FEATURE:
One for the Record Collection!
IN THIS PHOTO: Wet Leg/PHOTO CREDIT: Holly Whitaker for DIY
Essential April Releases
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IT is that time of the month…
IN THIS PHOTO: Confidence Man
where I look ahead to see which great albums are forthcoming you need to pre-order. I will get to the albums out next month that are worth getting. As I say in all of these features: some dates may be pushed back or change between now and the time the albums are due to come out. There is a bumper crop of April-due albums that everyone needs to pre-order. Let’s start with 1st April. There are no fools that week! Two great albums are out that week that I want to point people in the direction of. Australia’s Confidence Man are putting out the sensational and must-hear Tilt. Go and pre-order an album that is going to lift the spirits and be among the most engaging and finest of 2022:
“In this world, nothing is certain except taxes, death and Confidence Man. They are unstoppable, unquenchable, undeniable, and if you get in their way, you’re gonna get hurt. Not even a global pandemic could stop Janet, Sugar, Reggie and Clarence from producing an album so fierce, flirty and full of anthems that you might need to sit down before you hit play. Welcome to Tilt, Confidence Man’s second album on Heavenly Recordings. Confidence Man’s debut, Confident Music For Confident People, was one of the joys of 2018, laced with savage lyrics and rapturous melodies; a north star of euphoria in an increasingly joyless world. Since then they’ve teased us with the occasional dance-floor snack, but with their follow up album Tilt they are finally serving us the main meal. “We’ve been trying for the most epic, hands up, euphoric anthem for a while and this is the first time we’ve come close… Turns out it’s pretty difficult, but nothing’s too hard for con man.” Sugar Bones circa 2021 “No one tells Confidence Man what to do. Who said a Holiday can’t last forever? Spend big and live free, that’s our motto. And it can be yours too. A vacation is just sunburn at premium prices but a holiday is a state of mind.” Janet Planet circa 2021”.
Also coming in on 1st April is Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Unlimited Love. The legendary U.S. band are preparing their twelfth studio album. Not just an album for fans of the band, I would encourage people to check out and pre-order this album. It is going to be a stonker from a band who, since their formation in 1983, have given us some unbelievable music! I am certainly going to investigate the album when it comes out on 1st April:
“Red Hot Chili Peppers release their twelfth full-length offering, Unlimited Love. It notably marks their first recording with guitarist John Frusciante since 2006 and first with producer and longtime collaborator Rick Rubin since 2011.
Unlimited Love resumes a three-decade partnership with Rick Rubin [Johnny Cash, Adele]. Their creative collaboration spans legendary albums, including the diamond-selling Blood Sugar Sex Magik [1991], Californication [1999], By The Way [2002], and Stadium Arcadium [2006].
The interplay between the band borders on intergalactic once again - yet elevated to another stratosphere altogether. Unlimited Love represents the united spirit of four individual souls still fearlessly exploring the future of their eternal friendship and musical congregation”.
Hopping to 8th April, and there is a selection of awesome albums that you should think about pre-ordering. It is a bit of a cheat, but BANKS’ Serpentina is available from 8th July. I will cover it again nearer the time, but it is available for streaming from 8th April I believe. In any case, it is an album that you need to get involved with:
“Platinum-certified, Banks, releases her highly anticipated fourth album, Serpentina. The musician enters previously uncharted territory in every sense—from sound to lyrics to visuals, and everything in-between.
"In the past, I've been really tight and controlled, and I don't feel like that right now," says Banks. "I just feel more wild and free."
Featuring singles 'The Devil' and 'Skinnydipped,' the 13-track Serpentina started taking form in the early days of quarantine, when Banks decided to use the time under lockdown to master the production software Ableton.
Despite being heavily involved with the production across all of her previous three records, it was her first time fully in control. "It felt like opening up a whole new world," says Banks. "It feels like a journey listening to it from the beginning to end”.
Two albums that are out on physical formats on 8th April. Father John Misty’s Chloë and the Next 20th Century is a gorgeous album that you should pre-order. Father John Misty is one of the most original and special artists. Everything he releases is luscious, beautiful and highly listenable. This will be no exception:
“Father John Misty returns with Chloë and The Next 20th Century, his fifth album and first new material since the release of God’s Favorite Customer in 2018.
