Keeping track of all the new albums coming out in a given month is a big job, but we’re up for it: Below is a comprehensive list of the major releases you can look forward to in May. If you’re not trying to potentially miss out on anything, it might be a good idea to keep reading.
Friday, May 3
- ALASKALASKA — The Dots (Marathon Artists)
- Allen Tate (of San Fermin) — In The Waves (Sleep Well Records)
- An Horse — Modern Air (Lame-O Records)
- Ardent Sons — No More Than This (Wondertaker Records)
- Arthur King — Wauters Farm (Dangerbird)
- Ashley Tisdale — Symptoms (Big Noise)
- Baloji — Kaniama: The Yellow Version (Bella Union)
- Barrie — Happy To Be Here (Winspear)
- Big Thief — U.F.O.F. (4AD)
- Bobby Oroza — This Love (Big Crown Records)
- Caroline Spence — Mint Condition (Rounder Records)
- Caterina Barbieri — Ecstatic Computation (Editions Mego)
- Charlotte — Nowhere To Hide EP (The Orchard)
- Clara Sanabras — Fugue To The Floating World (Smudged Discs)
- Club Kuru — Meet Your Maker (Dog Holiday Records)
- Combo Chimbita — Ahomale (ANTI- Records)
- Crazy P — Age Of The Ego (Walk Don’t Walk/!k7 Records)
- Donovan Woods — The Other Way (Meant Well)
- Drahla — Useless Coordinates (Captured Tracks)
- The Dream Syndicate — These Times (ANTI- Records)
- Editors — The Blanck Mass Sessions (Play It Again Sam)
- Evan Thomas Way & The Phasers — Long Distance (Lung Records)
- The Felice Brothers — Undress (Yep Roc Records)
- Florida Man — Tropical Depression (Spartan Records)
- Jenn Vix — 6 EP (Umbrella Music Co.)
- Jeremy Zucker And Chelsea Cutler — brent EP (Republic Records)
- Jesse Mac Cormack — Now (Secret City Records)
- Joel Ross — Kingmaker (Blue Note Records)
- John Digweed — Last Night At Output (Bedrock Records)
- Johnny Lloyd — Next Episode Starts In 15 Seconds (Xtra Mile Recordings)
- Joy Williams — Front Porch (Sensibility Recordings/Thirty Tigers)
- Judah & The Lion — Pep Talks (Cletus the Van/Caroline)
- Kat Vokes — Clockwork (Ropeadope)
- L7 — Scatter The Rats (Blackheart Records)
- Laura Misch — Lonely City (self-released)
- Little May — Blame My Body (Dew Process)
- Little Mazarn — IO (Self Sabotage Records)
- Little Steven And The Disciples Of Soul — Summer Of Sorcery (Wicked Cool/UMe)
- Lucy Spraggan — Today Was A Good Day (Cooking Vinyl)
- Matthew Milia — Alone At St. Hugo (Sitcom Universe Records)
- Montoya — OTUN (Juno Records)
- Nathan Micay — Blue Spring (LuckyMe)
- NEEDSHES — Truth Power (AWAL)
- New Found Glory — From The Screen To Your Stereo 3 (Hopeless Records)
- No Rome — Crying In The Prettiest Places EP (Dirty Hit)
- Oh Land — Family Tree (Tusk or Tooth)
- Ordinary Elephant — Honest (Wide Open Country)
- Paula Temple — The Edge Of Everything (Noise Manifesto)
- Pile — Green And Gray (Exploding in Sound)
- Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi — There Is No Other (Nonesuch Records)
- Saint Agnes — Welcome To Silvertown (Death Or Glory Gang Records)
- Sara Trunzo — Dirigo Attitude (self-released)
- Saro — Die Alone EP (Mateo Sound)
- Second Still — Violet Phase (Sentimental Records)
- Sleep Talk — Everything In Colour (UNFD)
- Snow Ghosts — A Quiet Ritual (Left Blank)
- Stickup Kid — Soul Drive (Adeline Records)
- Sunbeam Sound Machine — Goodness Gracious (Remote Control)
- Tacocat — This Mess Is A Place (Sub Pop)
