Beach Bunny – Honeymoon
Release Date: February 14th
Why We’re Excited: On the backs of four self-released EPs, Beach Bunny built up a ton of buzz out in Chicago over the last half-decade. After popping up on festival bills all over the place, they eventually landed a deal with Mom+Pop. Youthfully earnest and irresistibly catchy, the quartet’s indie pop-rock has the unfussy joy of a band making music because it’s just fun and cathartic to do so. Lead single “Dream Boy” was one of our favorite tracks of 2019, so of course we’re looking forward to the full effort. –Ben Kaye
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Tame Impala – The Slow Rush
Release Date: February 14th
Why We’re Excited: Aussie psych-rockers Tame Impala are finally back after a five-year break. Their forthcoming album, The Slow Rush, is the “rush” we didn’t realize we’ve been craving until now. Riding on the high of recent singles “It Might Be Time”, “Borderline”, “Posthumous Forgiveness”, and, most recently, “Lost in Yesterday”, it’s apparent this album will be more experimental than ever — in an “Oooh, this is as refreshing as a newly discovered cocktail on a summer day” kind of way. Nevertheless, we’re convinced The Slow Rush will also highlight that true Tame Impala steez that’s a fine balance between mellow and effervescent. –Gabrielle Pharms
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The 1975 – Notes on a Conditional Form
Release Date: February 21st April 24th
Why We’re Excited: As is the tradition of the English pop-rock band, their soon to be released fourth studio album, Notes on a Conditional Form, opens with an eponymous title track, this time a four-minute speech from 16-year-old Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg, sharing: “Now is not the time for speaking politely or focusing on what we can or cannot say. Now is the time to speak clearly.” And if that doesn’t give you a sense of where the album is headed, may we also offer the band’s single “People” that launches off with frontman Matt Healy screaming, “Wake up, wake up, wake up,” and also reminding us to stop fucking with the kids, because the world could use a little civil disobedience purposely punctuated with guitar riffs right now. –Erica Campbell
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Fiona Apple – TBA
Fiona Apple, photo courtesy of artist
Release Date: TBA
Why We’re Excited: Fiona Apple doesn’t really care if you’ve been waiting eight years for a follow-up to one of the 2010’s best records, The Idler Wheel… The notoriously unhurried and particular singer-songwriter will work in the ways she works, in the time it takes her to do so. We will simply wait here patiently, appreciating the occasional one-off contribution to a soundtrack or Jeff Goldblum jazz album, chuckling at the playful social media videos. And when she deems the album she says is nearly finished ready for release, we will absorb it hungrily and gratefully. –Ben Kaye
Fleet Foxes – Shore
Fleet Foxes, photo by Ben Kaye
Release Date: TBA
Why We’re Excited: When asked about new music in a recent Instagram post, Fleet Foxes frontman Robin Pecknold described his upcoming work (tentatively teased as a 15-track album called Shore) as “15 Big Ones”, a reference to the 1976 Beach Boys record that found the band embracing their nostalgic sound after a period of diminishing experimentation. Does that mean we’re about to get “White Winter Hymnal” 2.0, or is Pecknold prepping another sojourn through the fractalizing landscapes of his inner world a la 2017’s Crack-Up? Either way, we’re keen to find out. –Tyler Clark
Click ahead to see the other indie rock albums we’re anticipating most this year…
