Notable vinyl releases out this Friday - 17 May (2024)

Beth Gibbons releases her debut solo album Lives Outgrown on Friday the 17th of May 2024, following her work as a member of Portishead & her collaborative album with Rustin Man, Out Of Season. Featuring 10 beautiful new songs recorded over a period of 10 years, the album was produced by James Ford & Beth Gibbons with additional production by Lee Harris (Talk Talk). Lives Outgrown is, by some measure, Beth’s most personal work to date, the result of a period of sustained reflection and change — “lots of goodbyes,” in Beth’s words. Farewells to family, to friends, even to her former self. These are songs from the mid-course of life, when looking ahead no longer yields what it used to, and looking back has a sudden, sharper focus.

Billie Eilish’s third studio album, "HIT ME HARD AND SOFT", released via Darkroom/Interscope Records is her most daring body of work to date, a diverse yet cohesive collection of songs— ideally listened to in its entirety from beginning to end—does exactly as the album title suggests; hits you hard and soft both lyrically and sonically, while bending genres and defying trends along the way. With the help of her brother and sole collaborator, FINNEAS, the pair wrote, recorded, and produced the album together in their hometown of Los Angeles. This album comes on the heels of her two massively successful albums “WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP WHERE DO WE GO?" and "Happier Than Ever" and works to further develop the world of Billie Eilish.

Aiming to bring as much joy as possible with the album, Bright Light Bright Light has worked with some artists and producers who have brought him joy through his teenage years up to now. Guest vocalists include GRAMMY nominee Mykal Kilgore, dance icon Ultra Naté, Beth Hirsch of Air's Moon Safari, and Berri who had a monster Top 5 smash with 'Sunshine After The Rain'. Co-producing the tracks are Scissor Sisters' Babydaddy, UK pop superstar Richard X (Kylie Minogue, Alison Goldfrapp, Sugababes), Jon Shave (Charli XCX, Girls Aloud, Miley Cyrus) and Ian Masterson (Bananarama, Dannii Minogue). Enjoy Youth is an uplifting, dancefloor-forward record bursting with energy and reverence for the music and artists that shaped him.

Neon Pill is the highly anticipated new album from Cage the Elephant, and group's first new music since their album, Social Cues, which won Best Rock album at the 2019 GRAMMY Awards. - Cage the Elephant consists of brothers Matt Shultz (vocals) and Brad Shultz (rhythm guitar) along with Daniel Tichenor (bass), Jared Champion (drums), Nick Bockrath (lead guitar) and Matthan Minster (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals).

Guster's ninth studio LP, Ooh La La reveals a band fully in touch with thevoracious creative energy that first inspired their formation. A major leapforward for lead vocalist Ryan Miller, guitarist Adam Gardner, drummerBrian Rosenworcel, and multi-instrumentalist Luke Reynolds, OohLa La ultimately matches that wide-eyed spirit with a newly heightened senseof confidence, conviction, and commitment to the raw sincerity that's madethem so beloved.The follow-up to 2019's Look Alive, Ooh La La marks a bold departure from it'spredecessor. This time around, the band worked mainly with producer JoshKaufman (The Hold Steady, The National, Bonny Light Horseman), holing upat Isokon Studio in Woodstock and carving out a lush and expansive sound richin acoustic guitars and graceful piano work. With additional production fromRon Aniello (Bruce Springsteen), Rich Costey (Death Cab for Cutie, OfMonsters and Men), and Primarily mixed by Peter Katis (The National, KurtVile), the result endlessly radiates an undeniable warmth, even as it's songsdelve into the more daunting aspects of living in modern times.

Kate Hudson’s not sure what took her so long, especially with all the music whirling inside her. That hunger for musical expression from the woman who embodied the rocker’s muse in Almost Famous runs deeper. “I always felt connected to music. It was my outlet.” Natural and easy, there’s both self-examination and celebration flowing through her songs. She understands the phases of modern music in a way that’s fluid, but defined, honest, yet willing to leave it all at the door in the name of love.

Hex Dealer is the second full-length from New York electronic punk band Lip Critic. The album is a raw patchwork of iPhone recordings, free VST samplers, synths and two live drummers. All of this has been maximized beyond it's limits, like a chorus of bass-boosted Windex bottles spraying in unison, or a washing machine filled with coins on the spin cycle. This mixture of classic punk, hardcore and electronic styles results in 12 frantic tracks of postmodern pop for the genreless future.

Still Kids is New Kids On The Block's first full-length studio album in 11 years. On the all new album, members Jonathan Knight, Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood channel the New Kids’ beginnings, even as it pushes them into new territory as songwriters and as a band. The album features 14 new tracks including the lead single, “Kids," and is full of pop anthems, dance tracks, love songs, and grooves that will become fast favorites for the Blockheads.