- Tank And The Bangas — Green Balloon (Verve Forecast)
- Truth Club — Not An Exit (Tiny Engines)
- Tusky — Love Love Love EP (V2 Records)
- Vampire Weekend — Father Of The Bride (Columbia)
- William Brittelle — Spiritual America (self-released)
- Wooze — what’s on your mind? EP (Young Poet Records)
- Wyndham — A Fistful Of Stars (self-released)
- YG — 4REAL 4REAL (Def Jam)
Friday, May 10
- A.A. Bondy — Enderness (Fat Possum Records)
- Annie Bass — Control EP (Opulent/Mushroom)
- ASHRR — Oscillator (First Second)
- Basic Rhythm — On The Threshold (Planet Mu)
- BAT! — Bat Music For Bat People (Dread Central)
- Big Nothing — Chris (Salinas Records)
- Carlton Jumel Smith — 1634 Lexington Avenue (Timmion Records)
- Caroline Davis — Alula (New Amsterdam Records)
- Charly Bliss — Young Enough (Barsuk Records)
- Ciara — Beauty Marks (Beauty Marks Entertainment)
- Clinic — Wheeltappers And Shunters (Domino)
- Daddy Long Legs — Lowdown Ways (Yep Roc)
- Dawn Landes — My Tiny Twilight (Yep Roc)
- Dionne Warwick — She’s Back (Kind Music Group/Entertainment One)
- Emerson Snowe — That’s Rock ‘N’ Roll EP (self-released)
- Gareth Emery And Ashley Wallbridge — Kingdom United (Garuda)
- The Get Up Kids — Problems (Big Scary Monsters)
- Greys — Age Hasn’t Spoiled You (Carpark)
- Hannah Grace — The Bed You Made EP (Never Fade Records)
- Holly Herndon — PROTO (4AD)
- Howard Jones — Transform (BFD)
- Idle Hands — Mana (Eisenwald)
- Indianola — Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (Handwritten Records)
- Jackie Cohen — Zagg (Spacebomb Records)
- Jamila Woods — LEGACY! LEGACY! (Jagjaguwar)
- Jeffrey Brooks — The Passion (Innova Recordings)
- Lee “Scratch” Perry — Rainford (On-U Sound)
- Lowland Hum — Glyphonic (Tone Tree Music)
- Lydia Ainsworth — Phantom Forest (Zombie Cat Records)
- Mac DeMarco — Here Comes The Cowboy (Mac’s Record Label)
- Maddie Ross — Never Have I Ever (Sentimental Records)
- Maps — Colours. Reflect. Time. Loss. (Mute Records)
- Mating Ritual — Hot Content (Smooth Jaws)
- Matt Kivel — Last Night In America (Cascine)
- Mavis Staples — We Get By (Alligator Records)
- Mourning [a] BLKstar — Reckoning (Don Giovanni Records)
- The Mystery Lights — Too Much Tension! (Wick Records)
- NOTS — 3 (Goner)
- Olivia Neutron-John — Olivia Neutron-John (Sister Polygon Records)
- Ona — Full Moon, Heavy Light (Hickman Holler Records)
- Phantoms — Disconnect EP (Sora Music)
- Polynation — Igneous (Atomnation)
- Port Noir — The New Routine (InsideOutMusic)
- Pottery — No. 1 EP (Partisan Records)
- POW! — Shift (Castle Face)
- Prudence — Major Tom EP (Forged Artifacts)
- Rev Magnetic (Mogwai’s Luke Sutherland) — Versus Universe (Rock Action)
- Rosie Lowe — YU (37 Adventures)
- Sammy Hagar & The Circle — Space Between (BMG)
- Shaggy — Wah Gwaan?! (Ranch Entertainment)
- She Keeps Bees — Kinship (Ba Da Bing Records)
- ShitKid — [DETENTION] (PNKSLM Recordings)
- Siobhan Wilson — The Departure (Suffering Fools Records)
- The Skints — Swimming Lessons (Mr Bongo)
- Snotty Nose Rez Kids — Trapline (Fontana North)
- Ten Foot Pole — Escalating Quickly (Thousand Islands Records)
- Tim Hecker — Anoyo (Kranky)
- Von Spar — Under Pressure (Bureau B)
- Weatherstate — Born A Cynic (Failure By Design Records)
- Whitesnake — Flesh & Blood (Frontiers Music Srl)
