The Pitchfork Guide to Upcoming Releases: Summer 2017

Welcome back to the Pitchfork Guide to Upcoming Releases, our seasonal guide to new music. Four times a year, we round up a list of albums, singles, EPs, reissues, and more arriving in the coming months. This installment covers summer 2017, starting with this Friday, June 2. (Please note that release dates may change.) To start things off, we’ve highlighted a few particularly notable releases, including albums by Phoenix, Broken Social Scene, Fleet Foxes, Vince Staples, Lana Del Rey, the War on Drugs, Haim, Radiohead, Grizzly Bear, SZA, and more. For more about the releases we’re most excited for in 2017, check out our feature from the beginning of the year.

Amber Coffman: City of No Reply (June 2, Columbia)

Former Dirty Projectors member Amber Coffman will be making her solo debut with the release of City of No Reply. She worked with Dirty Projectors’ Dave Longstreth on the album in 2015, recording it in his Los Angeles studio. She has already shared three tracks from the project, including “Nobody Knows,” “All to Myself” and “No Coffee.” In March, Coffman detailed her decision to leave the band, and ended with her hopes for her new music. “I’ve waited a long time to share it and I’m looking forward to it,” she said.

Big Thief: Capacity (June 9, Saddle Creek)

Singer and guitarist Adrianna Lenker said of Big Thief’s forthcoming album Capacity, “There is a darker darkness and a lighter light on this album.” The band have already shared their first single, “Mythological Beauty.” It recalls a moment from Lenker’s childhood when a railroad spike came close to killing her after it accidentally landed on her head. Watch the music video for the song here. Big Thief released their last album, Masterpiece, in 2016. They are currently on tour until the end of August. 

Phoenix: Ti Amo (June 9, Loyauté/Glassnote)

Phoenix are back after a four year absence, with their sixth studio album, Ti Amo. They recorded their follow-up to 2013’s Bankrupt!  in late 2014 at the Pompidou Center in Paris. The band has released the title track and “J-Boy” so far. The music video for “J-Boy” finds the band performing on a fake TV program. Phoenix are currently on tour until the end of September.

Fleet Foxes: Crack-Up (June 16, Nonesuch Records)

According to bandleader Robin Pecknold, Fleet Foxes’ third studio album “deals with perception, and the difference between how I have seen the world and how it actually is.” Crack-Up is the group’s fourth studio album; their last full-length Helplessness Blues, was released in 2011. In the years since, Pecknold enrolled in (and graduated from) Columbia University. Two singles from Crack-Up have been released thus far: “Third of May / Ōdaigahara” and the technicolor “Fool’s Errand.” Check out the video for the latter here, and find the band’s upcoming tour dates here.

Lorde: Melodrama (June 16, LAVA/Republic)

Lorde’s next full-length record Melodrama is due out in June, featuring previously released songs “Green Light” and the more somber “Liability.” It marks the singer-songwriter’s sophomore album; her debut Pure Heroine was released when Lorde (real name Ella Yelich-O’Connor) was 16. In an interview, she revealed the new album would be about “all the gross moments, all the great moments” of early adulthood. 

Radiohead: OKNOTOK (June 23, XL)

Radiohead are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their seminal album OK Computer with a special reissue. Titled OKNOTOK, the album includes the remastered original, eight B-sides, and three previously unreleased songs: “I Promise,” “Man of War,” and “Lift.” Radiohead cryptically teased the release with a series of posters featuring the dates 1997 and 2017. Although the album will be available digitally on June 23, physical copies won’t ship until July. Their last album was 2016’s A Moon Shaped Pool.

Vince Staples: Big Fish Theory (June 23, Def Jam)

Vince Staples returns with his third full-length LP, Big Fish Theory, in June. It marks his fourth project in as many years, and features previously released tracks, “BagBak” and his latest “Big Fish.” Watch the music video for that song here. Earlier this year, he connected the marine theme from his new title with his North American “The Life Aquatic Tour.” The poster featured art inspired by the Wes Anderson-directed cult classic. Staples’ forthcoming album follows his 2016 EP, Prima Donna, and his 2015 sophomore effort, Summertime ’06.

SZA: CTRL (June 23, Top Dawg Entertainment)

The much-anticipated follow-up to SZA’s 2014 album Z, titled CTRL, is finally on its way. The record is set to include three previously released songs: “Love Galore,” “Drew Barrymore,” and “twoAM,” a rework of PARTYNEXTDOOR and Drake‘s “Come and See Me.” The RZA narrated a video announcing the release date, concluding, “And it’s my honor to drop this lesson, it’s my honor to give this blessing.”

