4 Albums I'm Anticipating for 2018

LPs such as Father John Misty's Pure Comedy delivered breathtaking social commentary in the middle of today's significant events. Migos' Culture, BROCKHAMPTON's overload of content, and many other rap artists offered great bangers, expanding the boundaries of the genre. And album sequels like Scum Fuck Flower Boy by Tyler the Creator, and Lorde's Melodrama showcased true growth in the artists' maturity, which seemed to be an overall theme in many different 2017 projects.

These examples made 2017 the musical triumph it is, which leads to two possibilities for the new year: either the upcoming 2018 releases can be underwhelming compared to their predecessors, or the music industry will continue to blossom through its spectacular talent.

Regardless, official announcements and circulating rumors have sparked interest in me along with all other music lovers, predicting another great year of tunes.

The Voidz—???

Late last year, it was announced that the Strokes' frontman Julian Casablancas and his side project, the Voidz (previously referred to as "Julian Casablancas + the Voidz") plan to drop their sophomore record in early 2018.

Okay, I'll go ahead and say what we're all thinking: where's the new Strokes content? For God's sake, 2018 will be the band's 20th anniversary and they can't leave us hanging with Future Present Past (2016). Madness! Sheer madness!

However, through my fiery rage, I must admit I very much look forward to the Voidz's upcoming release. Their 2014 debut album, Tyranny, is a personal favorite of mine. In contrast to the Strokes's usual quick, upbeat, pop rock style, Tyranny consisted of slow, drawn-out, experimental pieces that sound like they were recorded underwater by the first prototype of the VHS player. I'm sort of into that, and from what I've heard, this album has the potential to be an excellent followup.

Bonus: You can call 1 (833) THE-VOIDZ (leave off the "Z") for a hauntingly creepy update on the upcoming project.

Rich Brian—'AMEN'

Following a prosperous 2017, Indonesian rapper Brian Immanuel started the new year off right. Not only did he publicly admit to his insensitive stage name "Rich Chigga" and change it to "Rich Brian," but he also dropped his latest single, "See Me."

Mentioned earlier, the Soundcloud-based artist blew up in around the span of two years. By 2017, Immanuel was traveling the world for his sold-out shows, collaborating with some of the biggest names in rap and continuously teasing fans of a potential album by dropping multiple tracks (all of which were bops).

In mid-December of last year, Rich Brian took it to Instagram to announce that he would finally be releasing his first album titled AMEN early this year. Since then, no additional information on the release has been given other than two singles ("See Me" and "18"), which may or may not appear on the tracklist.

So what can we expect from Rich Brian's first stab at a full-length album? We can only base it off of what we know: his current released singles. So far, Rich Brian's homemade instrumentals mixed with his adolescent and comedic lyrics have proven to work in songs like "Dat $tick" and "Chaos" successfully. Will his debut live up to the glory of his current archive, or will they fall flat?

AMEN comes out February 2nd.

BROCKHAMPTON—'Team Effort'

Unless you spent your entire 2017 under a rock, which was buried so far underground that you were in a constant state of sweating and dehydration because of how close you were to the Earth's core, then you most likely have heard of the rap collective BROCKHAMPTON.

BROCKHAMPTON is most notable for dropping nearly 50 songs divided up into three studio albums (Saturation I, II, & III (2017)). The Internet-based "boyband" used 2017 to leave their massive footprint in the sand of the music industry, which can be predicted to last a very long time.

And although the group promoted Saturation III to be their last studio album, it was later confirmed that they would be back in 2018 to release their fifth record, Team Effort.

BROCKHAMPTON is currently off on their US tour, which is scheduled to end early March, meaning it's highly possible that we won't see Team Effort for a long time. However, as exciting as the news is, it's hard to imagine what the next album will be like, or how it will live up to their current discography given that the Saturation trilogy was such an innovative and iconic era in the rap genre. They released so much content in such a short amount of time that it's possible they'll either be out of original ideas, or they're just a creative powerhouse. I'm hoping for the latter.

Arctic Monkeys—???

It's been five years since the Sheffield foursome released a record (or any content), and mysteriously disappeared. After frontman Alex Turner finished the album cycle of his side project, The Last Shadow Puppets in collaboration with Miles Kane in 2016, followers were left wondering what was in store for the future of Arctic Monkeys. Rumours and confirmations drifted about the internet of the Monkeys' return for what felt like decades (in reality, about a year), and finally, we're here.

It's 2018, and God gifted us with the news that Arctic Monkeys will headline the Firefly Music Festival in Delaware, alongside Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and the Killers later this Summer. Firefly will be their first live show since the promotion of their fifth studio album, AM (2013). The upcoming tour date should complement the band's forthcoming sixth LP, arriving at an unknown time this year, confirmed by bassist Nick O'Malley.

The band's style has drastically changed throughout its course, so it wouldn't be surprising to hear an unfamiliar sound, this time around. Their past includes the influence of John Lennon, Ricky Martin, and the Strokes, so predicting their potential new groove is a little tricky. I'll be sure to reactivate my Tumblr and dust off my all black wardrobe when the highly anticipated project drops.