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The Future of Music 2024

2024 Album Releases2024 Breakthrough Artists2024 MusicFuture of MusicFuture of Music 2024+-
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2024 Breakthrough Artists

2024 Album Highlights

2024 Album Release Schedule

The Future is Female, The Future is Beats!

 

This article is mostly about Breakthrough Artists - or those that will hopefully rise to prominence in 2024 - not necessarily become global superstars - but certainly make their mark on the world and get a proper footnote in the history of music!

 

As usual I’ve trawled through over 100 breakthrough artists across a wide variety of sources - to select my favourite 24! And indeed my favourite one - who is already a global superstar on the back of just one song really - and has that essential mononym brand mark. I love that Tyla Laura Sythal is a symbol of multiculturalism - coming from Johannesburg, South Africa, and having a mixed - Zulu, Indian, Mauritian, and Irish heritage / lineage. All those influences are very evident in her superb distinct singing voice - and she has supreme dance chops and on point body movement and facial expressions. She is a symbol for world togetherness - and hopefully an ambassador for brighter days!

 

There’s a lot of Crossover / Fusion / Genre-Defying music around these days - where it’s really all about mixing up different influences and genres - to create something new and exciting. The list leans fairly heavily towards female artists - those were the ones that captivated me the most this year, and ’Beats’ are very evident in a lot of this music - Afrobeats in particular, Drum & Bass, and various Hip-Hop and polyrhythmic influences.

 

There’s definitely a trend for music coming out of Africa - Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa in particular. Where I’ve long been a fan of Afrobeats, Kwaito House, and the more recent Ampiano styles.

 

A lot of the jingly jangly alternative indie stuff still sounds very samey to me this year - while there are odd exceptions.

 

I’m genuinely very pleases with this year’s New Artist selection - it’s properly eclectic overall - even though there are certain slants / trends.

 

As for the Release Calendar - this does not look to be a particularly vintage year - but there are still some killer albums on the way in - including a new one from The Cure - happier times ahead for sure!

 

Here in the UK we need to weather a few storms - including a recession - while I’m hoping that this will be a turnaround year - and things will start gradually improving. The world is in such a state at the moment - surely we are bound for better days ahead - let’s all manifest that!


10 Favourite Albums from 2023

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  1. Romy - Mid Air 
  2. Amaarae - Fountain Baby
  3. Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want To Turn Into You 
  4. Tkay Maidza - Sweet Justice
  5. Debby Friday - Good Luck
  6. U.S. Girls - Bless This Mess 
  7. Overmono - Good Lies
  8. 100 gecs - 10,000 gecs
  9. Fever Ray - Radical Romantics
  10. Slowdive - Everything is Alive

10 Favourite Songs from 2023

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  1. Caroline Polachek - Dang
  2. Romy - The Sea
  3. Amaarae - Angels in Tibet
  4. Hannah Wants - Cure My Desire
  5. Dua Lipa - Dance the Night
  6. 100 Gecs - Dumbest Girl Alive
  7. Reysha Rami — TURNMEON.virus
  8. Brittany Howard - What Now
  9. Lola Young - Don't Hate Me
  10. Chase & Status - Baddadan

Breakthrough Artists for 2024 / BBC Sound Of etc.


1 : Tyla [R&B / Soulful Pop / Amapiano] (BBC Sound of #4)

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2 : Ayra Starr [R&B / Afrobeats / Alté]

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3 : Kenya Grace [Electropop / Drum & Bass]

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4 : A Little Sound [Drum & Bass]

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5 : Lola Young [Alt-Pop / R&B]

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6 : Yuné Pinku [Dance / Electronic / House]

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7 : Charlotte Plank [Drum & Bass / Dance / Electronic]

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8 : Aziya [Post Punk / New Wave / Alt Rock]

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9 : Brazy [Afrobeats / Ampiano / Afro-Future]

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10 : Big Special [Alternative / Indie / Post-Punk]

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11 : Frozemode [UK Rap / Rap Rock]

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12 : ALT BLK ERA [Nu Metal / Rap Rock]

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13 : safesp8ce [Alternative / Indie]

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14 : Peggy Gou [Deep House / House] (BBC Sound of #3)

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15 : Natalie Red [Electronic / Dance / Pop]

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16 : The Last Dinner Party [Indie Rock / Art Rock / Baroque Pop] (BBC Sound Of #1)

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17 : Hannah Grae [Rock]

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18 : Chappell Roan [Dark Pop]

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19 : Olivia Dean [Pop-soul / Neo-soul] (BBC Sound Of #2)

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20 : SkyDxddy [Hip-Hop / Rap / Pop]

