The Most Anticipated Albums For the Rest of 2015

Release date: TBA

No, Frank Ocean's next album is not called Boys Don't Cry. That, as far as we know, is the name of the magazine Frank Ocean will release alongside his channelORANGE followup. Both mag and album are tentatively slated for a July release, but knowing Frank's perfectionist streak, nothing's set in stone.

What we do know is that Lil B is one of Frank's interview subjects, and that Mr. Ocean will be hitting the festival circuit later this summer, which, we can only hope, means he'll be playing new music.

Other than that, we're left speculating as to what he has in store. Will this be another collection of soulful, sung ballads? Or will Frank throw us a curveball and deliver a rap album? Time will tell.—Graham

[caption id="attachment_523565" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Image via Frank Ocean on Tumblr[/caption]

Release date: June 2

Jamie xx, one third of The xx, has been building up to this solo debut album for a while now. First, there were the popular remixes and edits, then the solo tunes and the stunning Gil Scott-Heron remix album We're New Here. It's been obvious for a while now that Jamie is a singular talent in the electronic music landscape, and the stunning "All Under One Roof Raving," released in June last year, really took things to the next level.

"All Under One Roof Raving" isn't even on In Colour, but tracks built from similar elements like "Gosh" and "Hold Tight" are, alongside pop wonders like "Loud Places" and even a track with Popcaan and Young Thug. Vital, powerful, and brilliant, Jamie xx's In Colour is really something special.—Constant Gardner

Release date: May 29

Florence & The Machine's How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful is the followup to 2011's Ceremonials, a well-received but ultimately safe album that didn't quite live up their 2008 breakout, Lungs. Thus far, however, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful has found Florence Welch and her Machine operating on all cylinders.

The album was inspired by heartbreak, as evidenced by the powerfully enraged lead single, "What Kind of Man." Florence was admittedly "lost in a sea of tears and confusion," and she got advice on how to cope from taxi drivers and Taylor Swift in equal measure.

After "What Kind of Man," however, Florence & the Machine turned all the way down with the heavenly, lilting "St. Jude," and then pivoted again in the inspiring, self-assured "Ship to Wreck."

From what we've heard so far, the album is absolutely massive in scope, keeping the orchestral drums intact and tapping into an intimate place that, thus far, has yielded the band's best work since Lungs.—Graham

Release date: July 18

Full disclosure: I am a Tame Impala fanboy. Lonerism and Innerspeaker were lightning bolts that hit me at a time I wasn't listening to much rock music. For me, Tame Impala brought texture back into the music—songs like "Desire Be, Desire Go" and "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards" have such unique and delicious filters and melodies, a sound you can almost touch and smell. They reminded me of The Beatles, The Doors... Music with a creative streak that recalled a time when songwriting was still paramount to an artist's success.

So it was with some trepidation that I learned to love the first manifestations of Currents. This was a Tame Impala in sharp focus for the first time, coming out from behind the sonic echoes. They have forgone the phasers and tape delays in favor of distortion and tighter, rockier progressions.

Four songs in, however, Currents has become the album I'm most excited for this summer. Mischevious euphoria abounds in the bite-size "Disciples," "Cause I'm A Man" is going to be my answer for everything forever, and "Eventually" is the Beach Boys with brass knuckles. Tame Impala have proved themselves capable of pivoting their sound and evolving into a stadium rock band without sacrificing their experimental streak.—Graham

Release date: TBA

It's all falling into place for Skepta in 2015. After more than 10 years of making music (check his 2003 "DTI" instrumental to see how long he's been doing this), he's seeing the wide-ranging recognition that his talent deserves.

Collaborations with big names outside grime have come not from pandering to the charts or the stars but staying true to himself and to the raw, authentic sound of grime. Both a producer and and MC, Skepta's Konnichiwa is, according to his recent RBMA lecture, set to feature Earl Sweatshirt, Dev Hynes, and JME, and could also have appearances from Kanye West and Playboi Carti who Skepta was recently working with in LA.

Regardless of features, Skepta is on a hot streak right now with "That's Not Me," "It Ain't Safe," and "Shutdown," and whenever his album does drop, it's going to be big moment for grime.—Constant Gardner

Release date: July 31

In the modern world of artificial pop and electronically charged hits, Lianne La Havas brings life. Combining jazzy chord progressions, funky bass lines, and sweet, soulful vocals, Lianne La Havas makes the kind of music that transcends current fads. Her 2012 debut Is Your Love Big Enough? put her on the map, but her more recent work has her sounding more confident, focused, and better than ever.—Confusion

Release date: TBA

Grimes is another wildcard. Her critically acclaimed 2012 album Visions catapulted her into that weird space between indie darling and mainstream star, but she's shown little interest in pandering to the masses.