Chloë and the Next 20th Century was written and recorded August through December 2020 and features arrangements by Drew Erickson. The album sees Tillman and producer/multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Wilson resume their longtime collaboration, as well as Dave Cerminara, returning as engineer and mixer. Basic tracks were recorded at Wilson’s Five Star Studios with strings, brass and woodwinds recorded at United Recordings in a session featuring Dan Higgins and Wayne Bergeron, among others.
Chloë and the Next 20th Century features the singles “Funny Girl”, “Q4”, “Goodbye Mr. Blue”, and “Kiss Me (I Loved You)”.
2LP++ - Limited edition deluxe 2xLP box set with a gorgeous hardcover book containing both LPs pressed on clear red vinyl, a poster, and two bonus 7” singles featuring covers of Chloë and the Next 20th Century songs, performed by Lana Del Rey (“Buddy’s Rendezvous”) and Jack Cruz (“Kiss Me (I Loved You)”)”.
Although The Linda Lindas say on their Twitter that their album, Growing Up, is out on 8th April, you cannot buy the album until June. Unlike BANKS, I am not sure whether the digital version is out on 8th April. Instead, I want to recommend is Jack White’s Fear of the Dawn. His fourth studio album, it is the first of two this year from him (Entering Heaven Alive is the other). I would advise everyone to go and pre-order Fear of the Dawn. Released on his Third Man label, Fear of the Dawn is going to be a great album. This article from January reacted to an interview White gave to ALT 98.7 FM, where he talked about the sound of his two new albums:
“Jack White is releasing two albums this year: Fear of the Dawn on April 8 followed by Entering Heaven Alive on July 22. Now, White has explained the distinction between the two albums, which are said to be very different-sounding projects.
In an interview with Los Angeles radio station ALT 98.7 FM on Friday (January 7), White put it like this: "This first album is called Fear of the Dawn and it's really hard — like, lots of really hard-hitting tracks like 'Taking Me Back.' They all seem to hit together in that sort of box. The other album is very mellow — almost sort of like a Sunday morning album to me."
He explained that he didn't intend to make two distinct albums, but as he begin working on music, the songs fell into two distinct styles.
"I usually just write and record, and then eventually it starts to tell me what it is," he said. "I usually don't say, 'This is the kind of record I'm going to make.' I didn't in this case either. I just kept writing and recording as it was happening, with no real urgency to it, because of the lockdown. 'Cause I was like, 'Well, who knows if we're going to be playing shows or when a good time for another record to come out would be anyway.'"
White said that his next single will be out this week. This time, he will be releasing a single from the more mellow album, Entering Heaven Alive”.
On 8th April, Kae Tempest releases their album, The Line Is a Curve. Go and pre-order this album from one of Britain’s most truthful and important songwriters:
“Kae Tempest the award-winning Sunday Times – bestselling author, poet and recording artist returns with the new Dan Carey produced album. It features guest spots from Grian Chatten, Lianne La Havas, Confucius MC, assia and Kevin Abstract.
The Line Is A Curve is about letting go. The core of the record is that the pressures we face do not always have to be heavy burdens, but can be reframed; the more pressure a person is under, the greater the possibility for release. The album plays like a chronicle of pressures - the mind-numbing pursuit of a comfortable life, the eternal striving for more, the pressures of the city, the country, the times. The pressures of maintaining relationships, of battling illness, addiction, poor mental health, the vacuous life of our online selves. As we move through these chronicles though, the mood brightens. The musicality becomes more expansive as the lyrical horizon broadens and we glimpse coastlines, high streets, scrap yards, train stations in the rain; the entire album begins to let go. We encounter the contributions of artists who I love and admire, guest vocalists and instrumentalists, and so we defeat the sense of isolation felt in the opening track with a sense of deeply connected community.
