November is shaping up to be a can’t-miss month in music, with powerhouse comebacks, genre-bending risks, and long-awaited debuts flooding the scene. Country hotshot Ella Langley closes her “hungover” era with a rock-leaning deluxe surprise, while BTS’s Jin debuts his first post-service solo album, “Happy”, with a highly anticipated collaboration with Red Velvet’s Wendy, to hype the record’s pop-rock production. Meanwhile, K-pop’s next-gen girl group, Babymonster, steps out of Blackpink’s shadows, ready to give YG Entertainment a new hip-hop magnum opus to solidify their “leader” status among the fifth generation of idols.
On the indie front, Poppy’s “Negative Spaces” plays an experimental twist on metal, and The Cure is back, delivering what may be their “gloomiest” album yet in “Songs of a Lost World”. For longtime alt-pop fans, 070 Shake’s introspective “Petrichor” balances raw emotion with club beats. Adding to the excitement, Sky Ferreira makes her long-awaited return with “Leash”, a post-disco gem featured on the promiscuous Nicole Kidman-led “Babygirl” film and promises the moody allure fans have missed.
After joining forces with Lana Del Rey for a performance of “American Jesus” at Alabama’s Hangout Music Festival, former TikTok starlet Nessa Barrett dives deeper into her “la di die” gothic pop repertoire with new favorites “Dirty Little Secret” and “Passenger Princess”, which precedes her highly-personal and angsty sophomore album, “AFTERCARE”. Additionally, Gwen Stefani is back with her fifth full-length effort, “Bouquet”, where the OG “Hollaback Girl” embraces yacht rock nostalgia on her Nashville-recorded and consciously “not country” album.
Latin music fans are also in for a treat as Rauw Alejandro’s “Cosa Nuestra” explores his Puerto Rican roots with a mix of reggaeton, Afrobeat, and salsa. Meanwhile, St. Vincent nods to her strong fanbase in Spain and Latin America with “Todos Nacen Gritando”, a Spanish-language reimagination of her 2024 release.
“Eternal Atake 2” by Lil Uzi Vert
November 1
After restarting his Instagram, Uzi revealed an eerie new album cover featuring humanoids with fixed pink-eyed smiles— though, given the sci-fi teaser, “human” might be a stretch. The intergalactic sequel to his acclaimed 2020 record boasts 16 fresh tracks and is expected to continue the original’s lo-fi and Chicago drill soundscapes, with more infectious Lil Wayne-esque cadence. Uzi’s space-bound era will expand on the notion that the blinged-out rapper “mysteriously vanished” to “fulfill a long-awaited prophecy.”
“Still hungover” by Ella Langley
November 1
Ella Langley ends her debut full-length“hungover” era with the four new deluxe tracks that bookend her Alabama honkey-tonk nack of classical country and signature rock flare, best seen on her standout duet with Riley Green, “you look like you love me”.
“1st FULL ALBUM [DRIP]” by BABYMONSTER
November 1
With Blackpink aging into solo ventures, their hip-hop predecessors made waves for their unoriginal “BATTER UP” debut. However, the rare sighting of a rookie group releasing a full-length project is a second chance to prove that BABYMONSTER’s K-hop is one-of-a-kind. Their pre-single, “FOREVER”, is a brave step forward with whimsical elements mixing seamlessly with the group’s rap forte.
“Restless Mind” by Sam Barber
November 1
Ever since the 2022 folk masterpiece “Straight and Narrow”, Barber has been a spectacle of social media success, willingly or not. His forthcoming project is a testament to that craziness, with his trademark rough Hank Williams-akin vocals painting a drab portrait of a small-town life lost to the big leagues in search of home. “‘Restless Mind’ is the culmination of my whole music career,” the independent country sensation shared on social media upon the album’s announcement. “Every day off from touring I had in the past year, I spent my time writing and recording Restless Mind. I never imagined my debut album would be 28 songs[…]”.
“HAUTE COUTURE” by MISAMO
November 6
With the new cover of Namie Amuro’s 2008 hit “NEW LOOK”, the TWICE subunit, consisting of Mina, Sana, and Momo, prepares for their sophomore Japanese mini album. According to JYP Entertainment, the fashion-focused project will center around how haute couture dresses are made by the hands of fashion masters, as seen in the “New Look” music video’s nostalgic nod to 60s supermodel Twiggy and more modern-day motifs.
“over my head!” by Rain from Heaven
November 11
The second single off NYC-based vocalist Isabel Vazquez’s debut project for Rain from Heaven fits right into her “petra-core” color palette of grunge, dream pop, and electro-folk— all hallmarks of filmmaker Petra Collins’ work. “Over my head!” is addictive at best with its haunting ambiance, propelled by a psychedelic romance with lo-fi synths, crashing jungle drums, and an eerie early-2000s R&B-inspired hook.
“AFTERCARE” by Nessa Barrett
November 15
Despite scrapping her initial jazz-influenced sophomore album, the former TikTok sensation has always faced her demons through music, and the newly-reinvented “AFTERCARE” is no exception. She told Notion that the new project explores “all of the vulnerable and raw emotions that come with love, sex, and its aftermath[…]. Sex is something that has always been taboo and uncomfortable for me, but making this album healed that.” From singles like “PASSENGER PRINCESS” and “DIRTY LITTLE SECRET”, Barret keeps the alternative angst alive across all fifteen tracks, including a dance-driven collaboration with Tommy Genesis.
