April 7

Daniel Caesar – ‘NEVER ENOUGH’

Starting off the month strong, Daniel Caesar presents his highly anticipated third studio album, NEVER ENOUGH on April 7th. The album comes to us as a follow-up to CASE STUDY 01 and Freudian, which both showcased his tender and precise vocals and expressive songwriting. More recently, Daniel Caesar took to Instagram to reveal the cover art and tracklist for NEVER ENOUGH which is stacked with 15 tracks including previously-released hit singles “Do You Like Me?” And “Let Me Go”. The cover art, put plainly, is giving the Daniel we know and love, and he admits, “I’m sensing a theme throughout my album covers.” The theme? A shadowy silhouette and the color blue, of course. Daniel Caesar has recently contributed vocals to Lil Yachty’s Let’s Start Here., performed at Coachella in 2022, and received a 2023 Juno Award nomination for Traditional R&B/Soul Recording for his single “Please Do Not Lean” featuring BADBADNOTGOOD. The man is on a roll, needless to say, and we’re gearing up for NEVER ENOUGH to fill all the gaps in our current playlists that only Daniel Caesar could fill.

Rae Sremmurd – ‘Sremm 4 Life’

One of the most beloved hip-hop duos returns with their 4th studio album, Sremm 4 Life, and fans are ecstatic. After nearly 5 years of waiting, Rae Sremmurd, the Mississippi rap duo of Slim Jxmmi and Swae Lee, teased their return on Twitter by sharing the artwork of their new album along with the release date of April 7. With Pharrell Williams and Mike Will Make-It hopping on to produce the record, fans already know they are in for a treat. “Tanisha (Pump That),” the album’s first single, was released, and as we suspected, the production flows with buttery rhythms and addicting ad-lib loops. Unlike the arrangement of the last album, all the tracks on this record will fit into 1 disc. As Slim Jxmmi and Swae Lee continue to lean into the elegance of their vocals, we can likely expect the rest of the record to be packed with lighthearted beats, hazy trap sounds, and the charming synergy of the sibling duo. 

Yaeji – ‘With A Hammer’

Yaeji’s delicate arrangements of synths and deep-house euphoria make her an obvious choice for house parties, for your upcoming Taurus friends’ birthdays. After a long repertoire of EPs, singles, and a mixtape in 2020, the New York electronic artist announces the arrival of her debut album With A Hammer. “I want to begin this album with intent,” she says in a letter to fans, “so I started writing a story about me and my hammer. A hammer crafted from my anger.” With A Hammer was composed across a two-year period in New York, Seoul, and London and began shortly after the release of What We Drew and during the lockdowns of the Coronavirus pandemic. The project will feature guest appearances from Loraine James, Nourished By Time, K Wata, and Enayet. Yaeji shared the lead single from her forthcoming LP, “For Granted,” and we hear her leaning into experimental pop that is refreshing and cutting. In typical Yaeji fashion, we hear experimental sounds that blend elastic beats homogenously with her somber lyrical themes over babbling vocal loops. Her lead single is proof we need that her first full-length project will come out with a bang.

April 14

Chief Keef – ‘Almighty So 2’

After numerous delays, Almighty So 2 arrives to serve as the sequel to Chief Keef’s influential 2013 mixtape Almighty So. The initial project, which dates almost a decade, was hosted by DJ Scream and featured input from Cdai, Tadoe, ISOBeats, OhZone, and more. “Tony Montana Flow” and “Rack Stuffed Inna Couch” are two tracks on the forthcoming album, and they drip with steel-cut synth and chilling drills. Almighty So 2 will follow Keef’s latest full-length offering, 4NEM, in 2021 and will likely continue the prolific run of aggressive production and diverse vocal intonations known to Keef. The Chicago rapper recently celebrated a big milestone as his debut album, Finally Rich, is certified platinum, a momentous accolade that arrived shortly after the 10th anniversary of the album. With the initial Almighty So mixtape also coming to be a decade old, its sequel is worth waiting another few measly weeks.

NLE Choppa – ‘Cottonwood 2’

NLE Choppa rose to prominence in recent years with his breakout project Cottonwood. His 2019 album track, “Shotta Flow,” went viral and quickly accumulated more than 90 million streams on Youtube. Since then, he has gone on to release a full-length record, 2 mixtapes, and numerous singles. Riding off this high, he returns with the second part of his debut project, Cottonwood 2, which stacks 22 tracks. His aggressive tones and animated rapping over icy trap beats are hard to miss, and his forthcoming album seems to be integral in cementing his position as one of hip-hop’s most exciting young talents. Mark your calendar for April 14 for taking in a dose of NLE Choppa’s charismatic energy and artistry. 