More Pressure, the penultimate song, is the essence of the whole album and the epiphany that leads to Grace, which is a prayer, a surrendering; ‘Please move me, please move through me, please unscrew me, please loosen me up.’ But once we get to the end of Grace, and the album, we loop back to the start – to ‘Kiss off the day with a mute mouth. Pass the commute like I can die faster than you.’ Because no matter how much a person grapples with, realises, deeply understands, about life and their place in it, we still wake up in the morning back to square one. Life isn’t solved the minute you figure something out about it. It’s a daily operation to increase your resilience, cultivate a deeper acceptance, let go of what’s chasing you and lean in to the pressures. It’s cyclical, as I believe all things are. And instead of trying to fight the cycles, this album asks us to surrender to them. To let go. • These general themes, of acceptance, resilience, surrender are also about where I’m at in my personal life, in my journey towards a greater acceptance of myself as an artist and as a human being. Being more honest with the world and my community about who I am and letting go of some heavy heavy shame, which is a glorious thing. • This album has a beautiful heart, there is so much love running through it and I can’t wait for people to experience it”.
Let’s Eat Grandma’s follow up on 2018’s I’m All Ears with Two Ribbons. This is another album I would point people towards, as it is going to be sensational and full of songs that will stay in your head for ages:
“Let’s Eat Grandma, the duo composed of songwriters, multi-instrumentalists and vocalists Rosa Walton and Jenny Hollingworth, release their third full-length album. Two Ribbons was co-produced by David Wrench and Let’s Eat Grandma. Standouts include the title track "Two Ribbons” which is a slow, melancholic moment of quiet that deviates from their almost industrial dancefloor fillers. The single contains reflections from Jenny on how the pair are still bound together through their compassion for each other, tight as ever, although slightly frayed and world-worn. “Hall Of Mirrors” is an ethereal, glistening pop song about a beautiful, intense moment remembered,
The band has been through a lot in the last three years, and Two Ribbons is the artefact that signals some kind of progression out of distressing times; a story of loss, change, and of survival; a proof of life. Such was the intensity of Jenny and Rosa’s bond that when they promoted their first album, they positioned themselves as twins. Friends since early childhood, they had graduated into a teenage friendship that was unbreakable and practically telepathic. Those intense and all-consuming friendships are subject to the same ebbs and flows as any other, and as they grew older the two began to find themselves as individuals, tastes differing here, reactions jarring there. There was a time when both felt a little trapped, and needed to fight to create the space to express themselves as individuals within their relationship. And so the partnership began to fray.
PHOTO CREDIT: SHOT BY PHOX
Two Ribbons can be heard as a series of letters between the two of them, taking the place of conversations as they try to make sense of the rift in their relationships. It’s a cathartic blood-letting and a devastating realisation about the fickleness of life. Though it is still very much a Let’s Eat Grandma album, for the first time there are Rosa’s songs and Jenny’s songs. Both Rosa and Jenny found themselves more involved in the production of this album, experimenting with new sounds and diverse instrumentations within the studio, collaborating with David Wrench, also the primary producer of I’m All Ears. On this record Rosa in particular threw herself into the behind the scenes work and driving her own sonic agenda, whilst Jenny sought to synthesise new influences to forge new spaces artistically for the group. The backdrop to Two Ribbons is two women navigating their way through a lot, for the first time without the tiller of each other to guide them. The songs they wrote and eventually brought to each other are little pockets of light in the darkness, signals in the night to show each other how they were feeling and what they had lost. Two Ribbons is an album that treads a fine line expressing the most intimate feelings of, whilst making space for, the different perspectives of two women; an album that says this is not the beginning or the end but part of a never-ending circle. It’s cyclical in nature; there is sadness, and pain, and joy, and hope – and knows that no matter what detours we take, we are all connected”.
Another incredible duo who are releasing an album on 8th April are Wet Leg. Perhaps the most-anticipated debut album for some years, Wet Leg is an album that is already getting a lot of buzz. Having released a string of singles, we get a sense of what Wet Leg’s eponymous album might provide. It is one you need to pre-order:
“After releasing two of the hottest singles of 2020, Wet Leg’s Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers were catapulted from their confines on the Isle of Wight to sold out venues across the UK and packed-out tents at festivals causing giddy excitement wherever they went. Now, the duo unveil their debut album.
