From Miley Cyrus, Lana Del Rey, 6LACK, Kali Uchis, and many more.
by Stella HePublishing date: Feb, 28, 2023
This month in music is gearing up to be one of the most exciting thus far with album drops from artists big to small, seasoned to new up-and-comers. We’ve made a roundup of upcoming releases to help you curate your personal bgm for this Spring.
March 3
Chiiild – ‘Better Luck In The Next Life’
- Throw out what you know about music genres because Chiiild is making music that knows no bounds. Coined “synthetic soul,” the producer-turned-artist weaves R&B, soul, psychedelia, jazz, indie, and pop that becomes the work of art known as Better Luck In The Next Life. Exploring the themes of creative freedom, personal equilibrium, and a return home in this record, Chiiild offers the most comprehensive sonic and lyrical range to date and invites listeners on a journey into his world as he enters the next chapter in his life. Set to embark on a North American tour this spring, Chiiild is bound to bring out bangers for you and your friends to vibe to. The Montréal local hasn’t failed to put out a good album, and we don’t expect him to break his streak anytime soon.
Masego – ‘MASEGO’
- The mastery of Masego makes even the most skillful linguists in the world hard to define his sonic capabilities. The talented singer-songwriter-musician-rapper-producer proved that he was open to experimenting and learning in his previous album, Study Abroad, and now having learned the ways in life, he launches his sophomore self-titled album, MASEGO reveling his dualities, mixing contemplation with extroversion and smothering romance with knowing humor. The 14-track album invites a ray of talented collaborators or as the music mastermind likes to call them, “the outliers, the savants.” Think people like Kelvin Wootan, Louie Lastic, Richie Souf, Monte Booker, WaveIQ, and Rocaine. While Masego is only now releasing his second album, he has amassed nearly two billion combined global streams in his career to date and shows no signs of slowing down. He drops the music video to his album single, “Two Sides,” to mark the start of his next era and invites us to join him live across North America at his forthcoming headline tour, You Never Visit Me Tour. Don’t say we didn’t warn ya; Masego’s undeniable charisma will surely hypnotize you upon listening to his new album as it did us.
slowthai – ‘UGLY’
- If you fell in love with slowthai from his early “emotional” rock music, you will not want to miss out on his upcoming album, UGLY, as the British rapper dives into the genre, exploring the spirit of brotherhood ethos that bands have. The former Beatroute alum has always expressed his desire not to be boxed in sonically and artistically – but you’d be wrong to assume physically, too, as he locks himself in a box with floor-to-ceiling two-sided mirrors for 24 hours to celebrate his new album release. In the caption below the live stream, it is explained that the purpose of the experiment should be viewed as a practice of “patience and self-reflection, with just paint, paper, and nothing to look at but himself,” which is fitting, considering the album’s title. Now tattooed beneath slowthai’s eye, UGLY is an acronym for “U Gotta Love Yourself.” Set to release on March 3rd, the 12-track album is said to be a “striking departure” from the rapper’s grime-style rapping as he shifts into alternative rock spaces citing inspiration from Nirvana and Radiohead.
Kali Uchis – ‘Red Moon In Venus’
- Grammy-winning artist Kali Uchis has been teasing her upcoming album drop for months after announcing at the 2022 Latin American Music Awards the completion of her third and fourth studio albums, one in Spanish and one in English. Since the release of the single “I Wish You Roses” back in January, fans have been waiting patiently for the drop of her full-length record Red Moon In Venus, and it will officially be here by the beginning of this month. Following Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios) in 2020, the Colombian singer hopped onto projects for her artist friends, Omar Apollo, Ozuna, and Amaarae. Now pivoting focus back onto her own world, Red Moon In Venus is described as a dive into the meaning of love and “divine femininity,” and it’s said to be inspired by the astrology behind a Red Moon. Uchis has always been praised for her mastery of genre-bending and we can expect this forthcoming album to be no different. Set to experiment with R&B, Soul, pop, and música urbana, Uchis will likely master in creating a piece of art that represents “love on all levels.”
March 10
Miley Cyrus – ‘Endless Summer Vacation’
- All the single independent girlies unite! The newly-crowned Queen of I-can-buy-myself- flowers, Miley Cyrus, is releasing her full-length record, Endless Summer Vacation, and to say we’re excited is an understatement. After her single “Flowers” from the album took the world by storm, earning the most streams in a single week since Olivia Rodrigo’s “Driver’s License” in 2021 and spending five consecutive weeks comfortably at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, she returns with her 13-track album seemingly capturing the themes of self-empowerment. This is noted as her first body of work since her infamous break from her ex-husband, with the release date also happening to be his birthday. Gearing up for the release, Cyrus has been dropping clues on her Instagram, and fans are speculating her cryptic captions are lyrics from her upcoming album. The pop-rock album is said to be “a celebration of Cyrus’ joy in life today and features production from Kid Harpoon, Greg Kurstin, Mike WiLL Made-It, and Tyler Johnson. If you’re not listening to Endless Summer Vacation on March 10, wyd?
TWICE – ‘READY TO BE’
- The sweet girlie pop group TWICE just revealed the tracklist to their forthcoming mini album, “READY TO BE” which details seven tracks and includes the title track, “SET ME FREE,” in Korean and English. The opening trailer released by the group hints at the chic yet dreamy sound that girls are known for, with each member serving stunning visuals. Not much else has been said about the mini-album sonically, but we do know that TWICE is set to embark on a “large-scale world tour” this year, and I think I can say for many of us that we’re ready to scream and have the best time whenever they are.
