2023 was a fantastic year for music. Monumental albums, singles and tours rocked the year musically and culturally.
Taylor Swift released “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” and put on a dazzling decade and a half spanning “Eras Tour,” cementing her hold on the current pop culture moment. Beyoncé and many others like Drake, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Metallica toured stadiums across America.
Olivia Rodrigo released her highly-anticipated sophomore album, “GUTS,” a riveting look at early-twenties Gen Z angst. Doja Cat, Foo Fighters, Lana Del Rey, Boygenius, Zach Bryan, Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen also dominated the culture with their albums and singles that dropped in 2023.
Now we have a new year ahead of us, and that means new singles, tours and, most importantly, albums. Here’s a list of my most anticipated releases of 2024 so far. Some of these are speculative, but others have a tentative release date.
“Saviors” – Green Day (Jan. 19)
Starting off with an early release, Green Day’s anticipated 14th studio album looks to take the band back to their glamorous and grandiose pop punk era à la “American Idiot” back in 2004.
The band has released four singles, including the relatively well-received “The American Dream is Killing Me.” We will have to wait and see if Green Day redeems themselves after their universally disappointing 2020 release, “Father of All…”
“LANA” – SZA (TBA)
Like Ice Spice, SZA also had a notable 2023. Her sophomore album “SOS” was released very late in 2022, so the record came alive, popped off and lived a full life last year.
Songs like “Kill Bill,” “Snooze” and “Shirt” cemented SZA not only as a great alternative R&B artist but as a blossoming pop artist as well.
SZA teased a new project on X and Instagram with the caption “LANA.” While it is not entirely confirmed what this project is — album, mixtape, B-sides or EP — it is certain that SZA has a grip on the culture right now.
“Something in the Room She Moves” – Julia Holter (March 22)
Art pop industry veteran and absolute icon Julia Holter is back after a six-year solo studio album hiatus and has recently announced her latest album “Something in the Room She Moves” — which aims to be one of the most experimental yet ethereal pieces of her career.
Her latest single “Spinning” is a textural and spiritual journey through multiple musical aesthetics. Holter mixes a gorgeous yet subtle melodic performance with progressive electronic production. Julia Holter always pushes her artistic and creative limits with each release, and this latest album rollout seems no different.
“Y2K!” – Ice Spice (TBA)
Bursting onto the Bronx drill scene in 2022 — with many people calling her a “fad” and a “one-hit-wonder”— New York’s very own Princess Diana, Ice Spice, has had nothing short of a tremendously huge 2023.
Her collaboration with throwback-pop artist PinkPantheress “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2” and underground banger “Deli” proved her to be an artist with not only staying power but also one with savvy social media and marketing skills.
Her highly anticipated debut studio album “Y2K!” looks to carry Ice Spice through 2024, and maybe propel her to headline her very own North American tour.
“Loss of Life” – MGMT (Feb. 23)
MGMT’s last album “Little Dark Age” has become sort of a recent TikTok phenomenon, especially with the recent resurgence of MGMT’s 2018 songs such as “Little Dark Age,” “Me & Michael” and “When You Die.”
Teasing their newest album “Loss of Life” with the singles “Bubblegum Dog” and “Mother Nature,” MGMT finally confirmed their upcoming fifth studio album in the fall of 2023.
Personally, I hope they continue the low-key yet innovative production and song structures from their last release.
“Music” – Playboi Carti (TBA)
This is the final release I will be talking about, and it is arguably the most frustrating. Atlanta hip-hop artist and rage rap pioneer Playboi Carti announced that his third studio album will be titled “Music” — a truly riveting title.
He has not released any singles so far, and instead has released four music videos including the Travis Scott collaboration “BACKR00MS” and the nocturnal “HOODBYAIR.”
Playboi Carti seems to have the hype with him, however, with his tour recently getting postponed again, life may seem to get in the way of Carti fully capitalizing on his success.
