Summer is on its way, which means festivals, “song of the summer” debates, and warm-sounding tunes are coming. Before that, though, let’s not forget about spring, as this transitional season has plenty of releases worth looking forward to, especially when it comes to indie music.
(For our purposes, “spring” is defined as the period between this year’s vernal equinox and summer solstice, so from March 20 to June 21. Of course, we’re also excluding albums that got an early start this spring and were already released before today, since we can’t really anticipate them anymore; Pup’s The Unraveling Of PupTheBand and Destroyer’s Labyrinthitis come to mind.)
The next few months have a packed release schedule full of noteworthy projects by some beloved artists, so we combed through them and came up with the ten albums we’re most anticipating. Presented in order of release date, they are:
Father John Misty — Chloë And The Next 20th Century
Release Date: April 8
Save for the odd release here and there, Father John Misty has kept mostly quiet since releasing his 2018 album God’s Favorite Customer. He put himself back out there towards the end of 2021, though, when he covertly announced his new album via a spoken-word vinyl he mailed to some fans. He made a formal announcement in January this year while also sharing the album’s lead single, “Funny Girl.” Since then, he’s dropped some more singles, made some late-night TV appearance, and done other album promotion things, which is nice to see from Misty after a few years spent primarily out of the spotlight.
Wet Leg — Wet Leg
Release Date: April 8
It’s not often a debut indie album as as anticipated as the upcoming self-titled effort from Wet Leg is. Their catchy brand of rock has earned them acclaim already thanks largely to their debut single “Chaise Longue,” which managed peaks in the top 20 of Billboard‘s Alternative Airplay charts. If you want a co-sign, Wet Leg recently received maybe the best one in rock: In an interview, Foo Fighters leader Dave Grohl said, “Wet Leg are about to take over America. I really do dig them. […] Sometimes we’ll hang out at a friend’s house and just dance until four o’clock in the morning, and we’ll play ‘Chaise Longue’ on repeat, like over and over and over and over and over again.” If the guy from Nirvana is over the moon about an exciting young band, you should be, too.
Kurt Vile — Watch My Moves
Release Date: April 15
Kurt Vile is in the midst of the longest between-albums cap of his solo career, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been busy. Since releasing Bottle It In in 2018, Vile has found himself working with other artists, most notably producing and performing on Dinosaur Jr.’s 2021 album Sweep It Into Space. Vile’s getting back to focusing on himself now, though, as Watch My Moves is quickly on the way. He has preceded the album with singles like “Hey Like A Child” and “Mount Airy Hill (Way Gone),” which tease an album featuring Vile comfortably in his languid rock wheelhouse.
Fontaines DC — Skinty Fia
Release Date: April 22
Fontaines DC are a mainstream success in their native Ireland, where their first two albums have enjoyed top-four chart peaks. They’re thriving on this side of the pond, too, as both of their full-lengths have earned them acclaim pretty much across the board. Now, their third LP, Skinty Fia, is just weeks away and the anticipation is palpable. It’s deserved, too, as the group is doing some fascinating things with post-punk on singles like the catchy “Jackie Down The Line” and the album’s brooding, rhythmic title track.
Toro y Moi — Mahal
Release Date: April 29
Fads come and go, especially in indie music, but Toro y Moi has been one of the most consistent forces of the past decade-plus: Since 2010, he has released eight albums, and now he has a ninth on the way at the end of the month. Given that spring is a bit of a transitional season, it’s appropriate that Mahal also sees Toro y Moi entering a new phase of his career, as the album is his first since signing with Dead Oceans. Based on recent singles, it looks like Toro y Moi is trying a variety of things this time around, as evidenced by songs like the funky “The Loop” and the more rock-inspired “Déjà Vu.”
Arcade Fire — We
Release Date: May 6
Arcade Fire didn’t really handle their previous album, 2017’s Everything Now, that well. To be clear, that’s not something the band themselves haven’t said. Things are different with the recently announced We, though. While Everything Now had some prominent dance influences, lead single “Lightning I, II” sounds more like a return to the anthemic indie rock that put the band on the map in the first place. Also noteworthy is that unless minds are changed, this will be the band’s last album with Will Butler, as he recently left the group.
The Black Keys — Dropout Boogie
Release Date: May 13
Save for a five-year gap between albums in the mid-to-late 2010s, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney haven’t really stopped making Black Keys music for an extended stretch since their debut in 2002. Ever since 2010’s Brothers, the group has been a regular presence in the top ten of the charts and they’re looking to continue that streak with Dropout Boogie. As you’d expect from the duo, singles like “Wild Child” are another example of the highest quality blues rock on the market today, and on the full album, there’s surely more of that to be had.
Florence And The Machine — Dance Fever
Release Date: May 13
Florence Welch and her band are looking to continue a hot streak, as their previous album, 2018’s High As Hope, was their second straight top-two album in the US (but also their first non-No. 1 in the UK, although it still managed to top out in the second spot). One thing you can also count on from a Florence And The Machine album is a set of grandiose experiences, which they have offered with pre-album singles: “Heaven Is Here” is driven by stomped rhythms while “My Love” is more of a dance-inspired number, an aesthetic that meshes well with Welch’s signature vocals.
Angel Olsen — Big Time
Release Date: June 3
After a bit of time away, Angel Olsen has been going basically non-stop since releasing All Mirrors in 2019. She followed it with Whole New Mess in 2020 and had some fun in 2021, too, both with her Sharon Van Etten collaboration “Like I Used To” and her covers collection Aisles. Now, she’s getting back to regular business, as just a few days ago, she announced her next album, Big Time. Arriving alongside that news was lead single “All The Good Times,” a soaring alt-country-inspired tune that puts a soaring vocal performance from Olsen front and center.
Perfume Genius — Ugly Season
Release Date: June 17
Of the albums on this list, Perfume Genius’ upcoming LP is perhaps the one we know the least about. No singles have been shared yet, so really, all we have in terms of an indication of the record’s nature is a statement from Jacolby Satterwhite, who is directing an accompanying short film. He says, “Mike [Hadreas] and I are both writing scripts. My visual narrative serendipitously mirrors the lyrical direction in his music; it’s a rare, like-minded bond. It’s a creation myth. How do you architecturally mold and render an idealized version of utopia? It’s about making something that you desire so beyond your scope that it’s hard to grapple into a concrete form.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. .
