The 15 albums of 2019 that we're totally stoked about
15 new album releases in 2019 that we're totally stoked about 1. Tool - TBA
Tool hold the proud distinction of featuring on every single list for anticipated album releases for the last decade. Their follow up to 2006's '10,000 Days' has been due for 12 years now, but their relentless fan army still remains hopeful. Why feature them again in 2019 then? Because this year, the signs are stronger than ever. Both frontman Maynard James Keenan and guitarist Adam Jones have confirmed that the album will arrive next year for sure. Perhaps the strongest sign is the comeback album of Maynard's side project A Perfect Circle, titled 'Eat The Elephant' which arrived earlier this year.
15 new album releases in 2019 that we're totally stoked about 2. Vampire Weekend - Mitsubishi Macchiato
Vampire Weekend's follow up to 2013's 'Modern Vampires of the City' is coming next year. Bearing the working title 'Mitsubishi Macchiato', it'll mark the first album without longtime guitarist/keyboardist Rustom Batmanglij. For heartbroken fans, there is still some respite. The band confirmed that Batmanglij will still be contributing to the album although he's embarked on a solo journey under the moniker Rustom. Frontman Ezra Koenig recently previewed some of the new material at the Lollapalooza after party gig, giving a lucky few fans a first taste of what's to come.
15 new album releases in 2019 that we're totally stoked about 3. Tame Impala - TBA
Three years have passed since the biggest act from Perth's psychedelia explosion, Tame Impala, released their last album 'Currents'. In a recent interview, frontman Kevin Parker said “I would very much hope so [to release a new Tame Impala record in summer 2019], I’d be very disappointed if we didn’t have something out by then,” much to the delight of fans. Meanwhile, he's been collaborating with artists like Theophilus London and Chinese-American DJ ZHU as what we can only hope was target practice.
15 new album releases in 2019 that we're totally stoked about 4. The 1975 - Notes On A Conditional Form
To follow their 2017 LP, the wordily titled 'I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It' British art-pop darlings The 1975 were supposed to release a new record titled 'Music For Cars'. They changed plans and decided to branch out with two albums instead, the first of which is called 'A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships', arriving on Nov 30. The thematic follow-up to it, 'Notes On A Conditional Form' has been described as "a nighttime record" and is set for release in Feb 2019.
15 new album releases in 2019 that we're totally stoked about 5. Thom Yorke (solo) - TBA
While Radiohead fans eagerly await the follow-up to 2016's 'A Moon Shaped Pool', they can rest assured that frontman Thom Yorke's new politically charged solo album will arrive sometime next year. Joining Yorke for the new record is longtime Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich. "I didn't have the wish to make politically charged music, but everything I do goes that way anyway," Yorke explained earlier this year. "I'm trying to finish a record with Nigel, and it's going that way. It’s something that's always there."
15 new album releases in 2019 that we're totally stoked about 6. Foals - TBA
British indie rockers Foals are all set to return next year with a new album, at least according to their new publishing deal. As part of their new partnership with Transgressive Publishing and Warner/Chappell Music, it covers the Oxford band’s “catalogue and their future releases, including their fifth album which is due out next year.” The new effort will be the band’s first release since 2015’s 'What Went Down', as well as their first without founding bassist Walter Gervers, who departed the group earlier this year.
15 new album releases in 2019 that we're totally stoked about 7. AC/DC - TBA
Although there hasn't been an official word from the band, JAM Magazine cited a "reliable source inside the AC/DC camp" to claim that a new album is arriving in 2019. Apparently, the songs are written around old, unheard riffs from the early 2000s by rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young, who passed away in 2017. All the tracks reportedly feature Malcolm on rhythm guitar, who co-wrote the songs with brother & lead guitarist Angus Young. Earlier in August, the old lineup of the band (sans new vocalist Axl Rose) were spotted outside the Warehouse Studios in Vancouver, where AC/DC’s three latest studio albums were recorded. And the clincher- former vocalist Brian Johnson was also spotted so he might finally be back with the band.
15 new album releases in 2019 that we're totally stoked about 8. Dream Theater - Distance Over Time
Dream Theater will be back next year, with their 14th studio album, 'Distance Over Time', set for a February 2019 release. The announcement comes three years after their 2015 release 'The Astonishing', a record many have called the prog metal legends' most ambitious effort to date. 'Distance Over Time', which will be released via Sony’s InsideOutMusic imprint, was recorded over the summer of 2018. It has been described as a “return to the band’s roots”. Describing the new album, keyboardist Jordan Rudess recently said: "It sounds awesome. I'm so excited about it. There's a very, very strong energy around the band these days. We all feel very connected and excited about what's coming."
