Here are the biggest albums released this month

Are you bored with your current playlists? Looking for something new to check out this month? We’re here to help. 

Below, you’ll find five of the biggest albums set for release in June.

CHARLI XCX - ‘Brat’ [June 7th]

One of the biggest - and certainly one of the most influential - pop stars of her era returns with her sixth album. Charli XCZ has been a prolific pop songwriter for other artists while also making her mark with her own material - and this record is, in her own words, her most “aggressive and confrontational record” to date. Influenced by the club and illegal rave scenen that she grew up on, it certainly sounds like an interesting prospect.

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EELS - ‘Eels Time!’ [June 7th]

Mark Oliver Everett has always been a man who has worn his heart on his sleeve when it comes to writing songs; his 1998 album Electro-Shock Blues was famously written in the wake of his mother’s death and sister’s suicide. The 15th Eels album is released following Everett’s open heart surgery last year, although it was written before that life-changing (and ultimately, life-saving) event. ‘Eels Time!’ is less rocky than its predecessor ‘Extreme Witchcraft’, but with some groovy moments amid the reflection.

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JAMES VINCENT MCMORROW - ‘Wide Open, Horses’ [June 14th]

James Vincent McMorrow took a different approach to creating his seventh album. With some rough demos of new songs under his belt, the Dubliner brought them to the National Concert Hall for two special gigs last year, playing the works-in-progress to a live audience to see how they landed. The result is ‘Wide Open, Horses’: a record that celebrates McMorrow’s ambition and creativity with aplomb.

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KNEECAP - ‘Fine Art’ [June 14th]

It’s safe to say that there’s never quite been an Irish band like Kneecap. The Belfast Irish-language Republican rap trio have walked the walk in recent years, and even have a Hollywood movie about them, starring Michael Fassbender, en route in August. Now it’s time to talk the talk - and the small matter of their debut album. ‘Fine Art’ will see DJ Provaí, Mo Chara and Móglaí Bap bring songs like ‘State of Ya’, ‘Drug Dealin Pagans’ and ‘Rhino Ket’ to the masses.

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JOHN GRANT - ‘The Art of the Lie’ [June 14th]

A new John Grant album is always something to celebrate. Having delved into his early childhood with 2022’s ‘Boy from Michigan’, Grant’s sixth album tackles other painful topics, including his relationship with his father on one of the most affecting songs he’s ever written, ‘Father’. As always with any John Grant album, however, there are plenty of bops blended with the soul-searching - as well as a smidge of politics and a healthy helping of black humour.