Cornelius: Mellow Waves (June 28 [Japan]/July 21 [Worldwide], Rostrum)

Keigo Oyamada, aka Cornelius, returns with his Sensuous follow-up. It marks the first album in 11 years from the Japanese producer, whose résumé includes remixes and production work for artists like Blur, Beck, Bloc Party, MGMT, and James Brown. Coming off the back of a tour last year, behind the reissue of 1997’s excellent Fantasma, the album is led by the single and video “あなたがいるなら (If You’re Here).”

Calvin Harris: Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 (June 30, Sony)

British producer/DJ Calvin Harris releases his follow-up to 2014’s Motion this summer. After promising he’d “worked with the greatest artists of our generation,” Harris unveiled an all-star guest list: Frank Ocean, Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj, Future, Pharrell, Katy Perry, Big Sean, John Legend, Khalid, Migos, Schoolboy Q, Ariana Grande, Young Thug, D.R.A.M., Kehlani, and more. He’s already released “Slide,” with Frank Ocean and Migos, as well as “Heatstroke” (featuring Young Thug, Pharrell, and Ariana Grande) and “Rollin’” with Future and Khalid.

Broken Social Scene: Hug of Thunder (July 7, City Slang/Arts & Crafts)

Broken Social Scene declared a hiatus after their last LP, 2010’s Forgiveness Rock Record. Now, seven years later, they make their return with a new album, Hug of Thunder. It finds the band reuniting with Leslie Feist, who made her solo comeback earlier this year with Pleasure. They’ve previously shared the songs “Halfway Home” (which they performed on “Colbert” in March) and “Hug of Thunder” (with Feist). The album features appearances from Metric members Emily Haines and James Shaw, Stars members Amy Millan and Evan Cranley, and more. 

Haim: Something to Tell You (July 7, Columbia)

Back in April, sister trio Haim announced that the follow-up to their 2013 debut Days Are Gone with a performance video of new song “Right Now” directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Shortly after, they revealed the full details for Something to Tell You and shared a new song “Want You Back” as well as the studio rendition of “Right Now.” The band also performed new track “Little of Your Love” on “SNL.” Something to Tell You was produced by Haim with Ariel Reichstad and features contributions from former Vampire Weekend member Rostam Batmanglij.

Japanese Breakfast: Soft Sounds From Another Planet (July 14, Dead Oceans)

Soft Sounds From Another Planet is the new album from Japanese Breakfast (aka Eugene, Oregon songwriter Michelle Zauner). It follows up her 2016 album Psychopomp. Zauner previously shared the song “Machinist” and its self-directed video. “The song is a sci-fi narrative about a woman who falls in love with a robot,” she said, “In the video she hallucinates on rocket fuel and tears apart her spaceship in an attempt to build a body for her robot lover.” Zauner will tour the album through the summer.

Shabazz Palaces: Quazars: Born on a Gangster Star / Quazars vs. the Jealous Machines (July 14, Sub Pop)

Shabazz Palaces return with not one but two new albums, both of which tell the story of Quazarz—a “sentient being from somewhere else.” Born on a Gangster Star includes the single “Shine a Light” (named Best New Track) and “Since C.A.Y.A.,” and it features guest appearances from  the Strokes’ Julian Casblanacas, Thundercat, Gamble and Huff, and more. Quazarz vs. the Jealous Machines is the former LP’s “extra-spatial twin” and will be available as a limited-edition illustrated album, drawn by cartoonist Joshua Ray Stephens. It features “30 Clip Extension” as well as a song called “Love in the time of Kanye.”

Sheer Mag: Need to Feel Your Love (July 14, Wilsuns RC)

Need to Feel Your Love is the debut album from Philadelphia rock band Sheer Mag, following their excellent trilogy of EPs (and a remastered compilation). It features the song “Just Can’t Get Enough,” which the band described as “a straight up and down rock ballad about ACTUALLY being in love, which is something we don’t often write about without being cynical in some way.” The band will tour the album through the summer, with their last date scheduled for September.

