The Los Angeles weather is barely cooling down, but the emergence of everything pumpkin and the looming excitement of Halloween signify that fall is here. Along with the slowly changing leaves and the slight chill, promising new albums are being released this season to help transition from season to season.
“Money Sucks, Friends Rule”
Dillon Francis
Columbia Records
October 28
After teasing his fans with singles, remixes and EPs for the past four years, EDM DJ Dillon Francis is releasing his first full-length album “Money Sucks, Friends Rule.” His singles “Get Low,” for which he collaborated with DJ Snake and is included in the album, and “Without You” featuring Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs caused Francis to gain popularity with EDM fans and ravers alike. The first released single of the album, “When We Were Young,” has his typical catchy beats and heavy drop, but with the collaboration and the almost relaxing vocals of Sultan & Ned Shepard and The Chain Gang of 1974. The album’s other songs, which feature DJs and musicians such as Martin Garrix, Major Lazer, the Presets and even Panic! At the Disco’s Brendon Urie, suggest that Francis goes beyond hit singles with help of the vocals from and the talents of his collaborators, and will deliver a popular premier album.
“Sonic Highways”
Foo Fighters
RCA Records
November 10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0TrqXHoL10
Foo Fighters are still recording and releasing their eighth studio album, “Sonic Highways,” almost 20 years after the release of their first album. The band recorded each of the eight songs in the different cities they were inspired in: Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Seattle and Washington, D.C. Along with the production of the album, the Foo Fighters also filmed an HBO series, also titled “Sonic Highways,” which features the group’s creative process behind recording the album across eight different cities. With the extensive publicity and sound clips from the show’s trailer, as well as frontman David Grohl’s known talent, the Foo Fighters’ eighth album seems like it will be a step up from their previous two albums, which turned toward a more mainstream sound. However, there is hope that the band’s grunge roots will return in its newest album.
“Seeds”
TV on the Radio
Harvest Records
November 18
Post-punk, experimental band TV on the Radio will release its fifth studio album, “Seeds,” its first record since the group’s bassist Gerard Smith passed away in 2011. Although the band members took a hiatus, they have returned with the same upbeat sound and energy they possessed in their former albums. The band also released a catchy preview of its now released song, “Happy Idiot.” Catchy as the song is, if the rest of the album follows the vibe of “Happy Idiot,” it would seem as if TV on the Radio has veered its album away from experimental rock toward indie pop. However, it still has the band’s signature sound from the distinct vocals of frontman Tunde Adebimpe.
“Sucker”
Charli XCX
Atlantic Records and Neon Gold Records
December 12
Pop singer Charli XCX is releasing her sophomore album, “Sucker,” that features Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo and Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij. Her motivation for the album is to empower girls, which is evident in the released single from the album, “Boom Clap.” The hit single appeared on “The Fault in Our Stars” soundtrack, and has already gained popularity signaling that the rest of her album will contain Top 20 hits, and Charli XCX could rise to be the new pop princess.