![]() ![]() After her band, Alabama Shakes, was lauded as the next generation of roots-rock on their first album, Boys & Girls, they followed it up with the more polished and psychedelic Sound & Color. Right when you put Brittany Howard into a box, she breaks out of it. ![]() You’re gonna want to catch the Smile in 2024. On the follow-up, they move with purpose, traversing psychedelic avenues without losing the plot, taking their time to get to the most idyllic scenes, like the triumphant stoner-rock coda emerging from the otherwise sedate eight-minute epic “Bending Hectic” or the moment the fluttery guitars circling each other in “Read the Room” lock into a euphoric krautrock groove. The Smile - the trio of Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, and Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner - seems to have really gelled over the last year and a half of touring behind its acclaimed debut, A Light for Attracting Attention, where jittery electronics, punishing rock riffs, and somber reflections on international chaos collided. ![]() The results, so far, sound dark and cathartic, with some of Brownstein’s most scorching guitar-playing in years. After finding their footing as a duo on 2021’s Path of Wellness, the band returned to the studio with a new drive. It’s something the duo learned well ahead of this album, after guitarist Carrie Brownstein’s mom and stepfather died in a car crash in Italy - and Tucker, who’d been listed as an emergency contact for Brownstein, got the news. “Hell needs no invitation,” sings Corin Tucker on “Hell,” the lead single to Sleater-Kinney’s Little Rope. Any band that can maintain their convictions over the decades - while evolving from juvenile delinquents to serious purveyors of rock operas - gets a skinny-tie salute. They’re releasing their thrashing new album, Saviors, and touring stadiums in the summer to honor the 20th anniversary of American Idiot and 30th anniversary of Dookie. This is going to be a massive year for Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tré Cool. So far, Cudi’s already offered up a few of the fresh cuts, including the laidback lead single “Porsche Topless” and the psychedelic Pharrell- and Travis Scott–assisted “At the Party.” The rest of the track list is purported to include A$AP Rocky, Lil Yachty, and Wiz Khalifa, among others. - Dan Reilly ![]() His ninth LP was originally set for a September 2023 release, but the self-described perfectionist pushed it back to January and revealed that the end result will have over 40 songs (once you include all the deluxe versions, that is). Zoe GuyĪfter threatening to retire from rapping on a number of occasions, Insano seems to have reinvigorated Kid Cudi’s love for the craft. Much to get us through these early months. It’s hard not to smile at the “Murder She Wrote” sample on the Karol G–assisted “Labios Mordidos” or the “Papi Chulo” beat in “Muñekita” with El Alfa and JT. It features collaborations with the gifted Mexican new singer on block, Peso Pluma, along with Latin music leaders Rauw Alejandro and El Alfa. Titled after the national flower of Colombia, the Colombian American artist’s second all-Spanish release aims to be as fresh and diverse as its namesake - “inspired by the timeless, eerie, mystic, striking, graceful, and sensual allure of the orchid,” Uchis said in a press release. In the dead of January, still hungover from the New Year, you’ll find Kali Uchis fans shaking ass to hip-twirling reggaeton and stanky dembow trap beats. So, you can take comfort in the fact that no matter what chaos these next 12 months are sure to bring, there will be at least one record to help you through it. The New Year’s confirmed and rumored releases include rising MCs like Latto and 070 Shake ready to take the crown, a miraculous comeback for the Libertines, a Super Bowl party for Usher, guaranteed electropop earworms from MGMT and Bleachers, and much, much more from across the genre spectrum. Luckily for humanity, the albums on their way signal that 2024 will be different only in its cast of characters, not the scope of artistry. If we had to say one nice thing about 2023, it’s that the music was there for us no matter how up, down, or weird we felt as we tried to make sense of this increasingly absurd world. Photo-Illustration: Vulture Photos: Erika Goldring/FilmMagic, Josh Brasted/WireImage, Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images, Scott Legato/Getty Images ![]()
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