New Year, New Music: Our Most Anticipated Albums of 2024

With the arrival of the New Year comes new music to look forward to. At Bowers & Wilkins, we’ve spent the last 12 months celebrating the excellent releases from ground-breaking artists such as James Blake, Loyle Carner, Young Fathers, Jessie Ware, Ezra Collective and others, but we can’t help geeking out over a number of upcoming records that we can’t wait to hear.

2024 is already shaping up to be a fantastic year for music, judging from the announcements made by labels and artists thus far. So, we thought we’d celebrate by rounding up our most anticipated releases of the following year, not only to help put new music on your radar but to shout about what we’re looking forward to the most.

When it comes to enjoying a new album, there’s no better way to listen than on a pair of Bowers & Wilkins headphones or loudspeakers – or one of our wireless speakers if you like effortlessly connected musical streaming. Our Px8 and Px7 S2e wireless headphones are perfect for revealing the True Sound of every performance, even on the go. But, for those of you who like to settle down on your favourite sofa, our loudspeakers and wireless speakers deliver all that precision and clarity your future favourite music deserves.

Without further ado, delve into our list of some of our most anticipated albums of 2024 below – and don’t forget to hit play on our carefully curated playlist, which features music from the upcoming albums.

Deezer

Qobuz

Spotify

TIDAL

Eartheater – Aftermath (TBC)

Back in August of 2023, Alexandra Drewchin, aka Eartheater, announced two new albums: Powders, which was released in September, and Aftermath, which is planned for arrival in 2024. The American multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer and vocalist is championed for her fusion of Dance music, Folk music, Trip-Hop and Pop and judging from her excellent Powders, we can expect more of the same on Aftermath. The upcoming album from Eartheater was produced in Hollywood’s Sunset Sound studio and will be released via the Chemical X imprint.

Ghetts - On Purpose With Purpose (TBC)

UK rapper Ghetts recently announced his forthcoming album, On Purpose With Purpose, via a cryptic post on his Instagram. Set to drop in January 2024, the new record follows his 2021 album, Conflict Of Interest, which featured a legendary line-up of London’s finest MCs, including Skepta, Stormzy, Wretch 32 and others. To accompany the announcement, Ghetts shared a sneak peek of the album’s artwork in all its spraypainted glory. For fans of UK Hip-Hop, Rap, Grime and Drill, On Purpose With Purpose will undoubtedly be on repeat for the duration of 2024 and beyond.

Idles - Tangk (February)

Bristol legends Idles are back in 2024 with their fifth long-player in seven years and their first since 2021’s Crawler. According to singer Joe Talbot, Tangk is an album more about love than anger – and as fans of their previous work will know, there’s been a lot of anger in the past. Going on the evidence of the sensational lead single “Dancer”, Tangk promises all that and more. Chunky guitars, driving beats and lots and lots of clever, incredibly knowing words. The world tour to accompany the album should also be something to see.

Kelela - Rave:N, the Remixes (TBC)

Kelela’s excellent album Raven was an essential feature on our round-up of favourite albums for 2023 – so it makes sense that we’re just as excited to check out the remix album arriving in 2024. The remix album, as the name suggests, will feature a collection of reworked tracks from the artist's latest offering. In the lead-up to the record’s release, Kelela has shared one of the remixes for your listening pleasure. This comes in the form of Karen Nyame KG’s remix of her track “Contact”. It’s a groovy slow jam which pivots around Kelela’s ethereal vocals and a deep blend of spacey pads and rolling drums. If anything, after listening to the “Contact” remix on the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin and experiencing all those warm, beautiful sounds, this initial taster has only made us more excited to hear the rest.

