Now that we’ve reached the middle of 2024, it’s a perfect time to look forward to music releases still to come this summer and which ones released in spring that are already available to check out. From Taylor Swift to Flo Milli to Bring Me the Horizon, spring brought something for everyone. What exciting new releases are projected to come out this summer, and what did you miss in the spring? We cover it all in this list. Since there is a lot to cover, the descriptions are going to be kept brief so we’re not here all day (although we’d love to have you). Check it out and start crafting new playlists!
Here are some standout spring releases that dropped so far in 2024...
In March
Cyrille Aimée, à Fleur de Peau
Genre - Jazz
At a Glance: Aimée’s latest album combines her French and Dominican heritage in an intimate way that feels like a musical diary articulating what it means to be in touch with everything around you.
Flo Milli, Fine Ho, Stay
Genre - Hip Hop/Rap
At a Glance: Flo Milli’s long-awaited album to cap off the Ho Trilogy contains impressive flow and lyrics that finish out this album trilogy nicely.
Judas Priest, Invincible Shield
Genre - Heavy Metal
At a Glance: Invincible Shield is a powerhouse of an album that will be well-received by fans who enjoy the new(ish) Judas Priest sound of the Painkiller era, with expert cohesion and a lot of killer guitar solos.
Kacey Musgraves, Deeper Well
Genre – Country/Folk
At a Glance: This new album from Musgraves returns to her country roots and seems to hold a lot of meaning for the artist as she tries to learn to love again, looking for bliss despite blues creeping in the edges of every song.
Norah Jones, Visions
Genre – Folk/Jazz
At a Glance: Visions is an amalgamation of all of Jones’ influences, making the album feel like many genres from folk to pop to jazz yet flows beautifully.
Beyoncé, COWBOY CARTER
Genre: Hip Hop (Usually but this is a country album)
At a Glance: As Beyoncé herself has said, this is not a country album but a Beyoncé album, so her fans and of country music will love this combination and the featured artists on this unique album that shows that artists can still take risks and try new things that pay off.
Sum 41, Heaven:x:Hell
Genre: Pop Punk
At a Glance: Pop punk icons of the 2000s return with their first studio album since 2019, keeping with their classic punchy sound with catchy hooks and choruses that make listeners want to dance.
In April
J. Cole, Might Delete Later
Genre: Hip Hop/Rap
At a Glance: While Cole’s new mix tape Might Delete Later has been met with mixed reviews, listeners seem to agree that his bars remain impressive.
Taylor Swift, THE TOURTED POETS DEPARTMENT
Genre: Pop
At a Glance: The latest drop from pop sensation Taylor Swift is an ambitious and lengthy album with the extended version having 31 total tracks, many written in a confessional style that Swifties are eating up.
Kandace Springs, Run Your Race
Genre: Jazz
At a Glance: Run Your Race is a reflective, slow album that sits in its feelings, one of those feelings being the loss of Springs’ father.
Sam Hunt, Locked Up EP
Genre: Country
At a Glance: Hunt’s new EP is a storytelling EP with tracks that describe what he calls his “rowdy days” when he was charged with a DUI and the love that he felt for his wife who stuck by him.
Northlane, Mirror’s Edge EP
Genre: Metalcore
At a Glance: With impression production, great breakdowns, and an ominous synth vibe, fans of the recent direction that Northlane has gone in will have a lot to sink their teeth into with this EP.
Jacky Terrasson, Moving On
Genre: Jazz
At a Glance: From his self-created label, Moving On is a return of Terrasson to his peak form with each track telling a story and celebrating happiness through a mix of classic and modern tracks.
Vampire Weekend, Only God Was Above Us
Genre: Alternative
At a Glance: Only God Was Above Us revisits old sounds with a new twist that both longtime and new fans will enjoy, making it feel like a mature, cohesive body of work.
Linkin Park, Papercuts
Genre: Alternative Rock
At a Glance: Linkin Park combines the band’s greatest hits from 2000-2023 into an album with a surprise unreleased song “Friendly Fire” that comes from the band’s 2017 “One More Night” sessions before the death of their singer Chester Bennington.
Pearl Jam, Dark Matter
Genre: Alternative Rock
At a Glance: This may be the twelfth studio album from Pearl Jam, but the band shows no signs of running out of gripping ballads and impressive lyricism.
In May
Kamasi Washington, Fearless Movement
Genre: Jazz
At a Glance: Fearless Movement shows that Washington can still produce an ambitious and influential album even when he’s just relaxing and having fun creating an album.
Billie Eilish, HIT ME HARD & SOFT
Genre: Pop
At a Glance: This is such a varied and sapphic junior album for Billie. Her best yet.
Dua Lipa, Radical Optimism
Genre: Pop
At a Glance: With a great blend of emotional ballads and dance-pop, Dua Lipa’s third studio album Radical Optimism exemplifies that Lipa gets better with each release.
Benny Golson, Golden Standards Vol. 1
Genre: Jazz
At a Glance: Golden Standards Vol. 1 is a commemorative release that serves as a retrospective of Benny Golson’s historic career full of many influential standards by the legendary saxophonist.
