Arctic Monkeys. Taylor Swift. Carly Rae Jepsen. The 1975. Is it 2014 again?
Unfortunately, no.
However, 2022 has been an incredible year for music. The Lumineers, The Black Keys, Imagine Dragons, and Muse have all released new albums this year, and as approach the end of the year, this is what the industry has given us:
In October alone, there have been multiple albums released.
Through the use of Easter eggs, Swift had been hinting at an album release for quite some time, and on October 21st she delivered one of her best yet. The album Midnights, with 13 tracks and 7 additional bonus tracks released shortly thereafter, has received praise from virtually all facets of the music industry. It also boasts the highest vinyl sales week of the 21st Century and best-selling album of 2022. Swift also cleverly released the names of each track through a TikTok series titled Midnights Mayhem With Me leading up to the release of the album. It's safe to say, Taylor has made her return, not that she left anyway. Midnights has received a Metacritic Score of 85/100
*Update* - Taylor Swift has announced tour dates for her Eras Tour in 2023!
Released on the same day as the album aforementioned, the Arctic Monkeys are back with a familiar sound, which most fans of the band describe as a "sequel" of sorts to the band's previous album Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino released in 2018. The Car features 10 tracks with titles such as "Sculptures of Anything Goes" that brings a suspenseful tone to the album, whereas "Jet Skis On The Moat" brings that Jazz element from which the band mentions they drew influence. The Arctic Monkeys are not the same band they once were, but some might argue that makes them so much better. The album has received a Metacritic Score of 82/100
The 1975 have released two albums in the last two years, this being their fifth studio album. Released on October 14th, Being Funny In A Foreign Language succeeds Notes On A Conditional Form of 2020 and features tracks such as "Part of The Band" and "I'm In Love With You." El Hunt of NME noted that the band manages to create a successful album while simultaneously pushing the experimental boundaries of song-writing. The band had teased this album in the early months of 2021, but with no official dates mentioned. It has received a Metacritic Score of 82/100.
Multiple hits in October, but what's next?
The Year isn't over yet.
November and December leave us with new albums from Fitz and The Tantrums, Smashing Pumpkins, The Wombats, The Doors, Bleachers, and many more artists who have yet to determine release dates.
