It’s been another trying year for many of us, but as always, music has proven to offer much-needed inspiration and solace as we all navigate these crazy times. And with the promise of the new year upon us, we’re looking forward to all of the new music waiting to bless our eager ears in the days, weeks and months to come.
Below, we’ve identified the 30 albums we’re most excited to lay our ears upon in 2022, based on the information available to date, which is admittedly scarce for select titles. As the respective album details and as-yet-to-be-announced release dates emerge, we’ll provide additional coverage, streams and reviews.
In the meantime, explore the list and be sure to let us know which forthcoming albums are on your wishlist for the year ahead!
BAND OF HORSES | Things Are Great
Release Date: March 4th | Pre-Order
Photo: Steve & Sarah Gee
What We Know So Far: With a modified lineup in place following the departure of lead guitarist Tyler Ramsey and bassist Bill Reynolds back in 2017, Band of Horses are set to release their sixth studio album in early March. The successor to 2016’s Why Are You OK, Things Are Great promises “a return to their earlier work and the kind of raw ethos that lies at the heart of Band of Horses,” according to an official press release.
The first tastes of Ben Bridwell and crew’s new record have arrived in the form of the melodic, shimmering rock-pop of lead single “Crutch,” replete with its feline-friendly video, and the more subdued second track “In Need of Repair.”
Preview:
BEACH HOUSE | Once Twice Melody
Release Date: February 18th | Pre-Order
Photo: David Belisle
What We Know So Far: Eschewing the typical sequential promotional strategy of releasing one-off tracks in the leadup to the parent album’s release, the duo of Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally have opted to unveil heartier sonic appetizers in advance of their eighth album’s arrival. The 18-track double-LP Once Twice Melody is preceded by four multi-track chapters, the first two of which have already surfaced, with the pair’s signature daydream-inducing soundscapes and Legrand’s meditative vocals gloriously intact.
The ambitiously constructed record—the follow-up to 2018’s 7 and the first that Beach House have produced on their own—finds them stretching their sound in a multitude of ways, including the introduction of a live string ensemble, and we can’t wait to experience the project in its entirety.
Preview:
BJöRK | Title TBD
Release Date: TBD
Photo: Warren Du Preez & Nick Thornton Jones
What We Know So Far: As we approach two years since our world was thrown into pandemic-induced chaos, the escapism offered by a new Björk record would be more welcome than ever, wouldn’t it? Well, the artist herself has recently divulged a bit more about her forthcoming tenth studio album—the follow-up to 2017’s GRAMMY nominated Utopia—in an October interview with Iceland’s national broadcaster RÚV. She likens the sound of the album to “a man who was headbanging, then sat down again and had another glass of red wine, and everyone is home by 10 o’clock, done with the dancing and everything.”
“In this new album there’s a lot of chill in the first half of the song and a lot of calm in the second half, but when there’s one minute left the song turns into a club,” she continues, adding that the album is intended “for people who are making clubs at home in their living room, restricted to their ‘Christmas bubble.’”
Welp, no need for an official press release, then. That’s pretty much all we need to know to unequivocally declare Björk’s new album as one of the must-listen events of the year. We need this record. Stay tuned for more.
Revisit:
MARY J. BLIGE | Good Morning Gorgeous
Release Date: February 11th
What We Know So Far: The perennial Queen of Hip-Hop Soul is set to grace the most global of stages alongside Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and Snoop Dogg during the Super Bowl LVI halftime show on February 13th, and her fourteenth studio album is (not coincidentally) slated to arrive two days prior to the festivities. If the H.E.R. co-produced title track and DJ Khaled co-orchestrated “Amazing” are any indication, Good Morning Gorgeous promises to be an A-list family affair.
“Working on this new album has been so much fun,” Blige confides in an official statement. “I’m excited for my fans to hear these first two songs to give them a taste of what’s to come. I’m grateful to all my collaborators and partners who have walked with me through this process and even more grateful to my fans who I hope have a blast with this new music.”
