34 Albums We Can’t Wait to Hear This Fall

Whether you had a Brat Summer or not, we can all agree the season was full of an almost overwhelming amount of surprises. To be clear, we’re not talking world events — an already packed slate of albums included the (mostly) unexpected drops of records by Megan Thee Stallion, Jack White, and Childish Gambino, to name a few. We can’t guarantee this fall will be any different, but as of now, there’s a slew of confirmed releases: the return of millennium-era pop stars, the tenth LPs from Coldplay and Bright Eyes, gobs of gritty guitar rock, Katy Perry. If you’re going to be dancing, crying, moshing, or laughing your way through what stands to be a turbulent election autumn, there will be plenty of new albums to plan your schedule around.

September

Fred Again.., ten days (September 6)

Riding high after a summer that included a rapturous Bonnaroo headlining set, Fred Again.. returns with an album that puts his recent success into perspective. Each of the 10 songs off ten days, the South London DJ’s sophomore LP, are about specific “ small quiet intimate moments� from the past year, brought to life with the help of a supporting cast that includes Sampha, Skrillex, and Emmylou Harris.

George Strait, Cowboys And Dreamers (September 6)

George Strait may be 72 but he apparently has a hell of a social life. Cowboys and Dreamers, his 31st album, finds the Texas Troubadour singing about partying in Florida and the benefits of booze, all in that honeyed voice that helped him score over 60 No. 1 hits. The King of Country’s latest also features a cover of Waylon Jennings’ “Waymore’s Blues� and a guest appearance by Chris Stapleton on “Honky Tonk Hall of Fame.�

LL Cool J, The FORCE (September 6)

In 2017, the rapper, actor, and occasional Grammy host tweeted a promise: “If I hear one more terrible rap record I’m gonna have to do it to these meatballs.� We’re not sure exactly what awful music LL encountered afterward, but get your sauce ready: LL Cool J with his first album since 2013’s Authentic. The FORCE, which stands for “Frequencies of Real Creative Energy,� is executive-­produced by Q-Tip and features guest spots by Eminem, Nas, Saweetie, Fat Joe, and Rick Ross.

MJ Lenderman, Manning Fireworks (September 6)

You’d think the 25-year-old would be busy enough playing in the much-loved countrygaze quintet Wednesday, but since 2021 he’s put out solo EPs and albums every year, cementing his status as one of his generation’s guitar greats and lyricists. “Joker Lips,� the new LP’s second single, features a gentle pedal steel that makes Lenderman’s wry rhyming of “Kahlúa shooter / DUI scooter� all the more striking.

Paris Hilton, Infinite Icon (September 6)

Sure, her fallback option is being famous, gorgeous, and ungodly rich, but you have to admire Paris Hilton’s persistent pursuit of a musical career. The former reality star is joining forces with Sia for her second LP, following 2006’s Paris. The project came about organically (for A-listers, anyway): Hilton and the nine-time Grammy nominee duetted on the heiress’s reggae-pop single, “Stars Are Blind,� at Miley Cyrus’s 2022 New Year’s bash, hit it off, and started writing songs soon after.

The The, Ensoulment (September 6)

For the first proper The The album since 2000’s NakedSelf, mastermind Matt Johnson reunited with producer Warne Livesey, who helped craft the group’s ‘80s gems Infected and Mind Bomb. On Enoulment,  they hearken back to their broodingly joyous peak while taking on modern ills like AI and isolation, anchored by Johnson’s acerbic baritone. If the single “Linoleum Smooth to the Stockinged Foot� sounds like it was written in a post-op morphine daze, that’s because it was.

Miranda Lambert, Postcards From Texas (September 13)

Postcards marks the first solo album that superstar Miranda Lambert recorded entirely in her home state since her 2001 self-titled debut. It’s also rooted in family: The galvanizing kiss-off “Dammit Randy� features lyrics from her husband, and the two-step shuffle of “Alimony� is partly based on her private-investigator parents’ cases tailing cheaters.

