New albums from Adele, Damon Albarn, Elbow and the hugely anticipated return of ABBA all arrive in November...
New albums from Adele, Damon Albarn, Elbow and the hugely anticipated return of ABBA all arrive in November...
Adele - 30
Out November 19th
Six years after her hugely successful third outing 25, the all-conquering singer returns with her fourth full-length effort.
Led by new single 'Easy On Me', the album boasts a stellar line-up of production talent, including super-producers Max Martin, Greg Kurstin and Shellback, as well as Swedish composer Ludwig Göransson, Canadian singer-songwriter Tobias Jesso Jr. and Britain's own Inflo.
The singer has stated in early interviews that the album is deeply personal and has been inspired by her divorce from then-husband Simon Konecki, motherhood, and the scrutiny of fame.
ABBA - Voyage
Out November 5th
In any other month, the return after a 40 year absence of ABBA would be leading the way in this preview.
The LP is the band's first since 1981's The Visitors and sees Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus penning 10 new songs, including singles 'I Still Have Faith in You' and 'Don't Shut Me Down' .
Reuniting with Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, the band will take the album out live in a digital concert residency, also called ABBA Voyage, will take place in London from May to October in 2022.
Idles - Crawler
Out November 12th
Just over a year after their third album, Ultra Mono, the post-punkers return with a brand new effort.
Made with co-producers Kenny Beats and guitarist Mark Bowen, the album, which was recorded in Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios, sees the band in an experimental mood and creating a diverse LP.
Speaking about the record, frontman Joe Talbot said: "It was writing selfishly. Reflecting. Telling my own story. Not trying to tell everyone else's story. Not trying to fix the world — just talking about how I am fixing mine.”
Damon Albarn - The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows
Out November 12th
Perennially busy with a myriad of projects, Damon Albarn releases his second solo LP, his first since 2014's Everyday Robots.
The album, which was originally conceived as an orchestral piece, has been inspired by the landscapes of Iceland, Albarn has been a frequent visitor to Iceland for almost three decades and owns a house in Reykjavik.
Denied the chance to record with a full orchestra due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Albarn made the LP alongside Simon Tong, his bandmate in the Good, the Bad & the Queen, and Mike Smith, a longtime touring member of both Blur and Gorillaz
Speaking about the LP, Albarn said: “I have been on my own dark journey while making this record and it led me to believe that a pure source might still exist.”
Elbow - Flying Dream 1
Out November 19th
The Mancunian indie collective drop their ninth LP in November, an album recorded in a unique fashion.
The LP is the follow-up to the band's 2019 LP Giants Of All Sizes and was written remotely in their home studios in Manchester and London before they came together at an empty Brighton Theatre Royal to record the songs.
Speaking about the process, Garvey said: "Hiring a two hundred-year-old theatre that has never in its history been closed for so long was something that could only be done under the circumstances….nice to turn it on its head in that way."
He continued: "Recording in a splendid generous space with no audience was something that throws an anchor in the times that the record was made in.”
The album is produced by keyboardist Craig Potter, with long term collaborator Alex Reeves on drums and percussion.
Among the other collaborators are Sarah Field on clarinets and saxophones, backing vocalists Wilson Atie, Adeleye Omotayo, and Marit Røkeberg from London Contemporary Voices and old friend and long-time collaborator Jesca Hoop.
Bullet For My Valentine - Bullet For My Valentine
Out November 5th
The Welsh metallers return with their seventh full-length effort at the start of November.
The album is the follow-up to 2018's Gravity, but the band have promised a radical change of direction from the sound of that album.
Rather than the nu-metal grooves that underpinned Gravity, this new self-titled LP is built of ferocious technicality with frontman Matt Tuck stating: "The riffs are crushing. There's probably 60 percent aggressive vocals, 40 percent clean, which is a ratio we've never really dabbled with before. It's very heavy, it's very technical. For the Bullet fans out there that kind of like that side of this band, it's very cool and very exciting."
Carl Bown, who has produced the band's last three LPs, is in the producer's chair. A 10-track record, the album is the band's most epic in a while, with three songs crossing the five-minute mark.
Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats - The Future
Out November 5th
After his tender 2020 solo LP And It’s Still Alright, he reunites with his eight-piece soul band for a new adventure.
Recorded at Rateliff’s studio just outside of Denver, production on the album was handled by the singer himself, bandmate Patrick Meese and Beach House man James Barone.
Smoothed with classic Motown and swaggering disco, the album, although written in the depths of lockdown, is a hopeful piece of work.
Ladyhawke - Time Flies
Out November 19th
New Zealander Pip Brown unveils her fourth album and her first since 2016's Wild Things in the middle of next month.
The album includes an array of contributors, including Carly Rae Jepsen/K.Flay producer Tommy English, Chris Stracey, who has worked with Paloma Faith and Diplo, and Jono Sloan, whose credits include Empire Of The Sun and PNAU.
The LP documents the singer's struggle and recovery from anxiety and depression as well as a series of physical challenges. Speaking about the LP, she said: "I was feeling pretty grateful to be alive and making music, so I felt like I didn’t ‘care’ anymore - not in a bad way, I just stopped overthinking it.”
The Darkness - Motorheart
Out November 19th
The flamboyant rockers release their seventh studio and their first since 2019's Easter Is Cancelled.
Produced by guitarist Dan Hawkins, the album is an ode to good time rock and roll, with not a single ballad in sight.
Frontman Justin Hawkins announced the new album with a typically florid statement, which reads: "The time has come, the walrus said…to put your fookin pants on your head and rock like Satan is eating your private parts with a pointy fork! Yes, we, The Darkness, are the fuck back on tour, praise Satan’s better half…come and party with us like it’s the last orders at the last chance saloon."
