2019 was an interesting year for music. Lizzo blew up over what felt like 24 hours, The Jonas Brothers returned after 10 years apart, The Black Keys brothers decided they no longer hate each other, and Billy Ray Cyrus got the most attention he’s had since his Disney Channel days, thanks to "Old Town Road," which I’m still kind of confused about.
Last month I was struggling to put together my top ten albums of the year, unfortunately not due to a surplus of incredible albums. Perhaps an unpopular opinion- I know you Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande fans will argue me on this- but music in 2019 just didn’t do it for me.
I had to rudely shush the voices in my head arguing about why this album sucked less than the last. Maybe that’s a harsh way to put it- but music is important! How dare it disappoint me like that!? Anyway, more than happy to discuss and trade Top 10’s, and a special shout out to The Black Keys, Anderson .Paak, Hobo Johnson, and Vampire Weekend who made my top five. (Along with the Beatles' Abbey Road 2019 Mix, but does that really count?).
Moving on, it is now 2020, and what a year this will be for music! John Frusciante is back in the Red Hot Chili Peppers… need I say more?
Here is my far-from-professional opinion on the 20 most exciting albums dropping, or hopefully dropping, in 2020, ranked from low (feeling hyped about) to high (feeling ecstatically nauseous about).
20. The 1975- Notes On a Conditional Form- April 24th
I am far from a die hard 1975 fan, but if I'm in the mood, I can surly jam to the hits. An intensely loyal fan base and international commercial success has made any news about this band pretty exciting, so let's see what ya got for us, The 1975!
19. Pinegrove- Marigold- Jan 17
After claims of "sexual coercion," going on a hiatus, lots of therapy, a 2018 album with proceeds donated to charity, and then two more gap years for good luck, Pinegrove will be putting out Marigold, their fourth album, in a few days. After the release of three singles from the new album, I am hopeful in stating that this album will be reflective, positive, and shared as a movement of growth for Pinegrove as both musicians and people.
18. Pearl Jam- Gigation- March 27
Pearl Jam is about to release studio album number 11, but that doesn’t make it any less exciting. “Making this record was a long journey,” explains Mike McCready on the band’s website . “It was emotionally dark and confusing at times, but also an exciting and experimental road map to musical redemption. Collaborating with my bandmates on Gigaton ultimately gave me greater love, awareness and knowledge of the need for human connection in these times." Give me growth in an album and I’ll be emotionally satisfied until album number 12.
17. Tame Impala- The Slow Rush - Feb 14th
The Slow Rush is set to be released on February 14th, and will be Tame Impala’s follow up to 2015’s Currents, the album that that put him on the map. Currents propelled Tame Impala (Kevin Parker) into global success, beginning in Australia where the album went public at No. 1, and looping all the way around the world achieving major success in the UK and USA. The Slow Rush is highly anticipated by both fans and critics, but until February 14th, all we have is this teaser promo video.
16. The Killers- Imploding The Mirage
Early in 2019, The Killers released "Land of The Free," a song in response to the issues American’s have been facing, especially under Trump’s rule, such as racism, gun control, and the infamous proposed border wall. It is, however, unclear if this track will appear on the new album, since the band recently teased a list of potential songs to make the album on Instagram.
Even though "Land of The Free" didn’t seem to make the cut, the video is worth watching.
15. HAIM
The coolest signing sisters since the Brady’s put out three incredible singles in 2019, and although they’ve made no official announcement about a 2020 album, it’s pretty likely there’s one coming. The latest track, "Hallelujah," released on November 18th, is an emotional song that Alana Haim has said is a tribute to her friend Sammi Kane who passed away at the young age of 20. This song lyrically surpasses the majority of the songs released on their 2017 album Something to Tell You, leading me to believe we’re in for a HAIM musical revolution.
14.Green Day- Father of All Motherfuckers - Feb. 7th
Green Day can go off and do anything they want. We’re talking about the band that defined 2000’s rock, and the lead singer with the most entertaining, most viewed on YouTube (by me at least) public breakdown of all time. If Green Day wants to put out an album whose name is not technically Spotify approved, who cares?? They’re doing it anyway. According to lead singer Billy Joe, the album is about “the life AND death of the party, and “the lifestyle of not giving a fuck.” Ready or not, here comes album number 13. (But we're definitely ready.)
13. Dua Lipa- Future Nostalgia
One of the biggest forces in Pop will release her second album, Future Nostalgia, this year. On the new album, Dua Lipa said, “I was inspired by so many artists...from Gwen Stefani to Madonna to Moloko to Blondie and Outkast, to name just a few.” The first single released from the album, "Don’t Start Now," was published in November, has 268,000,000 listens on Spotify, and has been a huge hit on Pop radio.
12. Weezer- Van Weezer
As if announcing a joint tour with Fall Out Boy and Green Day wasn’t enough, Weezer went ahead and announced a new album release ON THE SAME DAY! Somebody pinch me and wake me up from this 2008 dream. Cuomo said that Van Weezer is “Blue Album-ish, but a little more riffy.” Weezer released “The End of the Game” a summer-rock song (of course) as a taste.