Lana Del Rey: Lust for Life (July 21, Polydor)

It took a minute but Lana Del Rey’s follow-up to 2015’s Honeymoon finally has an official release date. Lana has so far shared two tracks from the project, including “Love” and her collaboration with the Weeknd, “Lust for Life.” Watch their video here. She also debuted another new track, “Cherry,” when she performed at KROQ Weenie Roast Y Fiesta. Besides the Weeknd, Lana tapped Sean Lennon and Stevie Nicks for her forthcoming LP. Nicks will appear on the song, “Beautiful People, Beautiful Problems.” 

Downtown Boys: Cost of Living (August 11, Sub Pop)

In August, Downtown Boys make their Sub Pop debut with Cost of Living. So far, they have shared the project’s first single, “A Wall.” Frontwoman Victoria Ruiz told Pitchfork in January about her Kendrick Lamar fandom. “To be honest, I would rather play with Kendrick Lamar than, like, Bikini Kill or Nirvana,” she said. The band will be performing at Pitchfork’s Northside Festival showcase in June. They released their last album, Full Communism, in 2015.

Grizzly Bear: Painted Ruins (August 18, RCA)

After releasing their excellent album Shields in 2012, Grizzly Bear return with a new LP, Painted Ruins, in August. They have already shared two singles, including “Mourning Sound” and “Three Rings.” The band will launch their tour in October with dates in North America and Europe. See their full itinerary here. In 2013, they released Shields: B-Sides, a collection of demos they recorded in Marfa, Texas, after returning from their short hiatus and working on what would eventually become Shields. 

The National: Sleep Well Beast (September 8, 4AD)

Following their massive Grateful Dead compilation, A Lot of Sorrow, and their previous album Trouble Will Find Me, the National are back with their seventh studio LP. Sleep Well Beast features 12 new songs, including their new single “The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness” (named Best New Track). The band recorded it in Aaron Dessner’s Long Pond studio in Hudson Valley, New York, as well as in Los Angeles, Paris, and Berlin. The band will also embark on a world tour behind the new album.

LCD Soundsystem: TBA (TBD, Columbia)

LCD Soundsystem were gone for good, and then suddenly, they weren’t. They returned with a Christmas song, played a bunch of festivals, and promised a new album. This year, the band have inched closer to fulfilling the promise of that new LP. They released two new singles—“American Dream” and “Call the Police.” They performed both songs on “Saturday Night Live.” As they released the new singles, James Murphy promised that the album was “seriously almost done,” and during a more recent festival he announced it was “finally done.”

The War on Drugs: TBA (TBD, Atlantic) 

This year, the War on Drugs released their first new original piece of music since their excellent 2014 album Lost in the Dream. “Thinking of a Place” was released as a Record Store Day single, and later, arrived on streaming services. Now that they’ve announced a world tour and shared some new music, the next record seems to be around the corner. An announcement is still forthcoming, but Adam Granduciel told Pitchfork that the new one will be “gooey, punchy, thick, big-sounding”—”a little different than some of the records we’ve made in the past, but the same general feeling in the music.”  

June

06-02

• Alt-J: Relaxer [Infectious/Atlantic]
• Amber Coffman: City of No Reply [Columbia]
• Anthony Pasquarosa: Abbandonato Da Dio Nazione [VDSQ]
• Beach Fossils: Somersault [Bayonet]
• Benjamin Booker: Witness [ATO]
• Best Available Technology: Exposure Therapy [Styles Upon Styles]
• Bleachers: Gone Now [RCA]
• Chastity Belt: I Used to Spend So Much Time Alone [Hardly Art]
• Chuck Johnson: Basalms [VDSQ]
• Coldplay: Kaleidoscope EP [Parlophone]
• Dan Auerbach: Waiting on a Song [Easy Eye Sound]
• Halsey: Hopeless Fountain Kingdom [Astralwerks]
• Iggy Pop: The Idiot, Lust for Life, and TV Eye Live [Universal] [reissues]
• Ikonika: Distractions [Hyperdub]
• Kacey Johansing: The Hiding [Night Bloom]
• London Grammar: Truth Is a Beautiful Thing [Metal & Dust/Ministry of Sound]
• Marika Hackman: I’m Not Your Man [Sub Pop]
• Mark McGuire: Ideas of Beginnings [VDSQ]
• Mavis Staples: I’ll Take You There—An All-Star Concert Celebration [Blackbird Presents]
• Omar Souleyman: To Syria, With Love [Mad Decent]
• Peaking Lights: The Fifth State of Consciousness [Two Flowers]
• Pixx: The Age of Anxiety [4AD]
• Roger Waters: Is This the Life We Really Want? [Jule Pond/Columbia]
• Saint Etienne: Home Counties [Heavenly]
• TOPS: Sugar at the Gate [Arbutus]
• U2: The Joshua Tree [30th Anniversary Edition] [Interscope] [reissue]
• Whitney: You’ve Got a Woman/Gonna Hurry (As Slow As I Can) [Secretly Canadian] [12” single]

