These are the albums you need to hear this month

On the prowl for some new music to listen to this month?

Do you have a voucher burning a hole in your pocket, or are simply looking to freshen up your Spotify playlists? You’ve come to the right place.

Below, you’ll find five big albums that are planned for release this month.

ARCADE FIRE - ‘WE’ [May 6th] 

It’s been five years since the Montreal band released their last album; 2017’s ‘Everything Now’ had plenty of ambition, but not a whole lot of memorable songs. Thankfully, ‘WE’ sees Win Butler and co. return to what they do best, with songs harking back to albums like ‘Neon Bible’ and ‘The Suburbs’, with an added touch of bombast - they are arena and festival headliners now, after all. Co-produced by Nigel Godrich and with contributions from the likes of Geoff Barrow of Portishead and Peter Gabriel, it’s their best album in some time.

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BELLE & SEBASTIAN - ‘A Bit of Previous’ [May 6th] 

Yes! They’re back! One of the finest indiepop bands to grace the planet return with their first (non-soundtrack) studio album since 2015’s ‘Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance’. The Scottish band intended to record it in LA in 2020 before Covid scuppered things -  so they made it in their native Glasgow instead. It’s the first time they’ve made an album entirely in Glasgow since 1999; did that affect how it sounded in any way? Their last few albums saw them take a poppier/more mainstream route; will they go back to their DIY indie schmindie roots this time? Did Covid have a drastic effect on them as songwriters? We can’t wait to find out.

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FLORENCE + THE MACHINE - ‘Dance Fever’ [May 13th] 

She described it as ‘a fairytale in 14 songs’ and it’s inspired by everything from gothic fiction and folk horror to choreomania (aka the medieval ‘dancing plague’) - it’s safe to say that Florence’s fifth album sounds intriguing. With many of the songs co-written by Jack Antonoff (formerly of fun. and producer of the likes of Lorde and Taylor Swift), it’ll be interesting to see what that partnership brings to Florence’s very distinct style.

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HARRY STYLES - ‘Harry’s House’ [May 20th] 

Not even Harry Styles himself could have predicted that his solo career would be flourishing so dramatically and successfully (context: his 2019 album ‘Fine Line’ is still in the Billboard Top 20.) The former boybander’s third album has already been preceded by the single ‘As It Was’, which may indicate a move toward a more synthpop direction? Styles wrote most of the album with English indie musician/songwriter Kid Harpoon, and Tyler Johnson, who was worked with Sam Smith, John Legend and Meghan Trainor. What can we expect? More songs about love, sex, sexuality and fame, perhaps?

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LIAM GALLAGHER - C’MON YOU KNOW [May 27th] 

Love him or loathe him, it looks like Liam Gallagher is here to stay as a solo entity. The one-time Oasis man is back with album number three - featuring a solo that was co-written by none other than Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters, lead single ‘Everything’s Electric’. There’s unlikely to be too many surprises here, perhaps - but if you’re in the market for indie-rock ’n’ roll with a bolshy strut and a glint in its eye, this is the album for you to check out.