15 new album releases in 2019 that we're totally stoked about 9. Lamb of God - TBA
If all works well, we could possibly be headbanging to a new Lamb of God record next year. It’s been over three years since Lamb of God graced the metal legions with a new record, not counting their 'Legion: XX' covers album from earlier this year. “I think it's probably more likely that it's going to get recorded in the fall of '19," said drummer Chris Adler talking about their much-awaited ninth album. "And hopefully out for Christmas presents for all your kids." Hopefully, Christmas 2019 will be absolutely gruesome and defeaning!
15 new album releases in 2019 that we're totally stoked about 10. Slipknot - TBA
Heavy metal legends Slipknot have confirmed that they have new material to present to fans and in all probability, it will be out next year. We already got a first taste of the album in the form of the new single 'All Out Life' which dropped aptly on Halloween. In September, the band put up a teaser on Twitter with a cryptic caption bearing the number '133', and there have been speculations that it's the number of days left for the album to drop. Frontman Corey Taylor also confirmed that the album is going to be absolutely brutal! “The album is underway, and it’s going to be one of the darkest chapters in Slipknot’s history,” said Taylor. “It’s that good. It’s complicated, it’s dark, it’s heavy, it’s heavy, it’s melodic, it’s fierce, it’s angry and it’s raw as hell."
15 new album releases in 2019 that we're totally stoked about 11. Cake - TBA
90s alt rockers who made short skirts and long jackets a hipster trend returned this year with their first original material in 7 years. The new politically charged single 'Sinking Ship' could be a sign of more to come from the speak-singing Mike McCrea and the rest of the gang. “We are happy to be releasing new music; this time in the form of a series of singles,” McCrea said. Cake has been relatively quiet since their 2011 LP 'Showroom of Compassion'. But they've started touring heavily again and wrapped up a summer tour with Ben Folds in 2018 and are booked for a Europe tour early next year. There's not been an official word on a new album yet, but the Cake-verse is surely cooking something new.
15 new album releases in 2019 that we're totally stoked about 12. My Bloody Valentine - TBA
After their smashing comeback in 2013 with 'mbv', shoegaze pioneers My Bloody Valentine are all set to return with not one, but two albums in 2019. Fans were actually expecting the release of 2 EPs, one of which was supposed to drop in 2018, but frontman Kevin Shields explained that the projects evolved into two full-fledged albums. “There will be a lot of new material coming in the next… in the next year, there will be about two new records,” said Shields. It's hard to know if MBV intends to keep the promise, considering it took them 22 years to reunite for a comeback record. But they've been playing new material at gigs and thins look positive overall.
15 new album releases in 2019 that we're totally stoked about 13. Panda Bear - Buoys
Experimental electronic wizard Panda Bear has announced that his new album, 'Buoys', will drop on February 8, 2019. The album will mark the Animal Collective member's first in four years, a follow up to 2015's 'Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper'. Set for release via Domino Records, 'Buoys' was recorded in Lisbon, Portugal, and features production and mixing both by Panda Bear and Rusty Santos. “The last three records felt like a chapter to me, and this feels like the beginning of something new,” Panda Bear said of 'Buoys', adding that he and Santos used contemporary music production techniques to create a sound that would “feel familiar to a young person’s ears.”
15 new album releases in 2019 that we're totally stoked about 14. Raconteurs - TBA
Jack White is on a roll. This year, he gave us the mind-bending experimental solo record 'Boarding House Reach'. The Third Man Records founder is following it up with another album next year, this time with his old band The Raconteurs. The album arrives 11 years after 2008's 'Consolers Of The Lovely'. Two songs from the forthcoming, as-yet-untitled LP will be included in a new 10-year anniversary reissue of 'Consolers of the Lonely', which will hopefully arrive before the end of 2018.
15 new album releases in 2019 that we're totally stoked about 15. Megadeth - TBA
If the excessive number of metal acts in this list hasn't gotten your blood curdling yet, then here's the big one. Megadeth, the pioneers of thrash metal are coming back next year with an album that frontman Dave "Rattlehead" Mustaine says will come with "blast beat kind of things" courtesy of new drummer Dirk Verbeuren. The yet-to-be titled album is expected to drop sometime in April of 2019. "I never thought we were gonna be playing this fast or this aggressive again", Mustaine said of the album. And when Dave Mustaine says that, you better brace yourself for something intense!