As the music calendar enters its final stretch, a last flurry of releases are set to close out a marquee year for albums. Peruse the selection below to plan your soundtrack to crisp fall strolls and periods of cozy hibernation as the nights draw in.
The 1975: Being Funny in a Foreign Language
Roughly two years after Notes on a Conditional Form, the 1975 are returning with Being Funny in a Foreign Language. The album’s first single, “Part of the Band” includes some guest vocals from Japanese Breakfast songwriter Michelle Zauner. And the third single, “I’m in Love With You,” has a Phoebe Bridgers cameo in the music video. Read more about the new album in the Pitchfork cover story “The 1975's Matty Healy Turns On, Tunes In, and Logs Off.” –Rob Arcand
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Alex G: God Save the Animals
Like his previous albums, Alex G wrote and demoed God Save the Animals at home. But this time, the indie rock singer-songwriter recorded the new songs with a fleet of engineers at studios across Philadelphia to bring his vision to life. He’s shared lead single “Runner” from the new album, plus “Miracles,” “Blessing,” and “Cross the Sea,” all of which point to a bigger, brighter sound for the artist. “Some of the lyrics refer back to faith or God,” he told Pitchfork. “It’s not a concept album, but those types of lyrics came up more than usual so I figured it couldn’t hurt.” –Eric Torres
Alvvays: Blue Rev
Alvvays won hearts from the second “Archie, Marry Me” dropped, thanks to their brand of cozy, charming indie-pop, and that streak is set to continue with Blue Rev, their third studio album and the follow-up to 2017’s Antisocialites. Led by the singles “Easy on Your Own?” and “Pharmacist,” the album finds the Toronto band embracing bigger melodies and even catchier hooks in a tracklist stuffed with earworms, one blissful shoegaze strum at a time. That bolstered sound is in part thanks to Alvvays recording Blue Rev with indie producer Shawn Everett and welcoming new members Sheridan Riley on drums and Abbey Blackwell on bass. –Nina Corcoran
Arctic Monkeys: The Car
Arctic Monkeys’ 2018 album Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino felt like a new direction entirely for a band that’s delivered a more consistent rock sound for the better part of two decades. The follow-up album, The Car, finds the band working with mainstay producer James Ford, and it was recorded in London, Suffolk, and Paris. “On this record, sci-fi is off the table,” frontman Alex Turner told The Big Issue. “We are back to Earth.” The lead single and album opener, “There’d Better Be a Mirrorball,” includes a lush orchestral arrangement that subtly evolves the lounge stylings of Tranquility Base. –Rob Arcand
Beth Orton: Weather Alive
Beth Orton started writing the songs for her eighth studio album, Weather Alive, on an old piano she’d bought after returning home to England from a two-year stint in Los Angeles. She wanted to write songs exclusively on her own terms, untethered from the expectations of producers and record labels. She eventually recruited bassist Tom Herbert and drummer Tom Skinner to help flesh out the project, and multifaceted talents Alabaster dePlume and Shahzad Ismaily also make guest appearances on Weather Alive. Read the new feature “Beth Orton on the Music That Made Her.” –Allison Hussey
Bill Callahan: YTILAER
On his new album YTILAER (that’s “reality” backward), Bill Callahan stretches beyond pastoral bliss and rings celebratory bells. “I wanted sounds and words that made you feel and that lifted you up,” he said in a statement announcing the LP. Across YTILAER’s hourlong runtime, you’ll hear clusters of horns, a bevy of backup singers, and plenty of references to Callahan’s family, like when he sings about “a peanut of a child” on the lead single “Coyotes.” –Madison Bloom
Björk: Fossora
A new Björk album guarantees at least one thing: unbelievable cover artwork. She’s spoken about how her album covers are like tarot cards that telegraph each album’s sound, and, on the cover of Fossora, she’s perched above fungi. Everything about her new album is about literally embracing earth. Its title is an invented word that feminizes “fossore,” or “digger, delver, ditcher.” In the music video for the lead single “Atopos,” she revels in a mushroom rave. “each album always starts with a feeling that i try to shape into sound,” she wrote. “this time around the feeling was landing (after my last album utopia which was all island in the clouds element air and no bass) on the earth and digging my feet into the ground.” –Evan Minsker
Brian Eno: ForeverAndEverNoMore
The father of ambient music returns to the microphone on most of ForeverAndEverNoMore’s 10 songs, a first since his 2005 album Another Day on Earth. The contemplative new record, Brian Eno’s first in five years, attends to the climate crisis, among other themes. Of his singing voice, the 74-year-old recently said, “I don’t want to sing like a teenager, it can be melancholy, a bit regretful. As for writing songs again—it’s more landscapes, but this time with humans in them.” Guests on the album include Jon Hopkins, Leo Abrahams, and Roger Eno. –Jazz Monroe