Nilüfer Yanya, My Method Actor (September 13)

Finding herself between both homes and labels, British singer-songwriter Nilüfer Yanya hunkered down with creative partner Wilma Archer to make sonic sense of this transitory period in her life. The follow-up to PAINLESS, one of our top albums of 2022, blends acoustic grooves and fuzzed-out power chords that give voice to the anxieties of detachment and pushing 30.

Snow Patrol, The Forest Is the Path (September 13)

Now a trio after last year’s departures of drummer Jonny Quinn and bassist Paul “Pablo� Wilson, the U.K. outfit’s first album since 2018’s Wildness is all about reckoning with past mistakes. It’s led by “The Beginning,� which features their trademark: a swelling alt-pop chorus that never rocks too hard that you have to turn down the volume.

Suki Waterhouse, Memoir of a Sparklemuffin (September 13)

The title might sound cutesy, but Sparklemuffin is anything but. As Waterhouse explained in a statement, her 18-track sophomore record is loosely themed around the sparklemuffin spider: “wildly coloured, does this razzle-dazzle dance, and its mate will cannibalize it if she doesn’t approve of the dance.� The single “Blackout Drunk� is a bubblegum tell-off to an overimbibing lover that disappointingly ends without the British singer-actress devouring him in revenge.

Bright Eyes, Five Dice, All Threes (September 20)

The trio’s latest blends the dive-bar rawness of their early albums with the controlled chaos of their live shows. Rowdy lead single “Bells and Whistles� sees Conor Oberst lamenting how “expensive jokes and cheap thrills cost a lot� while reminiscing about “U-turns in limousines.� Recorded in their hometown of Omaha, Five Dice, All Threes includes appearances by Cat Power, the ­National’s Matt Berninger, and the So So Glos’ Alex Orange Drink.

Jamie xx, In Waves (September 20)

Although he has kept busy producing, DJ-ing, and remixing, it’s been nearly a decade since Jamie xx released his Grammy-nominated debut solo album, In Colour. He’s rewarding our patience with its follow-up, a 12-track set of eclectically layered bangers that includes appearances by the Avalanches, his xx bandmates, and Panda Bear. The Robyn-featuring single, “Life,� sees the pop star belting out affirmations over serrated-Latin-horn riffs.

Katy Perry, 143 (September 20)

The singer’s last album, Smile, was her first project since 2008 that failed to hit No. 1. Judging by its initial rollout, her next release, 143, won’t fare much better, thanks in part to its lead single, the tepid empowerment sing-along “Woman’s World.� Supported by a confounding, supposedly satirical music video, the song peaked at No. 63 on “The Hot 100,� a dismal placement for someone hoping to return to the upper echelons of pop.

Manu Chao, Viva Tu (September 20)

Manu Chao took a break from touring the world and collaborating with an array of international talent to record his first solo LP since 2007’s La Radiolina. An expert in cross-pollinating genres and languages, Chao returns with 13 tales about “people’s daily lives.� Willie Nelson guests on “Heaven’s Bad Day,� while “São Paulo Motoboy� dips into Brazilian hip-hop and pays tribute to the city’s motorcycle couriers, a trade he once plied in Paris.

Nelly Furtado, 7 (September 20)

The singer was inspired to record her first album since 2017 upon realizing her older music was still being played in grocery stores and clubs. She whittled 400 tracks down to the eventual 14, rekindling the verve she brought to her late-aughts work with Timbaland. Her Tove Lo and SG Lewis collab, “Love Bites,� and the bilingual “Corazón� are proof that the long wait was worth it.

The Voidz, Like All Before You (September 20)

Once the Strokes perfected a formula for their sprightly, edged rock, front man Julian Casablancas began looking for another vehicle to get his ideas out there. Enter the Voidz, his eclectic side project, which is releasing its third full-length this fall. While it has echoes of his better-known group, Like All Before You includes some left turns, too: Auto-Tune, tropical tinges, dance-punk, and heavy-metal riffing.