11. Jojo
Now is probably not the time for me to get into a detailed rant about how Jojo was the next big up and coming R&B star before her label body shamed her and held her to her contract against her will, but believe me when I say this girl had to work hard to come back. After finally separating with her old label, Blackground, and signing with Warner Music Group, she re-recorded all of her old music for streaming, and has been hinting at new music for the past few months. She released the oh so powerful single "Joanna," touching on her personal troubles, and letting her fans know she’s about to drop some “new shit,” and as a serious Jojo fan, I have been waiting for this new shit since 2016!
Jojo has profusely thanked her fans on instagram for their patience, and continues to tell us that it’ll be here soon. Just 21 hours ago, she posted this video to her instagram:
10. Kendrick Lamar
DAMN was a huge album in 2017, and I think I speak for probably every Kendrick fan when I say, enough’s enough- we need new music. It’s been reported that Kendrick is planning to release a more rock-influenced album this year, and it might already be done. Kendrick hasn’t revealed anything about alleged new album.
9. John Mayer
Although a 2020 album release has not been confirmed, John Mayer has been dropping singles since early last year, and told Billboard, “The world is changing every four weeks. Three weeks, probably, so if you’re not putting a song out within a month of you writing it, you’re probably late to your own party of how you saw the world.” The clock is ticking, John. Don’t be late to your own party. The singer did confirm during an instagram Q&A, that he is recording his new album this year.
8. Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga has been TOO vague in her tweets about her 6th album, but “her little monsters” have obsessively put together the nearly nonexistent pieces to figure out that the album MIGHT be called GAGA and MIGHT be released in February.
7. Miley Cyrus
She is Miley Cyrus was originally set to be released in 2019, but got pushed back to 2020. In the past year, Miley released EP She Is Coming, and her breakup song "Slide Away"- two very different kinds of sounds, but that only makes this more exciting. We can always count on Miley to give us something unexpected. Miley recently posted a photo series on Instagram with the caption, "New hair. New year. NEW MUSIC."
6. SZA
This is new info people!! SZA replied to fan on Twitter on January 3rd, confirming that she will indeed be dropping new music in 2020. There is zero other information on this, but her “short answer...yes” to the question of new music is all I need to give her the number six spot on this list.
5. Rihana
Just a few weeks ago, Rihanna told instagram that she’s “listening to R9 by [her]self and refusing to release it,” but that’s gotta mean the end is near! Riri has not released an album since Anti in 2016, and I feel like a thirsty dog tied up to a tree next to a freshwater pond justttttt far enough away that my tongue can’t reach the water. Chart Data reported that Anti marked it’s 200th week on the Billboard 200 chart, becoming the first album by a Black woman to reach this milestone. In November, Rihanna told Vogue that her forthcoming album will be "reggae-infused.”
4. Hayley Williams- Petals for Armor - January 22
Will she go full on pop? Emotional poems over punky guitar riffs? Emerge herself in her hometown’s country? 70s dance tracks only? Your guess is as good as mine...except you’re probably not eating, sleeping and breathing in anticipation of this album the way I am. Hayley Williams of Paramore is going solo on this one, and it could be out as early as January 22nd. Some argue that Paramore was just Hayley William’s outlet, causing plenty of fights and dramatic lineup changes over the years between the band- but Hayley does not need all of that negativity in her life! She’ll do it on her own, and do it just as well...or at least that’s what I keep telling myself.
3. Frank Ocean
I can’t say I’m sure this one is happening, but we can dream. All of the pieces are their anyway- in 2019 Frank signed a publishing deal with Warner Chappell. This is the first time he’s been aligned with a major label since Def Jam, which he parted ways from just before the release of Blonde. It was also just made public that Frank will Headline Coachella in 2020, and Frank Ocean is not the kind of guy to put himself in that kind of spotlight for no reason...
2. Mac Miller- Circles- Jan 17
Before Mac Miller’s Swimming came out only a month before the 26-year-old artist’s tragic passing, and unbeknownst to his fans, that project was far from complete. Swimming was supposed to be the first half of a two part album project. Miller was well into recording the second half, which would become Circles, when he passed. Although unfortunately he wouldn’t live to nurture the remainder of the project, collaborator John Brian would fully commit to finishing and birthing it in honor of Miller. Mac Miller’s family described the project as “Two different styles complementing each other, completing a circle,” in a recent instagram post. “This is a complicated process that has no right answer. No clear path. We simply know that it was important to Malcolm for the world to hear it… We are left to imagine where Malcolm was going and to appreciate where he was.”
The first single from Circles was released last week.
1 . Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Chili Peppers’ break-through-era lineup is back after 10 years. John Frusciante, who was a huge factor in the band’s evolving sound and an instrumental part of their growing ability to write hit songs, left the band in disagreement with and anxiety of their mainstream progression. It became sadly but widely accepted by fans that Frusciante was out for good, until out of the blue about a month ago, an instagram post revealed that he would be returning as guitarist for the band. Already having booked festival tours for 2020, it was assumed that Frusciante would be performing old songs with his bandmates to ease back into the crazed Chili Pepper scene. On the contrary, Frusciante and the rest of the Chili Peppers are coming in full force this year, with confirmation of a new album provided by drummer Chad Smith only about a week ago.