Carly Rae Jepsen: The Loneliest Time
The emotions are revving back up again. Carly Rae Jepsen’s next record, The Loneliest Time, features contributions from Tavish Crowe, Bullion, Captain Cuts, Alex Hope, John Hill, Kyle Shearer, and Rostam Batmanglij, who produced and co-wrote lead single “Western Wind.” Her last album was 2019’s Dedicated, which was followed up by a collection of B-sides. Recently, Jepsen released the single “Beach House,” produced by Alex Hope. –Alphonse Pierre
The Comet Is Coming: Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam
With the final tour for his Caribbean-tinged jazz project Sons of Kemet behind him, Shabaka Hutchings has his attention fully trained on the Comet is Coming, who return this fall with their new LP Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam. The cosmic jazz trio follow up the 2019 companion releases Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery and The Afterlife with a new set of songs cut during a furious four-day session at Peter Gabriel’s Bath studio that are sure to further solidify Hutchings’ place at the vanguard of a searing-hot London jazz scene. –Matthew Ismael Ruiz
Dawn Richard / Spencer Zahn: Pigments
Reinvention is not new for Dawn Richard, and she will do it again on Pigments. The album is a collaborative project with New York–based bassist Spencer Zahn, after the two previously connected on the 2018 single “Cyanotype.” So far, four songs have been released from Pigments: “Coral,” “Sandstone,” “Indigo,” and “Vantablack,” which has a music video helmed by Richard in her directorial debut. It’s dedicated to Richard’s father and his funk band Chocolate Milk. –Alphonse Pierre
Dry Cleaning: Stumpwork
Last year, London rockers Dry Cleaning released their mesmerizing debut New Long Leg. The narration of Florence Shaw was the catalyst and the sound was bolder than their previous EPs Sweet Princess and Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks. On October 21, they will release their sophomore album, Stumpwork. The lead single, “Don’t Press Me,” is produced by John Parish, who also contributed to New Long Leg. It features recent singles “Anna Calls From the Arctic” and “Gary Ashby,” which, according to the band, is “a lament about a pet tortoise, escaped as a result of family chaos.” –Alphonse Pierre
Frankie Cosmos: Inner World Peace
Prolific singer-songwriter Greta Kline appears to have adopted a more deliberate pace of late, releasing albums at a slower clip than in years past. She co-produced her new album Inner World Peace with her Frankie Cosmos band and Nate Mendelsohn and Katie Von Schleicher at Figure 8 Recording in Brooklyn, having long since graduated from lo-fi bedroom recordings to the full suite of tools available in a professional studio. Early single “One Year Stand” hints at a sound that remains simple and sweet, with a voice that Stranger Things Finn Wolfhard once called “almost hypnotizing.” –Matthew Ismael Ruiz
Gilla Band: Most Normal
Irish punks Gilla Band are back in abrasively noisy business with their latest batch of antic anthems. Their third album, and first since scrapping the “misgendered name” Girl Band, combines acerbic social commentary and captivating, near-nonsense lyrics with lashings of industrial noise, droning bass, kaleidoscopic pedal-work, and, on recent single “Post Ryan,” a new wave pop beat. –Jazz Monroe
Indigo Sparke: Hysteria
Indigo Sparke began writing her new album Hysteria while stuck in her native Australia, awaiting to receive visa clearance to return to the United States. It was a dark time, she recalled in press materials, spent “moving through huge waves of grief.” Clarity eventually arrived, as did an album, recorded with the National’s Aaron Dessner. The follow-up to 2021’s Echo includes the singles “Blue” and “Pressure in My Chest” –Quinn Moreland
Lambchop: The Bible
The Bible is the 16th studio album from Lambchop and the follow-up to last year’s Showtunes. The new album includes the single “Police Dog Blues,” which was inspired by the Blind Blake song of the same name. Kurt Wagner wrote the track in the aftermath of the 2020 protests for racial justice in Minneapolis. –Rob Arcand
Lil Baby: It’s Only Me
It’s been just two years since Lil Baby released his sophomore effort, My Turn, but the rapper’s star has continued to rise: He’s won a Grammy for his Donda collaboration “Hurricane,” been recognized for his impactful song “The Bigger Picture,” collaborated with Lil Durk on The Voice of the Heroes, and recently appeared on DJ Khaled’s God Did. The 27-year-old teased his upcoming album, It’s Only Me, with an image of him sitting solemnly on a boulder in the middle of a lavish spring while a Mount Rushmore–style monument of him at different ages sits above in the clouds. He left fans with a taste of his upcoming album in the form of his lead single “Detox.” – Heven Haile
Lucrecia Dalt: ¡Ay!