March 24
BTS’s Jimin – ‘FACE’
- It’s hard to believe that this is only Jimin’s debut solo album considering that he seems to be popping up everywhere these days. With his recent collab with Taeyang on their song “VIBE,” he is now rolling out his first full-length album, FACE, racking up six tracks to keep you acquainted with his sound as a solo artist. Deeply introspective, Jimin reveals the themes of his set: “Circle of Resonance. Reflection of vulnerable minds and unexposed wounds. Face, the reflection of myself in an unfamiliar appearance … Face of facing the deepest part of inner-self.” Let’s take it from Jimin; if this is not a sign to start your healing girl era, I don’t know what is.
Fall Out Boy – ‘So Much (For) Stardust’
- The pop-rock icon Fall Out Boy is dropping their adrenaline-rushed album, So Much (For) Stardust, and they are going back to their roots to create an album that merges the many inception points in the band’s 22-year career. They have shared the first taste of the record with the album’s single, “Love From The Other Side,” – a guitar-ridden piece of modern pop-rock brilliance. We have no doubt that the record will be one for the books if it is as good as their recent live performance at Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Ellie Goulding – ‘Hight Than Heaven (Deluxe)’
- If your perception of Ellie Goulding’s music is still stuck in her 2015 single, “Love Me As You Do,” the English pop queen is telling you to move on, with her new album “Higher Than Haven (Deluxe)” coming out at the end of this month. Pivoting from her typical sultry pop sounds, the artist admits that she indulged in “this darkness” in the studio while making this album. This forthcoming body of work will be about being passionately in love, “a hyper form of love, almost like a drug-induced feeling.” Goulding explains, “it feels almost artificial, and there’s the potential for a crash.” If that doesn’t sound like a making of a great album, I don’t know what else does.
Lana Del Rey – ‘Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd’
- Name another more iconic album release announcement than Lana Del Rey’s selfie with her single billboard at her ex-boyfriend’s city, I will wait. The indie-rock singer shocked the world when her announcement came out and taught all of us a lesson: in the name of being petty, do so with the most pride. The album, Del Rey’s 9th full-length release, is set to be a full-throttle revenge record as she confirms the billboard arrangement was 100% “personal.” Del Rey also released the lead single for the album “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd” on 7 December, which incidentally happened to be her ex’s birthday. The 16-track record features collaborations with Father John Misty, whose song she covered last year, Jack Antonoff’s Bleachers, and Tommy Genesis, while Judah Smith and Jon Batiste have also provided interludes. Soft girl spring is fast approaching and I think we have Lana’s new album to cry over for that time of year.
Depeche Mode – ‘Memento Mori’
- Synth-pop legend Depeche Mode returns with dramatic new single, “Ghosts Again,” that previews their 15th studio album, Memento Mori. Due March 24, the band revealed the arrival of this album last fall, after the passing away of their beloved member, Andy “Fletch” Fletcher, and it’s said to reflect on the themes of life after death. With the recent resurgence of avant-garde electro-pop music coupled with the hit HBO series The Last of Us sourcing one of the most iconic tracks from the band “Never Let Me Down Again” in its series premiere, Depeche Mode is weathering the perfect storm so get ready to pull out your vintage leather jackets and sunglasses to rock out.
March 31
boygenius – ‘the record’
- The three horsemen of melancholia—Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus—are making their musical return as supergroup boygenius, and no one is okay. The group’s last collective work dates back to 2018, when they debuted with their self-titled EP. Along with their high-anticipated announcement, they dropped three tracks off of their forthcoming album, “$20,” “Emily I’m Sorry,” and “True Blue,” to give listeners a sneak peek before the full album releases on March 31. In the good ol’ fashion of sad-girl music, we can expect this body of work to get us deep in the feels with heart-wrenching lyrics disguised in beautiful harmonies—a heavenly shipwreck of emotions if you will—for all the failed relationships and endured mishaps.
Chlöe – ‘In Pieces’
- Chlöe, one-half of R&B’s new favorite duo Chlöe & Halle is finally ready to step out on her own as she surprised fans with the release of her solo debut album, In Pieces arriving this month. As her first project alone, Chlöe said, “the album is me picking myself up and talking myself out of any little place or space that the world has tried to put me in, that people and personal relationships have tried to put me in, and even [doing that to] myself. It’s me breaking free.” Citing Ye, Imogen Heap, and Donna Summer as inspirations for this album, Chlöe points out that listeners can expect it to be different from her other work under Chlöe x Halle. Playtime is officially over, everyone. Gear up for the new era of Chlöe who is here to stay.
6LACK – ‘S.I.H.A.L’
- At last, 6LACK is 6ack. It’s been four years since the Atlanta rapper dropped his sophomore LP, East Atlanta Love Letter, but he has been the opposite of idle hopping on collabs with artists like Lil Tjay, Jessie Reyez, Lil Baby, Tinashe and Tarro, and rolling out a holiday rap EP with Summer Walker. Even so, his next LP has been long-awaited. In an interview with HollywoodLife, he talked about the lessons he learned from his collabs and that bringing them back into his work is something he looks forward to doing. Now that his album is complete, he’s promoting it in the most unconventional ways. On Valentine’s Day, he enlisted the help of Atlanta’s Water Boyz and turned them into Flower Boyz, handing out flowers to people with a note that reads, “See you soon, Love 6LACK.” Later, the rapper used a video zooming into a billboard with the words “6BACK” and “March 2023” to announce the drop of his new album, S.I.H.A.L, an acronym for Since I Have A Lover. There is nothing quite like listening to the soulful sounds of 6LACK and this record might just be what we need to get us through this exhausting long winter.