It seems difficult to recall the last time there was a ‘bad year for music’ what with so many artists continuing to deliver runs of exceptional work, and we have no reason to think 2019 will be anything less than stellar. Case in point? The ten albums we’ve selected that we know (or at least, feel very confident) will be headed our way this year.
From the long-teased Yandhi from Kanye West to Lana Del Rey’s upcoming avant-garde Americana epic Norman Fucking Rockwell, these are the 2019 albums we need the most:
Gesaffelstein
The enigmatic French producer is making his long-awaited return with Hyperion, set to be released in the next few months. His new jam with The Weeknd is a banger, but that dulls in comparison to lead single “Reset,” a slinky slice of dark electro that arrived with an ambitious, eye-popping meta-critique of a video. We have high expectations, to say the least.
Release Date: TBA
James Blake
After an all-too-brief appearance on one of the best rap tracks of 2018, our generation’s king of crooning is back in the spotlight with Assume Form, his fourth album proper. While no music from the project has been released, a guest roster that finds him collaborating with the likes of Metro Boomin, André 3000, and Travis Scott is enticement enough.
Release Date: January 18
Kanye West
After what was summarily the worst year for his career and public persona on record, the future of Kanye’s much-teased album Yandhi is anyone’s guess; he could release it tomorrow, he could release seven other albums that aren’t Yandhifirst. After last year’s ye, which objectively is among his weakest releases to date, and coupled with his current standing in pop culture, Yeezy is in desperate need of a comeback. Perhaps 2019 will be his year?
Release Date: TBA
Kendrick Lamar
Everything we’ve heard is hearsay, but that doesn’t mean we’re not holding out hope 2019 will indeed produce a new Kendrick Lamar record. Quite possibly on the hottest streak of his stratospheric career (following 2017’s Pulitzer Prize-winning DAMN. and last year’s Black Panther soundtrack), is there any doubt that whatever Kenny does next will be anything less than game-changing excellence? No, there isn’t. That was not rhetorical.
Release Date: TBA
Lana Del Rey
By any measure, Lana Del Rey is on one. If the album titled Norman Fucking Rockwell didn’t make that clear, the wild set of songs she has released from the project definitely do. “Venice Bitch” may be the most singularly ambitious and balls-to-the-wall bonkers track in her catalog, a proggy, 10-minute folk ballad epic that is, inevitably, Lana through and through. Get ready for kitschy takedowns of Trump’s America.
Release Date: March 29
Revisit a list of the Best Albums of 2018 here.