Wet Leg was recorded and produced in the main by Speedy Wunderground’s Dan Carey (“Chaise Longue” and “Angelica” were produced by Jon McMullen and Josh Mobaraki respectively). The album was mostly recorded in London, in April 2021, meaning they had a finished album before the world had even heard debut single “Chaise Longue” or played live.
Right from the start of Wet Leg, Teasdale and Chambers focus was fun, and a dry sense of humour ripples through the album.
Wet Leg is sad music for party people, and party music for sad people. It is cathartic and joyful and punk and scuzzy and above all, it's fun”.
There are five albums due on 29th April that I want to recommend. I will flip ahead to 22nd April and two albums you need to pre-order. Fontaines D.C.’s Skinty Fia is going to be a corker from the Dublin band. Available on a range of vinyl formats, do go and pre-order a very special album from a band who continue to grow and build on their debut promise:
“2020’s A Hero’s Death saw Fontaines D.C. land a number 2 album in the UK, receive nominations at the Grammy's, Brit's and Ivor Novello Awards, and sell out London’s iconic Alexandra Palace. Now the band return with their third record in as many years: Skinty Fia. Used colloquially as an expletive, the title roughly translates from the Irish language into English as “the damnation of the deer”; the spelling crassly anglicized, and its meaning diluted through generations. Part bittersweet romance, part darkly political triumph - the songs ultimately form a long-distance love letter, one that laments an increasingly privatized culture in danger of going the way of the extinct Irish giant deer”.
Produced by Jorge Elbrecht, also recently Grammy-nominated and known for his work with Sky Ferreira, Japanese Breakfast, and Wild Nothing, Giving the World Away is Hatchie’s most thunderous, sprawling work yet. Featuring extensive input from longtime Hatchie collaborator Joe Agius, it takes the celestial, shimmering shoegaze and pop sensibilities of her earlier releases, but with the volume knob cranked up tenfold. Built out with percussion from Beach House drummer James Barone, it’s synthed-out, sonic opulence, a more structured and ornate musicality with traces of ‘90s trip-hop and acid house influences.
Pilbeam initially intended for these songs to go in a higher-energy direction - she had the distinct vision of a Hatchie show turned dance party, inviting more movement and vibrancy into her live shows. But then, between Covid and the lockdowns in Australia, Pilbeam retreated more into herself, and that introspection and self-discovery served as the true inspiration for the record. Again and again across ‘Giving the World Away,’ she returns to that same theme – dismantling internalized shame and finding gratitude and steadiness, and finally being able to trust herself. Pilbeam grew up the youngest in her family, a self-described “big baby,” but says the last year and a half gave her the space to understand herself better. After years of emotional avoidance, here she excavates her fears fully.
Giving the World Away is an album about self-confidence, about reclamation, about the strange time in young adulthood where you begin to finally be able to see yourself clearly. Incisive and probing, Giving the World Away is the clearest look at Pilbeam yet, and a relic of the power and bravery that spring forth from embracing vulnerability and putting your heart on the line”.
Let’s concentrate on 29th April, and a day when quite a few terrific albums are coming out. The first is Honeyglaze, by the trio of the same name. The London-based band are going to share a very special album with us. Go and pre-order an amazing album that will get a lot of love:
“First Copies on all formats come with a fanzine. Honeyglaze are the South London based, Haiku loving trio comprised of vocalist and guitarist Anouska Sokolow, bassist Tim Curtis, and Yuri Shibuichi on drums. Born out of lead songwriter Sokolow’s un-desire to be a solo-act, the group met officially at their first ever rehearsal- just three days ahead of what was to become a near-residency, at their favoured ‘The Windmill’, Brixton. Forming a mere eighteen-months ahead of a subsequent eighteen-months of mandatory solitude, a parallel that’s both aligned and universally un-timely, Honeyglaze, at first appearance, are a group who play with chance, time, and synergetic fate, in mannerisms few others are able to do. Pricking the ears of seminal producer Dan Carey and his team of merry taste-makers: Speedy Wunderground (Tiña, Squid, Black Country New Road), the Speedy Wunderground / Honeyglaze partnership would manifest into a dynamic that, despite not having met prior, quite simply, just worked.