We could speculate, but to be honest, we have no idea what the expect from her next album. It seems like every time she says something about the album and the media picks it up, she adds an "actually, no" and ends the conversation.

What we do know is that Grimes said she attempted a "glam rock" song that could be a third single for the album. She also revealed that she's been playing more guitar and that creating music without computers has been inspiring. And lastly, it seems that she'll be self-producing the entire project, like she has with all her previous albums. She said that Blood Diamonds-produced "Go" will not appear on it because it wasn't produced by her.

But then again, this could all change. Before all this, she expressed interest in making a noise album, and in the beginning of 2015 she said that pop music bores her. Predictability sucks. We can't wait to see what Grimes comes up with.—Confusion

Since we don't have any album material yet, here's a scrapped track that Grimes released earlier this year.

Release date: June 16

Lantern is the album fans of Hudson Mohawke have been waiting for since TNGHT called it quits in 2013. So far we've heard a couple very disparate cuts—"Very First Breath" is a bright pop track featuring Irfane's soaring vocals, while "Ryderz" gave a glimpse of HudMo's abilities as a sampler, a triumphant cut that had been bouncing around his DJ sets for a while.

Mohawke has highlighted the album's eclecticism in months past—he's the rare producer capable of diving into any genre with ease. "People are expecting it to be a rap record," he told Pitchfork, "and it would be so easy to make a record of 10 rap songs—but I don't necessarily want to hear that. I wanted to go back and put the focus on myself for this record."

Lantern will be HudMo's first solo LP in six years, and it's due out June 6. Other features on the album include Miguel and Jhené Aiko. Check the full track list and the two previously released cuts below.—Graham

1. “Lantern”

2. “Very First Breath (ft. Irfane)”

3. “Ryderz”

4. “Warriors (ft. Ruckazoid & Devaeux)

5. “Kettles”

6. “Scud Books”

7. “Indian Steps (ft. Antony)”

8. “Lil Djembe”

9. “Deepspace (ft. Miguel)”

10. “Shadows”

11. “Resistance (ft. Jhené Aiko)”

12. “Portrait Of Luci”

13. “System”

14. “Brand New World”

Release date: TBA

Killer Mike and El-P have been ripping through the music industry with reckless abandon since the 2013 release of the first Run The Jewels album. It's been an unexpected but well-deserved career bloom, spurring the equally furious and fantastic RTJ 2 . They're moving fast and gaining steam, humanitarian anarchists running rampant through the music industry.

So yes, RTJ 3 is already in the works. But the two rappers are past the point of looking for a quick cash grab, they're here to use the platform and affect change, disrupt a corrupt justice system and make cat sounds with Meow The Jewels.

Putting cats aside for the moment, hopes are high that RTJ 3 will drop sometime in 2015. There are rumors that Zac De La Rocha and Massive Attack are involved, and El did drop this juicy nugget in December:

[caption id="attachment_523439" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Image via Twitter[/caption]

But the boys have been busy: there are White House dinners to attend and a full slate of summer festival dates to take down. Still, I feel like Mike and El could crank out an album overnight with the right circumstances. Until then, let's move with the elegance of an African elephant, all the way back to "Banana Clipper."—Graham

Release date: TBA

At this point, it's simple: In Kanye we trust. Since 2004, Kanye West has released six great albums and managed to evolve constantly, setting trends left and right along the way. As artists age, that desire to keep pushing often disappears—we've seen even the best artists lose their spark. But there's something about Mr. West. Even with his exploration into fashion and the million other things he's been working on, Kanye's music has never suffered, and it's never felt like he's giving anything less than 100%.

So what's next? What's in store for album that is, at least for now, called SWISH? Since Yeezus, Kanye has become a husband and a father, and it's hard to imagine that not having some kind of impact on his perspective and his creative output. Yeezus was his most visceral, challenging work yet, and then he went and released "Only One," signaling a new direction. Then another plot twist—just when it seemed that Kanye was softening up, we got the fiery "All Day" performance from the 2015 BRIT Awards.