Go ahead and splurge on a new set of headphones because Lucrecia Dalt makes use of imaginative mixing on her new album ¡Ay! Opening from the organ swells of “No tiempo”—a song Dalt described as an effort to marry science-fiction sensibilities with Latin American bolero music—Dalt throws listeners into a journey through synthetic landscapes. –Allison Hussey
Makaya McCraven: In These Times
With 2021’s Deciphering the Message, self-described “beat scientist” Makaya McCraven dissected previously recorded improvisations and stitched them into new creations. Now, with his new album In These Times, the Chicago-based artist turns the focus back on himself. Created across more than seven years with over 12 collaborators, the percussionist’s new record serves as a reflection on McCraven’s growth as a musician. –Jane Bua
Mykki Blanco: Stay Close to Music
It’s been just over a year since Mykki Blanco put out the mini-album Broken Hearts & Beauty Sleep, but the multi-hyphenate artist has already prepped a brand new follow-up. Stay Close to Music was written and recorded with producer FaltyDL during jam sessions in Lisbon, Paris, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. The 13-track album features a wide net of guest artists, including Michael Stipe, Kelsey Lu, ANOHNI, Devendra Banhart, and more. Recent singles “French Lessons” and “Pink Diamond Bezel” affirm Blanco hasn’t lost any of their genre-blurring charm. –Eric Torres
Open Mike Eagle: Component System With the Auto Reverse
A lot of people had a tough 2020, and so did Open Mike Eagle. His no good very bad year was filled with loss, and the record he made—Anime, Trauma and Divorce—reflected that. Eagle seems to be doing better these days, waxing nostalgic with a warmer disposition. Component System With the Auto Reverse harkens back to an era when ravenous rap heads with limited budgets would make mixtapes from songs culled from radio broadcasts and friends’ CDs, and it features a finished version of the MF DOOM tribute he shared in the wake of the enigmatic rapper’s death. –Matthew Ismael Ruiz
Palm: Nicks and Grazes
Palm’s third studio album, Nicks and Grazes, features a dense, synth-driven single called “Feathers.” As the band noted in a statement, the song “went through a few drafts” before a coherent logic emerged. “It was only once I switched to bass synth that there was a strong enough center for the atonal guitar and synth pads to make sense,” bassist Gerasimos Livitsanos explained. –Rob Arcand
Phoenix: Alpha Zulu
The first new Phoenix album since 2017’s Ti Amo was recorded in Paris’ Musée des Arts Décoratifs and inspired by their late friend Philippe Zdar. The album’s announcement arrived with a single that teleported listeners a dozen years back in time to the halcyon days of Obama-era indie rock. “Tonight” features Thomas Mars sharing vocal duties with Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig—the first time the band has enlisted an outside guest vocalist. Read “Phoenix’s Thomas Mars and Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig on Their Feel-Good Collaboration ‘Tonight.’” –Evan Minsker
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Plains: I Walked With You a Ways
Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield and singer-songwriter Jess Williamson make the most of their mutual influences as Plains. The songs of their first album, I Walked With You a Ways, feel loose and natural, calling to mind country legends like Lucinda Williams, the Chicks, and Shania Twain, as well as Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris’ iconic album Trio. Plains’ album is well-suited to aimless drives and golden hours. –Allison Hussey
Quavo / Takeoff: Only Built for Infinity Links
Amid Migos disbandment rumors—which the band and representatives deny—Quavo and Takeoff are teaming up for the collaborative Only Built for Infinity Links. Ahead of the album, the rappers have shared the songs “Hotel Lobby,” “Big Stunna,” and “Us vs. Them.” While not a part of Infinity Links, Offset has also released a pair of solo singles. –Heven Haile
Red Hot Chili Peppers: Return of the Dream Canteen
With John Frusciante back in the band, Red Hot Chili Peppers were apparently more inspired than they had been in years when they hit the studio with producer Rick Rubin. Return of the Dream Canteen marks their second Rubin-produced album of 2022. The follow-up to Unlimited Love features the new single “Tippa My Tongue.” The band said, “Return of the Dream Canteen is everything we are and ever dreamed of being.” And, appropriately, at the MTV Video Music Awards, Flea delivered an incredible acceptance speech shouting out the wonders of nature and the power of love. You owe it to him to visit the dream canteen. –Evan Minsker
Shygirl: Nymph
Shygirl has been busy honing her craft over the past few years, dropping a few delightfully ribald singles and guest features since her 2020 breakthrough Alias EP. The London-based club-pop singer, rapper, and producer’s long-awaited debut, Nymph, finally arrives this month, and she’s teased the release with a diverse spread of dance-ready singles already, including “Firefly,” “Come for Me,” “Coochie (A Bedtime Story),” and “Nike.” The new LP features production from Arca, Mura Masa, Sega Bodega, Vegyn, and more. –Eric Torres
The Soft Pink Truth: Is It Going to Get Any Deeper Than This?
