Albums to look out for this April

April showers us with big new releases.

Our top picks for April, including Everything But The Girl, Yaeji, Daughter and more.

Albums selected by VF’s Kelly Doherty and Becky Rogers.

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Daughter

Stereo Mind Game

(Glassnote Records)

Due: April 7

In their first release since 2016’s Not To Disappear, Daughter offer melancholic musings on their upcoming album, Stereo Mind Game. It’s an album of indefinable connections, exploring “what it means to be separated, from loved songs and too from yourself”, all backed by a lush brew of delicate harmonies and contemplative electronics. A triumphant return for the trio.–BR

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Blondshell

Blondshell

(Partisan Records)

Due: April 7

After establishing herself with self-examining alt-rock, Blondshell, aka Sabrina Teitelbaum, is primed to release her debut self-titled album later this month via Partisan. Singles “Veronica Mars” and “Kiss City” pull from the likes of Hole and The Cranberries, echoing mid-90s rock with an introspective modern edge. Having moved on from the coming-of-age pop Teitelbaum made with previous projects, Blondshell proves that being true to yourself is a creative process like no other.–BR

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Yaeji

With A Hammer

(XL)

Due: April 7

It’s been a long six years since Yaeji burst into the public consciousness with her behemoth party track “raingurl”. This month, she finally unveils her debut album With A Hammer. Composed across New York, Seoul and London, With A Hammer sees Yaeji diversifying her sound, offering a futuristic take on electronic, trip-hop and pop. With A Hammer will be a rewarding look into the breadth of Yaeji’s experimentation and musical perspective.–KD

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Heather Woods Broderick 

Labyrinth

(Western Vinyl)

Due: April 7

Heather Woods Broderick’s work on Labyrinth began when the pandemic stopped her from playing and touring with Sharon Van Etten, Beth Orton, Damien Jurado and Efterklang. A wistful and reflective record, Labyrinth’s observations of place and memory scatter through trip-hop, electro-pop and softly-spoken poetry, finding solace in uncertainty. Broderick isn’t offering the answers or even the questions, but Labyrinth is there to get you on your way.–BR

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Angel Olsen

Forever Means

(Jagjaguwar)

Due: April 14

Recorded during the same sessions as last year’s excellent Big Time, Forever Means is a mostly intimate affair thanks to the bluesy energy that flows throughout. “Nothing Free” is a seductively melancholic interplay between piano, saxophone and organ while the title track is a stripped-back cut, centring the heartbreaking vulnerability of Olsen’s vocals. Each track on Forever Means has a relatively unique identity, but Olsen’s enthralling vocals neatly tie it all together.–KD

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Baba Ali

Laugh Like A Bomb

(Memphis Industries)

Due: April 21

Baba Ali’s sophomore album Laugh Like A Bomb may have only taken three weeks to record and spans just 40 minutes, but the Anglo-American duo are back to reclaim their title as overlords of the dancefloor. Following on from their hip-hop-tinted no-wave debut, Laugh Like A Bomb wraps up solemn tales of unease, abandonment and desire with Studio 54 disco-fronted recklessness and hardline British punk–presenting normality within sonic chaos.–BR

 

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Everything But The Girl

Fuse

(Buzzin’ Fly)

Due: April 21

Husband and wife duo Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt, aka Everything But The Girl, return this month with their first release since Tempermental, 24 years ago. Led by the understated club-influenced “Nothing Left To Lose” and rich piano ballad “Run A Red Light”, Fuse is set to mark the return of Everything But The Girl’s unique blend of emotional rawness and dancefloor-ready productions.–KD

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Cathedrale

Words/Silence

(Howlin’ Banana Records)

Due: April 21

Toulouse proto-punks Cathedrale are back with a refreshed line-up and introspective attitude for their fourth album, Words/Silence, out this month via Howlin’ Banana Records. Though still in touch with the group’s chugging lo-fi garage-punk chaos, experimentation is boundless as they take influence from Matisse’s heightened imagery and how Burroughs and Gysin’s “Cut-Up” spliced literary excerpts to create something new. Bold and brash, Words/Silence promises their usual angular guitar licks and snarled lyrics, but now with an additional member, reasons with flute overtures, stop-start refrains and an overarching playfulness. A battle-cry for reinvention in the post-punk world.–BR

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The National

First Two Pages Of Frankenstein

(4AD)

Due: April 28

The National return the month with their ninth studio album, First Two Pages of Frankenstein. Featuring guest vocals from Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers and Sufjan Stevens, the album was produced at the famous Long Pond Studios in New York. If the early singles “New Order T-Shirt”, “Eucalyptus” and “Tropical Morning News” are anything to go by, this is set to be another reliable collection of introspective, heart-on-sleeve lyricism and soaring rock instrumentation–exactly what the Ohio natives do best.–KD

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Indigo De Souza

All Of This Will End

(Saddle Creek)

Due: April 28

Indigo De Souza releases her third album via Saddle Creek Records. De Souza’s deadpan forthright lyricism cemented her popularity on 2019’s Any Shape You Take and All Of This Will End is set to give a voice to the feelings that go usually unspoken (see: the dry honesty of early single “You Can Be Mean”). De Souza has described many of the songs as “a nod to the idea that your experiences make you who you are”, indicating a continuation of the openness that she’s made her name from so far.–KD