- Zig-Zags — They’ll Never Take Us Alive (RidingEasy Records)
Friday, May 17
- Alex Lahey — The Best Of Luck Club (Dead Oceans)
- American Sharks — 11:11 (The End Records)
- Antony Carle — The Moment EP (Bonsound)
- Austin Plaine — Stratford (Blaster Records)
- Big Big Train — Grand Tour (Burning Shed)
- Brad Mehldau — Finding Gabriel (Nonesuch Records)
- Briston Maroney — Indiana EP (Canvasback Music)
- The Cash Box Kings — Hail To The Kings (Alligator Records)
- Carly Rae Jepsen — Dedicated (Interscope Records)
- Cat Princess — Forbidden Items (Rama Lama Records)
- Com Truise — Persuasion System (Ghostly International)
- Conrad Sewell — Life (Sony Music Australia)
- DJ Khaled — Father Of Asahd (We the Best)
- Duckwrth — Falling Man EP (Island/Republic)
- Fauvely — This Is What The Living Do EP (Division Records)
- Frenship — Vacation (Ninja Tune)
- Glassing — Spotted Horse (Blood Music)
- Greg Antista & The Lonely Streets — Shake, Stomp And Stumble (Primal Beat Records)
- Handsome Young Ladies — We Got It Covered (Alarm Clock Revolution)
- The Head And The Heart — Living Mirage (Warner Bros.)
- The Heavy — Sons (BMG)
- Injury Reserve — Injury Reserve (Loma Vista)
- Institute — Readjusting The Locks (Sacred Bones Records)
- Interpol — A Fine Mess EP (Matador)
- Jamie Freeman — Dreams About Falling (Union Music Label)
- Jimmie Vaughan — Baby, Please Come Home (The Last Music Company)
- Jon Bryant — Cult Classic (Nettwerk)
- Josephine Wiggs (of The Breeders) — We Fall (The Sound of Sinners)
- Kelly Moran — Origin EP (Warp)
- Kissing Party — Mom & Dad (BBYV)
- Knuckle — Life Is Hard When You’re Soft Inside (Philophobia Music)
- Kurt Travis — There’s A Place I Want To Take You (Blue Swan Records)
- Lewis Capaldi — Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent (Virgin EMI)
- Lil Kim — 9 (Queen Bee Entertainment)
- Lo-Pan — Subtle (Aqualamb Records)
- Lucette — Deluxe Hotel Room (Rock Creek Music/Thirty Tigers)
- Massy Ferguson — Great Divides (self-released)
- Matt Surfin’ & Friends — Matt Surfin’ & Friends (Community Records)
- Mike Killeen (formerly of Wilco) — Ghost (Saturn 5 Records)
- Minor Poet — The Good News (Sub Pop Records)
- The National — I Am Easy To Find (4AD)
- Nick Lowe — Love Starvation / Trombone EP (Yep Roc Records)
- NOIA — Crisàlida EP (Cascine)
- Noseholes — Ant And End (ChuChu Records)
- Olden Yolk — Living Theatre (Trouble in Mind)
- Operators — Radiant Dawn (Last Gang Records)
- Paul Gilbert — Behold Electric Guitar (Music Theories)
- Preston Lovinggood — Consequences (Communicating Vessels)
- Psychic Graveyard — Loud As Laughter (Skin Graft Records)
- Rammstein — Untitled (Universal)
- Rich Aucoin — Release (Haven Sounds)
- Ryan Pollie — Ryan Pollie (Anti-)
- Sam Cohen — The Future Is Still Ringing In My Ears (30th Century Records)
- Second Still — Violet Phase (Sentimental Records)
- slowthai — Nothing Great About Britain (True Panther/Method)
- Son Step — Fossilillies (Grind Select)
- Spencer Radcliffe & Everyone Else — Hot Spring (Run For Cover Records)
- Theo Croker — Star People Nation (Sony)
- Umphrey’s McGee — Anchor Drops Redux (InsideOut Records)
- Verdigrls — Small Moves EP (Substitute Scene)
- Zr. King — Musically & Morally Bankrupt (Blastcap Records)
Friday, May 24
- The Aggrolites — Reggae Now! (Pirates Press Records)
