Pigeons & Planes' Most Anticipated Albums of 2017

It's been three years since Arcade Fire released their fantastic Reflektor, but they haven't been idle in the meantime. They set out on a massive tour, dropped a slew of videos, and released a documentary on the making of the album.

Somehow in the midst of this, they found time to start working on new material. In an interview earlier this year, drummer Jeremy Gara said the band has been recording new songs since fall of 2015. Then in a Reddit AMA this summer, Will Butler confirmed the upcoming album, revealing it may drop as soon as spring of this year.

Then, suddenly, there was new music with the political "I Give You Power," which was released on the eve of Trump's inauguration but is not expected to appear on the upcoming album. No further details have emerged about the forthcoming LP, but if you remember how cryptic the release was for Reflektor, we probably won't get much advance warning anyway.​—Katie Kelly

Streets have been waiting for this one. We've been following British signer and producer Sampha since the abstract electronic productions of his 2010 Sundanza EP, and the evolution has been crazy to see. From collaborating with SBTRKT and Jessie Ware to helping inspire Drake and Kanye West, Sampha seems to have kept humble and grounded, and finally his debut album is coming out on February 3.

Most striking is that voice, and Process singles "Blood on Me" and "Timmy's Prayer" keep it front and center. There's variety on this record too, though, from the spare arrangements on tracks like "(No One Knows Me) Like The Piano" to the electronic crescendo reached on "Timmy's Prayer." Sampha already has a dedicated core of fans who adore him—with an incredible album to his name he'll truly be undeniable..—Alex Gardner

Read Sampha's interview with Complex here.

A lot has changed since Lorde released her debut album Pure Heroine as a 16-year-old back in 2013. Now 20, the wise-beyond-her-years singer-songwriter is gearing up to release her sophomore album, and the time following her breakthrough to stardom has given her plenty of source material to draw from.


In a “note from the desk of a newborn adult” published to Facebook on the final night of her life as a teenager, Lorde reflected on moving out of her parents’ house, having her heart broken, and slowly growing into an adult. Then, she sat down and wrote a record about it. A record that she promises is coming “soon.”

“Writing Pure Heroine was my way of enshrining our teenage glory, putting it up in lights forever so that part of me never dies,” is the way she puts it. “And this record—well, this one is about what comes next.”—Eric Skelton

In 2015, Travis Scott released his official studio debut with Rodeo. The album not only lived up to the hype that his mixtape Days Before Rodeo created, but surpassed expectations as the breakout track "Antidote" became a huge summer anthem. The following year, Scott did it once again with his latest follow-up album Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight. With this last album Scott delivered yet another radio hit with "Pick Up The Phone" alongside Young Thug and Quavo.

After the success of his first two albums, we can only assume that Travis Scott will continue his hot streak in 2017 with his forthcoming album Astroworld. He's proven that he can create back-to-back radio hits and fill up an album with bangers. We're ready to see him do it again.—Adrienne Black

It's been two years since FKA twigs' debut album LP1, and while we know her next project will not be LP2, fans still have plenty of reason to be excited to hear new music from the English singer. Back in 2015 Twigs released the M3LL155X EP and then spent most of 2016 working on special projects ranging from a free dance workshop in Baltimore to her current Nike campaign that has featured new music and a zine.

The preview of "Trust In Me" sounded great in the campaign video and left listeners excited and eager for more. Twigs is an interesting modern case—an artist who has built a career off not only great music, but an artful approach to everything she touches. With Google and Nike partnerships under her belt, it seems like FKA twigs doesn't have to worry about radio-friendly music and chart-topping hits. If her past is any indication, that could mean some of the most forward-thinking music of 2017.—Eric Isom

You can never predict Young Thug's next move. Hy!£UN35 may not even be the name of his next project and Young Thug may not even be the name he goes with when he releases it. One thing is for sure though—the music is going be insane. Thugger is one of the most innovative rappers in mainstream rap today and his next album is sure to bring more surprises and more anthems.—Eric Isom

Discover the full story behind Young Thug's viral "Wyclef Jean" here.

These are arguably two of the most important artists working today, so it almost goes without saying that a Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole project would send fans wild. Both of them know how to make their albums flow perfectly; K Dot's To Pimp a Butterfly feels like one hazy, jazzy acid trip, while Cole's 4 Your Eyez Only is one long piece about one of his deceased homies.