Thurston Moore, Flow Critical Lucidity (September 20)

Less than a year after releasing his memoir, Thurston Moore returns with his ninth solo album, a seven-song set that explores themes of nature, consciousness, and rebellion. According to the former Sonic Youth–er, single “New in Town� evokes “the spirit of youth demonstrated in the early-’80s slam pits of hardcore refusing the worn-out expectations of adulthood.� Translation: It’s an LP for throwing a brick through a windshield while also making you think.

SOPHIE, SOPHIE (September 27)

SOPHIE the artist had that rare ability to make music you felt as much as you heard — a multisensory trick few can pull off and even fewer can do while crafting brashly experimental pop hits. When she tragically died in 2021, she was in the midst of recording the follow-up to 2018’s Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides with her brother and studio manager, Benny Long. He has since completed SOPHIE, a posthumous release featuring the exultant lead single “Reason Why.�

Tommy Richman, Coyote (September 27)

The 24-year-old is putting a cherry on top of his massive year with the release of his first full-length, Coyote. While up-and-comers might bloat their debut with high-profile guests, the “Million Dollar Baby� singer enlists only longtime collaborators — mynameisntjmack, Trevor Spitta, and Paco — keeping the focus on his crooning and away from those “industry plant� allegations.

October

Coldplay, Moon Music (October 4)

This Max Martin–produced album is more than just the next entry in Chris Martin’s songbook of shapes and colors. Featuring the lead single “feelslikeimfallinginlove,� Moon Music will include physical releases made primarily from recycled materials. Even if the music is meh, it’s nice to see Coldplay continue to set a good eco-example.

Dawn Richard and Spencer Zahn, Quiet in a World Full of Noise (October 4)

The second collaborative album from former Danity Kane singer Dawn Richard and multi-instrumentalist Spencer Zahn was recorded with a simple purpose: to get people to relax. They start off the follow-up to 2022’s heralded Pigments with “Breath Out,� a spare, piano-based single that, like the rest of the album, was mostly recorded in a stream-of-consciousness manner. As Richard said in a statement, “I did not write this down — I purged it out and then I didn’t change anything after it.�

Jelly Roll, Beautifully Broken (October 11)

Given what he’s been through — going in and out of jail as a young man, toiling for years as a modestly successful rapper — we can see why Jelly Roll would want to keep riding his insane career momentum. The Tennessee native hit No. 3 on the Billboard album chart with 2023’s Whitsitt Chapel, his first country LP but ninth overall, and he promises that its follow-up will boast features from “crazy people in and out of� country music.

The Linda Lindas, No Obligation (October 11)

The L.A. four-piece opened for the Stones in July, are touring stadiums with Green Day through September, and their drummer just finished middle school! Now the punky youngsters return with their second record, maintaining the teen spirit of 2022’s Growing Up while further polishing their sound to somewhere between the Muffs and Tegan and Sara’s straight-ahead emo cuts. Not bad for a band whose oldest member turns 20 this fall.

Japandroids, Fate & Alcohol (October 18)

The poorly monikered Vancouver duo of singer-guitarist Brian King and drummer David Prowse announced their fourth and final album this summer, previewing Fate & Alcohol with their trademark shimmery garage grit on the sing-along “Chicago.� We assume their usual level of nostalgia will be cranked to the limit, making us miss both the old days and the band before they’ve even left us.

Joe Jonas, Music for People Who Believe in Love (October 18)

Apparently, if you don’t believe in love, you can skip both this album and the rest of this blurb. The middle Jonas crafted a set of songs that “reflect on my life from a bird’s-eye view acknowledging the many blessings around me.� His first release since his too-public split from Sophie Turner isn’t all canned, therapeutic platitudes, though. On the bursting-with-positivity anthem “Work It Out,� he provides a depression PSA for Gen Z: “Even baddies get saddies, and that’s the hardest truth.�

Shawn Mendes, Shawn (October 18)

Shawn Mendes has been open about his battles with anxiety for years. The 26-year-old pop star found ways to manage his panic through therapy, journaling, and spending time outdoors, and all of that work informs the Canadian’s fifth solo LP, Shawn. Lead single “Isn’t That Enough� is an ode to the family and friends who helped make this inspiring comeback possible.

