This March, Miley Cyrus is kicking off summer a little early with her new album, Endless Summer Vacation, out March 17. As she’s learned how to buy herself flowers—and pen a global hit—it seems nothing’s stopping her now. Other highlights for March include Lana Del Rey’s Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, Kali Uchis’ Red Moon In Venus, Fever Ray’s Radical Romantics, the newest record from experimentalist Yves Tumor, as well as the debut album from indie supergroup, boygenius. Plus, we’ve got records from both Depeche Mode and U2 on the way, with the former’s Memento Mori on March 24, and the latter’s Songs Of Surrender on March 17.
Kali Uchis, Red Moon In Venus [March 3]
Kali Uchis’ music comes from the depths of divinity, harnessing unparalleled passion and sensuality. After the Spanish-language album, Sin Miedo in 2020, Uchis is back with the bilingual Red Moon In Venus. From the released singles, it seems as though Uchis is shedding some of the “boy, bye” ethos that’s played a major role in her music thus far, tapping into something more vulnerable. Of the new album Uchis says, “Love is the message. Red Moon In Venus is a timeless, burning expression of desire, heartbreak, faith, and honesty, reflecting the divine femininity of the moon and Venus. The moon and Venus work together to make key aspects of love and domestic life work well. This body of work represents all levels of love—releasing people with love, drawing love into your life and self-love.” [Gabrielle Sanchez]
Slowthai, Ugly [March 3]
What’s the opposite of toxic positivity “Feel Good,” the first track off Slowthai’s album Ugly, finds the artist as excited about the messy bitch of living as he’s ever been, even through the lens of his self-proclaimed “tears of a clown.” The second single off the London rapper’s third studio LP, due for release on March 3, makes a sweet contrast to the industrial self-negativity of Ugly’s lead single “Selfish,” but maintains a similar pep in its step. Structured around an echoey repeated chorus (“I feel so good”) the track feels more like a mantra than a truth—within the infectious, racing plucked guitar melody is the bottled feeling of faking it ‘til you make it. [Hattie Lindert]
Willie Nelson, I Don’t Know A Thing About Love [March 3]
With his new album, I Don’t Know A Thing About Love, Willie Nelson pays tribute to Harlan Howard, one of the great postwar country music songwriters, who also happened to help Nelson secure his first publishing deal back in 1960. Here Willie gives his signature soulful spin to hits Howard wrote for Buck Owens, Waylon Jennings, and Ray Charles. [Stephen Erlewine]
Tanukichan, GIZMO [March 3]
For the follow-up to her 2018 debut Sundays, San Francisco singer-songwriter Tanukichan is turning the dial up on the fuzz with GIZMO. Created in collaboration with Toro y Moi of Company Records, Tanukichan leans into the aspects of Sundays that made her a standout, but adds a looseness that benefits her new work. Her vocals are as tender as ever, widening the contrast between the gritty rumblings of static. For fans, Tanukichan stays true to herself and her approach to songwriting, while taking more risks in instrumental composition. And for newbies, those interested in the work of Alvvays and Sasami will feel right at home. [Gabrielle Sanchez]
Miley Cyrus, Endless Summer Vacation [March 10]
Touted as a “love letter to L.A.” prior to its release—and bearing a title celebrating the pleasures of life in the sun—Endless Summer Vacation finds Miley Cyrus collaborating with Greg Kurstin, Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson, who just won a Grammy for his work on Harry Styles’ Harry’s House. All this, along with the neo-disco pulse of her smash hit “Flowers,” suggests Miley is stepping away from rock and returning to pop. [Stephen Erlewine]
Lana Del Rey, Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd [March 10]
Lana Del Rey’s ninth studio album is shaping up to be an intersection between the coquettish Tumblr vagabond of her early career and the mournful, gasping feelings addict of Blue Banisters, who couldn’t stand to keep giving herself away. But old habits die hard, and Del Rey keeps finding more to reveal. “A&W,” the second single off the album following the title track, is a behemoth of a song: a near seven-minute journey through Lana’s aesthetic, complete with a back-half trip-hop flip of Little Anthony & The Imperials’ “Shimmy, Shimmy, Ko-Ko-Bop.” “It’s not about havin’ someone to love me anymore/This is the experience of an American Whore,” Del Rey coos on the track—this is her world, in her hands. [Hattie Lindert]
Fever Ray, Radical Romantics [March 10]
“There will be an album—it’s called Radical Romantics, cause everything needs to be dissected and loved and torn and built back up again and we’re dreamers aren’t we” Karin Dreijer announced late last year. Featuring contributions from Dreijer’s brother and fellow The Knife member Olof Dreijer as well as Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Portuguese DJ and producer Nídia, Aasthma, and Vessel, Fever Ray’s Radical Romantics will find Dreijer taking on “the myth of love.” [Peter Helman]
Aly & AJ, With Love From [March 15]
With Love From serves as a sequel of sorts to A Touch Of The Beat Gets You Up On Your Feet Gets You Out And Then Into the Sun, the 2021 album that served as the overdue full-length comeback for the sister duo Aly & AJ. Working at Sunset Sound with a similar cast of collaborators, the duo hones in on an easy, released Southern Californian vibe. [Stephen Erlewine]
M83, Fantasy [March 17]
