Top albums of 2021 we can't wait for: From Megadeth to Kendrick Lamar, here are 10 exciting upcoming releases
2020 has been a good year for music lovers despite the pandemic upsetting plans and disrupting tours. Sure, your favorite artists didn't tour like they were initially supposed to, but, amid all the chaos, many musicians did release surprise albums and singles that wouldn't have been conceived without the lockdown. 2020, overall, has been a good year with albums such as Fiona Apple's 'Fetch the Bolt Cutters', Run The Jewels' 'RTJ4', Tame Impala's 'The Slow Rush', Lil Uzi Vert's 'Eternal Atake', The Weeknd's 'After Hours', Halsey's 'Manic', Perfume Genius' 'Set My Heart on Fire Immediately', Mac Miller's 'Circles', and Taylor Swift's 'Folklore', to name a few, all dropping widespread critical and commercial success.
There was also Jay Electronica's 'A Written Testimony', the 1975's 'Notes on a Conditional Form', Lady Gaga's 'Chromatica', and Green Day's 'Father of All Motherf***ers'. The list can go on and on. But, what's about to drop in 2021? Let's take a look at some of the most highly-anticipated albums of the coming year.
Steven Wilson's 'The Future Bites'
We won't be getting another Porcupine Tree album anytime soon but, thank the gods, Steven Wilson is dropping a new record on January 29, 2021 titled 'The Future Bites'. The follow up to his 2017 record 'To the Bone', which debuted at #3 on the UK Album chart and #58 on the Billboard 200, 'The Future Bites' was initially set for release on June 12, 2020 but was pushed back due to the pandemic. Co-produced by Wilson and David Kosten, the lead single 'Personal Shopper', inspired by Olivier Assayas' 2016 film of the same name, was already released. Consisting of nine tracks, 'The Future Bites' is over 41 minutes in length. A second single, 'Eminent Sleaze', was released back in September.
Kid Cudi: ‘Entergalactic’
Kid Cudi, who last released the album 'Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin' in December, 2016, is expected to drop his seventh record during the summer of 2021. The rapper was not all that active during 2020 releasing a non-album single titled 'Leader of the Delinquents', and 'The Adventures of Moon Man & Slim Shady' alongside Eminem. He also featured on the track 'The Scotts' which is from his forthcoming collaborative album with Travis Scott under the name The Scotts. 'Kids See Ghosts', his collaborative album with Kanye West was released in 2018. One single off 'Entergalactic', titled 'Do What I Want', was previewed back in April. Kid Cudi, tweeting about 'Entergalactic', said, "'Entergalactic' will be something you've never experienced. I promise it'll be a fun ride. Lot of good friends involved. Great songs too! The cast is coming together. I know a year from now seems like forever but it'll be here before u know it!" The album will accompany Cudi's upcoming Netflix adult animated series.
Royal Blood: 'LP3'
English hard rock duo Royal Blood will be releasing their third studio album in 2021. The band has already released one single from the upcoming untitled album called 'Trouble's Coming'. The 'LP3' by Royal Blood will be the follow up to 2017's 'How Did We Get So Dark?' which debuted at #1 on the UK Album chart.
Weyes Blood: 'LP5'
The fifth studio album by experimental and psychedelic rock artist Weyes Blood is expected to release in 2021. The follow up to the critically acclaimed 'Titanic Rising', Weyes Blood's next record is being anticipated for a while now with the 32-year-old musician becoming one of the most acclaimed artists in music today. After cancelling her tour due to the pandemic, she previously said that she's beginning to work on her "next album that will come out in 2021 — a different time, when hopefully we can see each other face to face once again."
Spoon: 'LP10'
Spoon, indie rock band from Austin, Texas, have been churning out some of the best rock music since the mid 90s. Now, as a follow up to their ninth album highly-lauded 2017 album 'Hot Thoughts', Spoon are going to release a new record next year in 2021. The Britt Daniel fronted band released a non-album single titled 'Rainy Taxi (Big Beat)' in 2020. They also released their second compilation album 'All the Weird Kids Up Front (Más Rolas Chidas)'. Giving a progress on their next record, which has been in the process of writing and recording since 2018, Daniel said to Rolling Stone, "I’d say we had 70 or 80 percent of the record done. We were recording right up until March 10. And then March 11 was when this whole mess (pandemic) kicked into high gear."