Kendrick murders J. Cole production, and they are both different enough that their tracks will have unique pockets of brilliance from each. Add in the insane political climate we're in right now, and while we'd rather not call on these two to be the leaders we so desperately need right now, they have the capacity to create the anthems that will drive our future revolutions.—khal

Here's what you need to know about Lil B's long-awaited mixtape Black Ken.

- It's dedicated to Puff Daddy.

- He cried listening to some of the tracks because they were so life-changing.

- Martin Shkreli (you know, that scumbag who bought Wu-Tang's secret album Once Upon A Time In Shaolin for $2 million and claims to have Wayne's Carter V) hit up Lil B on Twitter to see how he could "cop" it.

If these facts alone don't make you excited for a mixtape, I'm not sure what will.—Katie Kelly

St. Vincent (a.k.a. Annie Clark) might just be one of the coolest artists in the game right now. With her 2014 self-titled album, she proved that she's much more than just the acoustic darling with the soothing, mesmerizing voice. It was edgy, sharper, and more provocative than her previous work, and more than anything, it was so damn cool.

Speaking to Guitar World about her upcoming, yet-to-be-named album, Clark said that "it’ll be the deepest, boldest work I've ever done." It's hard to imagine what "boldest" could sound like after St. Vincent, but we can't wait to hear it.—Joyce Ng

Pusha T has always been a no-holds-barred type of rapper, with his unforgiving rhymes and encyclopedic vocabulary. But after being named President of G.O.O.D. Music, Pusha seems to have acquired a new confidence that's reflected in his music. King Push – Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude found Pusha in top form, making magic with The-Dream on "M.F.T.R." and cutting to the heart of social issues on tracks like "M.P.A." and "Untouchable." And that was just the prelude. Based on the strength of that album and the loosies "Circles" and  "HGTV," King Push will have been well worth the wait.—Joyce Ng

At this point, there seems to be no limit to what King Krule is capable of. He followed up the breakthrough album 6 Feet Beneath the Moon with the droning, divisive beauty of 2015's A New Place to Drown. That album was released under his given name of Archy Marshall, and served as part of a larger art project with Archy's brother Jack. 

"We make stuff every day," Archy told NPR 14 months ago. Given his wide range of recent interests—he's continued to make beats for hip-hop royalty like Earl Sweatshirt, and recently famously explained how to escape from a wasp—it's anyone's guess what the next release will sound like. But we'll be here for it.—Graham Corrigan

At this point, Tha Carter V is about more than the music to Lil Wayne fans. This album is freedom to Weezy, and for years we've been watching him fight to release this album and close out the legendary series. Things have not been looking good lately—there's even talk of C5 being in the hands of Martin Shkreli—so Tunechi could be in for more of the same struggles in 2017, but a recent Facebook post showed signs of hope.

Wayne stated that C5, Dedication 6, and a new project titled Funeral are all on the way this year. Hopefully he will be able to deliver and we get to see the man who has influenced so much of what we love today have another shining moment.—Eric Isom

Odds of the Gorillaz turning in a disappointing album after six years of deliberation are set at 10,000:1. My faith in Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett is that strong. 

Gorillaz' recent social media blitz had us on high alert, and then they dropped the dark "Hallelujiah Money," featuring Benjamin Clementine. It's an intriguing first taste of the new album, which Albarn elaborated on in an interview for Rolling Stone. 

“I’m in the very early days on a new Gorillaz record. So far, it’s really fast, and it’s got quite a lot of energy. I’ve been stuck on piano, somewhere off Broadway, for years now. I want to go somewhere completely opposite of that.”

“I’m determined that my next record will be very upbeat," he later told Exclaim, "And I will try to set myself the benchmark of 125 bpm and nothing underneath that.”—Graham Corrigan

While the seemingly always-evolving Life of Pablo was seen as one of the best albums of 2016, Kanye West has reportedly been working on his next project, which he said was titled Turebo Grafx 16 way back in February of 2015. What's it going to sound like? Who knows. It might be some of that old Kanye, or it might be whatever the future of G.O.O.D. Music will sound like—it all depends where Kanye's mind is at.