Much like the eponymously debuted statements of contemporary folk-singer Bedouine’s ‘Bedouine’, ‘Crosby, Stills and Nash’, or, dare we suggest Madonna’s ‘Madonna’, Honeyglaze the album presents to the world an audibly picturesque documentation of soul-searching, in all its figment’s of reality; a proclamation of cultivated intent which in turn creates a subliminal safe-space between relatability and self-projection, and creative-comradery paired with introspective artistry.
A self-described “opposite to a concept album” that sonically encapsulates the who, what, where and how of their individual circumstances coming together as one, Honeyglaze is a meticulously transformative feat of which, in their own eyes, is a “quite accurate” sonic encapsulation of who the trio believe to be. This is storytelling at its most soulful, and Honeyglaze presents human-instinct in a manner that accepts all of the insecurities that come from their present adolescence, whilst acknowledging the formative maturity that’s earned when we allow ourselves to embrace the unknown, of our futures ahead.
“If someone is going to find you special – then you want to show what’s most special about yourself” notes Curtis. “Then you can do what you want from there.” Mixing the personal with romanticised ideals in ways that are simultaneously heart-wrenching, and humorous to a dead-pan effect, there is no one trajectory for Honeyglaze who’s greatest ability, is finding ways to present what’s written in-between the lines, in moments of beautifully well-versed clarity. In their own words: “Hi we are Honeyglaze, and there’s no time to explain”.
Another tremendous album will come from Lola Kirke. The English-born, American-based actor and musician releases Lady for Sale on 29th April. From what I have heard of the album (singles released), it is promising to be a simply stunning release. I can confidently recommend that people go and pre-order an album that will put Kirke’s music in some new hands and ears:
“Lola Kirke stands out like a flash of neon magenta in this nostalgic landscape of Americana tin-types. While many of her singing, songwriting peers look further back for inspiration, Kirke’s sweet spot is decidedly in the excess of the 80’s. Anyone only familiar with Kirke through her on-screen performances (Mistress America, Gone Girl, or Mozart in the Jungle) may be surprised by just how dazzling Lola-playing-Lola can be. Just a few lines into “Better than Any Drug,“ it’s clear no written role could reveal more of Kirke’s wit, lust for life, and sense of humor than this record captures with the help of producer Austin Jenkins (White Denim, Leon Bridges).
The 10-song sophomore full-length album showcases Kirke’s unselfconscious, country-twinged vocals alongside a brightly coloured candy shop of glam-twang guitar riffs, department store tv commercial synth stylings, and swooping, lilting, unabashedly feminine background vocals. Lady For Sale channels a high-spirited insouciance that feels invigorating and familiar, decidedly more easy-going and fun-loving than what we’ve come to expect from its genre (and the world in general) in recent years. This is a party you’ll want to attend”.
Bloc Party’s Alpha Games is an album that you will want to check out. Their first album in six years, that is a reason to pre-order a pretty incredible release from a band who continue to evolve their sound and release really good music:
“Bloc Party return with their forthcoming sixth studio album Alpha Games, via Infectious / BMG. Alpha Games is the band’s first studio album since 2016’s Hymns, and the first Bloc Party album written and recorded as this four piece; adding the musicality of Justin Harris (bass) and the unbridled energy and power of Louise Bartle on the drums to capture the spark of their live shows and to deliver the most exciting Bloc Party album yet.
Alpha Games, produced by Nick Launay and Adam Greenspan (Nick Cave, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, IDLES), includes new single Traps, which sees the band returning to the raucous, high-octane sound of their earliest work in an outburst of propulsive post-punk. The album’s 12 tracks veer from the intense and confrontational (Traps, Day Drinker) to melodic and introspective (If We Get Caught, By Any Means Necessary), and marks a new and important chapter in one of music’s most important voices in Kele Okereke and important bands in Bloc Party”.
