Stream Sia, Wet, And The Week's New Albums

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Rihanna had the biggest album of the week. There is no denying that and no use of even trying (if you haven’t listened to ANTI yet, go here). But while R8 is finally out, we’ve devoted a fair amount of ink to the surprise release. We wanted to showcase some of the other great albums dropping this week. Songwriting genius Sia decided to give herself some of those great tunes for a new LP, indie R&B buzz band Wet make their debut, and after a few mixtapes and unofficial releases, Kevin Gates finally releases his proper first album. We’ve also got new stuff from St. Lucia, Bloc Party, Massive Attack, J. Cole and more. Here are the albums you need to hear this week.

Sia – This Is Acting

Despite being in music for nearly two decades as both an artist and a songwriter, Sia only truly started getting her due a couple of years ago with her breakthrough, sixth studio album, 1000 Forms of Fear. For that matter, that is also when she started to disguise her face and wish to be anonymous in the public eye (her previous album covers all had her face on them.) This Is Acting has the incredible challenge of serving as follow up to the enormous 1000 Forms, but the album’s lead single “Alive” shows that she harnesses incredible power in her pen and in her pipes. Another highlight is “Cheap Thrills,” which apparently was the track that Rihanna rejected for ANTI. Not for nothing, but it seems to work well here. Maybe Sia made the right choice in keeping some of these golden tracks for herself.

Wet – Don’t You

In 2015, perhaps one of the biggest bands attracting buzz were Brooklyn’s Wet. The trio garnered millions of listens digitally and eventually made the major label jump, promising a proper LP in the new year. Well, now Don’t You has arrived and there are too many influences to count here. Wet aren’t so easily classified in that they borrow from indie rock, alt R&B, dream pop, and a little folk. But let’s not get bogged down in names and labels; tracks like “Don’t Wanna Be Your Girl” and “Weak” immediately grab you. That’s really all that matters.

Kevin Gates – Islah

Baton Rouge rapper Kevin Gates blew up in 2015 with his mixtape hit “I Don’t Get Tired,” becoming a late night and bedroom anthem. Luckily, he was able to keep this momentum going with what would eventually become his debut album Islah. Tracks like “2 Phones” and “Really Really” are the street anthems that act as trojan horse to maybe one of the most emotionally open rappers in recent memory. With Kevin, nothing is off limits in terms of what’s going on his life, whether that’s family issues, depression, or any other personal issue. Islah is definitely something like you haven’t heard this year.

https://open.spotify.com/album/4Fc1r4rr71onOOgfxcJgzn