Charli XCX returns (and 25 more albums we can't wait to hear in March)

Punxsutawney Phil may have seen his shadow this year, meaning we’re not out of the winter yet, but fear not: There are plenty of new albums waiting to usher in an early spring. From Charli XCX’s latest to ebullient records from Stromae and Drug Church, these upbeat sounds will score your fantasies of warmer weather and longer days. But hey, if you’re more of the dark-and-broody variety, there’s no shortage of material there, either: The Weather Station, Blanck Mass, and more are all back with new releases. And did we mention the album of unreleased Sonic Youth music? Yeah, it’s gonna be a decent month.

In the six years since their last album, Why Are You OK, Band Of Horses experienced a lineup shuffle; most notably, longtime guitarist Tyler Ramsey and bassist Bill Reynolds are no longer in the band. Things Are Great finds vocalist/band leader Ben Bridwell soldiering on: He produced (or co-produced) every song on the album thanks to assists from Grandaddy’s Jason Lytle and noted producer Dave Fridmann. The results are quintessential Band Of Horses, landing somewhere between barnstorming Americana and yearning indie rock. [Annie Zaleski]

The A.V. Club has been swooning over KAINA’s distinctive blend of jazzy, kaleidoscopic soul-pop since even before her excellent 2019 debut LP Next To The Sun. (She was all set to play before the world shut down.) The first-generation Latinx musician has leveled up for her sophomore release, with an ambitious integration of new sounds and styles, as well as guest appearances from Sleater-Kinney, Helado Negro, and more. Twin Peaks’ Bang Bang Bar should be so lucky as to book her. [Alex McLevy]

It’s been eight long years since Letting Up Despite Great Faults delivered its last album full of shimmering, gauzy dream-pop. It seems the intervening time has sparked a newfound intensity in the Austin four-piece, as IV features a more uptempo brand of shoegaze threaded into the group’s lovely, rich wall of sound. There’s some notable touchstones this time around, with everything from Jesus & Mary Chain to Imperial Teen able to be heard in the group’s engaging mix, but the results remain very much their own. [Alex McLevy]

The particular version of pop-rock practiced by Nilüfer Yanya feels like some secret recipe, one that takes shopworn ideas and styles (throbbing 20th-century electro-pop, mid-90s alt-rock, contemporary soul-pop) and infuses them with such idiosyncratic passion that they sound brand new. The London musician follows up her 2019 debut with Painless, 12 tracks that showcase the breadth and scope of her talents. Lead single “Stabilise” highlights the genre-mashing tactics that make her music such a refreshing tonic, with its restrained, Radiohead-like verses trading spots with the cathartic, hook-filled choruses. [Alex McLevy]

We’ve already for the return of Stromae, the Belgian dance-pop musician who waited nine long years to drop another LP, the follow-up to 2013’s excellent Racine Carrée. Thus far, the results have been superlative, with singles like “Santé” instantly reminding listeners of his knack for crafting hook-filled tracks with dancefloor entreaties in their very DNA. If the rest of the album follows suit, it should make even those who don’t know French want to find out what he’s saying. [Alex McLevy]

Following its set at 2021’s Pitchfork Music Festival, The Weather Station quickly topped many lists of “Bands to watch.” Though we’ve only been given a little taste of what’s to come with the fifth studio album, “Endless Time” is a tender, delicate piano ballad that encompasses the raw emotionality the group is capable of. The pared-down song differs greatly from what we heard on the more upbeat and instrumentally stacked , but it’s a welcome change. [Gabrielle Sanchez]

No discussion of the Griselda crew can be considered legit unless Benny The Butcher’s stellar run of solo releases over the past few years is mentioned as a highlight. Both entries of , as well as his superlative Tana Talk records (to say nothing of Burden Of Proof or the group album WWCD), are demonstration enough of his singular abilities. So why should we expect anything less than greatness from the fourth installment of his long-running series? Lead single “Johnny P’s Caddy” (featuring J. Cole) certainly makes the case for never doubting such a redoubtable MC. [Alex McLevy]

How you describe Drug Church can vary wildly depending on which song you’re currently hearing—or even which part of a song you’re hearing. Is it hardcore that refuses ideological purity? Punk rock that can’t help going pop? Pixies-esque indie rock that occasionally falls headfirst into metal? The answer to all of the above is yes. Yes, and more. There may be better albums released in 2022, but very few will cover quite as many rock ’n’ roll bases as Hygiene. [Alex McLevy]