The long-running project of multi-instrumentalist Anthony Gonzalez, M83 has forged an electropop sound that is both fresh and deliciously retro, pulling from ’90s shoegaze and ’80s new wave and synthpop, with touches of Vangelis and ethereal electronic music. The six tracks off their new EP, part of their latest album, still strike a great balance between those elements, as evidenced by lead track/video “Ocean’s Niagara.” What keeps M83 intriguing is their smart use of dynamics, a love for ambient bliss, and the overall immersive vibe that lures you in. Other bands might construct simpler soundtracks, but there’s more nuance and depth here. [Bryan Reesman]
100 gecs, 10,000 gecs [March 17]
It takes all of 30 seconds for 100 gecs’ latest track, “Hollywood Baby,” to reveal its underlying thesis: Dylan Brady and Laura Les are ready to rock even harder. The third single from the hyperpop duo’s upcoming third album, 10,000 gecs, “Hollywood Baby” highlights Les’ singular yelping vocals with a simple, booming electric guitar riff, offering a glimpse at yet another new horizon after the group’s recent forays into alt-pop and a Skrillex collaboration. Whatever genres they decide to splice next, 100 gecs are thoroughly back in the same brazen, loud, plucky saddle, begging to be blared off the biggest sound system imaginable. [Hattie Lindert]
Yves Tumor, Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) [March 17]
From the first seconds of Yves Tumor’s newest single, “Echolia,” I was hooked into the vision of a rapturous need for pleasure or pain from a self-positioned God, conveyed through raspy vocals over a driving bass line, akin to the nail the singer drives through the heart of a giant in the music video (a concept not pulled from Gulliver’s Travels, but from a book of body metaphors called Body Criticism). As one of the crucial rock experimentalists, Yves Tumor retains a sense of mystery that keeps you leaning closer and closer in hopes of understanding them. My ex was right, I should have started listening to them long ago—I just wasn’t ready to enter the mythological world of Yves Tumor.[Gabrielle Sanchez]
Unknown Mortal Orchestra, V [March 17]
Take the “Orchestra” in the name of Unknown Mortal Orchestra somewhat seriously: the New Zealand psychedelic band specializes in deep, layered sounds. Their knack for lush, enveloping audio comes into sharp relief on V, a docile album where leader Ruban Nielson dives deep into the netherworld of soft rock, accentuating the smooth settings with hints of Hawaiian music.[Stephen Erlewine]
U2, Songs of Surrender [March 17]
U2 are rerecording and reimagining 40 of their own songs for Songs Of Surrender, a companion album to Bono’s recent memoir Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story. “The fact is that most of our work was written and recorded when we were a bunch of very young men. Those songs mean something quite different to us now,” the Edge explains in a letter to fans. “Once we surrendered our reverence for the original version, each song started to open up to a new anthemic voice of this time, of the people we are now, and particularly the singer that Bono has become.” [Peter Helman]
Caroline Rose, The Art of Forgetting [March 24]
Written in the wake of a painful breakup, The Art Of Forgetting finds Caroline Rose reversing course from her 2020 album Superstar. Stripping away the stylish, synthesized veneer that encased Superstar, Caroline Rose also steps away from pop and irony, reconnecting to the plaintive, forthright Americana of their acclaimed 2018 album Loser. [Stephen Erlewine]
Depeche Mode, Memento Mori [March 24]
Depeche Mode co-founder and keyboardist Andy Fletcher passed away last May, and Dave Gahan and Martin Gore are honoring his memory with the new album Memento Mori. “We started work on this project early in the pandemic, and its themes were directly inspired by that time. After Fletch’s passing, we decided to continue as we’re sure this is what he would have wanted, and that has really given the project an extra level of meaning,” Gore says. Depeche Mode will head out on tour in support of the album starting March 23. [Peter Helman]
Babymetal, The Other One [March 24]
When this peppy Japanese vocal trio and their thunderous band first exploded nearly a decade ago with the hypersonic “Gimme Chocolate!!,” their unusual blend of J-Pop and death metal was a welcome blast of fresh sound. It would have been easy to write them off as a flash in the pan, but they’ve continued to mature their music over the years. The preview tracks from their fourth album, The Other One, their first-ever concept album following a year-long hiatus, promises a new effort that is sweepingly cinematic and epic in flavor. However, if you want to see one of their gargantuan arena shows, you’ll still need to go to Japan. [Bryan Reesman]
Deerhoof, Miracle-Level [March 31]
Veteran experimental indie-rock band Deerhoof mark a couple of firsts with Miracle-Level. It’s the first album they’ve done entirely in the recording studio—they set up shop with producer Mike Bradavski at No Fun Studios in Winnipeg—and it’s also their first record to be sung entirely in Japanese. [Stephen Erlewine]
Boygenius, The Record [March 31]
In 2018, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Daucus, and Julien Baker—all respected artists in their own right—entered the studio and emerged as boygenius, igniting a collaborative project between the indie rock frontrunners. The resulting self-titled EP had listeners instantly clamoring for more from the trio, despite their own fruitful solo careers. It turns out what works for each of the singer-songwriters comes together in perfect harmony, tapping into each of their strengths. Nearly five years later, the supergroup is set to release their first full length record, aptly titled, The Record. As one of the most anticipated releases of the year, Bridgers, Baker, and Daucus have positioned themselves among the classic rockstar dudes they at once mock and emulate. [Gabrielle Sanchez]