Fall Album Preview: 25 Upcoming Records & The People Behind Them
Summer’s over, back to business. There’s a looooong list of records en route from studios and labels around the country due to drop over the next couple months. Here’s our quick-hit list of anticipated releases with as many production details as we could muster.
September
Australian grunge band, Violent Soho, released their Hungry Ghost LP this week on I Oh You Records. The album was produced by producer Bryce Moorhead (who the band calls “Brisbane’s Steve Albini), and mixed by John Agnello at Fluxivity in Williamsburg. Stream “Covered in Chrome” and get the album at iTunes.
Arctic Monkeys
“Awkward” the latest single from Mom+Pop punk rockers FIDLAR will be available September 8. The track was produced by Rob Schnapf and engineered by Chris Szczech at Kingsize Soundlabs in LA.
Arctic Monkeys‘ new album, AM, is out Sep. 10 in the U.S. via Domino Records. It was produced by James Ford (Simian Mobile Disco) and co-produced by Ross Orton at Sage & Sound Recording in Los Angeles and Rancho De La Luna in Joshua Tree. Hear R U Mine and Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High…and the entire album stream on iTunes!
The Weeknd‘s anticipated Trilogy followup, Kiss Land, drops Sep. 10 on Universal Republic. Production was handled by frontman Abel Tesfaye, along with producers Danny Boy Styles and DaHeala and features mixing from Manny Marroquin (Larrabee Studios) and Mark “Spike” Stent. Joe LaPorta mastered the album at Sterling Sound. Stream Kiss Land over at NPR!
Holy Ghost!‘s new album Dynamics comes out Sep. 10 via DFA Records. The album was produced by Holy Ghost and mixed by Chris Zane at DFA Studio in NYC. Hear album opener “Okay“.
New York indie-rock band Forest Fire also has a new record coming via Fat Cat on 9/10 as well. Screens was co-produced/engineered and mixed by Jonathan Schenke — recorded at Fat Cat’s studio, Tree Time, in the Hudson Valley, with overdubs and mixing happening at Doctor Wu’s in Brooklyn, and mastering by Alan Douches at West West Side Music. Check out the advance single, “Waiting In The Night”, below…
Look out for a new EP by synth-rock band Magic Man via Neon Gold Records/Columbia on Sep. 10 . Stream the song “Every Day” which debuted this week. The band apparently has a full-length album on the way as well. Both releases were mixed by Alex Aldi and mastered by Heba Kadry at Timeless Mastering in Brooklyn.
A couple other notable Australian rock bands, Papa vs. Pretty and The Naked and Famous, have new music rolling out in September…
“My Life Is Yours”, the first single off Papa vs. Pretty’s new album White Deer Park — produced and engineered by Dave Trumfio in Los Angeles — will be available September 13, with the album due out in February via EMI. And the new full-length by synth-rockers, The Naked and Famous, In Rolling Waves, will arrive Sep. 17 via Universal Republic. The band recorded the album with Billy Bush at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, mixed with Alan Moulder at his Assault & Battery in the UK and mastered with Joe LaPorta at Sterling in New York. Hear album single “Hearts Like Ours“.
MGMT will unearth their new album Sep. 17 via Columbia Records. Oracular Spectacular producer Dave Fridmann re-grouped with the band for the upcoming eponymous album at his Tarbox Road Studios in Cassadaga, NY. Stream album opener “Alien Days” and check out the epic album trailer here.
Alt-country singer Tift Merritt and pedal steel/guitar Eric Haywood (The Pretenders, Ray LaMontagne) recorded an acoustic album, Traveling Companion, a bonus disc that will accompany the deluxe edition of Merritt’s Traveling Alone (out Sep. 17 on Yep Roc). The 10-song LP was recorded and mixed at Mason Jar Music in Brooklyn by Dan Knobler & Jon Seale.
Drake’s Nothing Was The Same / Cash Money Republic Records (9/24)
The new Drake album Nothing Was The Same will finally arrive on Sep. 24 via Cash Money / Republic Records. Largely produced and engineered by longtime engineer Noah “40” Shebib — in part out of Metalworks Studios outside Toronto — Nothing features production by Hit-Boy, Boi-1da, Hudson Mowhawke and Mike WiLL Made It and collaborations with Jay-Z, 2 Chainz, James Blake and more.
Stream “Hold On, We’re Going Home” feat. and produced by OVO Sound‘s Majid Jordan, and co-produced by Nineteen85, and Noah “40” Shebib.
NYC via DC post-hardcore veterans Girls Against Boys will release a new EP, The Ghost List, on Sep. 24 via Epitonic Records. GVSB member and mixer/producer Eli Janney produced and mixed the EP with Geoff Sanoff co-producing. Download an album single, “It’s a Diamond Life“.
And southern rockers Kings of Leon are set to drop Mechanical Bull Sep. 24 on RCA. The album was recorded at Kings of Leon’s own studio in Nashville (“Neon Leon”), with James Brown engineering and longtime producer Angelo Petraglia at the helm. Brown mixed the album at Blackbird Studio.
