For the Record: 10 albums for 2023

Exposed music writer Nick Harland rounds up 10 albums he’ll be giving a spin this year…

The Reytons
‘What’s Rock and Roll?’ – 27th January
Those High Green Monkeys aren’t the only South Yorkshire band with a mega homecoming gig lined up in 2023. After a meteoric rise in recent years, The Reytons will play their biggest show to date at the Utilita Sheffield Arena in September 2023. Before that they’ll be unleashing another set of songs packed full of witty lyrics, catchy choruses and reyt good riffs. Can’t wait.

The Brian Jonestown Massacre
Your Future Is Your Past – 2nd February
Strong candidates for the best band name in history, The Brian Jonestown Massacre will release their 21st studio album in the early part of next year. Melding psychedelia, blues, garage rock and everything else under the sun, the band shifts from sound to sound as quickly as I’ll be ditching my New Year’s resolutions. I’ve given up trying to predict what their next record will sound like – just give it a spin instead.

Young Fathers
Heavy Heavy – 3rd February
The Mercury Prize-winning, genre-benders are back in 2023 with their fourth studio album Heavy Heavy. Endlessly innovative, their music is a heady mix of hip-hop, soul and indie that’s (evidently) really bloody difficult to describe in words. They’ve already dropped three new songs from the album, so go check ‘em out and decide for yourself what they sound like.

Caroline Polachek
Desire, I Want To Turn Into You – 14th Feb
If Caroline Polachek isn’t already a star, 2023 is the year she’ll become one. She’s already had two viral hits (‘So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings’ and ‘Bunny is a Rider’), worked with Beyoncé, Charli XCX and Travis Scott, and now her career is set to go up another level with this Valentine’s Day release. It’ll be her second record under her own name, and (I reckon) her first one as a bonafide popstar. And you can quote me on that.

PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS
Land of Sleeper – 17th February
In another triumph for outrageous band names, PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS are back again with their new album Land of Sleeper. At least seven times louder than a single pig, the Newcastle band are full of farmyard-filthy riffs and ‘pass me the earplugs’ levels of noise. I’d love to write more about them, but I used up half my word limit on that stinkin’ name. The swines.

Gorillaz
Cracker Island – 24th February
The world just wouldn’t feel right if Gorillaz weren’t still out there somewhere, releasing new music. The animated, Damon Albarn-fronted band will release their eighth album early in 2023, with confirmed collaborators so far including fellow mammals Thundercat and Bad Bunny. Expect dirty electronic beats, banging guest features and catchy pop hooks from one of Britain’s great songwriters.

Lana Del Rey
Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard – 10th March
With such a tight word limit to meet, I was overjoyed to see that Lana Del Rey will continue her run of lengthy song and album titles with…her new album. The California singer is pretty much everything you would expect a California singer to sound like – so expect dreamy soundscapes and wistful lyrics that make you think of deep blue oceans and golden beaches. At least that’s the idea.

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
TBA – Spring 2023
It probably won’t surprise you to learn that Noel Gallagher has dubbed one of the tracks on his upcoming album ‘one of the best I’ve ever written.’ It’s par for the course for the Liam-bating High Flying Bird, who has had the tunes to back up his boasts over the years, to be fair. The first taster from the album (‘Pretty Boy’) was written with Johnny Marr, and is out now.

ASAP Rocky
‘Don’t Be Dumb’ – TBA
After a quiet few years by his standards, where he just released a handful of singles and collabs, ASAP Rocky has officially announced his next album will be on the way in 2023. Details are still scarce, but the New York rapper did drop three new tracks during a recent performance on Amazon Music Live. It’ll be his first full-length since 2018, and it can’t come soon enough.

Blink-182
TBA – TBA
Dust off your copy of ‘Enema of the State’ and start putting those lip piercings in again, because pop-punk heroes Blink-182 are back with a new album in 2023. Better yet, it’ll be the first one with original member Tom DeLonge since 2011’s ‘Neighborhoods.’ Expect huge choruses, goofy lyrics and a whole lot of nostalgia. On second thoughts, maybe don’t put those lip piercings back in. That can’t end well.