5 Albums We Can't Wait To Hear in 2017

• by Melissa Bobbitt
• Dec 18, 2016

Goodbye, 2016! Not a great year for losing legends or losing elections, but boy, were we fortunate in the amount of good music bestowed upon us. But let's look ahead to 2017 and see what's in store for our speakers: Darkwave luminaries will rise again, as will Zombies on Broadway. Here are five of the albums we can't wait to hear.

Crystal Fairy

Crystal Fairy

Ipecac, Feb. 24

Supergroup doesn’t even begin to describe this new project featuring the Melvins, Le Butcherettes and At the Drive In. Superpower might be a better fit, as renowned growlers Buzz Osborne and Teri Gender Bender trade barbs with the livewire Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and drummer extraordinaire Dale Crover. Early singles “Drugs on the Bus” and “Chiseler” weave between sludgy metal and good ol’ rock ‘n’ roll, with a heavy dose of psychedelia.

Surfer Blood

Snowdonia

Joyful Noise, Feb. 3

Jangle pop goes pensive with the Florida group’s fourth album. Surfer Blood’s ranks went through intense times since 2015’s 1000 Palms. Guitarist Thomas Fekete succumbed to cancer— and the disease also infected John Paul Pitts’ mother. Snowdonia’s lead tracks, “Matter of Time” and “Six Flags in F or G,” keep the BPM up but the subjects down. The whole shebang will be an interesting study in dichotomy.

Dropkick Murphys

11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory

Self-released, Jan. 6

One of the most anthemic punk bands of the millennium are back with even more sing-along goodness. 11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory honor U.S. veterans with a softer edge than the rest of their pugnacious back catalog. Highlights include a Gerry and the Pacemakers cover and a tribute to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing. For rabble-rousers, the Dropkicks sure are standup guys.

Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness

Zombies on Broadway

Vanguard, Feb. 10

Shifting his musical allegiances from sunny Southern California to New York City, the former Jack’s Mannequin mastermind blesses us with another pristine piano-rock record. We heard the giddy “Fire Escape” back in September and were recently introduced to the indie gospel of “Walking in My Sleep.” It has the reverent timbre of a true Broadway hit, with hints of Rent and American Idiot. Zombies will likely be the fluffiest story in existence about flesh-eaters.

The Jesus and Mary Chain

Damage and Joy

ADA/Warner Music, March 24

Brothers Jim and William Reid could have raised an infant to adulthood in the amount of time it took for them to release the seventh Jesus and Mary Chain album. The dreamwave pioneers will inflict Damage and Joy upon us, with lead single “Amputation” going the route of Love and Rockets and the Dandy Warhols. It’s bubblier than we’re accustomed, but it could rival the Stone Roses’ comeback as an essential reunion record. (Lead image courtesy Warner Music.)

More of our favorite artists plotting 2017 albums: Foxygen, Granddaddy, Ty Segall, Elbow, Son Volt, Arcade Fire, Depeche Mode, Gorillaz, LCD Soundsystem and the Killers. (Release details TBD.)