And the much-anticipated debut LP by L.A. sister-pop band, HAIM, Days Are Gone, comes out on Columbia Sep. 30. Listen to “The Wire” below. The album was recorded in Los Angeles, with producers Ariel Rechtshaid and James Ford, with some sessions engineered by Jimmy Robertson out of Kingsize Soundlabs. Tom Elmhirst mixed tracks for the album out of his studio at Electric Lady, and it was mastered at The Lodge by Emily Lazar, assisted by Rich Morales.
October
On the first of the month, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts will release Unvarnished, on Blackheart Records. Jett’s first record since 2006, and 14th album with The Blackhearts, the album was recorded largely at Germano Studios in New York, with Kenny Laguna producing and Thom Panunzio engineering, and will reportedly contributions from Dave Grohl and Laura Jane Grace of Against Me!
Sleigh Bells‘ new album, Bitter Rivals, drops Oct. 8 via Mom + Pop. The record was produced by the band’s Derek Miller and mixed by Los Angeles-based engineer Andrew Dawson (Kanye West, fun.). Watch the video for the title track below.
St. Lucia will release a new record, When The Night (Oct. 8) on Neon Gold / Columbia Records. St. Lucia’s Jean-Philip Grobler produced the album, with additional production by Chris Zane, and mixing by Zane, Andy Baldwin and Rich Costey. Greg Calbi mastered the album at Sterling Sound.
Also due out Oct. 8 is the new EP by highly-worth-checking-out Brooklyn rock band Parquet Courts. Tally All the Things That You Broke was recorded at Seaside Lounge with producer/engineer Jonathan Schenke, who also mixed the album at Doctor Wu’s in Williamsburg. The EP will be released via What’s Your Rupture? Stream the opener, “You’ve Got Me Wonderin’ Now“.
NY/LA artist/producers Prefuse 73 and Teebs have teamed up to make a new album under the “Sons of the Morning” moniker. Mixed by Prefuse 73 and mastered by Heba Kadry at Timeless Mastering in Brooklyn, Speak Soon (Volume One) comes out in September on Yellow Year Records.
The new Pusha T album, My Name is My Name, is slated for an Oct. 8 release on G.O.O.D. / Def Jam and features a superstar line-up of producers and feature spots. Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, The-Dream, Don Cannon and Swizz Beats are among the album’s producers, with Kanye and Pharrell also guesting on the record, along with Kendrick Lamar, Chris Brown, 2 Chainz and Future. Engineers on the record include Noah Goldstein and Dave Rowland (at Germano Studios), with additional music provided by Brent Kolatalo and Ken Lewis out of Full Time Dreamer Studio.
A$AP Mob are prepping a new album to be released Oct. 15 on Sony, with producer and engineer Daniel Lynas. The group is working out of Polo Grounds‘ private studio. Lynas has also been working with A$AP Rocky on his upcoming instrumental record, Beauty & The Beast: Slowed Down Sessions Vol. 1.
Cults’ Static / Columbia (Oct. 15)
NYC indie-pop duo Cults return with Static Oct. 15 via Columbia. Hear album single “High Road“. Follin and Oblivion produced the album with help from producer/engineers Shane Stoneback (Sleigh Bells, Vampire Weekend) and Ben Allen (Washed Out, Animal Collective).
Indie-folk band The Head and the Heart will put out its sophomore album on Sub Pop, Let’s Be Still (Oct. 15). Peter Katis mixed and did additional recording and production for the album out of his Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, CT. Listen to “Shake” off the record here.
Gates, a post-rock band from New Brunswick, will re-release their album, You Are All You Have To Fear, Oct. 22 on Pure Noise Records. The album was mixed and mastered by Mike Watts out at Vudu Studios on Long Island.
Arcade Fire‘s new record, Reflektor, comes out October 29 on Merge Records. The band was said to be working on the album with James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem, and out of DFA Studio in NYC.
Austin rockers White Denim bring forth their Corsicana Lemonade on Downtown Records. The album was tracked in Texas with Jim Vollentine in a converted house-studio and also at Wilco’s Loft in Chicago, featuring some production and mixing from Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy and engineer Tom Schick. The record was mastered by Joe LaPorta at Sterling Sound.
And we’ll see the debut album by Juliana Hatfield and Nada Surf’s Matthew Caws as Minor Alps. The album, Get There, was co-produced and recorded by Tom Beaujour at his Nuthouse Recording in Hoboken (now located inside the Water Music complex), and mixed by John Agnello at Fluxivity in Williamsburg. Barsuk will put out the record. Check out the soft-and-sweet first track off the album, “Buried Plans”:
November will see long-awaited new albums by M.I.A. (Matangi, 11/5 on N.E.E.T./Interscope) — hear an advance track “Come Walk With Me” — which includes production by Hit-Boy, Switch, Surkin, M.I.A., So Japan, and Danja; Eminem (MMLP2, 11/5 on Shady Records) — which will feature production by Rick Rubin, No ID, DJ Khalil and Dr. Dre; and Lady Gaga (Artpop, 11/11 on Interscope) featuring production by Fernando Garibay and DJ White Shadow among others. But more on all that in a later post…