As we leave one fantastic year and slowly approach another, it’s about time that we started getting excited about all the new music coming our way over the following 12 months. 2014 was a fantastic year for many reasons, with albums from the likes of Temples, Jungle and Alt J really setting the bar high for 2015. We’ve got a lot of new music to look forward to next year, so we’ve decided to whittle our long list down to the ten albums we’re most looking forward to. Read on to find out which ten albums we can’t wait to hear.
Featured Picture: Hans-Peter van Velthoven
10. PEACE – HAPPY PEOPLE
Indie rockers Peace were originally set to release the album in the autumn of 2014, pushing it back a few times before finally settling on a February release date. Spanning 10 tracks, Happy People is set to encompass a mix of radio-friendly indie rock anthems and drawn-out Madchester acid rockers. We’ve already heard nearly half the album, with the super funky single Lost of Me and grooving World Pleasure standing out thus far.
Released: February 9
9. RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS – ALBUM #11
One band who may not consciously be on everybody’s radar is California’s Red Hot Chili Peppers, who are currently gearing up to release their 11th studio album in 2015. Following 2011’s fantastic I’m With You and a host of not-so-fantastic standalone singles, the Chili Peppers’ 11th album could go in any one direction and still sound like the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Let’s hope it lives up to the expectations, with a massive world tour set to follow in the autumn, climaxing in a rumoured headline set at Glastonbury in 2016.
Released: Late 2015
8. EDITORS – ALBUM #5
The line-up changes which preceded Editors’ fourth album The Weight of Your Love didn’t seem to faze the band all too much, with the changes helping them to go in a new direction away from In This Light And On This Evening’s electronics and The Back Room’s indie riffs. With the current set-up unlikely to change any time soon, we’re hopeful to be hearing some more soaring stadium anthems and intimate ballads come the release of Editors’ fifth album next year.
Released: Mid to Late 2015
7. COLDPLAY – A HEAD FULL OF DREAMS
2014 was the year that Coldplay went full-circle. May’s depressing Ghost Stories was a whole world away from the dayglo popiness of Mylo Xyloto, rather opting for stripped back songs about heartbreak and despair which followed frontman Christ Martin’s split with Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow. Acknowledging the downbeat mood of Ghost Stories, Martin revealed that 2015 will see Coldplay release A Head Full of Dreams, an album set to be the final piece in the puzzle that is Coldplay. What it will bring is yet to be seen, but we can definitely expect it to be far more upbeat than its predecessor.
Released: Late 2015
6. TAME IMPALA – ALBUM #3
Psychedelic maverick Kevin Parker (aka frontman of Tame Impala) has been spending the last few months hard at work on what will definitely be one of the most interesting records of the year – Tame Impala’s third album. 2012’s Lonerism was hailed by many as a masterpiece, an accolade which it truly deserved thanks to the likes of singles Mind Mischief, Elephant and Feels Like We Only Go Backwards. Everything Kevin Parker touches turns to gold, so we’re definitely expecting a lot from Tame Impala’s newest offering.
Released: Mid 2015
5. JACCO GARDNER – ALBUM #2
Dutch psychedelic musician Jacco Gardner is also releasing a new album in 2015, and the Dutchman is one of many artists who cites Kevin Parker’s Tame Impala amongst his influences. We don’t know much about the album, only that it’s set to be released in March and will feature the likes of Hypno, Another You and Find, all of which have been performed live this month. Don’t expect Gardner to change his sound for album number two, instead expect him to refine the sound which helped him make a name for himself on 2013’s Cabinet of Curiosities.
Released: March 2015
Picture: Jack Parker
4. HAIM – ALBUM #2
California sister trio Haim took the world by storm in 2013 and 2014 when their debut album Days are Gone went straight to #1 in the UK. Anthemic single Falling and catchy rocker The Wire stood out amongst an album of highlights, in particular the raunchy RnB of My Song 5. A new album is expected (and has been promised) in 2015, and it’ll definitely be one to look forward to if Haim follow the same route they took on their debut.
Released: Late 2015
Picture: Berksun Doganer
3. RADIOHEAD – ALBUM #9
You never know what to expect when it comes to Radiohead albums. Whether it be the off-kilter musical directions, unorthodox release methods or stellar live shows, Radiohead is a band who are constantly reinventing themselves. This autumn saw them head back in to their Oxfordshire studio to start working on their 9th studio album, but the outcome is anyone’s guess. All we know about the album is that another unique release method is on the cards, as well as that there are at least 10 songs which could possibly feature on it that Radiohead played live during their 2012 world tour in support of The King of Limbs.
Released: When we least expect it
2. ENTER SHIKARI – THE MINDSWEEP
Coming in right at the start of the year is St Albans quartet Enter Shikari’s hotly anticipated fourth studio album, The Mindsweep. Lead single The Last Garrison showcased heavy drum and bass influences, whereas Never Let Go of the Microscope and Anaesthetist explored the topics of science and healthcare through rap. As with everything Shikari does, The Mindsweep is set to be an extremely eclectic album. Frontman Rou Reynolds told All Things Loud in November that the band was working on 50 songs at one point, some of them being mashed into one song by the end of the process. The Mindsweep will definitely be a record which cements Shikari’s reputation as one the most solid bands around today.
Released: January 19
1. MUSE – ALBUM #7
Who could forget Muse?! Considered as the best band in the world by many (totally not unbiased), Muse is just one of those unstoppable forces whose back catalogue has always remained consistent. 2012’s The 2nd Law felt like a brand new Muse compared to 2009’s theatrical The Resistance, yet one thing which never changed was the sublime quality of their live show. Whether it’s massive productions or all-round killer performances, Muse have always been one of the best live bands in the world. 2015 will see them release their seventh album, a record which promises to bring Muse’s old, rockier sounds to the foreground by utilizing no more than the bass, guitars and drums at their disposal. Former AC/DC producer Robert ‘Mutt’ Lange is on production duties, which definitely promises a whole lot of riffs. Next summer is already jam-packed, with tons of European festivalgoers set to hear the album live for the first time following its tentative release date of mid-May.
Released: May 2015
And with that, all we can say is that 2015 couldn’t come sooner!
