Five Albums We’re Excited to Listen to in May

BY: JOEY REAMS

A lot of artists and bands from all genres are releasing albums throughout May. For us, however, we only care about the indie and alternative releases. To help you better prepare for all of these releases, we’ve decided to go through and find some of the best indie and alternative albums that will be released this month. Check out these five albums that will be released in May.

Weezer – Van Weezer

The first album on our list you don’t have to wait long for. Weezer is releasing their 15th studio album, Van Weezer, tomorrow on May 7th. The Los Angeles-based alternative band has released a couple of songs already, including “I Need Some of That,” “The End of the Game,” and “Hero.” The album is produced by Suzy Shinn and should sound heavier than other recent work.

“My main goal for any album at this point is for it to have at least one song that the audience at our shows every night wants to hear,” Cuomo said in a 2019 interview regarding their last album, the Black Album. He was uncertain that that Album fulfilled that goal, but that Weezer “would fail in a different way, which is exciting to me.”

Van Weezer track listing:

1. Hero
2. All The Good Ones
3. The End Of The Game
4. I Need Some Of That
5. Beginning Of The End
6. Blue Dream
7. 1 More Hit
8. Sheila Can Do It
9. She Needs Me
10. Precious Metal Girl

Pre-order the album and merch here.

The Black Keys – Delta Kream

Southern rock headliners The Black Keys are releasing their tenth studio album, Delta Kream, on May 14th via Nonesuch Records. The entire album is a cover album of hill country blues songs. The rock duo released a cover of Junior Kimbrough’s version of “Crawling Kingsnake” on April 15, 2021. Although this isn’t technically considered indie or alternative, we believe this is one of those albums that all music fans will appreciate. The album was recorded at lead singer Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound studio “in about 10 hours” over two afternoons following their Let’s Rock tour.

“We made this record to honor the Mississippi hill country blues tradition that influenced us starting out,” Auerbach said in a press release. “These songs are still as important to us today as they were the first day Pat and I started playing together and picked up our instruments.”

Delta Kream track list: 

1. “Crawling Kingsnake” (John Lee Hooker cover)
2. “Louise” (Mississippi Fred McDowell cover)
3. “Poor Boy a Long Way From Home” (R. L. Burnside cover)
4. “Stay All Night” (Junior Kimbrough cover)
5. “Going Down South” (R. L. Burnside cover)
6. “Coal Black Mattie” (Ranie Burnette cover)
7. “Do the Romp” (Junior Kimbrough cover)
8. “Sad Days, Lonely Nights” (Junior Kimbrough cover)
9. “Walk with Me” (Junior Kimbrough cover)
10. “Mellow Peaches” (Big Joe Williams cover)
11. “Come on and Go with Me” (Junior Kimbrough cover)

Pre-order the album here.

St. Vincent – Daddy’s Home

St. Vincent releases her sixth studio album, Daddy’s Home, out May 14th via Loma Vista. Like her 2017 Masseducation, this upcoming album is also produced by herself and Jack Antonoff, lead singer of indie-pop band Bleachers. St. Vincent released two singles before this album, including “The Melting of the Sun” and “Pay Your Way in Pain.” The album is inspired by St. Vincent’s father being released from prison in 2019 and the musical palette of 1970s New York City.

“Masseduction was like, ‘Here, drink this cup of acid and then dance till your feet bleed,'” St. Vincent said. “[Daddy’s Home] is like, “Hey, come sit in the beat-up leather armchair and I’ll pour you a glass of tequila.’ I think there is something more inviting in the tone of the songwriting because I’m writing about the human condition with humor and empathy. It’s sort of like I can write about flawed people doing their best to get by because I’ve been almost every character on the album.”

Daddy’s Home track list:

Pre-order the album here.

Lord Huron – Long Lost

Lord Huron will release their fourth studio album on May 21st via Republic Records. They previously released “Mine Forever” before the album was released. Throughout the pandemic, the band has played a few unreleased songs through their live stream series Alive from Whispering Pines. They played “Mine Forever” there as well as another new song, “Not Dead Yet.” Both songs were released today, along with a lengthy letter from Mr. Tubbs Tarbell (a character from their live stream series) explaining the process of creating “Mine Forever.”

“I gave the boys a good round of applause before they launched into a real sunset of a song they called ‘Mine Forever,’ a swingin’, full-on heart-renderer with a bubbly sound,” the letter read. “All of a sudden I heard handclaps and female voices—I swear those ladies must have risen up outta the floorboards! Never saw ’em come in, and didn’t see ’em leave. That’s just the magic of the Pines, I suppose. Door knockin’s for strangers.”

Long Lost tracklist:

1. The Moon Doesn’t Mind
2. Mine Forever
3. (One Helluva Performer)
4. Love Me Like You Used To
5. Meet Me in The City
6. (Sing For Us Tonight)
7. Long Lost
8. Twenty Long Years
9. Drops in the Lake
10. Where Did the Time Go
11. Not Dead Yet
12. (Deep Down Inside Ya)
13. I Lied
14. At Sea
15. What Do It Mean
16. Time’s Blur

Pre-order the album here

Twenty One Pilots – Scaled and Icy

Last but not least, we have the rock duo from Columbus, OH, Twenty One Pilots, with their sixth studio album, Scaled and Icy, due May 21st via Fueled by Ramen and Elektra. The band previously released “Shy Away” earlier this year, their first new music since their Christmas single, “Christmas Saves the Year.”

“Written and largely produced by Joseph in isolation over the course of the past year at his home studio, with Dun engineering the album’s drums from across the country, Scaled and Icy is the product of long-distance virtual sessions and finds the duo processing their upended routines along with the prevailing emotions of 2020 — anxiety, loneliness, boredom, and doubt,” reads the press release. “The duo had to forgo their normal studio sessions but reached a new level of introspection in the process, adopting a more imaginative and bold approach to their songwriting. The result is a collection of songs that push forward through setbacks and focus on the possibilities worth remembering.”

Scaled and Icy track list:

1. Good Day
2. Choker
3. Shy Away
4. The Outside
5. Saturday
6. Never Take It
7. Mulberry Street
8. Formidable
9. Bounce Man
10. No Chances
11. Redecorate

Pre-order the album here.