Music remains one big source of comfort, especially during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. With concerts and live shows being too few and far in between, musicians too, are spending time in recording studios, churning out a lot of music. From Weeknd’s recently announced album ‘Dawn’, to Porcupine Tree’s 11th studio album after a gap of more than a decade, here are some of the most anticipated music albums, which will release in 2022.
'Closure/Continuation' by Porcupine Tree
The eleventh studio album by the iconic British progressive rock act is their first studio album since ‘The Incident’, which was released in 2009. Last year, the band’s drummer Gavin Harrison released a short teaser video on their social media pages and a few weeks later, the band revealed the release of their upcoming studio album, which is scheduled to be released on 24 June The new line-up will be a trio consisting of Steven Wilson, Harrison, and Richard Barbieri, while long-time bassist Colin Edwin will not be returning. The band has already released ‘Harridan’, the first single from the album.
'Dawn FM' by The Weeknd
The fifth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter which is scheduled to release on Friday (January 7), which is a follow-up to his fourth studio album ‘After Hours’. The album features guest appearances from Tyler, the Creator and Lil Wayne and Quincy Jones will be narrated by Canadian-American actor Jim Carrey. The album is billed “A new sonic univerrse from the mind of the Weeknd.”
'Brightside' by The Lumineers
This is the American indie folk band’s fourth studio album which was preceded by the release of three singles: the title track, ‘Big Shot’, and ‘A.M. Radio.’ The album was recorded in two sessions that took place in 2021 with the title song, being recorded in a single day. The album is scheduled to release on January 14.
'Requiem' by Korn
The fourteenth studio album by the iconic American nu metal band is scheduled to release on February 4. The album, preceded by the lead single ‘Start the Healing’ was fully written last year, which became the first hint that the album will release this year. The COVID-19 pandemic allowed for a surplus of time in which the album could be arranged, alleviating the harsh time constraints which would usually have been imposed.
'4' by Slash Ft Myles Kennedy And The Conspirators
Saul Hudson aKa Slash’s fourth studio featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, but the fifth solo album overall for Slash, which will release on February 11. The album was announced last year along with the release of the first track, ‘The River Is Rising’. According to reports, the writing started during their ‘Living the Dream’ Tour in 2018-19.
'Hard Skool' by Guns N’ Roses
The fourth extended play (EP) by the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, after the single, ‘Hard Skool’, had released last year. The EP, which will release on February 25, 2022, consists of two recent singles and two live tracks, and will be their first EP release with guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan since they rejoined the band in 2016. The tracks ‘Absurd’ and ‘Hard Skool’ have been written, quite a while back as ‘Absurd’ (known previously as ‘Silkworms’) was played live, four times, in 2001, it leaked online in 2018. Similarly, ‘Hard Skool’s audio clip had leaked in 2006, with the full version leaking in 2019, under the working title ‘Jackie Chan’.
'So Happy It Hurts' by Bryan Adams
The fifteenth studio album by the Canadian singer-songwriter, which is schedule to release in March. Adams has already released the title track, ‘So Happy It Hurts’, which as the 62-year-old singer says, is about “freedom, autonomy, spontaneity and the thrill of the open road”. The album, which features 12 new songs, touches on many of the ephemeral things in life that are really the secret to happiness, most importantly, human connection.
'Familia' by Camilla Cabelo
The Cuba-born American singer-songwriter’s upcoming album was inspired by spending more time with her family during the various coronavirus lockdowns in which she returned more to her Latin roots. Though a release date for the album is yet to be revealed, she has already released one of the tracks ‘Don’t Go Yet’ from the album. “A lot of it is inspired by my relationships: My relationships to my family, my relationship to my friends, my relationship to my partner…it’s all about connections with other people, hence, Familia.”
Untitled Album by Avril Lavigne
The American singer-songwriter’s upcoming album in her own words, will be “pure rock'n'roll from front to back”, after she returned to her pop-punk roots with the single ‘Bite Me’. The album also might feature collaborations s with some “bands that have been around for a while” along with the likes of WILLOW, Machine Gun Kelly and blackbear, with the album due out “at the top of” this year.
'Sunny Days' By Blink 182
The American punk/alternative rock band will release their nineth studio album in June, two years after they released their eighth studio album, ‘Nine’. With songs such as ‘Let's Party,’ ‘Monster in My Head’ and ‘MTV's Dead’, this will be the band's first release following frontman Mark Hoppus's battle with stage four cancer.