Nadine Shah - Filthy Underneath (February)

After a four-year break that saw the incredible Nadine Shah take a diversion into stage acting, the former Jazz singer and friend of Amy Winehouse is back with her fifth album, Filthy Inside. At the time of writing, Shah has pre-released two tracks on streaming services, the incendiary “Topless Mother” and the shuffling, more introverted “Twenty Things”. Both these tracks showcase her exceptionally theatrical vocal delivery and surgically insightful lyric writing – delivered with clarity and soulful beauty when we listened on the Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2 earbuds. On the evidence of these two tracks, Shah could well be looking at another Mercury Prize nomination, following on the one she received for 2018’s sensational Holiday Destination.

serpentwithfeet - GRIP (February)

GRIP is the forthcoming third studio album from the Baltimore, Maryland-born singer-songwriter serpentwithfeet. Slated for release via Strictly Canadian on February 14th, 2024, GRIP is an ode to the Black gay clubs that welcomed and nurtured the artist, focusing on the intimate moments that take place on the dancefloor – and afterwards. The new 10-track record features Ty Dolla $ign, Yanga YaYa, Mick Jenkins and Orion Sun and will undoubtedly deliver club-ready cuts wrapped in serpentwithfeet’s enchanting hallmarks. GRIP follows the LA-based artist’s excellent album DEACON, which was released back in 2021. 

The Libertines - All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade (March)

People often say that the best things in life are worth waiting for. That could well be the case with All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade, the first new studio album from The Libertines in nine years. But the lads are back, and in sparkling form on the evidence of their recent small club live shows and the two singles already released from All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade. “Run Run Run” is the Libertines as you know and love them, all youthful exuberance (yes, we know they aren’t as youthful anymore, but they sound it) and swirling guitars. “Night of The Hunter” is more laid back, with acoustic guitar and an Ennio Morricone-inspired string section adding depth and creating a wide-open soundstage when listened to on a Zeppelin.

The Smile - Wall of Eyes (January)

It seems odd to say that The Smile came out of nowhere in 2022, when two of the three members are also the key creative driving force behind Radiohead in the form of Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood. But the prog-inspired trio’s debut – completed by the wonderful Tom Skinner of, among others, Sons Of Kemet, on drums – A Light For Attracting Attention blew us and many album-of-the-year judges away. Wall of Eyes is a surprisingly fast follow considering the length of time between your average Radiohead album and listening to the two tracks released at the time of writing, “Bending Hectic” sounds sensational on our Px8 headphones. It fills us with hope that Wall of Eyes may even surpass their debut.

Thundercat - Apocalypse (Ten Year Anniversary Edition) (March)

After a decade of enjoying Thundercat’s 2013 album, Apocalypse, a very special deluxe edition of the record is set to be released in March 2024. The multi-GRAMMY award-winning bass virtuoso and singer will share two previously unreleased tracks on the reissue, which features a special rainbow holographic artwork complete with an x-ray-style skull print. The Ten Year Anniversary Edition of Apocalypse will, of course, include the classics: “Heartbreaks + Setbacks”, “Oh Sheit It’s X”, “Tron Song”, “Lotus and the Jondy” and others. If, like us, you love Thundercat, be sure to get your hands on this limited run of special edition LPs via the Brainfeeder Bandcamp. The original cut of the album hit all the right spots for us when experienced on the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 headphones, and we’re sure the re-release will do the same.

Yard Act - Where’s My Utopia (March)

Excitingly, Leeds finest are coming back with their second album, Where’s My Utopia, and on the evidence of the single “Dream Job”, we can expect more of the same spikiness, albeit with a subtle twist. Because while James Smith’s vocals are instantly recognisable, the backbeat has moved away from by-the-numbers (albeit excellent) Indie to a much more danceable pattern – as was also evident on the wonderful in-between album track “The Trench Coat Museum”. The track “Petroleum” sounded amazing when we listened to it on a Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin, full, rich and chock full of detail, and we can’t wait to hear the rest.

These are only the albums we know about, and they will be released in the first part of the year. There are also albums in the works from an exciting array of artists, from Philip Glass to the Sugababes, Cardi B, Chance The Rapper and Fear Factory, Korn and the wonderful Dua Lipa. So, whatever your taste in music, 2024 looks like it’s shaping up to be a fantastic year, and based on listening to the selection of tracks in our playlist on a variety of different Bowers & Wilkins products, it’s going to be a great sounding year as well.