“Access All Areas” by FLO
November 15
Since winning the 2022 BRITs Rising Star Award, the London girl group dished out one R&B hit after another (including this year’s iconic “Walk Like This”, “Caught Up”, and “Check”) without a hint of full-length project… until making a long-overdue announcement in August. “’Access All Areas’ is a labour of love”, the group said in a statement, highlighting the project’s themes of love and life as young Black women. “To us it represents our growth and dedication to making girl group history, to making a project we are truly proud to call our debut album.”
“Bouquet” by Gwen Stefani
November 15
In a Rolling Stone interview, Gwen Stefani clarified that her upcoming album, “Bouquet”, is “not a country record” despite recording it in Nashville. Instead, her fifth album is inspired by ’70s pop-rock and “the music I listen to now”, per a newer interview with People magazine. Reflecting on her childhood influences, Stefani explained, “It’s all the stuff I listened to in the station wagon on the way to church,” including what’s now called yacht rock. She described Bouquet as “one big statement,” with each song “handpicked with meaning.”
“Songs Of A Lost World” by The Cure
November 15
The “Just Like Heaven” rockers have a certain acclaim to live up to with their first album in 16 years. With the smoky promo singles “A Fragile Thing” and “Alone”, frontman Robert Smith delves deeper to make their “gloomiest” album yet, delivering the group’s signature lush mixture of melancholic, haunting melodies with truth-saying vocal takes harboring both love and loss, questioning if The Cure ever left work their 1980s heyday.
“From Zero” by LINKIN PARK
November 15
Marked as a return to their nu-metal roots. From Zero is the rock band’s first album since 2017, enlisting new co-vocalist Emily Armstrong and drummer Colin Brittain, who joins following founding member Rob Bourdon’s departure. On his podcast, Mike Shinoda called the band’s dynamic “easily the best culture we’ve had” and promises a fresh chapter in their legacy.
“Negative Spaces” by Poppy
November 15
Being an off-kilter tastemaker is Poppy’s game, but metalheads have denied the platinum blonde from entry since last year’s controversial “Zig” record. Though, she never minded the backlash; in fact, she died her hair black and is digging deep on her new record, “Negative Spaces”, which champions her earth-shattering screams as she journeys through indie and electronic melodies, featuring a genre-blurring spectacle of metal, synth-pop, and ’80s retro-futurism across the new singles “the cost of giving up”, “new way out”, and crystallize.”
“Happy” by Jin
November 15
As the latest BTS member due for a solo moment, the six-track debut marks Jin’s first movement since his return from mandatory military service in June. Jin’s much-anticipated pop-rock sound was first previewed with the uplifting pre-release “I’ll Be There,” the upbeat lead single “Running Wild”, and soon-to-be and swoony collaboration with Red Velvet’s Wendy on “Heart On My Window”, mirroring the hyung’s journey toward authentic happiness.
“Beethoven Blues” by Jon Batiste
November 15
Following his Grammy-nominated album, “World Music Radio”, John Batiste continues to defy genre labels with the forthcoming “Beethoven Blues (Batiste Piano Series, Vol. 1)”– a reinterpretation of Beethoven’s classics through a blues-infused lens. The lead single, “Für Elise-Batiste,” showcases his spontaneous composition style, with Batiste stating, “Recording this album was a deeply spiritual experience[…] bringing [Beethoven’s] work into dialogue with my own creative journey.”
“Cosa Nuestra” by Rauw Alejandro
November 15
“I’m going to the roots,” the Puerto Rican reggaeton star tells Billboard about his new record, emphasizing that Afrobeat is still alive and well in “Cosa Nuestra”. However, he promises to celebrate his Puerto Rican heritage while pushing creative boundaries by incorporating funk, disco, and salsa, which take center stage in the spicy album teasers “Touching the Sky” and “Déjame Entrar”. As a testament to his cultural heritage, this project will incorporate live music, a career-first for Alejandro.
“Todos Nacen Gritando” by St. Vincent
November 15
St. Vincent is giving her guitar-rock “All Born Screaming” album a Spanish-language makeover, now titled “Todos Nacen Gritando,” thanks to her Spanish-speaking fans. Reflecting on the experience, she stated, “Music is not separated from life in Latin America. In the United States, everything is commercialized[…] But in Latin America, music is life itself.” In addition to the now-translated standard tracklist, the new version features the slow-burning head-banger “Pulga,” highlighting music’s integral role in culture.
“Petrichor” by 070 Shake
November 15
070 Shake’s “Petrichor” is set to deliver an intense, emotional palette that balances introspection with a sharp club edge. The lead single, “Winter Baby / New Jersey Blues,” drifts from brooding melodies into pulsating 808s, merging heartfelt grit with undeniable rhythm. Shake’s latest chapter is bolder and deeper— her most uncompromising work yet.
“Leash” by Sky Ferreira
November 22
When the Nicole Kidman-led “Babygirl” landed at the Venice Film Festival, moviegoers didn’t expect to hear this Tumblr It girl on its soundtrack, much less with a new song that many are saying is a sister to 2022’s synth-rock single “Don’t Forget”. Although free from her contract at Capitol Records, the release date for “Leash” is yet to be confirmed, but we would love to see this OG sad girl win again.
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