Upcoming Album of the Week (Ending April 22)

Happy Record Store Day 2017 everyone! I haven't made my way to the local record store yet (I don't do crowds), but will likely head on over later this afternoon to see what's left over. To see a list of more traditional releases to come, check out my Upcoming Releases page!

This week, Shamir announced and released his sophomore album, Hope.

stereogum.com

Shamir released his debut album, Ratchet, in 2015 to a fair amount of critical acclaim. He earned praise for his wise-beyond-his-years lyrics, mix of genres, and countertenor voice. He spent the time after that release touring with Years & Years and Troye Sivan, and getting dropped by his record label.

He recently started considering retirement from music, but spent last weekend, writing, producing, and recording a new album. He dropped the record on Monday, streaming on SoundCloud and downloadable from Mediafire.



He was not interested in making the same type of music as he did on his debut (hence the label-dropping). This new record combines pop, lofi, and outsider music.

Also announced this week:

Big Boy - Boomiverse (June)
Cover You Ass, Vol. 1 (May 26)
EMA - Exile in the Outer Ring (August 25)
Laurel Halo - Dust (June 23)
Mavis Staples - Mavis Staples: I’ll Take You There - An All-Star Concert Celebration (June 2)
Sarah Jaffe - Bad Baby (July 7)
Waxahatchee - Out in the Storm (July 14)