Albums to Keep an Ear Out For
Though 2021 has resisted the much-awaited change of a new year, its musical lineup offers a respite from our present reality. From Drake to Ian Sweet, here are a few of the winter season’s most anticipated album drops.
SG Lewis - Times
Genre: Electronic
Multi-instrumentalist SG Lewis occupies a space somewhere between bedroom pop and 70s disco. The genre-bending DJ has been wowing audiences since 2015 with his arsenal of R&B features (Lucky Daye, J Warner) and a steady stream of electropop EPs. His debut album, Times, is a whirlwind of technicolor excitement, sitting among the most anticipated electronic projects of the year. On his Twitter, Lewis heralds the album, “an ode to the present moment, and the finite chances we have to celebrate it. It’s an exploration of escapism and euphoria, and the memories attached to those experiences.”
Times: February 19th.
Drake - Certified Lover Boy
Genre: Rap
When you’re the biggest rap sensation of the modern world, deadlines are of little consequence. Initially slated as January’s most anticipated release, Drake’s latest album, Certified Lover Boy, has been pushed back in the winter queue. In the meantime, the rapper’s unloaded a barrage of promotional content to keep fans busy. A YouTube trailer of atmospheric tones and broody imagery hints at a return to the Drake of an earlier era, with Take Care, Nothing Was The Same, and Views each receiving visual nods. Pitchfork expects an album of “legacy building and myth-making.” In the wake of Dark Lane Demo’s lukewarm reception, CLB is more than an album- it’s a reclamation of the rap game.
Certified Lover Boy: TBD
Celeste - Not Your Muse
Genre: Soul
British-Jamaican singer Celeste layers colorful aesthetics over a soulful crooning reminiscent of Amy Winehouse. Winner of both the BRIT Awards’ Rising Star contest and the BBC Music's Sound Of 2020 prize, the singer-songwriter has spent the last two years sending afro-futurist waves across the UK’s R&B scene. A series of fierce ballads (“Stop This Flame,” “Love Is Back”) will culminate in the release of her debut album. “Not Your Muse,” she writes, “is the power I found when I felt powerless…In making this album I have allowed myself to arrive at a place where I feel empowered, fiercely wide-eyed, and fulfilled.”
Not Your Muse: January 29th.
Arlo Parks - Collapsed in Sunbeams
Genre: Indie
You know you’re good when even alt-rock royalty Glass Animals is singing your praises. At only 19, poet-turned-songstress Arlo Parks has amassed a cult-following for her nimble wordplay and unique brand of Neo-soul. Collapsed in Sunbeams, Parks’ debut LP, is a deep dive into the “portraits surrounding [her] adolescence: self-indulgent retellings of schoolyard dramas, stroppy arguments with parents, and tales of puppy love heartache that begin with “Dear Diary.” Irish Times describes the album as “fizzing with R&B flavor,” a series of poetic vignettes layered over buoyant jazz riffs and low-fi melodies.
Collapsed in Sunbeams: January 29th.
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Ian Sweet - Show Me How You Disappear
Genre: Rock
Ian Sweet, the brainchild of Jilian Melford, is a testimony to the emotive range of today’s “bedroom rock.” First surfacing in 2016, Melford quickly took hold of the indie scene, turning heads with her climactic guitar riffs and gritty lyricism. Third studio album, Show Me How You Disappear, is Melford’s musical documentation of an intense period of self-growth. Alt blog Under The Radar writes, “from self-sabotaging relationships, to sex in parking lots, to creating an ideal world for herself, Melford demonstrates how much wit, wisdom, and weight she’s using to crush the bedroom rock game.”
Show Me HowYou Disappear: March 5th.
Visit Rolling Stone’s Musical Preview for a full list of 2021’s most anticipated albums.
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