Knocked Loose, You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To
Genre: Hardcore
At a Glance: You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To shows that Knocked Loose continues to mature and find ways to elevate and experiment with their sound with each new release.
Elsten Torres, Real Artificial
Genre: Rock/Latin Pop
At a Glance: If you’re looking for an album full of grooving, joyful vibes, the latest from Elsten Torres deserves a spot on your playlist, especially the title track, “Real Artificial.”
Shaboozey, Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going
Genre: Country/Hip-Hop
At a Glance: This album is one-part party and one-part introspection. After his feature on COWBOY CARTER, he has solidified his global recognition with songs like “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and “My Fault.” This album is so good.
Like Moths to Flames, The Cycles of Trying to Cope
Genre: Metalcore
At a Glance: The Cycles of Trying to Cope is a perfect blend of Like Moths to Flames’ metalcore and melodic roots, providing something for every kind of Moths fan.
Doja Cat, Scarlet 2 CLAUDE
Genre: Pop
At a Glance: The deluxe edition of Doja Cat’s 2023 album Scarlet gives fans seven new tracks to jam with more good vibes.
Twenty-One Pilots, Clancy
Genre: Alternative
At a Glance: Clancy is different from the last couple albums from this duo and fans of their 2013 album Vessel will really vibe with Clancy and its extremely catchy tracks that still hold great lyrical depth.
Bring Me the Horizon, 'POST HUMAN: NeX GEn'
Genre: Rock
At a Glance: Fans of the musical direction of the last couple of albums will enjoy POST HUMAN: NeX GEn but find nuggets of their older metal roots within these tracks.
Orville Peck, Stampede: Vol 1
Genre: Country
At a Glance: Collab city. This album has an incredible lineup of collaborators with our favorite masked crooner. Willie Nelson, Elton John, Noah Cyrus, Bu Cuaron, Allison Russell, and Nathaniel Rateliff elevate Peck’s voice and shine in their own right.
Those are just a few of the dozens of releases to come out of Spring 2024. And what’s on the horizon for the summer? Let’s look at what was released in June so far and what’s yet to come.
June 7 - Bon Jovi, Forever – Rock
June 13: Mike De Masi, A Moment of Introspection – Jazz
June 14: Alexa Torres, In Situ – Jazz
June 14: Julius Rodriguez, Evergreen - Jazz
June 21: Khelani, Crash – Hip Hop
June 21: Gracie Abrams, The Secret of Us – Pop
June 21: The Story So Far – Pop Punk
June 21: Wage War – Metalcore
June 28: Thembi Dunjana, God Bless iKapa. God Bless Mzantsi – Jazz
June 28: Megan Thee Stallion, Megan Thee Stallion (self titled)– Rap/Hip-Hop
June 28: Lupe Fiasco, Samurai – Hip Hop/Rap
July 12: Lakecia Benjamin, Phoenix Reimagined (Live) - Jazz
July 12: In Hearts Wake, Incarnation – Metalcore
July 12: Louis Armstrong, Louis in London (previously unreleased live album from summer of 1968 London concerts performed by Armstrong) - Jazz
August 16: Foster the People, Paradise State of Mind - Alternative
August 23: MOTHICA, Kissing Death - Alternative/Indie
August 23: Sabrina Carpenter, Short n’ Sweet - Pop
August 23: Stand Atlantic, Was Here – Indie Rock
August 30: Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Wild God – Indie
There are many albums that are slated to come out in the summer, but they haven’t received a concrete date yet. Hopefully we see these albums before summer’s end...
Bruno Mars – BM4*
Fans have been eagerly awaiting the newest release from Bruno Mars since his last solo album was in 2016. There’s been talk that it’s going to drop in 2024. Is summer 2024 going to see the release of BM4*? We’ll just have to wait and hope.
The Weeknd
There’s very little information to go on with new work from The Weeknd, but fans seem convinced a new album will drop this summer based on cryptic teasers released by the artist.
Eminem, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grace)
The latest album from Eminem is set to be released sometime this summer according to the rapper’s social media. Be on the lookout! Fans can jam to the single “Houdini” that just dropped at the end of May in the meantime.
Zach Bryan, The Great American Bar Scene
On Bryan’s Twitter, he revealed that he “Just got the record finished, so it’ll be dropped on someone’s head any day now.” His first single from the album, “Pink Skies,” graced our streaming platform in May. The second single, “Purple Gas,” came in early June. Both are hearty and set the bar (no pun intended) very high.
Also coming this year will be a new Lana Del Rey’s first country album, Lasso, although that is slated for fall release so fans will have to wait a little longer.
This blog covers a bunch of artist releases that are known for now, but updates are always coming out, so there’s a chance this post may be out of date within a week. But for now, we hope it gives you something to go on, at the very least an estimation. Which album release did we miss that you think deserves a spot on this list? What’s your most anticipated album for the summer? Let us know in the comments!
Written and compiled by Kristen Petronio