Over the course of the last two decades, Of Montreal's creative force, Kevin Barnes, has been wowing fans with their vast catalog of endlessly fascinating pop and mesmerizing live shows. Barnes' songwriting and production aesthetic has since become iconic in the industry and has garnered massive critical acclaim in publications such as Rolling Stone, The New York Times, NPR, and Pitchfork, who described the band's album, Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? as "ceaselessly fascinating and inexhaustibly replayable," as well as ranking it as the #5 album of the year. Barnes' influence on pop music is undeniable, with multiple late night TV appearances, including The Late Show With David Letterman and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, as well as brilliant collaborations with the likes of Solange, Janelle Monáe, Jon Brion, and others. The band has also performed across the globe, with festival appearances at Coachella, Sasquatch!, Pitchfork Music Festival and others, as well as hundreds of millions of streams worldwide. On Of Montreal's latest album, Lady on the Cusp, Barnes shapeshifts between genres with each song. On tracks like "Rude Girl on Rotation," Barnes revisits sounds of late 60's guitar pop & psychedelia reminiscent of 2013's Lousy With Sylvianbriar, while "Young Hearts Bleed Free" and "Music Hurts The Head" showcase Barnes' love of experimental funk pop that has been present throughout much of the band's discography. Lady on the Cusp is another exciting listen from one of the most prolific and influential artists making music today.

Rapsody is ready to embrace the unknown. On her fourth studio album, Please Don’t Cry, the North Carolina rapper weaves together disparate experiences to create a truly unique and unforgettable sonic gem. It’s the mark of an artist who is unafraid to draw on lifelong influences to find their true voice. Her 2023 single, “Asteroids,” reignited the public’s demand for forward-thinking stylistics and pointed songwriting. Her discography spans over a decade and has made a lasting impact on hip hop culture, avid music listeners, fans and critics alike. Rapsody is preparing to pull back the curtain on who Marlanna Evans is. The tightly wrapped album is a more self-aware version of Rapsody as she reconciles with the past to empower her future. It explores the depth of her technical dexterity with more vulnerability than prior releases. It’s a record that sets her apart from the rest, cementing Rap’s status as one of the best storytellers of all time

Shellac return with their sixth album and the first in ten years.

A great cover takes something old and makes it new again. This is the philosophy behind Slash’s new album, Orgy Of The Damned, a collection of 12 dynamic songs that shakes up and revitalised blues classics with a stripped down, instinctive approach. Working in a similar way to his 2010 self-titles solo LP Slash, which featured multiple guest vocalists, the acclaimed guitarist teamed up with numerous musicians and singers to create a singular expression that pays homage to the blues. By celebrating both well-known and largely undiscovered songs, Slash offers a nostalgic nod to the past while reinvigorating the songs with his inimitable guitar playing and the spirit of collaboration. Blues inspired album with iconic guests such as Chris Stapleton, Iggy Pop, Gary Clarke Jr and Beth Hart. The songs covered highlight classics by blues heavyweights including Muddy waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Steppen Wolf, Stevie Wonder and more.

.The Avett Brothers return with their first album in five years. Produced by longtime collaborator, friend and early champion Rick Rubin, The Avett Brothers is as much untitled as it is self-titled, for as Thomas Keating said: “Silence is God’s first language – everything else is a poor translation.”From the album’s all-vocal opening to the sharp, scrappy and scorching rock n roll blast of lead single “Love Of A Girl,” to the novel strains of folk, roots, synth and strings that have landed The AvettBrothers numerous Billboard Top 5 and chart-topping albums, three GRAMMY nominations, five Americana Music Awards, a documentary co-directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio, and so much more, this record is one that revealed itself naturally over time.Recorded in Malibu’s Shangri-La Studios, as well as Nashville, Mar Vista, and the band’s hometown of Concord, NC, The Avett Brothers is a collection of songs seen through a lens of independently studied spirituality; questions and considerations in the interest of the divine unknowable. In an ongoing attempt to comprehend existence and our interpersonal connectedness, these songs seek the sacred in thecommonplace: a cheap cup of coffee, the smallest movement of love, broken hearts and school bus lessons, a baby’s first and second steps, growing older and holding on to one’s roots, losing someone and accepting fate, rediscovering hope and finding sanctity in tragedy...ultimately reveling in the fun and surrender of what we cannot understand.As their first full length release on Ramseur Records/Thirty Tigers since 2007’s Emotionalism, The Avett Brothers is both a cumulative opus and fresh start for the band’s future as a multifaceted and singular force.First new Avett Brothers studio album in four years. Produced by Rick Rubin. First self-titled album in their storied career.