Whether you first discovered Fly Anakin’s inimitable flow on a rare solo release or one of the seemingly countless collaborations he’s put together in the past seven years (25 and counting!), the Virginia rapper is continually reinventing himself and diving headfirst into different genres. Still, no matter the music backing him, Anakin manages to string together syllables in ways that can beggar belief; if you have yet to experience his verbal dexterity, check out single “Black Be The Source,” which starts off sounding like it’s going to be a more conventional verse from the MC—right before he blows the doors off the place. [Alex McLevy]

It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly 20 years since the emergence of Franz Ferdinand’s “Take Me Out,” a jolt of cheeky post-punk energy that embodied the mid-’00s dance-rock resurgence. The irreverently named greatest hits collection, Hits To The Head, naturally includes that single, along with more than a dozen other songs that make a good case for the Scottish band’s clever greatness. As a bonus, Hits To The Head also boasts two new songs co-produced by electro-pop wizard Stuart Price, including the sleek, disco-kissed “Curious.” [Annie Zaleski]

There’s an engagingly retro quality to Glacier Veins’ anthemic indie rock, as though the group came here straight from 1995—with pit stops at Paramore and Best Coast’s practice rooms. Pealing, distorted guitars, driving rhythms, and sonorous, clear-as-a-bell vocals from singer Malia Endres all combine to make music that reminds you of every hook-filled indie-rock band that’s ever won you over. No one’s reinventing the wheel here, but damned if they don’t make a terrific noise. [Alex McLevy]

Perennial A.V. Club favorite Jenny Hval is back again. While her last release, , was a much more experimental and improvised affair, here the ever-restless musician is doing her version of a pop album. Don’t be fooled by that term into thinking this is some glossy refab record to be played alongside Ariana Grande or Dua Lipa; this is Hval we’re talking about, so “pop” is grading on quite a curve. But still, one listen to single “Jupiter” lets you know this is some of the most accessible music of the artist’s career. We’re already hooked. [Alex McLevy]

After delivering an impressively improvised version of during lockdown, The Districts are back with a new album, Great American Painting, and a chance to finally tour and deliver the real live iteration of their hook-filled indie pop-rock. While there are sounds from across the pond mixed into the fray, from Britpop and Echo & The Bunnymen-style grooves, the results are distinctly American, with lyrics touching on everything from inner turmoil to the senselessness of our country’s gun violence problem. It’s a dance party for all seasons, in other words. [Alex McLevy]

Blanck Mass’ last album, 2021’s , was a complex work of heady brilliance, Benjamin John Power’s experimental electronic music functioning as the anti-easy listening, as we dubbed it. Now, he’s turning his attention to a soundtrack, providing the score for the indie film Ted K, about the Unabomber himself, Ted Kasczinski. As might be expected, it’s dark stuff, ideally suited to Power’s challenging, throbbing instrumentals. [Alex McLevy]

With the release of her single “Good Ones,” let everyone know that she’s in her big, bold, pop era, calling to influences such as Madonna and Lady Gaga while still staying true to her tendency to push on the edges of the genre. While she had her mainstream pop moment with “I Love It” way back in 2012, CRASH feels different, as she leads the sound with greater ambition and control. Although she’s moving away from the hyper-pop production of how i’m feeling now, she’s still sticking with her tendency to bring in many collaborators, thus far including Rina Sawayama, Caroline Polachek, and Christine And The Queens. [Gabrielle Sanchez]

By now, Spanish superstar Rosalía might be the closest thing to a contemporary version of Madonna that there is—an artist who bends the sound of the mainstream to their will by adopting and incorporating a dizzying array of influences, transforming the pop landscape in the process. Just as her debut album El Mal Querer cleverly married flamenco to pop, the musician’s new record, MOTOMAMI, is reputed to be even more experimental and ambitious in its sonic palette, with single “SAOKO” demonstrating a reggaeton influence. [Alex McLevy]

Chances are good we’re not going to see a Sonic Youth reunion anytime soon, although the individual band members are certainly still producing excellent, boundary-shifting work. In/Out/In, a collection of unreleased material spanning the years 2000-2010, underscores this hunger for experimentation while serving as a neat bow on the band’s final era. Of note is the circa-2000 “Out & In”—which illustrates the mighty impact of Jim O’Rourke—and the nearly 10-minute opener “Basement Contender,” a sprawling, tranquil jam recorded at Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore’s Northampton abode. [Annie Zaleski]

