Kick out the mid-year blues with a selection of up-beat albums this quarter with new releases from Ariana Grande, Suede and the Welsh wizards of rock Bullet for My Valentine. The gig scene is teeming and includes performances by the master of political commentary Bob Dylan along with Ireland’s Boyzone as well as an array of fabulous festivals.
Bullet for My Valentine: Gravity
Release Date: 15th July 2018 (pre-order 29th June)
Hotly tipped to be Bullet for My Valentine’s most successful commercial release to-date and its sixth studio album, Gravity has already spawned the single Over It which reaffirms the Welsh rockers heavy metal credentials as one of Britain’s finest contemporary rock bands. In a dramatic shift from the 2015 album Venom, the band returns to the simpler riffs and driving baselines of its early music featuring a more alternative metal sound rather than the metalcore of its last release. Bullet for My Valentine is currently on a massive world tour.
Ariana Grande: Sweetener
Release Date: 20th July 2018
One of America’s finest pop artists, since Ariana Grande released her new single No Tears Left to Cry and announced a forthcoming album, Sweetener, fans have been clamouring for more details, something she has, inadvertently or not, let slip on TV and social media. Sweetener, her fourth studio album promises to define an already exciting career and Grande’s manager, Scooter Braun, promises a more mature sound that makes use of her vocal range and power. For a taster of what to expect check out the impressive new single.
Suede: The Blue Hour
Release Date: 21st September 2018
The Blue Hour is Britpop pioneers Suede’s eighth studio album. Produced by the legendary Alan Moulder, it’s the third and final part of an album trilogy that has included Bloodsports and Night Thoughts. The Blue Hour promises to take the band in a new direction with the critically acclaimed band’s singer Brett Anderson saying of the album, “This is a very complicated record… it’s quite a journey. There are a lot of elements that we haven’t used before, like a choir and more spoken word and dialogue.”