There are a few 29th April-due albums I want to include before finishing off. Melody's Echo Chamber’s Emotional Eternal is the first. The project is the work of French musician Melody Prochet. Her 2018 album, Bon Voyage, was one of the best of the year. The follow-up looks set to be incredible. Go and pre-order this gem:
“Emotional Eternal, the third studio album from Melody’s Echo Chamber, is a deeply human collection of songs full of prolonged moments of sonic transcendency – a record that clearly exhibits its maturity but still regards the world with a childlike wonder. Having swapped Paris for the clean air of the Alps, Melody hopes the record “has that uplifting quality. I made some big and impactful decisions and changes to my life. It took me to where it is peaceful, and I think the record reflects this”.
The final album I will highlight is Toro Y Moi’s MAHAL. Go and pre-order this one, as it looks like it will be one you cannot miss out on:
“Toro y Moi’s seventh studio album, Mahal, is the boldest and most fascinating journey yet from musical mastermind Chaz Bear. The record spans genre and sound—encompassing the shaggy psychedelic rock of the 1960s and ‘70s, and the airy sounds of 1990s mod-post-rock—taking listeners on an auditory expedition, as if they’re riding in the back of Bear’s Filipino jeepney that adorns the album’s cover. But Mahal is also an unmistakably Toro y Moi experience, calling back to previous works while charting a new path forward in a way that only Bear can do.
Mahal is the latest in an accomplished career for Bear, who’s undoubtedly one of the decade’s most influential musicians. Since the release of the electronic pop landmark Causers of This in 2009, subsequent records as Toro y Moi have repeatedly shifted the idea of what his sound can be. But there’s little in Bear’s catalog that will prepare you for the deep-groove excursions on Mahal, his most eclectic record to date.
The second the album begins we’re immediately transported into the passenger seat, jeep sounds and all, ready for the ride Chaz and company have concocted for us. Seeds of some of Mahal’s 13 songs date back to the more explicitly rock-oriented What For? from 2015. Mahal was mostly completed last year in Bear’s Oakland studio with the involvement of a host of collaborators, Sofie Royer and Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s Ruban Neilson to Neon Indian’s Alan Palomo and the Mattson 2.
“I wanted to make a record that featured more musicians on it than any other record of mine,” he explains. “To have them live on that record feels grounded, bringing a communal perspective to the table.” As a result, Mahal is lush and surprising at every turn, from the cool-handed “The Loop,” which recalls Sly and the Family Stones, to the elastic psych rock of “Foreplay” and the dizzying Mulatu Astatke-recalling of “Last Year.”
Lyrically, the album zooms in on generational concerns, picking up where the Outer Peace standout “Freelance” effectively left off. Bear seems to be surveying the ways in which we connect with technology, media, each other, and what disappears as a result. Cuts like the squishy “Postman” and the “Magazine” take a deep dive into our relationship with media in a changing digital world. “It’s interesting to see how we adapt to this new age. We’re so connected, but we’re still missing out on things,” Bear ruminates while discussing the album’s themes.
It’s not all introspection. Bear cools things down near the album’s end with the Mattson 2-featuring “Millennium,” a laid-back jam with tricky guitar licks about ringing in new times even when everything else seems upside down. “It’s about enjoying the new year, even when it’s been shitty,” Bear explains. “There’s nothing else to do.” Finding a sense of joy in the face of adversity is embedded in Mahal’s DNA, right down to the jeepney that literally and figuratively brings the music out into the community. “We know that touring is messed up for now, and large gatherings are a fluke,” he explains. “It’s about the notion of us going out to the people and bringing the record to them.” And with the wide-open atmosphere of Mahal, Toro y Moi stands to connect with more listeners than ever before”.
Quite a few amazing albums out next month that you need to pre-order. There are a couple that have been announced but I cannot find anywhere you can order the album (I am writing this on 11th March; a link could appear near the end of the month). There will be other albums coming out next month that pass me by, though the above are all confirmed and should keep you occupied! With Wet Leg’s eponymous debut the highlight of the month, it is going to be pretty exciting! If you need some guidance about the albums to get next month, then I hope the above suggestions…
HELP you out.