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The albums to look out for in 2023
The new records we can't wait to hear, including albums from Olivia Rodrigo, Paramore, The National and Yo La Tengo
It might be the gloomiest time of year but there’s a lot to look forward to in 2023 (and we’re not just talking about that extra bank holiday). Last year was a busy one for great album releases, but the next 12 months are beginning to stack up already – with new records expected, announced or teased from some of the biggest artists around. Here are the upcoming albums that can’t come soon enough for us…
Caroline Polachek – Desire, I Want To Turn Into You (14 February)
![Caroline Polachek - Welcome To My Island [Official Music Video]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hxgcz_6GKX0/0.jpg)
“She’s mystical, she’s witchy, she’s funny, she’s sincere… Caroline Polachek is the picture of the flourishing artist, sure in herself and her sound but just unguessable enough that she keeps you in suspense. The four singles she’s given us so far from Desire, I Want To Turn Into You push her into her most experimental place yet, and there’s no doubt that she’s still got plenty of tricks up her sleeve. February can’t come fast enough.” Caitlin
Superdrug – TBC
“We don’t have a title or a date for Superdrag’s first album in 14 years, just a question posted to Twitter in November asking: “What if we made our best LP in 2023?” The Knoxville power poppers are responsible for two bona fide 90s classics, so to outdo both Regretfully Yours and Head Trip In Every Key would surely be the album of the year. Bring it on.” Mark
Paramore – This Is Why (10 February)
![Paramore - The News [OFFICIAL VIDEO]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YSFa_wOZPXg/0.jpg)
“There’s something a little understated yet dynamic about the singles Paramore have teased from their forthcoming sixth album This Is Why, from the angular psych-rock of the title track to the Bloc Party-influenced ‘The News’. It all sounds miles away from the colourful art-rock of their last full-length, and it’s got us interested, very interested.” John
Martin Frawley – The Wannabe (23 June)
“Martin Frawley fronted The Twerps, whose 2015 album Range Anxiety is as close to perfect as music gets. He’s been solo since that band’s amicable parting in 2018, but the magic has remained intact. Even by Twerps standards, single ‘This Is Gonna Change Your Mind’ is pure gold, finding the jangliest midpoint between The Clean and The Byrds and taking up permanent residence there.” Mark
PJ Harvey – TBC
“It’s been eight long years since 2016’s The Hope Six Demolition Project, and PJ Harvey has spent most of that time composing scores for film and TV. Now finally announcing her next album for 2023, Harvey cites Jonny Greenwood, Mica Levi, Hildur Guðnadóttir, and Ryuichi Sakamoto as new influences – hinting at what could be the most cinematic alt-rock album of the year.” Paul
Olivia Rodrigo – TBC
“This one could be wishful thinking. Rodrigo has confirmed new music in 2023, which has been widely accepted as a sophomore album announcement, but other that there’s not a lot to go on. Still, even a hint of a sequel to one of the best pop debuts in recent memory is enough to get me excited. Go on, Olivia, give us some good news.” Caitlin
White Reaper – Asking For A Ride (27 January)
![White Reaper - Pink Slip [OFFICIAL VISUALIZER]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/n73Ockpb9jI/0.jpg)
“White Reaper don’t deal in anything less than full-on, foot-to-the-floor fun. Duelling guitar solos, massive riffs, ‘Thin Lizzy playing Hysteria in a dive bar’ vibes, hooks big enough to land a whale… the self-styled “World’s Greatest American Band” are back and all the signs point towards Asking For A Ride being their best yet.” Mark
Mac Demarco – Five Easy Hot Dogs (January 20)
“For all his trendy, tequila-fuelled onstage japes, the Canadian slack rock king Mac DeMarco’s real virtue is his ear for melody. His awaited new album is instrumental, which will push this skill to the fore, as he charts his journey from Los Angeles to Utah with nicotine withdrawals and meeting new friends along the way.” John
Charly Bliss – TBC
“Four years is too long without Charly Bliss. Since their brilliant, poptastic Young Enough, we’ve had a Christmas single with PUP and a terrific Adam Schleisinger cover but the murmurings of a new album are both welcome and way overdue. If the last two are anything to go by, this will open a wormhole to the 90s prom we never had.” Mark
The National – TBC
“The National probably had a new album almost ready to go last summer. Debuting five new tracks at live shows over the year (including the Bon Iver collaboration, ‘Weird Goodbyes’), the band have tweaking and refining the new album on the road ever since (literally recording them from festival stages and mixing in makeshift backstage studios). The sooner it comes out, the sooner we might get another tour…” Paul
Pernice Brothers – TBC
“Joe Pernice (aka the greatest songwriter you haven’t fallen in love with yet) abides by strict quality control when it comes to the Pernice Brothers name, scrapping entire records or using aliases for albums he didn’t feel measured up to his high standards. The last one to make the grade was the gorgeous Spread The Feeling in 2019, so expectations are sky high for this.” Mark
Young Fathers – Heavy Heavy (February 3)
“Anyone who’s seen the Scotish trio Young Fathers live will know of their flawless and genuinely left-field artistic quality. It’s been five long years since Cocoa Sugar but, as the explosive and shimmering ‘Tell Somebody’ signaled, it won’t be long before they’re back in our lives.” John
Samia – Honey (27 January)
“Samia’s second album promises to be a worthy follow-up to 2020’s The Baby – just as sharp, a little more jaded, and excruciatingly raw. On the album’s singles she’s leaning harder than ever into the storytelling, her usual running monologues a little more refined and her observations as frank and devastating as ever. This one’s out at the end of the month, so it won’t be too long until we get to hear Honey in all its brutality.” Caitlin
Yo La Tengo – This Stupid World (10 February)
“New Jersey’s finest (yeah, that’s right) are wonderfully hard to predict, hitting every point between sweetly melodic and droning abrasion. The glory is that they’re equally brilliant at both. Lead single ‘Fallout’ skews closer to the former but with enough of the latter to spice things up a bit. Almost 40 years in and every new release from the pioneering trio is still essential listening.” Mark
My Bloody Valentine – TBC
“Is this just wishful thinking? To be fair, Kevin Shields has officially promised us a new My Bloody Valentine album for 2023 (two albums, actually…), but then he has also said the same thing pretty much every year since 2013. Ten years is more than long enough to wait between albums, even for MBV fans, so we’re going to risk jinxing it and hope for the best: 2023 is the year of the shoegaze.” Paul
Tickets are on sale now or soon for many of the names here at ticketmaster.co.uk, with a lot of major tours and dates still to be announced for this year.
