The world of music has been dealt some serious blows in recent weeks, with festivals and gigs cancelled just about everywhere.
As it stands though, the album release cycle has remained (relatively) calm. It means that, for now, we’re lucky enough to have a steady stream of new music to help us through the lockdown.
There were some big releases last week. Dua Lipa dropped a gloriously uplifting collection of slick disco-pop bangers, while veteran rockers Pearl Jam came through with their first new studio album since 2013.
Here, we’ve picked out five great new albums that you might have missed, from country-twinged indie rock to Ethiopian jazz.
Waxahatchee — Saint Cloud
Katie Crutchfield’s fifth album under the Waxahatchee moniker might be her best yet. It’s a calm, deeply felt reflection on sobriety, with twangs of country and Americana.
Jessie Reyez — Before Love Came to Kill Us
A Grammy-award songwriter for other artists, Jessie Reyez delivered an excellent debut of her own with this release. It’s a potent mix of emphatic defiance and vulnerability, with hard-hitting beats sitting alongside stripped-back ballads.
Nils Frahm — Empty
With everything else going on at the moment, you might have missed Piano Day on March 28. Nils Frahm certainly didn’t — and to mark the occasion, the German artist released a surprise new album called Empty. It’s a sparse collection of solo piano pieces, described by Frahm as “lullabies”.
Hailu Mergia — Yene Mircha
Hailu Mergia, the Ethiopian jazz artist, has been enjoying a new lease of life since the 2013 reissue of one of his classic albums on an American label. This is his latest release, built once again around his signature accordion sound.
Daniel Avery and Alessandro Cortini — Illusion of Time
Daniel Avery, best known for his techno work, has swapped thudding beats for ambient soundscapes on this new release, made in collaboration with Nine Inch Nails keyboardist Alessandro Cortini.