Who knows what SWISH will be? Who knows if he'll even stick with the name SWISH. But it's a safe bet that whatever it is, it will be one of 2015's most exciting new albums.—Confusion

Release date: May 18

One of 2015's hottest newcomers thus far has been Shamir. Boasting an impressive set of pipes and a wild imagination, Shamir first caught our eye as part of the GODMODE imprint. Production-wise, Shamir sounds like a disciple of LCD Soundsystem. Instead of James Murphy's sarcastic humor, however, Shamir's vocals are operatic, ecstatic, and wholehearted. He's gotten a pretty similar response — Shamir's debut Ratchet LP is set to release May 18 on XL.

Revisit Shamir's "Darker" video below and check out Shamir's artist statement below.—Graham

Release date: TBA

Fans have been patiently waiting for Chance the Rapper's official debut album. Unfortunately, it seems like the wait is nowhere near over as yet. Although many have been under the impression that Surf will be a new Chance album, that's not exactly the case. Chance has made it clear several times that Surf is in fact a group effort from The Social Experiment, and that he is merely another piece of this puzzle put together by Donnie Trumpet.

According to their SoundCloud, the genre of music they're making would best be described as "world fusion." The Social Experiment is precisely as the name claims—a group of friends having a fun time experimenting with sounds and being influenced by their surroundings and experiences. There's no doubt that their new music will reflect that. Their single "Sunday Candy" has Chance at the forefront, with a fun video reminiscent of a school play—probably inspired by Chance's current obsession with The Lion King on Broadway. Their previous single "Nothing Came To Me," however, allowed Donnie Trumpet to shine.

The Social Experiment never shared an exact release date but rumor had it that Surf was supposed to drop sometime last week. Being that we've already passed that deadline it looks like the release date will be as much of a surprise as the album's features. But if there's anything we know for sure, it's that Surf will certainly be a group effort that allows everyone to shine.—Adrienne Black

Release date: TBA

It’s hard to believe that it’s been two years since James Blake released Overgrown, but it has. In these two long years, there haven’t been too many details as to what we can expect for his forthcoming third album. However, it seems fair to assume that Radio Silence will sound very different from what we’ve come accustomed to hearing from James Blake. His debut and sophomore album were also released two years apart, and in that gap his sound grew from timidly experimental and abstract to something that still pushed the boundaries but felt more structured.

So far, both of his previous albums have retained the experimental sounds but included specific elements that helped take the sound in slightly different directions. During his residency at BBC Radio 1, James shared a few exclusive tracks with his listeners. Judging by tracks like "200 Press" and "Building It Still" there's a possibility that this new album could feature a few dance-worthy tracks. And yet, on the other hand, he also revealed that he was trying to get Bon Iver and Kanye West on the album. So it's very likely that Radio Silence will be James Blake's most diverse album yet.—Adrienne Black

Release date: June 2

It has been exactly two years and four months since A$AP Rocky released his debut album Long.Live.A$AP. During that time, he has achieved worldwide recognition, multiple Billboard hits, rocked plenty of festivals and stadiums and become a style icon in his own right. Those seem like big shoes to fill going into your sophomore album.

But it hasn't been all good in A$AP's world during the journey.

In what may be the biggest event in Rocky's world, earlier this year his good friend and A$AP Mob founder A$AP Yams passed in a tragic accidental death. The man responsible for making the music happen was no longer there to sign off on an idea. The man responsible for bringing in Danger Mouse and Juicy J to co-executive produce the project wouldn't see the fruits of the labor.

With singles like "Multiply," "M'$" and the recently released "Everyday" featuring Rod Stewart, Miguel and Mark Ronson, A$AP Rocky seems to be back to his bullshit, while still pushing the boundaries of his own work. What other rapper do you know who can get Rod Stewart on a track (via a sample) and make it sound hard?

With folks like Yasiin Bey and Clams Casino contributing to the At.Long.Last.A$AP, this album will mean the most to Rocky because it's dedicated to Yams. Not only through the artwork, but through the music, A$AP Rocky will make sure people remember his good friend forever.—Mark Iraheta

Release date: TBA

Please, music gods, let Jeremih's third studio album out of label jail. Late Nights has been stuck in Def Jam purgatory since 2013. Back then it was called Thumpy Thompson. Times have changed.

We've gotten a couple tastes of what Jeremih's capable of in the meantime. It's a given this studio work will differ from his independent work with Shlohmo, and so far it has: there was the summer banger "Don't Tell 'Em" featuring YG, the J.Cole-assisted, slow burning "Planes," and the Flo-Rida horror show "Tonight Belongs to U!" A little bit of everything.

