Albums to look out for this May

May your month be filled with new releases.

Our top picks for May, including Arlo Parks, Khruangbin, Overmono and more.

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

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Ciel

Ecstatic Editions Vol. 1

(Ecstatic Editions)

Due: May 5

Coming via Eris Drew’s new label, Ecstatic Editions Vol. 1 is an anthology collection of Ciel cuts. These tracks have previously never received a vinyl release, making Ecstatic Editions Vol. 1 a great opportunity to revisit the career of the excellent Xi’an-born, Toronto-based producer and DJ. With songs from Ciel’s The Trojan Horse EP, remixes and a collaboration with D. Tiffany, Ecstatic Editions’ first release is a victory for explorative, thoughtful electronic.–KD

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billy woods & Kenny Segal

Maps

(Backwoodz)

Due: May 5

billy woods and Kenny Segal reconnect for a second time following their 2019 collaborative debut, Hiding Places. Maps expands on the foundations of Hiding Places by largely concerning itself with the touring life that its predecessor and woods’ various projects since have enabled. On Maps, woods continues to be at odds with the world around him, struggling with the anxiety and loneliness of a rapper on the road. With a who’s who of leftfield hip-hop on board including Danny Brown, Aesop Rock and Elucid and Segal’s unpredictable, alternately soulful and discordant productions, Maps is yet another success for one of the most talented rappers of this generation.–KD

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Overmono

Good Lies

(XL)

Due: May 12

South Wales brother duo Overmono drop their long-awaited debut album this month. It feels like Overmono have been a staple of British electronic for much longer than three years and Good Lies is solid proof as to why. A cohesive and timeless debut, Good Lies marries infectious dancefloor anthems like “So U Kno” and “Is U” with more minimalist ambient-leaning experimentation, bringing the listener along a journey across electronic genres, all tied together by a deep-rooted sense of melancholia.–KD

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RP Boo

Legacy Volume 2

(Planet Mu)

Due: May 12

RP Boo shares the follow-up to his iconic 2013 debut Legacy, ten years after its initial explosion. Created between 2002 and 2007, Legacy Volume 2 is 13 tracks of Chicago footwork gold, inspired both by the footwork club scene and the day-to-day of RP Boo’s life. An essential archive that pushes and pulls footwork in different directions, showing the dynamism within the genre. –KD

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Eluvium

(Whirring Marvels In) Consensus Reality

(Temporary Residence)

Due: May 12

Modern composer Matthew Robert Cooper picks back up his Eluvium moniker for his thirteenth album since 2013. Inspired by T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land and Richard Brautigan’s All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace, (Whirring Marvels In) Consensus Reality results from Cooper’s remote collaboration with members of the American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME), Golden Retriever, and the Budapest Scoring Orchestra during the pandemic. Lush and tender, (Whirring Marvels In) Consensus Reality continually builds and unfurls, narratively embodying a growing desire to reach something just outside of frame.–KD

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Mandy, Indiana

i’ve seen a way

(Fire Talk)

Due: May 19

Manchester’s resident noise-rockers, Mandy, Indiana, release their debut album i’ve seen a way this month. Singles “Pinking Shears” and “Injury Detail” pair French romanticism with enough strobe-hitting industrial punk to make their high-energy politicised statements dancefloor-ready. i’ve seen a way is shaping up to be a debut to be reckoned with, and with track names like “(ノ>ω<)ノ :。・:*:・゚’★,。・:*:♪・゚’☆ (Crystal Aura Redux)” pitted against “Iron Maiden”, their deafening love of the outlandish will soon be the norm.–BR

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The Murlocs

Calm Ya Farm

(ATO Records)

Due: May 19

For their seventh album Calm Ya Farm, Aussie garage-rockers The Murlocs have donned their cowboy hats and a country lilt. With two members double-hatting with King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, The Murlocs follow their knack for trying new genres and getting it completely right, having already ticked off psych, fuzz and heady rock. Lead single “Initiative” offers George Harrison-style optimism, layered with anthemic harmonies and wiry guitar licks perfect for barn dances and sweaty gig rooms alike. An exciting genre jump for the Aussie quintet.
–BR

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Tinariwen

Amatssou

(Wedge)

Due: May 19

Tuareg collective Tinariwen return with their ninth studio album, Amatssou. Recorded in a makeshift studio tent in Djanet, an oasis in the desert of southern Algeria, Amatssou sees the group’s desert blues be as forceful as ever. First taste “Tenere Den” explores the Tuareg revolution in the Kel Adagh region of Mali backed by their typical guitar jams and strong percussion, but with added country cuts as American musician Fats Kaplin brings his fiddle to the mix.–BR

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Khruangbin

Khruangbin & Friends: Live at Stubb’s

(Dead Oceans)

Due: May 19

The first in their live EP series, Khruangbin’s Live At Stubbs is set to capture the Texas trio at their best and where they’re intended to be heard–live. Featuring fellow Texan natives and friends Ruben Moreno, Kelly Doyle, The Suffers & Robert Ellis, Live At Stubb’s pays homage to the post-pandemic return to live in the group’s hometown. And as an extra special treat for their Texan fans, a special artwork edition is available at local retailers.–BR

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Arlo Parks

My Soft Machine

(Transgressive)

Due: May 26

After bursting into the public consciousness with the hugely successful Collapsed In Sunbeams back in 2021, Arlo Parks returns with My Soft Machine this May. Parks has built a name with her poetic pondering on love, pain and everyday life and My Soft Machine continues that approach. Parks wears her heart on her sleeve throughout the album, unpacking her anxieties and vulnerabilities through specificities and detailed narratives. She opts to shake up the soft indie approach with electronic touches and rock instrumentation–a welcome move that makes My Soft Machine an exciting, multi-sided sophomore effort.–KD