It sounds just strange enough to be plausible, coming as it does from oddball Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo: The band is supposedly planning to release four albums over the next year, one for each season, on the first day of each season, for a four-volume project entitled (what else) SZNS. It kicks off with Spring, which (again, theoretically, as there’s still not much to back this up) would then come out March 20. Given that albums in the U.S. typically come out of Fridays, we’ll see if this date moves—or the project even happens. [Alex McLevy]

Before his death in 2016, Tribe Called Quest member Phife Dawg, a.k.a. Malik Taylor, had been painstakingly putting together this solo release; after his passing, longtime collaborator Dion Liverpool finished the job. With one of the more distinctive voices in hip-hop, Phife’s posthumous record is an obvious necessary listen for fans of his famed rap group, aficionados of classic boom-bap, or anyone curious to hear the final music of such an influential M.C. [Alex McLevy]

Camp Cope established themselves as one of the most thoughtful and uncompromising bands around with 2018’s How To Socialise And Make Friends. After four years, the Melbourne, Australia, trio return with Running With The Hurricane, yet another collection of indie rock that defies categorization. Songs dabble in dusky Americana, stormy ’90s rock throwbacks, and even pristine, Cure-like ballads. At the heart of the album are Georgia Maq’s conspiratorial vocals and open-hearted lyrics, which (as always) never shy away from saying the quiet parts out loud. [Annie Zaleski]

It’s a formula of which most of us are either immediately ready to jump on the wavelength, or else let it pass on by. But for those who appreciate the well-honed craft of contemporary punk rock—specifically, the modern post-hardcore fusion of emo and punk with inflections of shoegaze and power-pop—Carly Cosgrove has got you covered. See You In Chemistry offers all the facets of the group’s sound, in one hook-filled, hard-charging package. [Alex McLevy]

If you’re one of the many who got excited at the news that Canadian punk maestros Fucked Up would be touring with a start-to-finish performance of the group’s high-water mark album,  (The A.V. Club’s second-best album of 2011), then this news should similarly hearten you: Do All Words Can Do is a nine-song compilation of B-sides and rarities from the David era of fist-in-the-air anthems and Polaris Prize nominations. Yep, it should be fucking good. [Alex McLevy]

Sometimes smooth, sometimes abrasive, but never predictable, longtime electronic art-pop trio Guerrilla Toss have lost none of its mercurial sound in the transition to new label Sub Pop. Famously Alive blends minimalist Euro-funk, Stereolab-esque grooves, and acid-trip arena rock in equal measure, sometimes in the span of a single song. Lead single “Cannibal Capital” hints at the group’s penchant for hard-charging genre shredders, sounding as it does like an angry glam-rock guitarist stumbled into the contest song from Revenge of The Nerds. Lots of pop acts claim to be “pushing boundaries”; Guerrilla Toss is the rare outfit that actually does. [Alex McLevy]

Maren Morris has been committed to reshaping the boundaries of modern country music dating all the way back to her early singles, such as 2016’s “’80s Mercedes.” Her third album, Humble Quest, offers more of the same panoramic vision: It’s a collection equally inspired by rootsy rock and soul-pop balladry that nods to tradition without being beholden to the past. Highlights include the soul-searching lead single “Circles Around This Town,” an earworm produced by pop maven Greg Kurstin. [Annie Zaleski]

Nearly nine years after the release of 2013’s Loud Like Love, UK electro-glam mood merchants Placebo are back with another stark, menacing collection. There’s a claustrophobic and dystopian bent to some of the music—unsurprising, given song titles such as “Surrounded Like Spies” and “Chemtrails.” However, in the spirit of band hero David Bowie, Placebo pairs pointed critiques with rich, atmospheric textures and vocalist Brian Molko’s world-weary vocal melancholy. [Annie Zaleski]

When we last heard from adventurous emo-pop artist Talker (a.k.a. Celeste Taucher), she was for our pandemic-born House Shows series. But with her latest EP, In Awe Of Insignificance, the artist has created a sort of sampler platter of her greatest strengths, from cynically playful upbeat numbers to stomping midtempo rockers to thrumming, heartrending electro-pop. It’s an ideal introduction to the exciting musician for anyone who has yet to discover what a compelling songwriter she is. [Alex McLevy]