Preview:
BLOC PARTY | Alpha Games
Release Date: April 29th | Pre-Order
Photo: Flore Diamant
What We Know So Far: After nearly six years since releasing their latest album (2016’s Hymns), Bloc Party have resurfaced with “Traps,” the lead offering from the London band’s forthcoming sixth studio album. “Alpha Games was conceived on the road, playing in front of amazing crowds on our last tour and then brought to life with the fire and the frustrations of 2020,” frontman Kele Okereke explains in an official statement.
Preview:
BONOBO | Fragments
Release Date: January 14th | Pre-Order
Photo: Grant Spanier
What We Know So Far: In the 21 years since Simon Green (a.k.a. Bonobo) blessed the world with his debut album Animal Magic (2000), the British-born, L.A.-based producer-DJ has curated a six-albums-deep discography defined by its creator’s commitment to crafting kaleidoscopic, emotive electronic music of the most enchanting quality. And his soon-to-be released seventh studio affair Fragments may very well prove to be his most powerful musical statement yet. If the company one keeps is the reflection of one’s character, guest contributions by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Kadhja Bonet, Jordan Rakei, Joji, O’Flynn and Jamila Woods suggest that Bonobo remains a bona fide class act.
Preview:
CAT POWER | Covers
Release Date: January 14th | Pre-Order
Photo: Mario Sorrenti
What We Know So Far: Twenty-two years after Chan Marshall released The Covers Record (2000) featuring her unique takes on original fare by Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, and The Velvet Underground among others, the artist more affectionately known as Cat Power is set to gift us with another sterling—and even more eclectic—set of reinterpretations. Due in just a few weeks, Covers finds the acclaimed singer-songwriter paying reverential tribute to such luminaries as Jackson Browne, Nick Cave, Billie Holiday, and Iggy Pop, alongside more contemporary legends-in-the-making Lana Del Rey and Frank Ocean. Check out her distinctive rendition of the latter’s “Bad Religion” below.
Preview:
THE CURE | Title TBD
Release Date: TBD
Photo: Andy Vella
What We Know So Far: Although our colleague Rayna Khaitan’s wonderfully impassioned and inspired Cure tributes have made the long wait for Robert Smith & Company’s fourteenth studio affair far more bearable, we’re officially ready for the wait to be over. Then again, if the band needs more time to place the finishing touches on the album, we understand and we’re happy to wait a little while longer. No need to rush genius, right?
So yeah, we’re conflicted. But also more confident than ever that album number 14—the follow-up to 2008’s 4:13 Dream—will indeed arrive in 2022, owing to the group’s recently announced European tour that is scheduled to commence in October. We look forward to not including The Cure in this new music preview piece next year.
Revisit:
DUBSTAR | Title TBD
Release Date: TBD
What We Know So Far: Sarah Blackwood and Chris Wilkie have been kind enough to bless us with a steady string of stellar singles over the past few years, including 2020’s double-whammy of “Hygiene Strip” and “I Can See You Outside,” followed by their most recent gem “Tectonic Plates.” With their proven penchant for crafting stirring, sophisticated pop continuing to evolve in thrilling ways nearly three decades into Dubstar’s recording career, the duo’s planned fifth studio album—the follow-up to 2018’s captivating “comeback” project One—promises to deliver much-needed inspiration for pandemic-weary minds, hearts and souls.
Preview:
LIAM GALLAGHER | C’MON YOU KNOW
Release Date: May 27th | Pre-Order
Photo: RANKIN
What We Know So Far: Speculation about whether Oasis will ever reunite will likely persist for eternity, or at least until the Gallaghers finally make amends. But the must-discussed prospect of the brash brothers reconnecting in the studio and on stage is arguably a bit of a moot point when both Liam and Noel are doing mighty fine with their respective solo endeavors.
The youngest and most charismatic Gallagher, in particular, has triumphed in recent years, storming back to defy the criticism that welcomed his ephemeral jaunt with Beady Eye by releasing two acclaimed modern classics in As You Were (2017) and Why Me? Why Not. (2019). Due for arrival this spring, his third solo affair C’MON YOU KNOW will surely bestow continued critical and commercial returns upon Gallagher, who also has back-to-back headlining gigs planned for Knebworth Park in early June.
Revisit: