Seven Upcoming Albums to Get Excited For in January

Happy New Year! It’s a brand new year with a lot to look forward to musically. January alone will see some highly anticipated albums come out from some amazingly talented artists.

Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s top music outlet, wants to help you get excited for new music in 2017. That is why we’ve selected seven albums coming out in January that we think will be worth a listen.

1.       Dropkick Murphys, ‘11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory’: This is the ninth studio album for the Celtic punk band from Boston, who last released an album, ‘Signed and Sealed in Blood,’ in 2013. ‘Short Stories’ was heavily inspired by their work in supporting those with drug addictions seeking recovery, as well as personal stories of addiction and loss. From the three singles the band released last year, their sound seems more honed in and their content more personal. It will be interesting to hear where the rest of the album goes. (1/6)

2.       Halestorm, ‘ReAniMate 3.0’: One of the hottest metal bands of the last five years, Halestorm will be releasing their third covers EP this year. The band will be taking on some classic metal songs from Metallica and Whitesnake, as well as rockers from Joan Jett, Soundgarden and Twenty One Pilots. The most interesting cover here might be of Sophie B. Hawkins’ “Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover” though, as it is the only song on the track list that isn’t a rock song. (1/6)

3.       The Flaming Lips, ‘Oczy Mlody’: The Flaming Lips have been working for nearly a year on ‘Oczy Mlody,’ finally releasing a few singles from the album about a month ago. From the singles, the album sounds like it might be a little “out there,” but that is okay. What other kind of creativity would you expect from The Flaming Lips anyway. (1/13)

4.       The xx, ‘I See You’: Many music critics, ourselves included, named “On Hold” as one of the best songs released in 2016. Because of this, the band’s upcoming third album, ‘I See You,’ their first in nearly five years, there are high expectations for the entire album. The band released a second single, ‘Say Something Loving,’ earlier this week, which continues in the new sonic direction “On Hold” led the way with. (1/13)

5.       AFI, ‘AFI’: AFI have been teasing the release of their new album since October, but the wait is almost over. The band’s self-titled tenth studio album, also known as “The Blood Album,” will be coming later this month. It is their first release in nearly four years and, if the first single “White Offerings” is any indication, the album will be less about hooks and more about energy. The band has come a long way in their more than 20 years together and it will be interesting to see where they go from here. (1/20)

6.       Bell Biv DeVoe, ‘Three Stripes’: New Edition offshoot Bell Biv DeVoe, best known for their 1990 single “Poison,” has not released an album together since 2001, making the release of ‘Three Stripes’ later this month that much more exciting. The new jack swing trio released a video for the album’s first single, “Run,” in September and it doesn’t sound any time has passed at all. They still have the same sweet harmonies that got people hooked on them all those years ago. (1/27)

7.       Cloud Nothings, ‘Life Without Sound’: Indie-rockers Cloud Nothings are one of the most talked about bands of the last seven years and for good reason. The band’s sound is tight and their songs are easy to grasp onto. That is why the anticipation for their fifth studio album, ‘Life Without Sound,’ is so great. The band has already released one stellar single from the album, “Modern Act,” with an unforgettable music video, and the world needs more. (1/27)

From rock to R&B, these are the albums we are excitedly looking forward to in January. With all these highly anticipated albums coming out this month alone, it looks like 2017 is gearing up to be a great year in music.

Find music from many of these artists and more at Vinyl Bay 777 and vinylbay777.com, the top new independent record shop on Long Island. Shop in store and online for new and used vinyl, CDs, cassettes, DVD, memorabilia and more. We have thousands of titles to choose from with new ones being added all the time.