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21 : Caity Baser [Pop / Dance Pop] [2023 also]

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22 :Sekou [Pop-soul / Neo-soul]

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23 : CMAT [Folk / Pop / Country]

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24 : Elmiene [R&B / Neo-Soul] [2023 also] (BBC Sound Of #5)

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The Longlist / Missed the Cut - Alphabetical

  • AntsLive [UK Rap]
  • As December Falls [Alternative / Indie]
  • Beatrice M [Dubstep]
  • Borough Council [Rock / Alternative / Post-Punk]
  • Cardinals [Rock / Alt Rock / Shoegaze]
  • Clavish [UK Rap]
  • Coffin Mulch [Death Metal]
  • Cristale [UK Rap]
  • Cwfen [Occult Metal]
  • Delilah Bon [Nu Metal]
  • Destrata [Techno]
  • Discovery Zone [Pop / Experimental Pop / Electronic Pop]
  • Dream Phone [Punky Pop / Electronic Pop]
  • English Teacher [Alernative / Indie]
  • Eunuchs [Alternative / Indie]
  • Fat Dog [Alernative / Indie]
  • Florentina [German Hip-Hop / Hip-Pop]
  • Flying Boss [Hip-Hop]
  • Flytrap [Alternative / Indie / Rock]
  • Fridayy [R&B]
  • Friko [Alternative / Indie / Rock]
  • gglum [Alternative / Indie]
  • Grove Street [Metal Core / Crossover]
  • Hailey Knox [Alternative / Indie / R&B]
  • Halflives [Alternative / Indie]
  • Highlyy [Afrobeats]
  • HotWax [Post-Punk / Alt-Rock / Grunge]
  • Hemlocke Springs [Pop]
  • Henry Moodie [Pop]
  • Heriot [Metalcore / Grindcore]
  • Holy Wars [Alternative / Indie]
  • Hotline TNT [Indie Rock / Shoegaze]
  • Jazzy [Dance Pop / Hip-Hop]
  • Jordan Ward [R&B / Soul]
  • Judeline [Latin Urbano / Pop]
  • Khamari [R&B / Soul / Pop]
  • KickBoy [Post-Punk]
  • Kiimi [Dance / Electronic]
  • King Isis [Alternative / Indie]
  • Lambrini Girls [Alternative / Indie]
  • Libianca [Afrobeats / R&B / Afro-soul]
  • Lola Brooke [Hip-Hop]
  • LØLØ [Alternative / Indie / Pop]
  • Lovejoy [Indie Rock / Pop-Punk]
  • LU KALA [Pop]
  • LVRA [Alternative / Indie / Pop / Electropop]
  • Lynks [Electro-Punk]
  • Mae Stephens [Pop]
  • Man/Woman/Chainsaw [Pop-Punk / Post-Punk]
  • Mette [Pop]
  • Militarie Gun [Alternative Rock]
  • Moistbreezy [Dance / Electronic / Pop]
  • Moses Sumney [Indie Rock / Electro-Soul / Art Rock / Baroque Pop]
  • Mouth Culture [Alternative / Indie / Rock]
  • Nemzzz [UK Rap / Trap]
  • No Guidnce [R&B Boyband]
  • Pest Control [Thrash Metal]
  • Picture Parlour [Indie Rock]
  • Qing Madi [Afrobeat / Pop / Soul / R&B]
  • Rats-Tails [Dream Rock]
  • Rose Droll [Alternative / Indie]
  • Rosey Gold [Amapiano / Nigerian R&B / Dance / Electronic]
  • Sailor Honeymoon [Alternative / Indie]
  • Sarah Kinsley [Alt Pop]
  • Scarlett Woolfe [Alternative / Indie]
  • ScarLip [New York Hip-Hop / Gangsta-Rap]
  • Shooting Daggers [Queercore Punk]
  • Snayx [Rock / Post-Punk]
  • Sol ChYld [Hip-Hop / Rap]
  • Spider [Alternative / Indie]
  • Spiritual Cramp [Alternative / Indie]
  • Strandz [UK Rap]
  • Strawgirl [Indie / Grunge / Noise Rock]
    Sulk [Psychedelic Rock / Shoegaze / Post-Punk]
  • Tara Clerkin Trio [Experimental / Acid Jazz / Alternative / Indie] 
  • Teezo Touchdown [Alternative Hip Hop / Rap Rock]
  • Tiger Really? [Rock]
  • Unpeople [Alt-Metal]
  • Urban Heat [Alternative / Indie]
  • Zeph [Alternative / Indie]

Known Named Albums I'm Looking Forward To in 2024 (by release month)

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  • The Smile - Wall of Eyes [January]
  • Allie X - Girl with No Face [February]
  • Chromeo - Adult Contemporary [February]
  • Jacob Collier - Djesse Vol. 4 [February]
  • The Last Dinner Party - Prelude to Ecstasy [February]
  • MGMT - Loss of Life [February]
  • Nouvelle Vague - Should I Stay or Should I Go? [February]
  • Everything Everything - Mountainhead [March]
  • Lenny Kravitz - Blue Electric Light [March]
  • Tyla - Tyla [March]
  • Azealia Banks - Fantasea II: The Second Wave [TBA]
  • Bat for Lashes - The Dream Of Delphi [TBA]
  • The Cure - Songs Of A Lost World [TBA]
  • Grimes - BOOK 1 [TBA]
  • Kasabian - Happening [TBA]
  • Nero - Into the Unknown [TBA]
  • Rihanna - R9 [TBA]
  • Sia - Reasonable Woman [TBA]
  • Sky Ferreira - Masochism [TBA]

2024 Album Release Schedule Highlights

A curated release schedule for the year - featuring yet more of my favourite artists!


JANUARY

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  • Alkaline Trio - Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs
  • Angry Blackmen -  The Legend of ABM
  • Anna Calvi & Nick Launay - Peaky Blinders: Season 6 
  • * Armin van Buuren - Breathe In
  • Astrid Sonne -  Great Doubt
  • Bad Gyal - La Joia
  • Benny the Butcher - Everybody Can't Go
  • Bill Ryder-Jones - Iechyd Da
  • Boldy James and Nicholas Craven - Penalty of Leadership
  • Brion Gysin - Junk 
  • Bring Me the Horizon - POST HUMAN: NeX GEn
  • Casey - How to Disappear
  • Chatham County Line - Hiyo
  • Courting - New Last Name
  • Craig Wedren - The Dream Dreaming
  • D-Block Europe - Rolling Stone
  • Dead Poet Society - Fission
  • Donato Dozzy -  Magda
  • Ekkstacy - Ekkstacy
  • Fabiano de Nascimento and Sam Gendel - The Room
  • The Fauns - How Lost
  • Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes - Dark Rainbow
  • French Montana - Mac & Cheese 5
  • Future Islands - People Who Aren't There Anymore
  • (G)I-dle - TBC
  • Ghetts - On Purpose, with Purpose
  • Glass Beach - Plastic Death
  • Green Day - Saviors
  • Gruff Rhys - Sadness Sets Me Free
  • Infant Island - Obsidian Wreath
  • Itzy - Born to Be
  • James Arthur - Bitter Sweet Love
  • Kali Uchis - Orquídeas
  • Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign - Vultures
  • Katy Kirby - Blue Raspberry
  • Kid Cudi - Insano
  • Kula Shaker - Natural Magick
  • Lou Reed -  Hudson River Wind Meditations
  • Lyrical Lemonade - All Is Yellow
  • Magnum - Here Comes the Rain
  • Marika Hackman - Big Sigh
  • Nailah Hunter -  Lovegaze 
  • Neck Deep - Neck Deep
  • Nicholas Craven & Boldy James - Penalty of Leadership
  • Packs - Melt the Honey
  • Philip Glass - Philip Glass Solo
  • Playboi Carti - TBC
  • Radical Redemption - The Solo's
  • The Reytons - Ballad of a Bystander
  • Robby Krieger and the Soul Savages - Robby Krieger and the Soul Savages
  • Robyn Ottolini - Growing Up to Do
  • The Rods - Rattle the Cage
  • Sarah Jarosz - Polaroid Lovers
  • Saxon - Hell, Fire and Damnation
  • SF9 - TBC
  • Sleater-Kinney - Little Rope
  • * The Smile - Wall of Eyes
  • Static-X - Project: Regeneration Vol. 2
  • Torres - What an Enormous Room
  • Touché Amoré -  Is Survived By
  • Ty Segall - Three Bells
  • The Umbrellas - Fairweather Friend
  • The Vaccines - Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations

FEBRUARY

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  • Ace Frehley - 10,000 Volts
  • * Allie X - Girl with No Face
  • Amaranthe - The Catalyst
  • Amigo the Devil - Yours Until the War Is Over
  • Belly - 96 Miles from Bethlehem
  • Blackberry Smoke - Be Right Here
  • The Body and Dis Fig - Orchards of a Futile Heaven
  • Brittany Howard - What Now
  • Cast - Love Is the Call
  • Chelsea Wolfe - She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She
  • Chief Keef - Almighty So 2
  • * Chromeo - Adult Contemporary
  • Corb Lund - El Viejo
  • Darkest Hour - Perpetual | Terminal
  • The Dead South - Chains & Stakes
  • Declan McKenna - What Happened to the Beach?
  • Dhani Harrison - INNERSTANDING
  • Donny Benét - Infinite Desires
  • Ducks Ltd. - Harm's Way
  • El Perro del Mar - Big Anonymous
  • Elephant Stone - Back Into the Dream
  • Erick the Architect - I've Never Been Here Before
  • Gabby Barrett - Chapter & Verse
  • Grandaddy - Blu Wav
  • Helado Negro - Phasor
  • Honeymoon Suite - Alive
  • Hurray for the Riff Raff - The Past Is Still Alive
  • I Dont Know How But They Found Me - Gloom Division
  • Idles - Tangk
  • Infected Rain - Time
  • Ihsahn - Ihsahn
  • J Mascis - What Do We Do Now
  • J. Robbins - Basilisk
  • * Jacob Collier - Djesse Vol. 4
  • Jazmin Bean - Traumatic Livelihood
  • Jennifer Lopez - This Is Me... Now
  • Jessica Mauboy - Yours Forever
  • Job for a Cowboy - Moon Healer
  • Kelela -  Rave:N, the Remixes
  • Kirin J. Callinan - If I Could Sing
  • L Devine - Digital Heartifacts
  • Lætitia Sadier - Rooting for Love
  • Laura Jane Grace - Hole in My Head
  • * The Last Dinner Party - Prelude to Ecstasy
  • Lee "Scratch" Perry - King Perry
  • Les Amazones d'Afrique - Musow Danse
  • * MGMT - Loss of Life
  • Madi Diaz - Weird Faith
  • Mary Timony - Untame the Tiger
  • Meth Math -  Chupetones 
  • Mick Mars - The Other Side of Mars
  • Middle Kids - Faith Crisis Pt 1
  • Mother Mother - Grief Chapter
  • Nadine Shah - Filthy Underneath
  • * Nouvelle Vague - Should I Stay or Should I Go?
  • The Obsessed - Gilded Sorrow
  • Omni - Souvenir
  • The Once - Out Here
  • Paloma Faith - The Glorification of Sadness
  • Philip Sayce - The Wolves Are Coming
  • The Pineapple Thief - It Leads to This
  • Pouty - Forgot About Me 
  • Pylon Reenactment Society - Magnet Factory
  • Real Estate - Daniel
  • Rod Stewart and Jools Holland - Swing Fever
  • Royel Otis - Pratts and Pain
  • San Fermin - Arms
  • Serpentwithfeet - Grip
  • Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - Sleepytime Gorilla Museum of the Last Human Being
  • The Snuts - Millennials
  • Sonic Youth -  Walls Have Ears
  • Steve Hackett - The Circus and the Nightwhale
  • The Strumbellas - Part Time Believer
  • Tinlicker - Cold Enough for Snow
  • Usher - Coming Home
  • Vera Sola -  Peacemaker
  • Vijay Iyer Trio - Compassion
  • William Doyle - Springs Eternal
  • Zara Larsson - Venus

MARCH

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  • Another Sky - Beach Day
  • The Bevis Frond - Focus on Nature
  • Big Big Train - The Likes of Us
  • Bleachers - Bleachers
  • Bolis Pupul - Letter to Yu
  • Brittany Davis - Image Issues
  • Bruce Dickinson - The Mandrake Project
  • Chastity Belt - Live Laugh Love
  • Chuck Strangers - A Forsaken Lover’s Plea
  • Coco - 2
  • David Reece - Baptized by Fire
  • Deadman - Genealogie der morale
  • Dion - Girl Friends
  • DragonForce - Warp Speed Warriors
  • Ed Harcourt - El Magnifico
  • * Everything Everything - Mountainhead
  • Gossip - Real Power
  • The High Llamas - Hey Panda
  • Jahari Massamba Unit (Madlib and Karriem Riggins) - YHWH Is Love
  • The Jesus and Mary Chain - Glasgow Eyes
  • Judas Priest - Invincible Shield
  • Kahil El’Zabar & Ethnic Heritage Ensemble -  Open Me, a Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit
  • Kaiser Chiefs - Kaiser Chiefs' Easy Eighth Album
  • Kita Alexander - Young in Love
  • Lauran Hibberd - girlfriend material
  • * Lenny Kravitz - Blue Electric Light
  • The Libertines - All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade
  • Mannequin Pussy - I Got Heaven
  • Master Peace - How To Make A Master Peace
  • Meatbodies - Flora Ocean Tiger Bloom
  • Mildlife - Chorus
  • Ministry - Hopiumforthemasses
  • New Years Day - Half Black Heart
  • Odetta Hartman - Swansongs
  • Paula Cole - Lo
  • Peter Garrett - The True North
  • Rage - Afterlifelines
  • Rhodes - Un-finished
  • Ricki-Lee - On My Own
  • Saint Saviour - Sunseeker
  • San Cisco - Under the Light
  • Sarah Shook & the Disarmers - Revelations
  • Scott Stapp - Higher Power
  • Sheer Mag - Playing Favorites
  • Sheryl Crow - Evolution
  • Sonata Arctica - Clear Cold Beyond
  • Starsailor - Where the Wild Things Grow
  • The Staves - All Now
  • Sultan & Shepard - Endless, Dawn
  • Sum 41 - Heaven :x: Hell
  • * Tyla - Tyla
  • The Veronicas - Gothic Summer
  • While She Sleeps - Self Hell
  • Yard Act - Where's My Utopia?

