As we roll into March, (already… how?) more and more artists are officially announcing or hinting at upcoming albums to be released this year. These are some of the most anticipated albums of 2020.
As for officially announced albums go, our top 3 albums to look out for this year are as follows:
1. Haim, (Women in Music Pt. III) – To be released on 4/24
It’s been almost three years since sister trio Haim released their second album, Something to Tell You, in 2017. More recently, the band released the song “The Steps,” and put their three singles from 2019 on The Steps EP, which released on March 3, 2020. With the release of this EP, Haim also announced that their third album, Women in Music Pt. III, is to come out on April 24, 2020. Haim took the alternative music scene by storm right off the bat with their first album, Days Are Gone, in 2013, and fans are interested to hear how Haim’s sound has changed since their last two albums.
2. The Weeknd, After Hours – To be released on 3/20
The Canadian R&B singer, The Weeknd, hasn’t released an album since 2018’s My Dear Melancholy, but since 2019, he’s dropped three singles in preparation for the upcoming album After Hours. After Hours is set to release on March 20, 2020, and fans are itching to hear the new music from The Weeknd. Abel, the singer behind the stage name, never disappoints listeners with his alternative R&B pop sound, and based on recent singles, fans will love the upcoming project.
3. Alanis Morrisette, Such Pretty Forks in the Road – To be released on 5/1
Alanis Morissette, everyone’s favorite queen of ‘90s grunge-y acoustic/alternative/singer-songwriter music, is finally back in the music game since 2008. Cult classic album, Jagged Little Pill, has received praise since its release in 1995, but more recently became the soundtrack of the music to new Broadway musical of the same name. The album and Broadway show alike have been absolutely acclaimed by critics; and after going over a decade without any new music from the Canadian singer/songwriter, fans are ecstatic to see what this new album, Such Pretty Forks in the Road, will be like.
As far as officially announced albums go, those three are definitely something to keep your eye on in 2020. But, there are even more artists who fans believe will release new albums this year, without official confirmation from the artists themselves. Here are the three albums that fans are really hoping to be released this year:
1. SZA
SZA has not formally confirmed that her third studio album will officially be released this year, but the R&B singer has definitely hinted at some new music for 2020. SZA has been killing it in the hip hop/R&B game since 2014 with album Z, which put SZA on the map. But it wasn’t until her 2017 album, Ctrl, that really garnered some popularity for the singer. After a vocal surgery in 2018 and brief musical hiatus, SZA has been posting tweets and Instagram stories hinting at new music, sometimes even posting pictures from the studio. SZA also talked about a hypothetical new album to be released this year with Kerwin Frost on his podcast episode with her back in August of 2019. Though no one is positive that this year brings a new SZA album, fans are extremely hopeful.
2. Phoebe Bridgers
Phoebe Bridgers has not officially announced a new album for this year, but she hasn’t released a solo album since her 2017 debut, Stranger in the Alps. Since, she has worked with artists Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker, (who make up the trio of boy-genius) and her partner, Conor Oberst (who make up the duo of The Better Oblivion Community.) But Bridgers released a new single, “Garden Song” on February 26, 2020, so fans are hopeful that this single will be a teaser for a new album. Bridgers will be at Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago this summer, so she is definitely an artist that should be on any alternative/indie fan’s radar. Fans are excited to see what 2020 brings Phoebe Bridgers and her soulful poetic acoustic music.
3. Lana Del Rey
It has only been a handful of months since the release of Lana Del Rey’s fifth studio album, Norman Fucking Rockwell!, but that is not stopping Del Rey. NFR! took the world by storm when it was released in late August of 2019, surprising many critics who don’t always commend her work. NFR! was an extremely successful project for Del Rey, working with producer Jack Antonoff seemed to bring some of the most authentic songwriting from the alternative solo persona Lana Del Rey (whose real name is Elizabeth Grant). Del Rey also has plans to release a spoken word poetry album sometime in 2020; originally it was supposed to be released in January, but with the Australian Bush Fire epidemic, Del Rey decided to push the project back. There is also talk of another musical album to be released, following the spoken word album and there is even a working title for the musical album, White Hot Forever. It will be interesting to see if Del Rey does ever release her spoken word album and whether it would come before or after the new music.
