How many times have we heard, “New album coming soon,” from artists, but nothing to back it up? Too many, that’s what I say.
Band after band after band tease their upcoming releases, but fail to deliver on the “soon” part. Taking their time to create a masterpiece isn’t a bad thing, just please don’t leave us hanging. I don’t want some indie pop group to leave me feeling “ghosted.”
Despite the frustration of waiting, I’ll wait forever (well, maybe not forever) to hear new music from a beloved band.
Here are a few artists that seem to have taken a hiatus despite saying a new album is coming soon.
Vampire Weekend
After the 2013 release of “Modern Vampires of the City (MVOTC),” the band went on a lengthy tour of the record and started teasing a new album in the making around 2017.
On Instagram, frontman Ezra Koenig made a post giving a timeline of what the band had been up to since the release of “MVOTC,” saying they took time for a mental health year after pushing themselves with putting out three albums. In the same post, Koenig teased the title for the fourth LP, “Mitsubishi Macchiato,” saying that it will be “a little more springtime than the last one.”
Having been known for their East Coast prep style, “springtime” seems like the best descriptor, especially since “MVOTC” fell toward the other end of the spectrum with a winter-like heaviness.
My best guess is that we’ll see this springy record in the spring of 2019.
Kanye West
Kanye West has been hinting at a new album for a while and has already failed to be reliable on the release date.
With a date set for his upcoming album “YANDHI” just on the horizon, I have my doubts if we’ll actually be listening to it on Nov. 23, especially since it was supposed to be released in September.
West teased the album “artwork,” which is reminiscent of his sixth studio album “Yeezus” with its absence of any actual art save for a holographic disc.
If “YANDHI” is anything like “Yeezus,” I will be very pleased. “Yeezus” was one of West’s best albums of his new era, touching on political issues that told a story. I’m hoping it is nothing like his recent non-album releases that were far too quirky with their lack of any rhythm and gibberish lyrics.
Not only has West teased his own work, but he also recently tweeted “throne2 coming soon.”
West collaborated with Jay-Z to create one of the greatest rap albums of our time, “Watch the Throne,” which was released back in 2011. If this sequel was seven years in the making, I’m sure it is going to be a masterpiece.
Unfortunately, there has been no official release date for a “Watch the Throne” follow-up.
Childish Gambino
Childish Gambino (Donald Glover) hasn’t deprived his fans of his musical enterprise this year with his releases of “This is America” and “Feels Like Summer,” but we’re all patiently awaiting his bittersweet final album as Childish Gambino.
Currently, Glover is on his “This is America” tour, and I’m predicting that a new album will be released when the tour is finished.
Glover’s team has hinted that they are putting in a lot of effort for this upcoming album because it will allegedly be his last. Glover has spoken out about his distaste for the music industry, saying that “no one has good intentions.”
This may seem heartbreaking for his fans, but artists need room to grow and Glover is multi-talented, so his fans can appreciate him through his other outlets.
Adele
Where in the world is Adele?
We last heard from Adele in 2015 with her release of “25” and her hit “Hello,” but haven’t heard much of anything since from the soul singer.
There are rumors that an album will drop in late 2019 and that she will not follow her pattern of titling her records after the age in which they were written and instead release an eponymous album.
Over the years, Adele hasn’t changed up her sound or her motive, but that hasn’t kept her from rising to the top. Despite setbacks back in 2017 due to vocal damage, we can expect big things from her when she decides to make her long-awaited return.