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11 January 2021

Exposed Magazine

2020 proved to be a year of delayed album releases, as artists panicked about the potential shortfalls of releasing new music during a global pandemic where touring was firmly off the cards. Whilst releases picked up in the latter half with the collective realisation that we were in this for the long haul, it’s 2021 that’s truly set to put things right. 

Viagra Boys – Welfare Jazz
Set to release their second album, ‘Welfare Jazz’, in the overtures of 2021, Swedish outfit Viagra Boys provide a satisfying refresh on the repetitive machismo of the current churning post-punk scene. With some members hailing from classically trained musical backgrounds, their furious guitar music has a silver screen sheen that sets them apart from similar acts. Their first album, ‘Street Worms’, was released in 2018 to a fanfare of applause, potentially setting the band up for the mousetrap of that famously difficult second album. But judging by their latest singles, piling on top of each other in a pleasing culminative effect, they are more than up to the challenge.
Out 8th January via Swedish label YEAR0001

Lana Del Rey – Chemtrails Over the Country Club
It feels like a heartbeat since we were gifted Lana Del Rey’s last offering, the critically acclaimed ‘Norman Fucking Rockwell.’ But lockdown seems to have proven productive, and the controversial singer will be back this year with her seventh studio album, ‘Chemtrails Over the Country Club’. The lead single, ‘Let Me Love You Like a Woman’, promises all the cinematic depth and reinventions of high tragedy that Del Rey is known for, suggesting that the album will satisfy her fans – fans already frustrated at the albums twice delay, once due to the coronavirus pandemic, and once due to manufacturing issues with the vinyl. But her ambient, eros fuelled pop is sure to be the perfect antidote.
The album is due out around March through Interscope Records and Polydor Records

Goat Girl – On All Fours
Goat Girl’s 2018 debut could have been a drawn-out affair, standing as it did at twenty tracks long, but the band mastered the short and sweet two minute song. This time may be a different story; the released track list points to thirteen songs on their upcoming album, ‘On All Fours’, suggesting that there may be a little more breathing room in their raunchy, belligerent indie punk. Early announcements hint that the band’s second offering is set to shelve their confrontational edge to uncover a more personal, vulnerable outlook, and a peek into the bands’ wobbling psyches.
Out 29th January via Rough Trade Records

Willie Nelson – That’s Life
Rejoice, old souls! Willie Nelson is back with the second in his series of studio albums covering classics made famous by Frank Sinatra, ‘That’s Life.’ In 2018 he first lent his swinging country style to a selection of songs made famous by Old Blue Eyes, transforming dancehall classics into easy going pop standards and earning himself a Grammy in the process. He’s set to lend his deft touch again this year in what will be another fitting tribute from an artist Sinatra himself admired. This album will explore some of Sinatra’s lesser-known material, as well as hits such as the titular ‘That’s Life’ and ‘You Make Me Feel So Young’.
Out 26th February via Legacy Recordings

Nancy – 7 Foot Tall Post-Suicidal Feel Good Blues
Having garnered a fair following and the low rumblings of excitement with his smattering of singles and EPs in the last few years, Brighton’s genre-bending master Nancy is gearing up to release a “mini album” to kick off 2021 with. Blending psychedelia, jukebox warmth and a slick edge of mania in a warped pop haze, he has found fans in the likes of Iggy Pop, Annie Mac, and Huw Stephens. The album will feature a song based on the novella ‘Venus in Furs’ by Sacher-Masoch, the Austrian author who lends his name to masochism – and if that’s not enough to intrigue, nothing is.
Out 15th January via B3SCI Records

Tom Grennan – Evering Road
Indie icon Tom Grennan is primed to return in 2021 with his second studio album ‘Evering Road’, delighting dark fruits drinkers everywhere. He has suggested that it will be infused with gospel and soul elements, making it an upbeat record steeped in hope for the future. Married to his growling vocals, this could be a very sonically interesting album. Here’s hoping there’s some festivals for the festival favourite to play.
Out 5th March via Insanity