Some people see the start of a new year as a blank slate, a chance to review your daily habits and tweak or completely reimagine them for the ultimate goal of bettering yourself. While self-improvement is all in good fun, a new calendar year also brings in an opportunity for new releases from your favorite artists. As soon as the clock strikes midnight and a new year is ushered in, the rumor mills immediately shift through social media posts from artists for possible cryptic clues as to new releases in the new year. While exploring these rumors is a blast for hopeful fans, there are already a few albums with solidified release dates and confirmation from the artist that 2023 will be the year we finally hear new music.
Glide has shifted through the countless possibilities and confirmed releases to put together our picks for the most anticipated albums of 2023.
Iggy Pop – Every Loser
Release Date: January 6th
Gold Tooth Records / Atlantic Records
In November of last year, the iconic Iggy Pop announced his new album Every Loser. This will mark the artist’s first solo album since 2019’s Free although he filled the 4-year gap with a reissue of his album Après and more experimental collaborations. According to a report from Pitchfork, Iggy Pop brought in the likes of Chad Smith, Duff McKagen, and Andrew Watt to contribute to the 11-songs on the album with Watt’s Gold Tooth Records helping release the project. The singles “Frenzy” and “Strung Out Johnny” are our only two glimpses as to what to expect from the ever-eccentric and undeniably legendary Iggy Pop.
Fucked Up – One Day
Release Date: January 27th
Merge Records
Toronto’s Fucked Up is set to return at the end of January with their new album One Day. The ever-prolific band is coming off of a hot 2022 that saw the band release a live album and three other projects that included two collections of rarities/singles and their complex yet masterfully weird album Oberon. Their upcoming album seems to be a return to convention for Fucked Up, with the two singles “Found” and the title track harkening back to the uptempo distortion and gruff vocal performances everyone has come to love from the Canadian band.
King Tuff – Smalltown Stardust
Release Date: January 27th
Sub Pop Records
For the first time since 2018, we finally get new music from the delightfully off-kilter King Tuff. Following up his fantastic album, The Other, King Tuff is set to release a collection of 11-new songs at the end of the first month of 2023. According to the Bandcamp description of Smalltown Stardust, Kyle Thomas (the man behind King Tuff) stated that he wanted to “make an album to remind myself that life is magical”. With two fantastic singles already out, the bluesy-pop fusion “Portrait of God” and the album’s title track, it appears King Tuff has put together quite the tracklist for his first release in 5 years.
The Arcs – Electrophonic Chronic
Release Date: January 27th
Easy Eye Sound
The Dan Auerbach-led band The Arcs are returning with new music since they first debuted in 2015 with their album Yours, Dreamily. Electrophonic Chronic boasts 12 new songs from the band that were recorded with bandmate Richard Swift before he passed away in 2018. According to a post by Brooklyn Vegan, Auerbach commented on his friends passing and the album saying “It’s a way for us to say goodbye to him, by revisiting him playing and laughing, singing”. There are currently three singles released for this album which also happen to be the first three songs of the tracklist. “Keep On Dreamin’”, “Eyez”, and “Heaven Is A Place” all have a loose feeling with a psychedelic tint to them to match the neon colors of the artwork.
Secret Machines – The Moth, The Lizard, And The Secret Machines
Release Date: February 17th
TSM Records
After years of sitting on the shelf, Secret Machines is finally preparing to release their long lost album The Moth, The Lizard, And The Secret Machines. The band began working on this album, which was meant to be their fourth LP, over a decade ago. Production on the album was put on pause in 2010 and left dormant until 2020 when the band revisited these tapes. The 9-songs presented on this album are meant to bridge the sonic gap that the band felt is missing in their discography. According to the Bandcamp description of the LP, the band hopes this new LP “makes it the missing link between that effort’s brash pop songs and 2008’s sorely overlooked self-titled LP.” With the only single, “There’s No Starting Over” coming in at track one and the band’s relentless efforts to expand their sound, this snapshot of a past era of the band is sure to be as expansive and awe-inspiring as their past releases.
shame – Food for Worms
Release Date: February 24th
Dead Oceans
For a band that was revered as one of the most hopeful post-punk bands of the modern day, shame continues to stay fearless in the eyes of stardom. With only two other albums under their belt, both of which explore two completely different sonic landscapes, their upcoming third LP stands to be equally unpredictable yet unbelievably enticing. With the sole single, “Fingers of Steel” seemingly blending the sonics of their first two albums together, the direction shame took on this upcoming LP remains somewhat of a mystery, but the anticipation is half the fun.
Algiers – Shook
Release Date: February 24th
Matador Records
The discography Atlanta band Algiers has created has been celebrated as one of the most diverse and refreshing in recent memory. They plan to build upon their already high-acclaim and artistic accomplishments with their feature-heavy LP, Shook. With the band bringing on everyone from Zack De La Rocha to Billy Woods, both songs acting as singles for the upcoming projects and both using fast-paced drum patterns, the band seems to be set to release another enticing installment to their discography. Some of the other features include Big Rube, Lee Brains, and Samuel T. Herring. According to the Bandcamp description, this album was recorded during a troubling period for the band as they were “on the verge of breaking up”. Thankfully, Algiers still stand strong and if the singles are any hint as to what to expect from Shook, they stand stronger than ever.
Gorillaz – Cracker Island
Release Date: February 24th
Parlophone Records Limited
There isn’t much to explain in terms of the excitement surrounding a new Gorillaz album. The digital band is returning for their eighth studio album and bringing with them a cast of familiar collaborators and new faces. The 11 songs recorded for Cracker Island feature the likes of Beck, Stevie Nicks, Thundercat, Bad Bunny, and Tame Impala, and that’s just scratching the surface. The Damon Albarn-led band has been prepping for the album by performing songs like “New Gold” and “Cracker Island” while on their 2022 world tour. There is no telling what to expect from a new Gorillaz album but if the singles and features are any clue, expect something uniquely magical.
