August is aflame with hot releases across genres. From Lainey Wilson's country 'Whirlwind' and dance duo Sofi Tukker's ecstatic 'BREAD' to Tinashe's highly anticipated 'Quantum Baby,' your summer playlist will be lit.
"Article published in Grammy.com . Author: Tássia Assis."
August 2024 comes with five Fridays and five weeks of piping hot new music releases. And if July was busy, the upcoming month puts it to task with a sundry of albums for every genre, generation, and gusto.
Kicking off August, R&B star Khalid releases Sincere, while masked country singer Orville Peck will release his first duets album, Stampede. The following week, Aug. 9 heralds the third LP from Filipino British singer beabadoobee, This Is How Tomorrow Moves.
By mid-August, new releases from Foster The People, Nikka Costa, Post Malone and Tinashe will drop, as well as the debut of KATSEYE — a multinational girl group formed by K-pop label HYBE in partnership with Geffen Records. A week later, all eyes and ears will turn to Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet, Lainey Wilson’s Whirlwind, Thomas Rhett’s About A Woman, and Fontaines D.C.’s Romance.
Just before September arrives, Laurie Anderson will release her tribute to aviator Amelia Earhart, Amelia, and A$AP Rocky will make a long-awaited return with Don’t Be Dumb.
To fill up your upcoming weekends with fresh music, GRAMMY.com crafted a list with 13 remarkable new albums coming out August 2024.
Los Lonely Boys — 'Resurrection' (Aug. 2)
After more than a decade away from the studios, Texican rock trio Los Lonely Boys are ready for their Resurrection. The 10-track LP was recorded at guitarist Henry Garza’s home studio in St. Angelo, Texas and in El Paso’s Sonic Ranch (Fiona Apple, Bon Iver).
On lead singles "Wish You Would" and "See Your Face," Los Lonely Boys prove that the wait was worth it, as they experiment with their signature sound for a deeper, more mature output. Resurrection aims to rekindle "the sonic fire that bonds the Los Lonely Boys brotherhood," while also paying respects to Texas legends like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Freddy Fender, per a press release.
"It’s something we think people need to hear — especially the youth," said bassist Jojo Garza. "When we’re young, we think we have it figured out. When you get older, you start to see things differently. Having kids of our own, we see their ambitions and ideas of what they want to be, so we want to be good parents. The message is, ‘Be careful what you wish for. There could be a false light, and we don’t want you to get hurt.’"
Los Lonely Boys are also celebrating the 20th anniversary of their self-titled debut, and the commemorations will be extended to a lengthy North American tour. Starting in August and running until November, the shows will also feature long time peers Los Lobos.
Khalid — 'Sincere' (Aug. 2)
Five years after the release of Free Spirit, R&B singer/songwriter Khalid is back with his third full length. Per a press release, Sincere is a "combination of my life experiences" that explores the pains and joys of growing up. Khalid noted that "it takes inspiration from conversations that I have had with my fans, supporters, and the people that love me."
"When I listen back to this project, I hear a sound that’s so unique and represents me at my best," he added. "This album is me at 26, continuing to evolve with the knowledge that I have garnered throughout the years." Previewed by singles "Please Don’t Fall In Love With Me," "Adore U," and "Ground (Cotton Candy Skies)," Sincere is a 16-track collection that, most of all, showcases Khalid’s maturing.
"This all feels like the biggest reset for me," he shared on Instagram. "I feel so reminiscent to how I did when I first started my career 8 years ago. I can’t wait for all of you to experience the album."
Orville Peck — 'Stampede' (Aug. 2)
Groundbreaking country singer Orville Peck is about to surprise his audience once again. Following 2022’s Bronco, Stampede — his first duet album, and third overall — spans 15 tracks with collaborations from Elton John, Willie Nelson, Beck, Kylie Minogue, Diplo, and more.
Back in May, Peck teased the project with EP Stampede Vol. 1, featuring songs with Noah Cyrus, Midland, and others. "This project has always been something I’ve fantasized about, so to see it finally come to fruition really is a dream come true," said the South African masked star in a press release.
Among a busy schedule, Peck also announced that his 6th annual Rodeo will happen on Aug. 23, 24 and 25 in Nashville. It will be headlined by himself and Tanya Tucker, and will feature sets from Medium Build, Reyna Roberts, and more. The Stampede North American tour is underway through October.
Beabadoobee — 'This Is How Tomorrow Moves' (Aug. 9)
Filipino-British singer beabadoobee — also known as Beatrice Laus — is so excited about her upcoming third studio album that she decided to bring its release one week forward. This Is How Tomorrow Moves is now coming out on Aug. 9, via Dirty Hit.