06-09

• Agent Blå: Agent Blue [Kanine/Luxury]
• Big Thief: Capacity [Saddle Creek]
• Chuck Berry: Chuck [Dualtone]
• Glen Campbell: Adiós [Universal]
• Ice Cube: Death Certificate: 25th Anniversary Edition [Interscope] [reissue]
• James Litherland: Back ’n Blue [self-released]
• Katy Perry: Witness [Capitol]
• Kirin J Callinan: Bravado [Terrible]
• Lindsey Buckingham/Christine McVie: Lindsey Buckingham/Christine McVie [Atlantic]
• Phoenix: Ti Amo [Loyauté/Glassnote]
• Planetarium (Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly, James McAlister): Planetarium [4AD]
• Rancid: Trouble Maker [Epitaph/Hellcat]
• Slow Dancer: In a Mood [ATO]

06-16

• 2 Chainz: Pretty Girls Like Trap Music [Def Jam]
• Arcadea: Arcadea [Relapse]
• B Boys: Dada [Captured Tracks]
• Beth Ditto: Fake Sugar [Virgin]
• Big Boi: Boomiverse [Epic]
• Big Star: Best of Big Star [Stax] [compilation]
• Chief Keef: Thot Breaker [Glory Boyz]
• Com Truise: Iteration [Ghostly International]
• David Bowie: Cracked Actor (Live in Los Angeles 1974) [Rhino] [reissue]
• The Drums: “Abysmal Thoughts” [Anti-]
• Fleet Foxes: Crack-Up [Nonesuch]
• House and Land: House and Land [Thrill Jockey]
• Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit: The Nashville Sound [Southeastern]
• Jefre Cantu-Ledesma: On the Echoing Green [Mexican Sumer]
• Kevin Morby: City Music [Dead Oceans]
• Lorde: Melodrama [Republic]
• Michael Nau: Some Twist [Suicide Squeeze]
• Ride: Weather Diaries [Wichita]
• Royal Trux: Platinum Tips + Ice Cream [Drag City]
• Steve Earle and the Dukes: So You Wanna Be an Outlaw [Warner Bros.]
• Tombs: The Grand Annihilation [Metal Blade]
• Various Artists: American Gods Soundtrack [Milan]

06-23

• Banditos: Visionland [Bloodshot]
• Dying Fetus: Wrong One to Fuck With [Relapse]
• Ex Eye: Ex Eye [Relapse]
• Jeff Tweedy: Together at Last [dBPM]
• King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard: Murder of the Universe [ATO]
• Laurel Halo: Dust [Hyperdub]
• The Monks: Hamburg Tapes 1967 [Third Man] [reissue]
• Prince: Purple Rain Deluxe – Expanded Edition [NPG]
• Radiohead: OK COMPUTER OKNOTOK 1997 2017 [XL] [reissue]
• SZA: CTRL [Top Dawg Entertainment]
• Vince Staples: Big Fish Theory [Blacksmith/ARTium/Def Jam]

06-30

• Baio: Man of the World [Liberator Music]
• Beach Boys: 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow [Capitol] [reissue]
• Beach House: B-Sides and Rarities [Sub Pop/Bella Union]
• Bill Orcutt: Bill Orcutt [Palilalia]
• Calvin Harris: Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 [Sony]
• James Elkington: Wintres Woma [Paradise of Bachelors]
• Kacy Hill: Like a Woman [G.O.O.D. Music/Def Jam]
• Mark Kozelek and Sean Yeaton: Yellow Kitchen [Caldo Verde]
• Moses Archuleta: Lifetime of Love [Geographic North]
• TLC: TLC [852 Musiq]
• UNKLE: The Road Part 1 [Songs for the Def]

July

07-07

• Broken Social Scene: Hug of Thunder [City Slang/Arts & Crafts]
• Haim: Something to Tell You [Columbia]
• Melvins: A Walk Without Love [Ipecac Recordings]
• Offa Rex (The Decemberists, Olivia Chaney): The Queen of Hearts [Nonesuch]
• This is the Kit: Moonshine Freeze [Brassland]
• Various Artists: Looking Forward: The Roots of Big Star [Omnivore]
• Various Artists: True Romance Soundtrack [Wargod/Real Gone Music] [reissue]

