The decade has just begun and the weekly flood of new albums can overwhelm even the most seasoned music aficionado. How can a busy music fan like yourself keep up with the never-ending slew of releases from global superstars, up-and-coming musicians and legendary bands every single Friday?
3 Things To Consider For An Effective Music Release Strategy
Flood the market and you risk annoying fans. Starve it and you risk being forgotten. Learn how to find the balance in your music release strategy.
3 Things To Consider For An Effective Music Release Strategy
Flood the market and you risk annoying fans. Starve it and you risk being forgotten. Learn how to find the balance in your music release strategy.
That’s where we come in.
Album Releases Cheat Sheet
Our Album Release Cheat Sheet is designed with the on-the-go music lover in mind — revealing the popular projects and under-the-radar releases you NEED to hear every month.
Check out our February picks:
February 7
Headliner
Green Day — Father Of All…
Green Day is back but not in the way you may think. The band famously behind the politically-charged American Idiot is stepping away from addressing the current state of U.S. politics on their thirteenth studio album, Father Of All M*therf*ckers.
“There’s so much toxic s*** in the ether right now,” lead vocalist Billie Joe Armstrong told Spin. “I didn’t want to write songs that would contribute to that. So, for us, it was like, ‘Okay, instead of doing some opus or something like that, let’s find a new direction we haven’t gone into.‘”
The new direction? Danceable tracks. The punk rock sensation is turning to influences like T. Rex, Little Richard and Mott the Hoople on Father Of All… — forming a sound never attempted by the trio ever before. The project will also be Green Day’s shortest, clocking in at just over 26 minutes.
Sleeper
Brent Faiyaz — F*ck The World
You may only know him from the catchy chorus on GoldLink’s 2017 smash hit “Crew,” but Brent Faiyaz is slowly carving a name for himself in the underground realm of R&B. It’s tough not to get swept up in the Maryland native’s soothing vocals, as well as the deep vulnerability hiding behind every bar. Think early-mixtape Weeknd, without the excessive mention of hard drugs.
Judging off the vibe of his first few singles from his upcoming album F*ck The World, Faiyaz is still thriving in the same atmospheric soundscapes that gave him a cult following in the first place. I highly recommend giving this future breakout star a listen.
Honorable mention: 2 Chainz & T.R.U. — No Face, No Case
February 14
Headliner
1. Justin Bieber — Changes
When he’s not obsessively attempting to get “Yummy” trending on TikTok, Justin Bieber is gearing up to drop Changes, his first full-length project since 2015’s Purpose. The 25-year-old heartthrob has been making the media rounds in the buildup to release day — stopping by on Ellen, announcing a world tour and premiering a YouTube series “Justin Bieber: Seasons.”
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Not much has been said about the sonic direction Bieber is planning to take on Changes, but a recently unveiled tracklist housing features from Travis Scott, Post Malone, Quavo, Lil Dicky, among others suggests a shift to a more hip-hop style of sound. Whatever your opinion of Bieber may be, Valentine’s Day is shaping up to be a massive release day in the music industry.
Sleeper
2. Tame Impala — The Slow Rush
Only shoved into the sleeper category because of Bieber’s worldwide adoration, Tame Impala is on the verge of dropping its highly-anticipated fourth studio album, The Slow Rush. Kevin Parker, the 34-year-old multi-instrumentalist, has spent the five years since the critically-acclaimed Currents obsessively fine-tuning and tweaking a project that has encountered delay after delay dating back to his SNL performance and Coachella concert in early 2019.
“When I was making this one, I had to embody a bit of a Kanye West perspective on it, which is like, it’s finished when it’s finished,” Parker explained to UPROXX. “Don’t f*cking rush me. No one can rush me. Not the record label, not my fans, not even myself. It’ll be finished when it’s finished.”
Well, the day has finally arrived and I predict The Slow Rush to be an instant “Album of the Year” contender.
Honorable Mention: EDEN — no future
February 21
Headliner
3. BTS — Map Of The Soul: 7
If it wasn’t already obvious from their 2020 Grammy performance alongside Lil Nas X, the BTS craze has reached the States, and the South Korean boy band is prepared to unleash their fourth studio album, Map Of The Soul: 7. The project is promised to be an introspective addition to BTS’s insanely popular discography.
“One message that penetrates the album as a whole is that you must face your inner shadows, but resist becoming submerged into its depths,” BTS’s Suga said in an interview on the Zach Sang Show. “You must face it and move on forward.”
Stock preorders for the album are already through the roof, reaching almost 3.5 million copies in the six-day preorder period.
Sleeper
4. King Krule — Man Alive!
All hail our brooding King. Krule, more than two years removed from his last project The Ooz, is slated to release his fourth studio album, Man Alive!. The English crooner has always submerged himself in melancholic soundscapes and muted textures, but the vibe of this forthcoming album, from the title to the singles, hints at something a little brighter this time around.
“I felt like I had gotten out of a dark place, and I was on a high,” Krule wrote in a press statement. “I appreciated the depression… but I also liked how I felt better in the here and now.”
If you’re a fan of gritty singers who can blend genres of music at his will, King Krule’s Man Alive! should be at the top of your listening list this month.
Honorable Mention: Grimes — Miss Anthropocene
February 28
Headliner
5. Real Estate — The Main Thing
Real Estate, an indie band riding a tidal wave of success spawned by their 2011 breakout project Days, is looking to start this decade off with the same success as the last with their fifth studio album, The Main Thing. The music video to their first single, “Paper Cup,” features a decrepit animatronic squirrel playing guitar in a restaurant that resembles Chuck E. Cheese.
Fans are hoping The Main Thing expands Real Estate’s creative repertoire, featuring sounds different from the typical warm guitar-pop listeners are accustomed to. I’m interested to find out if rumors of the band broadening their sonic horizons are true and if so, what will it sound like?
Sleeper
6. Lil Baby — My Turn
Flying under the radar after the meteoric rise of fellow “baby” DaBaby last year, Lil Baby is searching for his time in the spotlight — and it starts with his sophomore album, My Turn. The Atlanta rapper has spent months teasing his fanbase with singles like “Woah,” “Out The Mud” and “Sum 2 Prove.”
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With co-signs from respected artists in the industry such as Drake, Young Thug and Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Baby has set himself up for an unbelievably productive 2020, and it all starts with My Turn. If Lil Baby can produce a few viral hits on this forthcoming album, the sky is the limit.
Honorable Mention: Jadakiss — Ignatius
Which project on the Album Release Cheat Sheet are YOU most excited for in February?
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