The Shootouts – Stampede
Release Date: February 24th
Soundly Music
Continuing to add refreshing takes on old country tropes, The Shootouts are readying the release of their third LP. Bringing in the help of producers Ray Benson and Sam Seifert, the band looks to continue to build their discography on the back of twangy guitar and good old country songwriting. With every release, The Shootouts seem to sharpen their aim and expand on their sound and this upcoming LP seems no different. With the band bringing in features from the likes of Buddy Miller, Marty Stuart (who features on the album’s single “Better Things To Do”), Raul Malo, and Jim Lauderdale, just looking at this tracklist is enough to excite any country fan. With the addition of outside collaborations, Stampede is shaping up to be a major breakthrough for a band who is already on the cusp of becoming a major name in country music.
Lana Del Rey – Did you know there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd.
Release Date: March 10th
Polydor/Interscope
The prolifically blunt songstress Lana Del Rey is returning with her 9th studio album. The winded title is one that needs to be said in full, Lana Del Rey has made a career off of her artistically ambitious approach to balladry, making sure every word she records matters, shortening her album title would be a disservice. The promotional tactics for this upcoming LP include the ambient title track that features Rey’s signature velvet vocals and a sweeping arrangement and one single billboard she placed in the town of an ex lover. With the extremely impressive single already wowing fans and Del Rey doubters alike, this upcoming LP seems to be falling right in line with the artist’s already beautifully poetic discography.
Circles Around The Sun – Language
Release Date: April 28th
Self Released
The fourth studio album from the instrumental collective Circles Around The Sun is set to be their most experimental yet. With the addition of guitarist John Lee Shannon, the band sets its sights on a new era as they look to continue to round out their spacious cosmic soundscapes. Giving classic psychedelic rock fixtures a facelift, the band is constantly building on itself to produce dense arrangements, and the lead single for Language is no different. Shannon’s presence is immediately felt on “Outer Boroughs” as the rest of the band navigates his slick guitar playing. With a new guitar player at the ready and an insanely impressive single, Circles Around The Sun is set to release some of their best work yet.
Natalie Merchant – Keep Your Courage
Release Date: April 14th
Nonesuch Records
Natalie Merchant’s 2023 LP has a lot of significance behind it. Not only is it the singer/songwriter’s ninth studio, it is also her first full-length LP since 2014. With a discography full of hits that date back to 1995, Merchant never seems in a rush to release new material so the fact that Keep Your Courage will finally be hitting our ears in 2023 is a celebration on its own. With Merchant producing the album on her own and bringing in collaborators from across the globe like the Celtic folk group Lúnasa, who seems to have contributed a lot according to a post on the artist’s website, the sonics used on this album is equally exciting as they are mysterious. For the real Merchant admirers, the vinyl edition of her upcoming album will feature four bonus tracks from earlier Merchant albums that have not been pressed up on wax yet.
Gabriels – Angels & Queens Part II
Release Date: Spring
Atlas
In terms of breakout stars, it would be hard to compare a debut album from 2022 that had as much impact as the soul trio Gabriels’ Angels & Queens. The stellar project from the Compton group garnered massive acclaim and landed the band on a slew of festival line-ups, late night talk show performances, and a guest appearance on Elton John’s Apple Music Radio Show. The craziest part about the trio’s debut and all the trophies it collected, is that what was released was only half of the album. Gabriels look to continue to grow as they ready their 2023 release, Angels & Queens Part II. The second part of their debut has no set release date but is rumored to be released March/April.
Boldly James – N/A
Release Date: N/A
N/A
If you can’t tell from the header, there is very little known about this Boldy James album we’re mentioning, except one detail that earns any and all of your anticipation. One quote from an interview James did in April with the Trill Store in Phoenix, Arizona sums up the excitement around this release; “I got the last of the Dilla stash”. During the interview, James explained how he was working on an album made up entirely of instrumentals from the late, great producer J. Dilla. James is one of the most prolific rappers working right now, releasing 4 albums in 2022 including the critically acclaimed Fair Exchange No Robbery which landed on Glide’s “20 Best Hip Hop albums of 2022” list. While this one quote from this one interview is all fans have to go off of, the idea of two hip hop monsters out of Detroit collaborating is enough to bring a wave of excitement over any rap fan.
The Roots – End Game
Release Date: N/A
N/A
It is hard to believe that it was over 5 years ago that Questlove confirmed that The Roots had recorded 263 songs for their album End Game. While the lead vocalist Black Thought has been hard at work on solo projects, The Roots as a collective were relatively silent after their 2014 album …And Then You Shoot Your Cousin until a separate interview with Questlove surfaced in August of 2022 that had the band leader revealing that the next Roots album is “60% done”.
After the excitement of that news sparked a flame in The Roots fandom, fans sat back and waited for another update, and who knows when that could be but thanks to legendary DJ and radio host Funkmaster Flex, it happened sooner than any thought. One day on his instagram, Flex put out a challenge to The Roots to send him an unreleased song to play on his radio show, a challenge he has put out to many artists in 2022. While Flex is well-respected and loved, it still seemed like a shock to everyone that the largely secretive Roots crew answered his challenge and sent him what is believed to be the first single to their long-awaited LP. “Misunderstood” premiered in October on the host’s radio show and revealed features from Erykah Badu and Tierra Whack. Despite the lack of a release date, all signs point to new music from The Roots in 2023.