El Michels Affair & Black Thought – ‘Glorious Game’

Surprise duo, Black Thought (of The Roots) and Leon Michels-led soul group El Michels Affair join forces for a new album, Glorious Game. Though this is an unanticipated collaboration, these brilliant musical minds have a rich history after meeting each other in the 2000s. They would often have casual jam sessions in the studio until the infamous lockdowns of 2020 inspired Black Thought to reach out to Leon Michels for music for him to write to. Like the rest of us, they were looking for ways to stay busy and it just so happens that something fruitful came of it that we can now all benefit from—much thx! The 12-track album arrives on April 14th and includes previously-released “Grateful” as the opening track, “That Girl”, and “Glorious Game”. Between El Michels Affair’s unique “cinematic soul” compositions and Black Thought’s poignant lyricism, this album is guaranteed to blow our minds. If you’re a fan of one but not the other, this is a really great time to walk the bridge that has been built between the two, get acquainted and explore some elevated soulful funk tracks.

April 22

Beach House – ‘Become’

Say hello to sad girl summer with Beach House’s new EP, Become, which is a collection of 5 songs from the Once Twice Melody sessions last year that didn’t make the initial cut. For those of us who were sulking on the 18-track LP, this is our time to unpack those feelings once again and relive the world of OTM. Mixed by Alan Moulder, Trevor Spencer, and Caesar Edmunds, the original record peaked at #1 on Billboard’s Albums Sales Chart and debuted at No. 1 on the Top Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums, Tastemaker Albums, and Top Current Album Sales charts. The all-encompassing duo refined and redefined their vision of psychedelic dream pop and laid out their sonic progressions in 4 chapters with lyric animations for each song. This new EP will likely follow a similar sonic theme crafted with the same dark-tripping instrumentals.

April 28

Peach PRC – ‘Manic Dream Pixie’

Rising pop star Peach PRC has taken her music from her bedroom to the hearts of her 2M+ TikTok followers, and is on her boldest, brightest chapter yet with her upcoming EP Manic Dream Pixie. Her sweet, witty songs hold the truest of truths from all things that come with being an emerging adult, thoughtfully crafted from her unique, funny, sensitive mind. The first single “Perfect For You” pays tributes to Paris Hilton’s iconic “Stars Are Blind”, following a story of an entanglement in a love triangle, while her latest release “F U Goodbye” is an electro dance bop rooted in the idea of freeing yourself from negative situations. Manic Dream Pixie, arriving on April 28th, will be—in true Peach PRC nature—a highly-spirited lyrical takedown and well, very pink.

The National – ‘First Two Pages of Frankenstein’

Grammy Award-winning American rock band The National is releasing their ninth studio album First Two Pages of Frakenstein on April 28th with quite the star-studded tracklist. The project will feature lead single “Tropic Morning News” as well as collaborations with Taylor Swift (“The Alcott”), Phoebe Bridgers (“This Isn’t Helping”, “Your Mind Is Not Your Friend”), and Sufjan Stevens (“Once Upon a Poolside”). The band is set to embark on a world tour this year in support of the album release, with support from Soccer Mommy, The Beths, and the legendary Patti Smith. All this to say, First Two Pages of Frankenstein is guaranteed to be a girly-approved smash record. 

Jessie Ware – ‘That! Feels Good!’

Disco is never dead as long as Jessie Ware is around. Even though the UK singer hinted at leaving the dance floor behind after her 2020 What’s Your Pleasure, she affirms her presence with her upcoming fifth studio album That! Feels Good! She announced her upcoming album with the release of the single “Pearls”, a collaboration with Stuart Prince and Clarence Coffee Jr., that feels reminiscent of disco bangers from the likes of Donna Summer, Evelyn “Champagne” King, and Chaka Khan. Ware shared that her upcoming album “stems from over 10 years of understanding who I am, and who I enjoy being as an artist and the thrill of performance.” We anticipate the album to be fun, and bouncy, and transport you back to a smoky party in the ‘70s with a 12” spinning, demanding you to dance.