Megadeth: 'LP16'
Thrash legends Megadeth are still going strong. And why should they not? Before frontman Dave Mustaine was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2019, the singer and guitarist shared a video on his Instagram teasing a track from the band's yet-to-be-released sixteenth album. Later, in 2020, the band announced a tour of the US with Lamb of God, Trivium and In Flames in support of their upcoming untitled record. Therefore, it's very likely that the band will drop the album next year. It'll follow their last release 'Dystopia' which came out in 2016 and reached #3 on the Billboard 200.
Natalie Imbruglia: 'LP6'
Natalie Imbruglia confirmed that she's working on her long-awaited 6th LP releasing in 2021. BMG’s President Alistair Norbury, in an interview with Music Week, himself provided an update saying that the 'Torn' singer will finally release a new album in 2021, her first in over a decade! Her last release was an album of covers in 2015 called 'Male' (which had her covering songs by famous male artists). The Aussie singer-songwriter’s last collection of originals was the exquisite 'Come To Life' which dropped in 2009.
Weezer ‘Van Weezer’
Everyone loves Weezer. The band released two albums in 2019; 'Weezer (Teal Album)' consisting of covers like Africa's 'Toto' and Black Sabbath's 'Paranoid'; and Weezer (Black Album). They were supposed to embark on a tour with Green Day and Fall Out Boy called the Hella Mega Tour, but the pandemic caused its cancellation. The band then postponed the release of 'Van Weezer', their upcoming fourteenth studio album, pushing the release date to May 7, 2021. According to frontman Rivers Cuomo, 'Van Weezer' is inspired by 1970s and 80s hard rock and heavy metal bands such as Kiss, Black Sabbath, Metallica and Van Halen (that inspired the album's title). On October 6, 2020, the band announced that the album would be dedicated to Eddie Van Halen following his passing on the same day.
Kendrick Lamar: 'LP5'
Though not guaranteed, the rumors of a new Kendrick Lamar album has been around since the beginning of 2020. The Pulitzer Prize winning rapper last released an album in 2017; the highly successful 'DAMN'. He did produce, feature and rap on 'Black Panther: The Album' but, since then, has remained largely inactive. Recently, he spoke about why his next album is getting delayed while interviewing upcoming rapper Baby Keem (who is Lamar's cousin). Lamar said, "[playing with new sounds is] what will take me so long to do albums. I spend the whole year just thinking about how I’m gonna execute a new sound, I can’t do the same thing over and over. I need something to get me excited. I see you get frustrated sometimes because you want some new shit."
He then continued, "It’s all about finding that balance. I remember the sophomore jinx of 'Good Kid M.A.A.D City'; it was for that year and for that time. I was in a different space in my life. I already knew off the top I can’t make 'Good Kid M.A.A.D City' Part Two. The second I’m making that, it’s corny bro. That takes the feeling away from the first. I need that muhf***a to live in its own world. Then boom, 'To Pimp a Butterfly'. Some people love it to death, some people hate it... I had an idea in my head of how I wanted it to sound, built with jazz and blues and hip-hop. But it was more 'how am I gonna execute that?'"
Hopefully the fifth Lamar album drops sometime in 2021.
Radiohead: 'LP10'
Radiohead has been one of the most anticipated bands in the world for over 23 years now. Their last record, the highly acclaimed 'A Moon Shaped Pool', came out in 2016. 'A Moon Shaped Pool' was preceded by 'The King of Limbs' which released in 2011. Doing the math, it'll be over five years since their last release and, hence, Radiohead should drop an album in 2021. Also, guitarist Ed O’Brien — who spoke with Guitar World — said, "I’m sure there will be another [Radiohead] album. That last record ['A Moon Shaped Pool'] was a lot of old songs, which explains the different eras of Radiohead it might have sounded like." He then said that a new Radiohead album "will definitely happen,", but cautioned "when that is, I have no idea". Hopefully in 2021!