Have you already given up on your New Year’s resolutions? Forget the gym membership, and put new music on your radar for this new year. The return of popstars like Olivia Rodrigo and Dua Lipa make 2023 a highly anticipated time for fresh tunes, and that’s only the start. Prepare your eardrums, as artists from across the spectrum are set to release full-length records in 2023. Don’t miss out on these 25 forthcoming albums in rock, metal, and beyond (I know I won’t).
August Burns Red – Death Below (March 24)
From 2007 to 2017, August Burns Red was the most consistent band in metalcore. While their last effort, Guardians, didn’t quite live up to the previous six, Death Below — the group’s first SharpTone Records LP — promises plenty of crushing riffs and breakdowns.
Blink-182 – TBA
Tom’s back! Now that Blink-182’s classic three-piece lineup has returned, it’s time for the comeback album (their second comeback album that is, after 2011’s Neighborhoods). The first single, “Edging,” revives the group’s playful pop-punk sound with an anthemic outlook.
Brand of Sacrifice – TBA
Across two albums, Brand of Sacrifice has established themselves as a burgeoning name in modern metal, combining fragments of progressive metal, metalcore, and deathcore. Starting with “Exodus,” they look to unleash even more brutality on their third album.
Bring Me the Horizon – TBA
Bring Me the Horizon’s vision for a multi-part EP series began with 2020’s Linkin Park-esque Post Human: Survival Horror. Two standalone singles later, it appears time for the English rock outfit to drop part two in the series (or at least new material of some sort).
Drain – TBA
The next in a long line of hardcore groups jumpstarting the genre’s heart, California’s Drain has their next record — their first with Epitaph Records — ready for release. If “Watch You Burn” is a sign of what’s to come, then the band’s ’90s hardcore style still hits just as hard.
Dua Lipa – TBA
Future Nostalgia put Dua Lipa on the map as a pop artist with both commercial and critical success. She’s preparing the follow-up for a 2023 release. Here’s to hoping she can match the danceable groove and massive hooks of tracks like “Levitating” and “Break My Heart.”
Higher Power – TBA
Higher Power gained traction in 2020 with their brand of ’90s hardcore/punk revival. On their first single since 27 Miles Underwater, they’ve incorporated more grunge/rock into their sound, which could foreshadow the electric sound on their 2023 sophomore disc.
The Kid Laroi – The First Time
Following the passing of Lil Peep and Juice Wrld, it appeared all the kings of emo rap were gone. But while he is more pop than emo compared to the aforementioned, the Aussie is a budding modern rap star. His first LP following the Fuck Love mixtape is coming this year.
Knocked Loose – TBA
Many bands will streamline their sound as they get bigger in aims of expanding their fanbase. Not Knocked Loose — their 2021 EP, A Tear in the Fabric of Life gets heavier and nastier. We’ll see if their next full-length will continue to darken the metal players’ sound.
Lana Del Rey – Did You Know There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd. (March 10)
Lana Del Rey peaked artistically with the genius of Norman Fucking Rockwell, but the fact this popstar has stayed relevant for over a decade is quite impressive. Her next record, dropping in March, will feature 16 songs and production from Jack Antonoff, among others.
Loathe – TBA
I Let It In and It Took Everything cut through the noise as one of the best metal records in years. Loathe took the scene by storm in 2020 with their combination of metalcore and Deftones-style shoegaze, and they’ve been taking their time to make a worthy follow-up.
Meet Me at the Altar – TBA
Has that song from the new Taco Bell commercial been stuck in your head? You have Meet Me at the Altar to thank. The pop-punk trio is preparing their Fueled by Ramen debut for a 2023 release, and it’s only a matter of time before they burst through the scene’s ceiling.
Mod Sun – TBA
Longtime Warped Tour rapper Mod Sun went back to his punk roots with Internet Killed the Rockstar and wasted no time continuing his pop-punk romp with last year’s “Rich Kids Ruin Everything.” It’s the first look at the musician’s next era — complete with black-blonde hair.
Movements – TBA
One of the defining names in contemporary emo/post-hardcore, Movements has given their sound more space and atmosphere since 2017’s Feel Something. Judging from their recent single, “Cherry Thrill,” their next album will be adding danceable rhythms to their dynamic.
My Chemical Romance – TBA
I’ve kept my hopes up that a new year means a new album from My Chemical Romance, and one of these years I’m going to be right. But this year seems more likely than ever that we hear the band’s comeback record, following 2021’s colossal “The Foundations of Decay.”
Needtobreathe – TBA
After building their reputation as one of the best bands in country rock, Needotbreathe hit their strides with Out of Body and Into the Mystery — the best full-length efforts of their career. The group isn’t slowing down either: I have a feeling a new album may be here soon.
nothing,nowhere. – TBA
nothing,nowhere.’s Joe Mulherin has expanded his emo rap project into a full band, exploring elements of pop-punk and pop-rock on Trauma Factory. Since then, he’s ventured into heavier sounds with his three newest singles — which will be part of a forthcoming EP.
Olivia Rodrigo – TBA
In 2021, we were introduced to music’s newest megastar: Olivia Rodrigo. Sour brought the then-teenager international fame and three Grammy wins. She’s working on “many new songs” for the next album, hoping to succeed singles “Good 4 U” and “Driver’s License.”
One Step Closer – TBA
One Step Closer is the next iteration of bands like Title Fight, merging bits of post-hardcore, emo, and hardcore punk into an emotionally charged unit. This Place You Know established them as an act to watch, and 2023 could be the year they outgrow the punk underground.
Paramore – This Is Why (February 10)
Paramore has done what most bands from their era have failed to do: move past the label of “legacy act.” They’re no longer the emo throwbacks who gave us “Misery Business.” Now, they’re an enduring pop-rock trio, and their new album’s title track has plenty of spunk.
Pierce the Veil – The Jaws of Life (February 10)
They may not have been the most active recording artist of the 2010s, but you have to commend Pierce the Veil. The post-hardcore mainstays released two chart-topping records during that time, and the anticipation has only grown for their third album since 2012.
Story of the Year – Tear Me to Pieces (March 10)
Story of the Year went seven years between albums with 2017’s Wolves, and nearly six years later, another record will hit shelves soon. But this staple band of 2000s emo hasn’t missed a beat. “Real Life” is the anthemic lead single off Tear Me to Pieces, due out this March.
The Story So Far – TBA
In the years since Proper Dose, The Story So Far’s fourth album has grown a cult following. But that’s only made us more eager for the next release in the pop-punk act’s catalogue. The band was spotted in the studio in 2021, and we’re hoping this is the year new material drops.
White Reaper – Asking for a Ride (January 27)
Across their first two albums, White Reaper delivered a new wave sound reinforced by punk rock, and their third record is a continuation of the sound we’ve grown to love. The first single off Asking for a Ride, “Might Be Right” is a ’70s throwback with a sweet groove.
100 gecs – 10,000 gecs (March 17)
How do you even describe an artist like 100 gecs? Hyperpop? Electronic ska-punk? Internet music? Try all of the above — and much more. “mememe” has been stuck in my head since it dropped in 2021, and it’s just one of the many zany offerings 10,000 gecs is set to deliver.
Featured Image Credit: Hayley Williams (Jay Janner, American-Statesman), Olivia Rodrigo (Grand Spanier), Oli Sykes (@blackksocks/Kerrang!), Kyle Anderson (Cameron Perry)
The Verbatim 