Kim Kardashian getting robbed in late 2016 has to be weighing on him, as does his awkward support of Donald Trump, especially if he still plans on running for president in 2020. He's also on weird terms with his big brother Jay Z. Whatever's going on inside of his head, it feels like the best way for him to work out his demons and feed his creative beast is to churn out some heat in the studio. Hopefully he's wired tight enough to deliver.—khal

HAIM's debut album Days Are Gone was one of the best albums of 2013, and it really cemented the trio as force to be reckoned with. The three sisters have since received Grammy nominations and toured extensively, and all of that experience will only help build an even more impressive sophomore album. But even with all of this success, the Haim sisters haven't forgotten their roots. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Danielle explained that for their second record, they made the effort to return to where it all began: their parents' living room. 

HAIM made a discovery of their own during this time between albums, and it was that they are a rock band. Says Danielle in about what to expect with the new album in the Rolling Stone feature: "This time we came at it from a more organic, rock standpoint. Because when we play live, we realize that ultimately, we’re a rock band." While a firm release date hasn't been set yet, they cancelled a string of European tour dates back in July because they wanted to focus their efforts on finishing the album. 2017 could very well be the year of HAIM.—Joyce Ng

Stormzy has played it smart with his debut album. Rather than rushing something out as hype was growing at a crazy rate at the end of 2015 and beginning of 2016, he's taken his time, aiming to give fans a definitive body of work that, as he told i-D, "you can refer to it and say it’s Stormzy, in the same way you look at Illmatic and say that’s Nas or Boy In Da Corner and that was Dizzee."

"So for me, you will hear Stormzy the son, the boyfriend, the brother, the bredrin, all of it. I will give you a moment in time in music,” he continued. Whenever the album drops, fans should already expect variety. From the hardest of grime anthems to smooth love songs, Stormzy can do it all. —Alex Gardner

Toronto's Jazz Cartier already has a dedicated following, two excellent albums, and endorsement deals that seem to multiply with each passing month. But 2017 is going to be his biggest year yet—FLEUREVER follows last year's fantastic Hotel Paranoia album, and the lead single "Tempted" is a continuation of last year's savage production and snappy lyricism. Jazz is more comfortable in his own skin than 99.9% of the planet, and when he has longtime collaborator Lantz on the boards, there's no stopping them.—Graham Corrigan 

Blending R&B and alternative rock, THEY. has been building a serious buzz throughout the past year. With hits like "Bad Habits" and "Deep End," their fan base has been growing rapidly, and after seeing their incredible live set at ComplexCon, it's clear that they'll keep the pace in 2017. Their album is titled Nu Religion: Hyena and the duo will have the opportunity to unite different crowds of music fans and add their own flavor to the expanding realm of traditional R&B. Genres and styles are merging together more than ever before, and THEY. is in the perfect position to lead the way.—Eric Isom

Mac DeMarco was relatively quiet in 2016. 2016 was a pretty shitty year. Coincidence? Nope.

But hope is alive. Mac returned at year's end, champagne bottle in hand. "That's a wrap," he told Instagram. There's a new album, and it's mixed, according to his caption. And is that new music playing in the video's background? 

Salad Days will celebrate its three-year anniversary in March. We heard some of Mac's new material last April with "Rollin Like A Dummy." If that demo and its stunning artwork are any indication, the music of Vernor Winfield McBriare Smith IV has only improved over time.—Graham Corrigan

Sevdaliza is the complete artist. From experimental electronic production to her vivid vocals, from her many memorable videos to her memorable live performance, she keeps everything on point.

The Iranian-born, Netherlands-based artist announced her album with the video for "Human," and although we don't have a cover or a release date yet, it's enough to have us excited. Sevdaliza has proved her consistency across The Suspended Kid and Children Of Silk EPs, plus singles like "Time" and "Haunted" with French producer Stwo, so we have high hopes for her 2017 debut.—Alex Gardner

Lil Yachty had the biggest year of his life in 2016. He dropped two mixtapes (Lil Boat and Summer Songs 2), landed a Sprite commercial with Lebron James, and is nominated for a Grammy alongside D.R.A.M. for their Billboard Top 5 hit "Broccoli." 

Yachty's been killing it in and out of music and his debut album Teenage Emotions will be his chance to tell us the story of the past year and a peek into the future for Lil Boat and the Sailing Team.—Eric Isom