07-14

• Boris: Dear [Sargent House]
• The Dears: Times Infinity Volume Two [Paper Bag]
• Japanese Breakfast: Soft Sounds From Another Planet [Dead Oceans]
• Mura Masa: Mura Masa [Anchor Point/Polydor]
• The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: The Echo of Pleasure [Painbow]
• RAC: EGO [Counter Records]
• Shabazz Palaces: Quazarz: Born on a Gangster Star [Sub Pop]
• Shabazz Palaces: Quazarz vs. the Jealous Machines [Sub Pop]
• Sheer Mag: Need to Feel Your Love [Wilsuns RC]
• Waxahatchee: Out in the Storm [Merge]

07-21

• Childhood: Universal High [Marathon Artists]
• Cornelius: Mellow Waves [Rostrum]
• Daphni (Caribou): Fabriclive 93 [Fabric]
• Lana Del Rey: Lust for Life [Polydor]

07-28

• Alice Cooper: Paranormal [earMUSIC]
• Golden Retriever: Rotations [Thrill Jockey]
• Harry Nilsson: Popeye – Music From the Motion Picture [Varese Sarabande] [reissue]

August

08-04

• Dead Cross: Dead Cross [Ipecac]
• Walter TV: Carpe Diem [Sinderlyn]

08-11

• Downtown Boys: Cost of Living [Sub Pop]

08-18

• Grizzly Bear: Painted Ruins [RCA]
• The Kills: Echo Home Non-Electric EP [Domino]
• Loretta Lynn: Wouldn’t It Be Great [Sony Legacy Recordings]
• Steven Wilson: To the Bone [Caroline]

08-25

• Cymbals: Light In Your Mind [Tough Love]
• EMA: Exile in the Outer Ring [City Slang]

September

09-01

• Mogwai: Every Country’s Sun [Temporary Residence]

09-08

• The National: Sleep Well Beast [4AD]
• Sparks: Hippopotamus [BMG]
• Tori Amos: Native Invader [Epic]
• Various Artists:  Twin Peaks (Limited Event Series Original Soundtrack) [Rhino]
• Various Artists:  Twin Peaks (Music From the Limited Event Series) [Rhino]

09-15

• Fall Out Boy: M A N I A [Fueled By Ramen/Island]
• Madonna: Rebel Heart Tour [Interscope/Live Nation] [DVD]
• Michael McDonald: Wide Open [BMG]

TBA

• Alice Glass: TBA [TBA]
• Arcade Fire: TBA [TBA]
• Beck: TBA [Capitol]
• Cashmere Cat: 9 [Mad Love/Interscope]
• Chic: It’s About Time [TBA]
• Chromatics: Dear Tommy [Italians Do It Better]
• CyHi the Prynce: No Dope on Sundays [Brooklyn Knights/Sony RAL]
• Dentia: Ceilings [Styles Upon Styles]
• Die Antwoord: The Book of Zef [Zef]
• DJ Khaled: Grateful [Epic]
• Earl Sweatshirt: TBA [TBA]
• Fischerscpooner: SIR [TBA]
• GZA: Dark Matter [TBA]
• Kamaiyah: Don’t Ever Get It Twisted [TBA]
• Kane Strang: TBA [Dead Oceans]
• Kelela: TBA [Warp]
• King Krule: TBA [TBA]
• The Killers: TBA [TBA]
• Lana Del Rey: Lust for Life [Interscope/Polydor]
• LCD Soundsystem: TBA [Columbia]
• Liars: TBA [Mute]
• Lil B: Black Ken [self-released]
• Lil Uzi Vert: Luv is Rage 2 [Generation Now/Atlantic]
• Major Lazer: TBA [TBA]
• MGMT: Little Dark Age [Columbia]
• Post Malone: Beer Bongs & Bentleys [Republic]
• Queens of the Stone Age: TBA [TBA]
• Sky Ferreira: Masochism [TBA]
• SZA: CTRL [TDE]
• Vampire Weekend: TBA [TBA]
• The War on Drugs: TBA [Atlantic]
• Wolf Parade: TBA [TBA]
• Zack de la Rocha: TBA [TBA]

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