The Best New Albums This Month

March was a well-rounded month for music. Established stars like 2 Chainz and Solange opened the month with two incredible albums, Rap or Go to the League and When I Get Home. Then a handful of exciting young newcomers filled out the month with breakout moments of their own. Juice WRLD earned his first No. 1 album with Death Race for Love; DaBaby turned heads with a thoroughly entertaining project, Baby On Baby; and Billie Eilish closed out the month by delivering on all of her promise with an excellent full-length debut, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? But that's not all. There were also must-listen releases from Melii, Dave, Shy Girls, and more. These are the best new albums this month.

“I don’t get the credit I deserve,” 2 Chainz spits on Rap or Go to the League’s second song. And he’s right. Many have written Tauheed Epps off as merely a scene-stealing guest artist, incapable of making a great album. But it's apparent that Chainz saw this album as his big chance to prove the haters wrong. Honestly, it worked. There’s vulnerability, autobiography, coherence—and, of course, no shortage of those famed 2 Chainz punchlines. Bravo, A&R LeBron. —Shawn Setaro

The opening track of Solange’s When I Get Home is called “Things I Imagined.” It’s clear that one thing taking up her imagination during the creation of the record was Texas (her hometown of Houston, specifically). And, like so much great art, the album’s specificity is what makes it universal. You may not be from H-Town, but you’re certainly from somewhere—a place with its own pride and customs and streets and ways of freestyling. The record is one of the year’s best so far, an absolute masterpiece of music and mood. It was one of the few projects in recent memory that our entire office stayed up for on release night and digested together, punctuated only by occasional Slack messages about its brilliance. —Shawn Setaro

The comparisons to Fall Out Boy weren't unwarranted. Whatever genre you're comfortable with filing this album under, it's worth your time. Gen Z emo warbling about love and ennui may not be the most enticing logline, but over production consisting of five(!) Hit-Boy beats and his longtime collaborator Nick Mira, Juice's sophomore album is music to lamp around slumped to. Brent Faiyaz stops by for a welcome interlude, but for the most part, Juice doesn't lean on guests, instead letting the production dictate his flows. When he does rap, you might not be lyrically dazzled, but he has the emotion to make his bars hit: just listen to "10 Feet." Could it stand to be shorter? Yes, like most albums these days. But maybe, just maybe, Juice's team isn't being too hyperbolic here. —Frazier Tharpe

A few months ago, Shy Girls described his new album as carefree—the sound of him entering a new chapter in his life. As to how that would translate sonically? "Minimalist" and "funky" were thrown out. Lo and behold, I'm pretty sure one of the first instruments you hear on Bird on the Wing is a xylophone, one of the most carefree sounds of them all. SG delivers on the groove he promised with gems like "Stay Home," but he also goes more ballad-y than ever on songs like "I Can See the Light." The whole album begins with the lazy Sunday vibe of "Drain," and ends with him flipping "Lean On Me," a song about dependency and togetherness, with the upbeat "Lay and Be Lonely." Bird on the Wing is the sound of self-love and comfortable isolation, and it's never sounded sunnier. —Frazier Tharpe

Over the past decade, Drake’s stamp of approval (commonly referred to as “The Drake Co-Sign” or “The Drake Effect”) has opened the floodgates of success for many bubbling rappers. The most obvious examples,   Migos and iLoveMakonnen , became overnight celebrities thanks to Drake’s Midas touch. And in October 2016, Dave became the latest benefactor, when Drake premiered a remix to the British MC’s first single, “Wanna Know,” on OVO Sound Radio.

Two and a half years later, though, Dave has charted his own path to superstardom, as evidenced by his debut album, Psychodrama. Released earlier this month, the LP fixates on struggles with mental health, namely depression. Dave’s incredible flow carries the album, with help from his production team’s ability to push his boundaries sonically. Just shy of his 21st birthday, the London-bred wordsmith is primed to take over America—with or without the help of the world’s favorite Canadian. —Brad Callas

DaBaby has cemented his status as one of the hottest young artists in rap. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if we look back at 2019 as The Year of DaBaby. After generating buzz with his 2018 mixtape, Blank Talk, the Charlotte native leveled up earlier this month with Baby on Baby, his first full-length release under Interscope. Full of grit and charisma, it’s one of the most fun rap albums of the year, so far. Spanning 13 tracks with guest appearances from Offset (“Baby Sitter”), Rich the Kid (“Best Friend”), Rich Homie Quan (“Celebrate”), and frequent collaborator Stunna 4 Vegas (“Joggers”), Baby on Baby is a must-listen project from an exciting newcomer. —Brad Callas

20-year-old Harlem native Melii is poised for stardom. After her take on Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow” went viral in late 2017, the multitalented upstart scored a record deal with Interscope. Then she got a major boost when Rihanna shared her single, “Icey,” on Instagram last May. Nearly a year later, Melii has proven that the hype was real with her debut project, phAses. The 14-track LP boasts features from Tory Lanez and Odalys, as well as her A Boogie Wit da Hoodie collaboration, “HML.” phAses sees Melii bringing a unique flavor of Latin sounds to her music with gorgeous melodies (opener “Way Out” is a jam), providing balance to the standout bars she spits on tracks like “Gangsta Talk.” —Brad Callas

Billie Eilish has 15 million Instagram followers, has sat down on Ellen Degeneres’ couch, and been interviewed by seemingly every media outlet on the planet. The 17-year-old pop singer is already a star, particularly in the minds of those who make up Generation Z. So, the pressure was on when it came time to drop her full-length debut album. Well, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? delivers on hype. Shifting between genres, from trap to pop to EDM, the LP is a stunning top-to-bottom listen with no skips. If this is the direction that the future of music is going, future generations have nothing to worry about. —Brad Callas