Upcoming Releases: Check out the top 5 new albums that we can’t wait to hear in October
With the ghastly delights of Halloween, and the long awaited thrills and spills of the latest Bond movie to look forward to, as well as International Music Day, World Food Day, World Mental Health Day and of course Mole Day (Not what you may think) October has a lot to pack in. As the festive season fast approaches there also appears to be an extra impetus given to making sure that new releases come to market in a timely fashion and do not get caught up in the Christmas chaos. Whatever your thoughts on the inevitable new batch of sleigh bell enhanced holiday songs, you know that there’s no point competing with the likes of Mariah Carey and getting lost in the increased traffic. October is in just the right place to ensure that your new music will be heard and that it will hopefully gain enough momentum to give it an extra boost of sales come Christmas. With that in mind we’ve picked our top five albums that we’re sure will delight your ears this month.
Lana Del Rey – Blue Banisters
After a protracted wait, although nothing when compared to No Time To Die, Lana Del Rey will finally release her overdue album Blue Banisters on October 22nd. Lana’s follow up to Chemtrails over the Country Club was originally set for release in June of this year but has been postponed for various reasons. The new 15 track album will be Del Rey’s eighth full length studio album. Originally titled Rock Candy Sweet, Blue Banisters has already given up four singles ahead of it’s release; Text Book, Wildflower Wildfire and the title track – Blue Banisters all dropping simultaneously on May 20th, and more recently Lana’s latest release, Arcadia. Having quit all social media platforms Lana will not be indulging in any on-line self promotion but we’re sure her fans will more than compensate when they hear her new, largely autobiographical album.
Coldplay – Music Of The Spheres
The anticipation surrounding the ninth studio album from Coldplay is growing with every day and has significantly increased following the release of their second single from it – My Universe. Following on from the album’s lead single, Higher Power – released in May this year, Coldplay have upped the ante on their new collaborative track with South Korean boy band sensation BTS. The new 12 track album also features songs that are co-written with …Baby One More Time producer Max Martin as well as production duties from long time collaborators Bill Rahko, Dan Green and Swedish song writer/producer Oscar Holter. After previewing Higher Power from The International Space Station and then hooking up with BTS, it’s hard to guess how Coldplay will approach the album launch but we’re sure they’ll have something spectacular planned for 15th October.
Marissa Nadler – The Path Of The Clouds
Just over three years after the release of her last, spectacular, solo album – For My Crimes, and two and a half after she hooked up with Stephen Brodsky for Droneflower, Marissa Nadler is set to follow up this year’s covers album with her latest record – The Path Of The Clouds. Marissa’s new album is possibly her best work to date, surpassing even For My Crimes which was an extraordinary piece of work. Composed largely in lockdown, Nadler’s album of new material has “songs about metamorphosis, love, mysticism, and murder” and will be released via Bella Union on 29th October.
Tori Amos – Ocean To Ocean
Tori’s sixteenth studio album, Ocean To Ocean is her first in four years and follows, Native Invader. The prolific, multi-talented, artist has been busy crafting her latest creation from the confines of her Cornish home. Tori says of her new album that – “This is a record about your losses, and how you cope with them. Thankfully when you’ve lived long enough, you can recognize you’re not feeling like the mom you want to be, the wife you want to be, the artist you want to be. I realized that to shift this, you have to write from the place where you are. I was in my own private hell, so I told myself, then that’s where you write from—you’ve done it before….”
Self Esteem – Prioritise Pleasure
Former Slow Club singer/drummer/guitarist – Rebecca Lucy Taylor is all set to release her second album, Prioritise Pleasure on October 22nd. After the success of her first solo album, Compliments Please, Taylor has built on her confident debut as a solo artist and is now producing ever more creative ,and at times confrontational, compositions that are both unflinching and ultimately engaging. The album’s lead single, I Do This All The Time, released back in April, gave us a glimpse of what was to come with it’s conversational and personally revealing lyrics. This was followed up by the soulfully infused, yet industrially augmented title track and the unapologetically provocative and quite brilliant – How Can I Help You. Taylor says that her album is “13 songs of cleansing myself of the guilt and fear of being a woman who is ‘too much’ and replacing that very notion with a celebration of myself..” We’ve heard three songs and can’t wait for the remaining ten!