APRIL

  • Blacktop Mojo - Pollen
  • Bob Vylan - Humble as the Sun
  • Cock Sparrer - Hand in Heart
  • Feeder - Black/Red
  • Hawkwind - Stories from Time and Space
  • Jebediah - Oiks
  • Novelbright - Circus
  • The Rifles - Love Your Neighbour
  • Riot V - Mean Streets
  • Still Corners - Dream Talk

MAY

  • GIRLI - Matriarchy
  • Momoiro Clover Z - Hydra
  • Satyricon - TBC

JUNE

  • Sea Girls - Midnight Butterflies

TBC / Release Dates and Titles Still To Be Announced / Confirmed

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  • Adrianne Lenker - TBA
  • Alec Benjamin - TBA
  • Ariana Grande - TBA
  • Anitta - Funk Generation
  • * Azealia Banks - Fantasea II: The Second Wave
  • Backxwash - Black Sailor Moon 2
  • * Bat for Lashes - The Dream Of Delphi
  • Becky Hill - TBA
  • Blossoms - TBA
  • Boeckner - TBA
  • Brad Paisley - Son of the Mountains
  • * Brandon Flowers - TBA
  • Bring Me the Horizon - Post Human : Nex Gen
  • Broadcast - Spell Blanket : Collected Demos 2006–2009
  • Cardi B - TBA
  • Chance the Rapper - Star Line Gallery
  • Chevelle - TBA
  • Coldplay - Moon Music
  • * The Cure - Songs Of A Lost World
  • Deap Vally - Sistrionix 2.0
  • Deicide - Banished by Sin
  • Delta Heavy - Midnight Forever
  • The Distillers - TBA
  • Diddy - No Way Out 2
  • * Dua Lipa - TBA
  • Eartheater - Aftermath
  • Elbow - TBA
  • Exodus- TBA
  • Fear Factory - TBA
  • Gallagher/Squire - TBA
  • * Grimes - BOOK 1
  • GZA - Dark Matter
  • High on Fire - TBA
  • * J Balvin and Ed Sheeran - TBA
  • Janet Jackson - Black Diamond
  • Justice - TBA
  • Justin Timberlake - TBA
  • KMD - Crack In Time
  • * Kasabian - Happening
  • Katy Perry - TBA
  • Kid Cudi - TBA
  • Korn - TBA
  • Laura Jane Grace - TBA
  • Liam Payne - TBA
  • Lorde - TBA
  • Ludacris - TBA
  • MC5 - TBA
  • Maxwell - blacksummers’NIGHT
  • Miguel - Viscera
  • Mike Will Made It - Michael
  • Morrissey - Bonfire Of Teenagers
  • My Bloody Valentine - TBA
  • Nails - TBA
  • Nasty Savage - TBA
  • Neon Indian - TBA
  • * Nero - Into the Unknown
  • Nightwish - TBA
  • Onslaught - TBA
  • Orlando Weeks - TBA
  • Pallbearer - TBA
  • Phantom Planet - TBA
  • Radical Redemption - The Collabs
  • Radical Redemption - The Orchestra of Eternity
  • * Rihanna - R9
  • Sacred Reich - TBA
  • Sam Fender - TBA
  • * Sia - Reasonable Woman
  • Showtek - TBA
  • * Sky Ferreira - Masochism
  • Snoop Dogg - Missionary
  • Sugababes  - TBA
  • Testament - TBA
  • Toadies - TBA
  • Tones and I - TBA
  • Travis Barker - TBA
  • Urban Heat - TBA
  • The Veronicas - GOTHIC SUMMER
  • W.A.S.P. - TBA
  • Zack de la Rocha - TBA
Stefan Karlsson
Posted by Stefan Karlsson
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