Fronted by singles "Take a Bite," "Coming Home," and "Ever Seen," the album was produced by Rick Rubin, and features "themes of self-acceptance and personal growth," per a press release. "I think I’m more aware of my actions in these songs," said Laus. "In my previous records, I would consistently sing about my reaction towards other people’s doings, like a blame game. But in this record, it’s accepting that there’s an inevitability of my fault in there too."
To crystallize those lessons, the alt-pop star is slated to perform at a one-off acoustic show in London, on Aug. 2. Then, she will play two intimate shows in London and Coventry, and a set at All Points East UK festival. In September, Laus will begin her North American tour, following with a string of November concerts in Europe.
Post Malone — 'F-1 Trillion' (Aug. 16)
Posty has been riding high on the country wave ever since May, when he released the top-charting single "I Had Some Help" with Morgan Wallen. Followed by "Pour Me a Drink" with Blake Shelton, and more recently by "Guy For That" with Luke Combs, his shift into the Nashville scene feels not only natural, but also rewarding.
All three pre-releases are part of Malone’s sixth studio album, F-1 Trillion. The singer also collaborated with Chris Stapleton and Hardy in tracks yet to be revealed, and featured production by Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, and Hoskins. F-1 also marks the first time that the singer fully dives into country music, despite dabbling with the genre for years.
To celebrate this momentous phase, Malone will embark on a North American Tour starting September. In the company of backing band The Fools For You, he will hit cities like Boston, Atlanta, Virginia Beach, Charleston, and wrap up in Nashville in October.
Tinashe — 'Quantum Baby' (Aug. 16)
"Quantum Baby is about getting to know me on a deeper level," said Tinashe in a press release about her upcoming album. "It’s about exploring who I am as a person and who I am as an artist. I’ve never been one to be put into a box, so the name ‘Quantum Baby’ encompasses all the different parts that make up who I am as a creative."
Spearheaded by April’s viral hit "Nasty," which serves as the album’s lead single, Quantum Baby is the second installment of a trilogy that began with 2023’s BB/ANG3L. "For BB/ANG3L, I was very inspired by the concept of identity. Exploring both how I self-identify and also challenging the perceptions of others," explained Tinashe. "I’ve enjoyed stripping back layers of aesthetic fluff, smoke and mirrors, and white noise to get down to the core of myself. Who we are at a core level, when we are alone — raw and unfiltered, is what I want this album to reflect."
Second single "Getting No Sleep" reflects that forthright perspective: "Feels Friday like, different night, same vibe / Take you outside, movie scene every time / Flick me up, I’m fitted up, so pretty, no bad side / Not a dog, but it’s in me, taking shots like I’m Lindsay," she sings.
Sabrina Carpenter — 'Short n’ Sweet' (Aug. 23)
After heralding the summer of 2024 with double hits "Espresso" and "Please, Please, Please," Sabrina Carpenter will bring us Short n’ Sweet, a whole studio album to accompany its caffeinated appetizers.
Short n’ Sweet is Carpenter’s sixth LP so far, and features 12 tracks with major collaboration from top-charting producer Jack Antonoff. "This project is quite special to me and I hope it’ll be something special to you too," the singer shared on Instagram.
To seal 2024 as the year of Sabrina Carpenter, the pocket-sized star announced her first North American arena tour, starting September 23 in Columbus, Ohio and wrapping up on November 18 in Inglewood, California.
Lainey Wilson — 'Whirlwind' (Aug. 23)
"Writing and recording these 14 songs over the past couple of years has helped me stay grounded in ways you’d never believe," said Lainey Wilson on Instagram about her new LP, Whirlwind. "This album brought me back to my roots and made me feel at home during times when I couldn’t have been further away and my biggest hope is that it gives you that same sense of comfort that it has for me."
Following the 2022 GRAMMY-winning Bell Bottom Country, Wilson’s Whirlwind enlists producer Jay Joyce once again, but aims for a more organic sound by employing the singer’s touring band instead of studio musicians. Previously shared singles "Hang Tight Honey," "Country’s Cool Again," and "4x4xU" feature on the tracklist, as well as a collaboration with Miranda Lambert on "Good Horses."
Seizing the momentum, Wilson recently opened the Bell Bottoms Up bar in Nashville, and released a Hulu-exclusive documentary, Lainey Wilson: Bell Bottom Country. She is also amidst her North American tour, Country’s Cool Again.
Steve Cropper — 'Friendlytown' (Aug. 23)
Time may be tight, but is also just a number to legendary guitarist Steve Cropper. Best known as a member of Stax house band Booker T. & The M.G.’s and as a guitarist for the Blues Brothers, he’s now 82 years old — but just getting started with his solo project, Steve Cropper & the Midnight Hour.