- Amyl And The Sniffers — Amyl And The Sniffers (ATO Records)
- Black Mountain — Destroyer (Jagjaguwar)
- Budokan Boys — Dad Is Bad (Baba Vanga)
- “Captain” Kirk Douglas (of The Roots) — Turbulent Times (self-released)
- Cate Le Bon — Reward (Mexican Summer)
- Cold Showers — Motionless (Dais Records)
- Duncan Lloyd (of Maxïmo Park) — Outside Notion (Afternoon In Bed)
- Guards — Modern Hymns (AWAL)
- Faye Webster — Atlanta Millionaires Club (Secretly Canadian)
- Flying Lotus — Flamagra (Warp)
- Hayden Thorpe (of Wild Beasts) — Diviner (Domino)
- Honeyblood — In Plain Sight (Marathon Artists)
- IRAH — Diamond Grid (Tambourhinoceros)
- Justin Townes Earle — The Saint Of Lost Causes (New West Records)
- Luke Sanger — Ancient Pathways (Darla Records)
- Mavis Staples — We Get By (Alligator Records)
- Middle Kids — New Songs For Old Problems EP (Domino)
- Morrissey — California Love (Etienne)
- Octave One — Locus Of Control EP (430 West)
- Petrol Girls — Cut & Stitch (Hassle Records)
- Pronoun — I’ll Show You Stronger (Rhyme & Reason)
- Sebadoh — Act Surprised (Dangerbird/Fire)
- Steve Marino — Fluff (Darling Recordings)
- Sting — My Songs (Cherrytree/A&M/Interscope)
- The Stray Cats — 40 (Mascot Label Group)
- Thompson Egbo-Egbo — The Offering (Entertainment One)
- TK & The Holy Know-Nothings — Arguably OK (Mama Bird Recording Co.)
- Toebow — Themes (Imaginator Records)
- Trudy And The Romance — Sandman (B3SCI)
- The Waterboys — Where The Action Is (Cooking Vinyl)
- whenyoung — Reasons To Dream (Virgin EMI)
Friday, May 31
- Acquaintances — 8 1/2 Lives (File 13)
- Apex Manor — Heartbreak City (Merge Records)
- Athlete Whippet — Corporate Guy EP (Squareglass)
- Bedouine — Birds Songs Of A Killjoy (Spacebomb)
- Carl Anderson — You Can Call Me Carl EP (Tone Tree Music)
- Christelle Bofale — Swim Team EP (Father/Daughter Records)
- Daniel Wohl — État (Nonesuch Records)
- Ellis Paul — The Storyteller’s Suitcase (Rosella)
- Eluvium — Pianoworks (Temporary Residence Ltd.)
- Frank Iero And The Future Violents — Barriers (UNFD)
- Gemma — Feeling’s Not A Tempo (Double Double Whammy)
- The Gotobeds — Debt Begins At 30 (Sub Pop)
- H.C. Slim — Sings (Svart Records)
- Ian Noe — Between The Country (Thirty Tigers)
- Jenn Grant — Love, Inevitable (Leovela)
- JR JR — Invocations / Conversations (Love Is EZ Records)
- Juan Wauters — Introducing Juan Pablo (Captured Tracks)
- Kenny Wayne Shepherd — The Traveler (Mascot Label Group)
- Kim Thompsett — Woebetide Hill (Meniscus Hump Records)
- Kishi Bashi — Omoiyari (Joyful Noise Recordings)
- Lungbutter — Honey (Warp)
- Max Jury — Modern World (Marathon Artists)
- Mike Frazier — Where The Valley Kissed The Sky (Geneva Records)
- Nightjacket — Beauty In The Dark (self-released)
- Pip Bloom — Daddy Issues (Heavenly/[PIAS])
- red steppes — Arcs (Native Cat Recordings)
- *repeat repeat — Glazed (Dangerbird Records)
- Robert Randolph And The Family Band — Brighter Days (Provogue/Mascot Label Group)
- Sacred Paws — Run Around The Sun (Merge/Rock Action)
- Sara Rachelle — Scorpio Moon (Angrygal)
- Sinkane — Dépaysé (City Slang)
- Skepta — Ignorance Is Bliss ( Boy Better Know)
- Thomas Rhett — Center Point Road (Valory Music Co.)
- TV Coma — Body Negativity EP (White Label)
- Urochromes — Trope House (Wharf Cat)