songs, then said she’d put those tunes on the deluxe edition of the Grammy-winning SOS. “Lana deserves more time and music no one’s ever heard before,” she posted on X in March, so a summer release might be a stretch. Still, we can hope.

It looks like Rocky’s first album since 2018’s Testing could hit any time now, given that Don’t Be Dumb merch just became available to buy. He started writing the album in 2020 during a cross-country pandemic road trip with his maybe-wife Rihanna, and while we’re not sure if she’ll make a cameo, Rocky has revealed that Tyler, the Creator, Madlib, Alchemist, Metro Boomin, and many others contributed.