The New Year in Music is Always Quiet, So Here Are Some of Check This Out!'s Most Anticipated Releases To Beat the Winter Blues
Featuring Broken Social Scene, Mitski, Beach House, and plenty more!
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For the music calendar, December and January can be an exciting time for some strong releases that might have got lost in the shuffle had they dropped during the hot season. With that said, 2022’s first week is a barren wasteland. The Weeknd is looking to change that today with Dawn FM, his follow-up to 2020’s massive After Hours. No one had a more significant decade than Abel Tesfaye, from his early mixtapes to becoming a bona fide pop star, and with features from Tyler, the Creator, and Jim Carrey (yes, that Jim Carrey), the instant hype for Dawn FM is at a fever pitch.
Dawn FM is sure to be massive, but let’s look at some upcoming releases outside the Hot 100 chart. What album are you most excited about this year? Let me know in the comments!
Broken Social Scene - Old Dead Young
B-sides collections aren’t usually something to get excited about, but Broken Social Scene isn’t your typical indie band. The Canadian collective celebrates 20 years since the genre-defining You Forgot It in the People. Kevin Drew and company haven’t released a bad album yet, with 2017’s Hug of Thunder and 2019’s double EP set, Let’s Try The After, being some of their most substantial work to date. All of this points to this career-spanning collection probably not being a set of throwaways.
Old Dead Young is out on January 14th via Arts & Crafts.
Garcia Peoples - Dodging Dues
Garcia Peoples’ Nightcap at Wits’ End was the band’s fourth record in their first three years, each better than the last. The album was so enjoyable that I placed it at #12 in my 2020 year-end rankings, and Dodging Dues’ first singles keep things promising. One of my favorite parts about Nightcap was the backside’s continuous segue from one song to the next, and so far, new songs “Cold Dice,” “Tough Freaks,” and “Stray Cats” wonderfully fit this mold. Everything here sounds completely fresh, including the interweaving guitar attack. The six-string wizardry should come as no surprise with the legendary Matt Sweeney of Skunk, Chavez, Probot, and so many others (I’ll even defend Zwan) behind the boards.
Dodging Dues is out on January 14th via No Quarter Records.
Mitski - Laurel Hell
Mitski’s fourth album, Puberty 2, placed the Japanese-American indie songwriter on the radar, but it was 2018’s Be the Cowboy that sent her into the stratosphere. It’s been a long four-year wait, but it’s great to have her back with Laurel Hell. While Be the Cowboy wasn’t as immediate for me as Puberty 2, the sweet synth exercises of “The Only Heartbreaker” and “Working for the Knife” are nothing short of heavenly, giving off some major Bat for Lashes vibes. Don’t be surprised when Laurel Hell goes down as one of the most acclaimed records of the year.
Laurel Hell is out on February 4th via Dead Oceans.
The Districts - Great American Painting
Philly has been unstoppable when it comes to indie music this past decade, and The Districts deserve to be in the conversation for the city’s best acts. Formed in high school, the band is currently undergoing changes when founding bassist Braden Lawrence left the group after recording their latest Great American Painting. The band is now touring as a trio. Their previous two records, Popular Manipulations and You Know I’m Not Going Anywhere are both excellent, with Great American Painting returning the band more towards a group effort, writing-wise. Singer Rob Grote spent the last year living in the wilderness and returning to Philly to participate in protests, where the album’s name comes into play. Grote says, “in a way, this album is asking, ‘What is the great American painting? Is it police brutality, or is it this beautiful landscape?’ And the truth is it’s all of that.”
Great American Painting is out March 11th via Fat Possum Records.
Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
If you’re a regular reader, you know I’ve covered Big Thief plenty in the last few months, naming Change my second favorite EP of 2021. While we wait until mid-February for this thing to come out, enjoy the newest song, “No Reason.”
Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You is out February 11th via 4AD.
Sea Power - Everything Was Forever
Fascism is on the rise in almost every western country, which is why British Sea Power are returning with their eighth album as Sea Power, not wanting to be confused with misplaced antagonistic nationalism. While the band remains busy composing soundtracks for multiple projects, it’s been almost five years since their last album, Let The Dancers Inherit The Party, and I couldn’t be more excited about their refreshed return. One of those rare bands that I’ve kept up with every album since their debut released right after I graduated high school almost twenty years ago (!), Sea Power has always been criminally underrated, especially stateside. I’ve been fortunate enough to catch them twice on their rare US tours, and when asked about the best live shows I’ve ever seen, they’re always one of the first to come to mind. Led by brothers Jan Scott and Neil Hamilton Wilkinson and their trade-offs on vocal duties, Sea Power always brings a diverse yet signature sound and has kept a steady core lineup since their foundation.
Everything Was Forever is out on February 18th via Golden Chariot Records.
Beach House - Once Twice Melody
One of the most reliable acts in indie music is Beach House, the veteran dream pop duo from Baltimore. Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally are back with their eighth record, a double album called Once Twice Melody. So far, the new songs sound like Beach House, which, if ya know, is always a great thing, and the album will be one of the year’s best if the second half is as good. My only gripe is not with the band but with the label’s decision to release it over multiple months as four EPs before the complete record is available in February. Releasing four or five singles ahead of an album is an annoying modern practice, but this is next level ridiculous for a promotional cycle. C’mon, Sub Pop. You’re better than this.
Once Twice Melody is out February 18th via Sub Pop.
Deserta - Every Moment, Everything You Need
Deserta is the shoegaze project of Los Angeles-based songwriter Matthew Doty, whose phenomenal debut Black Aura My Sun ended up on my year-end list for 2020. Every Moment, Everything You Need is a welcomed quick turnaround, with Doty joined by James McAlister on drumming duties. The first single, “Lost in the Weight,” brings back the soaring dream pop sounds of the debut, but there’s even more air this time around. “I’m So Tired” is an entirely new sound for Deserta, adding new wave synth influences, while “Goodbye Vista” features a catchy lifting chorus.
Every Moment, Everything You Need is out February 25th via felte.
Gang of Youths - angel in realtime.
Sydney’s Gang of Youths exploded out of Australia with their second record, Go Farther in Lightness, one of the best albums of 2017. Well over an hour-long, the record firmly established their alternative E-Street anthems and singer Dave Le’aupepe’s talent for writing epic narratives straight from The Boss’ Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. It’s been quite the wait for a follow-up, and after the band canceled their tour last year to finish the record, angel in realtime is on its way soon. Early singles “the angel of 8th ave,” “unison,” and “tend the garden” show significant growth and promise.
angel in realtime. is out February 25th via Mosy Recordings.
Other records of note this winter:
Spoon - Lucifer On The Sofa, February 11th
Federico Albanese - Before and Now Seems Infinite, February 25th
SASAMI - Squeeze, February 25th
Spiritualized - Everything Was Beautiful, February 25th
Superchunk - Wild Loneliness, February 25th
Midlake - For the Sake of Bethel Woods, March 18th
Fucked Up - All Words Can Do, March 25th
Songs from these releases and more, available thru Check This Out!’s playlists on Spotify and Apple Music. Follow here:
Looking forward to Chloë and the Next 20th Century in April by Father John Misty!!