10 must-hear albums arriving in 2018

From Kanye West to Arctic Monkeys, these are the biggest album releases of the year
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Harry Fletcher12 January 2018

Last year turned out to be a pretty massive 12 months for music, with the likes of Lorde, Stormzy, St Vincent and Kendrick Lamar all releasing killer albums.

However, if the rumours surrounding forthcoming release dates are anything to go by, it could pale in comparison to 2018.

Some of the world's biggest artists are currently hard at work in the studio, and it's only a matter of time before they treat us to new music.

From the world's biggest bands to huge hip hop stars and legendary pop stars, these are the ten must-hear albums of 2018.

Arctic Monkeys - TBA

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It’s hard to believe but it’s been a whole five years since Arctic Monkeys released their fifth studio album AM. The band are expected to return with a new LP in 2018 and bassist Nick O’Malley previously revealed that the group were recording at a “secret location”. Fans have been waiting for new tunes and it’s pretty certain that they'll be listening to a sixth album later this year.

Vampire Weekend - Mitsubishi Macchiato

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The excellent Modern Vampires of the City arguably represented Vampire Weekend’s strongest body of work when it was released in 2013, but fans have been made to wait five years for a follow-up.

Band members Chris Tomson and Chris Baio both released solo records during that time and founding member Rostam Batmanglij left the group in 2016, too, but progress on the record is well underway. Speaking in September 2017, singer Ezra Koenig revealed that the album was "80 per cent done", so there’s a great chance it’ll be with us as some point over the next 12 months.

Bruce Springsteen - TBA

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Not content with playing an exhaustive one-man show on Broadway, Bruce Springsteen is also working on a new album. Interestingly, the Boss is going it alone for album number 19 and the legendary E Street Band won’t be joining him.

Springsteen has told fans to expect an album inspired by Californian pop and Burt Bacharach, which promises to be something of a departure for the veteran musician. There’s no guarantee that the album will be released in 2018 but – with Springsteen’s work ethic – you wouldn’t put it past him.

Nicki Minaj - TBA

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One of the biggest stars in world music is back in 2018, after Nicki Minaj confirmed her first album since 2014’s The Pinkprint.

According to the Anaconda star, the new record will be “a classic hip-hop album” and her “best body of work” to date. The rapper featured on a host of singles in 2017, including MotorSport with Migos and Cardi B, and anticipation for the new album is high. Watch this space...

The 1975 - Music For Cars

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After making the transition from indie upstarts to fully blown pop megastars with their (appallingly titled) second album I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It, the 1975 are close to returning with their third record Music For Cars.

The album, which reuses the name of their 2013 EP, is expected in the summer after the group teased a possible release date of June 1 last year.

Cardi B - TBA

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Cardi B turned out to be one of the breakout success stories of 2017, earning a huge hit with single Bodak Yellow and racking up hundreds of millions of YouTube views in the process.

Despite the release of mixtapes Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 1 & 2, she’s yet to release a studio album. Luckily for fans, though, she’s been teasing new music on her Instagram page and her debut album is expected in 2018.

Kylie Minogue - TBA

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Kylie Minogue is back this year with her 14th studio album, which is due for release in the spring. The legendary pop star split her time between London, Nashville and LA while recording the album, which also features the production talents of Taylor Swift collaborator Nathan Chapman.

FKA Twigs - TBC

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One of the more intriguing prospects of the year is the new album from FKA Twigs. The British musician performed three news tracks at Russia’s Lastochka festival in early January, further fuelling speculation that a new record is on the way soon. On first listen, the new tracks feature more of the glitchy electronica and spectral vocals that made the debut album LP1 and 2015 mixtape M3LL155X such a success.

Drake - TBA

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One album we can definitely expect this year is Drake’s upcoming record, which was announced in 2017. Following on from last year’s mixtape More Life, the album could also feature a highly anticipated collaboration with The Weeknd, who performed live on numerous occasions with Drake last year.

Kanye West - Turbo Grafx 16

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Generation-defining pop stars have always divided opinion and no one has done that more in the past 10 years than Kanye West.

His last album The Life of Pablo split opinion back in 2016, with some calling it a work of genius and others branding it a pretentious mess. Album number eight promises to be just as divisive and the world of music will be all the better for it.

We can be reasonably sure about the title, too, after Kanye tweeted way back in 2016: “My next album is titled “Turbo Grafx 16″ as of now…”

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