Overall, however, hopes are still high. And since it sounds like Jeremih is done blaming himself, the pressure is on Def Jam to get it done.—Graham Corrigan

Release date: TBA

Antony Hegarty released her last album with Antony and the Johnsons, Swanlights, in 2010, and has revealed some exciting news about her new solo record. She told Billboard: 

“I’m working with Hudson Mohawke and some other people, and I’m making a very different kind of electronic record. It’s an intensely political record. It’s definitely got tough dance beats, but the content is much more vivid [in terms of] the lyric content.”

And then she posted to Facebook in February:

"My new album is co-produced by myself, Oneohtrix Point Never and Hudson Mohawke. It's an electronic record with some sharp teeth. We are mixing it now. My name for this project is ANOHNI."

Intensely political? Tough dance beats produced by Hudson Mohawke and Oneohtrix? We cant wait to see how this sounds.—Constant Gardner

Release date: TBA

Have you seen Raury live yet? The kid is transitioning into a full-blown rock star, and the amount of ambition he has is incredible, especially for a teenager. Back in June of 2014, Raury told us he was already working on his second album, but things have gotten busy for him. Since his debut album Indigo Child dropped, he's been on the road for shows and festivals, and with Raurfest coming up at the end of June, he doesn't seem to be letting up any time soon.

For right now, performing live and spreading his message is probably the best thing he can do. He's already got his idols—André 3000 and Kid Cudi, to name a couple—paying attention, and a couple collaborations and some more life experience could make this sophomore effort Raury's real breakthrough project.—Confusion

Release date: August

For months, the build-up to Barter 6 felt like the kind of anticipation normally reserved for a debut album. It was Young Thug's chance to prove he could put together a polished, cohesive album, as opposed to the scatterbrained mixtape tracks he'd been dropping left and right throughout the years. Thug stepped up to the challenge and dropped a solid project more focused than anything he'd ever been a part of, besides the Rich Gang mixtape.

It was a surprise when his label, 300, announced that Barter 6 was actually just a mixtape, and that Thug's proper debut album Hy!£UN35 is coming in August. If Barter 6 was proof that Young Thug could channel his eclectic energy effectively into a coherent full-length, Hy!£UN35 will be the next step. When it comes to an artist as unpredictable as Young Thug, it's hard to say what that next step will be—he could flex his hit-making ability and drop an album full of chart-toppers, but he's just as likely to drag things into far left-field. Either way, it will be a treat for fans of the most polarizing rapper alive.—Confusion

Release Date: TBA

Adele's name rings bells for music fans young and old. Her voice is angelic and the emotion displayed in her songs is unmatched. But to understand why, you need to look at the inspiration behind her work.

By the time Adele released 21 in 2011, she had been through two breakups and used her album as therapy to get through the pain. The acclaim was slow to come at first, but by the time the GRAMMYs rolled around in 2012, she was a household name. "Someone Like You" was inescapable, her sales were through the roof and it seems like her success couldn't get any higher.

But then something happened. She had a child. She was happy in a relationship. She took a hiatus from music.

It has been four years since fans have heard a full Adele record. Could it be possible that she can only be inspired by tough times in relationships? Maybe, but then again, she may just be living life. After hustling her way to the top, recording and touring all across the world for over four years, sometimes an artist has to take a step back and find inspiration elsewhere. In the four years since her sophomore record, she's matured, she's been through motherhood and experienced what it's like being in a committed relationship.

We can only imagine the level of maturity her new record, rumored to be titled 25 (again, after her age), will bring. Several outlets speculated that it would be finished this year, while sources in the know have cautioned against expecting anything before the second half of 2015, saying "the album will be released when it's ready — [we hope] that will be at some stage in 2015."

Regardless of what the plan is, the world is ready for some new Adele music. Reports have already circulated that the likes of Ryan Tedder, Damon Albarn, Phil Collins, James Ford, and Paul Epworth would all be contributing to the new album, but Adele isn't rushing the release. It's a good approach to take when the expectations and anticipation are through the roof.—Legend

Release date: TBA

When he's not remixing the hottest artists out or releasing surprise "mixtapes," Drake actually makes excellent albums. While If You're Reading This It's Too Late had some big club hits on it, it didn't have the same level of artistry, sonic variety, or cohesion as his true albums.

We don't know much about Views From The 6, or if that will even be the final title, but anticipation for Drake's next record is, and will remain, incredibly high.—Constant Gardner