Drew Daniel said the title of his latest album as the Soft Pink Truth came from a woman’s obtuse request while a friend was DJing. The query intrigued the Matmos co-conspirator, who used it as a launchpad for a set of tracks he’s described as “an attempt to imagine possible musical responses to her question.” Jenn Wasner joins him on the buoyant banger “Wanna Know,” and, elsewhere, Daniel pulls from disco and soul stylings. –Allison Hussey
Sorry: Anywhere But Here
Earlier this summer, English band Sorry released “Let the Lights On,” which they described as “a fun love song for the club.” It’s also the lead single to their upcoming album Anywhere But Here. The new album was made in collaboration with Adrian Utley of Portishead. Sorry were inspired by the bands Tortoise and Slint and 1970s songwriters Carly Simon and Randy Newman, and they’ve described the new album as “rougher around the edges” and “a much more haggard place” than their debut, 925. –Heven Haile
Taylor Swift: Midnights
Taylor Swift announced her 10th studio album, Midnights, in the most Swiftian manner—while accepting the Video of the Year award at the MTV Video Music Awards. Later that night, when the clock struck… you guessed it… Swift revealed a softly-lit cover and a concept describing the record as “the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout [her] life.” Her lips have more or less been sealed about the project ever since. –Quinn Moreland
Tegan and Sara: Crybaby
It’s been three years since Tegan and Sara’s last new album, Hey, I’m Just Like You, but the duo hasn’t been hiding away; in that time, the sisters’ joint memoir was adapted into an upcoming TV series on which they serve as executive producers. Now, Tegan and Sara are gearing up to release Crybaby, their 10th studio album and first since signing with Mom + Pop. Over the past couple months, Tegan and Sara have previewed the album’s synthpop direction with the singles “Fucking Up What Matters” and “Yellow”—the latter of which pays homage to Coldplay’s hit of the same name in its music video. –Nina Corcoran
Tom Skinner: Voices of Bishara
There was a day in 2021 when Tom Skinner was launched from “Sons of Kemet percussionist” to “the one guy in the Smile who isn’t a member of Radiohead.” On the heels of A Light for Attracting Attention’s release and Sons of Kemet’s dissolution, Skinner is taking his turn as bandleader with his first record under his own name—and on the revered labels Nonesuch and International Anthem, no less. “This record is an attempt to put something truthful into the world, through collaboration and community, at a time of rising dishonesty and disinformation,” he said in a statement. –Evan Minsker
Weyes Blood: And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow
As Weyes Blood, Natalie Mering creates soft rock with a 1970s aesthetic and clear-eyed lyrics about contemporary life. And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow features guest contributions from Jonathan Rado (of Foxygen), Meg Duffy (aka Hand Habits), Daniel Lopatin (aka Oneohtrix Point Never), and Mary Lattimore. Mering has described the album’s lead single “It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody” as “a Buddhist anthem, ensconced in the interconnectivity of all beings.” –Rob Arcand
Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Cool It Down
New York indie rock legends Yeah Yeah Yeahs have laid low since releasing 2013’s Mosquito. Now, they’re staging a return with Cool It Down, their fifth record and first for Secretly Canadian. So far, they’ve shared the Perfume Genius–featuring lead single “Spitting Off the Edge of the Earth” and the reggae-tinged “Burning.” The trio’s latest LP is inspired by a song from the Velvet Underground’s 1970 album Loaded, according to singer Karen O. “Our fever to tell has returned,” she wrote in a statement announcing the album, “and writing these songs came with its fair share of chills, tears, and euphoria when the pain lifts and truth is revealed.” –Eric Torres