His 2021 solo debut album, Fire It Up, was nominated for a GRAMMY award in the Best Contemporary Blues Album category, and the upcoming Friendlytown aims to follow the same steps. "If your booty is not shaking in the first two bars of this album you’re already dead in a chair," said Cropper in a press statement. "I feel so good about this batch of songs. They’re packed with radio hooks, and we have Billy Gibbons, Brian May, and Tim Montana playing on the album — it’s like guitar heaven."
Single "Too Much Stress" with Brian May teases what’s to come in Friendlytown: 13 tracks of unbridled creativity and stirring melodies that bring back your faith in humanity. As Cropper said, "when I think about my legacy, I want it to be said that I was a nice guy."
Sofi Tukker — 'BREAD' (Aug. 23)
"Be really energetic and dance." That’s the acronym behind Sofi Tukker’s upcoming BREAD, but could also be their official slogan. The electronic duo formed by Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern bring joy and irreverence to their beats, mixing English with Portuguese, EDM with favela funk, fun with elegance. Now, they come forward with a brand new recipe for their third studio album.
"BREAD is pure energy," said Hawley-Weld in a press release. "Literally, carbs. That's exactly what we want our music to do. When you put on the album, we want it to give you energy." Halpern added, "We didn't know when we wrote the song ‘Bread’ that it was going to feel like a thesis statement for the album, and we didn't know that was going to be the name of the album initially, but as we were discussing, it became clearer and clearer that what we wanted to say to the world is: the world can be dark but it's also a really fun place."
To get a hint of the BREAD vibes, tune in to singles "Hey Homie," "Spiral," and the cheeky "Throw Some Ass." Then, catch Sofi Tukker live on their world tour starting September in Oceania, North America, and Europe.
Fontaines D.C. — 'Romance' (Aug. 23)
Following their acclaimed 2022 album Skinty Fia, Irish band Fontaines D.C. are gearing up to release their fourth LP, Romance. This is the post-punk ensemble’s first album under XL Recordings, and first album with producer James Ford, but it’s said to be their "most assured, inventive, and sonically adventurous" yet, according to a press release.
"We’ve always had this sense of idealism and romance," said guitarist Conor Deegan of the upcoming record. "Each album gets further away from observing that through the lens of Ireland, as directly as [debut album] Dogrel. The second album [A Hero’s Death] is about that detachment, and the third [Skinty Fia] is about Irishness dislocated in the diaspora. Now we look to where and what else there is to be romantic about."
Romance’s 11 tracks boast many inspirations — not all of them romantic per se. Frantic lead single "Starburster," for example, was inspired by a panic attack that vocalist Grian Chatten suffered at London’s St. Pancras station. Aside from that, other references include the dystopian anime Akira, singer Shygirl, Prodigy, Sega Bodega, and more.
Fontaines D.C. will kick off a world tour starting September in the U.S. and Canada, and then head on to Europe and the UK throughout December.
Zedd — 'TELOS' (Aug. 30)
This month also marks the return of German DJ and producer Zedd, who will release his first LP in nearly a decade, TELOS. Described in a press release as a "profound listening experience," the album was crafted in hopes to create deep bonds with the audience. "I wanted everyone to be able to feel a deeper emotional connection, like how I felt listening to my favorite albums when I was growing up. It was the details, transitions and cohesiveness that made me want to create a truly meaningful body of work," said Zedd.
Lead single "Out Of Time" has been in the works since 2015, and is still one of Zedd’s favorite compositions. "I made an intro for my live show based on this chord progression, but was never able to finish it," he said. "Bea [Miller] was the missing piece of the puzzle; her voice added an emotional depth that completed the song. "Out Of Time" really encapsulates the DNA of the Telos album, which is why I chose it to be the song that introduces this new era."
Fans will be able to check out how this new era sounds live starting September, as Zedd just announced his TELOS North American tour. Starting in Los Angeles, he will play 18 shows throughout 10 cities, including Seattle, San Francisco, and Dallas.
A$AP Rocky — 'Don’t Be Dumb' (Aug. 30)
One of 2024’s most awaited releases, A$AP Rocky’s fourth LP, Don’t Be Dumb, will finally drop at the end of the month. It’s been six years since the New Yorker put out his last full effort, Testing, and several changes happened in his life since — including becoming a father to two sons with his partner, Rihanna.
In a 2023 interview for Dazed, Lord Flacko affirmed that the album feels like his "best work yet," and that he wants to "leave expectations wide and open. I don’t want to tell you what to expect. I just want people to experience it how they do naturally."
Don’t Be Dumb has been teased for a long time, and Rocky previewed three unreleased songs off it at his Rolling Loud performance in July 2023. It is also preceded by singles "S—in’ Me," "Same Problems?," and Pharrell Williams-produced "RIOT (Rowdy Pipe’n)," although there’s no confirmation if they will end up on the final tracklist.
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