Soccer Mommy, Evergreen (October 25)

After suffering the loss of a loved one, Soccer Mommy — the stage name for Nashville singer-songwriter Sophie Allison — channeled her grief into her writing, crafting an album much rawer than 2022’s acclaimed Sometimes, Forever. Allison has mostly moved away from synths and other electronics in favor of a sound truer to her days as a bedroom artist uploading tunes to Bandcamp. But Evergreen isn’t just cleaned-up demos — as heard on the delicate single “Lost,� the record features strings and lush production that add a grand scope to Allison’s heartache.

November

Dolly Parton & Family, Smoky ­Mountain DNA — Family, Faith and Fables (November 15)

After taking a genre detour on last year’s Rockstar, the country singer is going back to her roots — not just of her music but of her entire clan. Smoky Mountain DNA tells the story of the Partons and the Owenses, Dolly’s mother’s family, from 1600s United Kingdom to present-day Tennessee. Interweaving autobiography and a history of Appalachian music, the sprawling LP features a number of Parton’s actual relatives and will be accompanied by a four-part docuseries.

The Probablies

A$AP Rocky, Don’t Be Dumb

Now 35, with two kids and a longtime girlfriend whose name you might recognize, A$AP Rocky is a wiser, more worldly man. On Don’t Be Dumb, which was originally slated for August, he’s collaborating with expected names such as Tyler, the Creator; the Alchemist; and Metro Boomin — but, as he recently told Billboard, the LP is a blend of “German expressionism with ghetto futurism� with Danny Elfman also contributing. One track, “Hood Happy,� even pairs Morrissey with Slick Rick, Busta Rhymes, and Olympic star Flavor Flav.

Cardi B

Maybe another season won’t pass without the follow-up to 2018’s Invasion of Privacy? According to a Rolling Stone cover story, Cardi was still recording her second album around the same time she dropped the tenacious “Enough (Miami)� in March. She has since said she won’t release anything this year, only for her reps to say they definitely plan on putting it out.

The Clipse

For a bit, it looked as though brothers Terrence “Pusha T� Thornton and Gene “Malice� Thornton might never record together again. In 2012, Malice became No Malice, focusing on his Christianity instead of rapping about hustlers and dealers. But the siblings reunited alongside Kenny G on Ye’s “Use This Gospel,� off 2019’s Jesus Is King, and collaborated on Push’s vaunted It’s Almost Dry in 2022. Pharrell is producing the follow-up to 2009’s Til the Casket Drops with John Legend and Nas also rumored to appear.

Halsey

After working with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross on 2021’s abrasively stunning If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power, Halsey returned this June with “The End,� an acoustic-centered track that details their struggle with lupus. Then came the single “Lucky,� which interpolates the Britney Spears song of the same name as well as Monica’s “Angel of Mine.� Unfortunately, some fan reception wasn’t kind, and Halsey posted a Tumblr letter saying they “regret coming back� to music. With any luck, they’ll be in a much happier place when their still-untitled fifth album is released this autumn.

The Probably Nots

Lorde

It’s been three years since Solar Power, so we’re due, right? Last December, after performing new songs “Silver Moon� and “Invisible Ink,� Lorde took to social media to say the completion of her fourth album was “not CLOSE close.� Her latest release is a cover of the Talking Heads’ “Take Me to the River,� which she says helped her creative process. “Stepping away from my own project for a couple ended up giving me a HUGE piece of the puzzle,� the New Zealand wunderkind wrote in an Instagram Story.

SZA, Lana

It’s hard to suss out where SZA’s third album stands. Following the February release of the wistful “Saturn,� she announced she was scrapping all of what she’d tracked for the full-length following leaks of several songs, then said she’d put those tunes on the deluxe edition of the Grammy-winning SOS. “Lana deserves more time and music no one’s ever heard before,� she posted on X in March, so a fall release might be a stretch. Still, we can hope.