The Most Anticipated Australian Albums Of 2024

While international artists of all genres, including Dua Lipa, Green Day, Alkaline Trio, Static-X, Kid Cudi, Sleater-Kinney, J Mascis, Gabby Barrett, Chelsea Wolfe, Idles, Jennifer Lopez, Judas Priest, Sum 41, Sheryl Crow, Ariana Grande and more have either announced or are expected to release new music in 2024, an abundance of Australian acts are preparing to unveil new music this year that deserves an equal amount of attention.

That’s what this list is for – by no means an entirely comprehensive round-up of local artists releasing new tunes in 2024; The Music has found over 20 artists – the majority with new albums confirmed – with upcoming music you should be looking forward to.

From pop to rock to hip-hop to metal to alternative music, from Peter Garrett to The Veronicas, here are The Music’s most anticipated Australian albums of 2024.

Kirin J. Callinan – If I Could Sing (2 February, PIAS)

The upcoming fourth album from the Aussie mastermind behind screaming cowboy Jimmy Barnes, If I Could Sing, has been preceded by four singles – Eternally Hateful, Anæmic Adonis, Young Drunk Driver, and most recently, Crazier Idea. On the latest number, Kirin J. Callinan channels his inner groove and melancholy, resembling David Bowie in some of the song’s more eccentric moments. If the singles are anything to go by, we’re in for a real treat with the album.

Jessica Mauboy – Yours Forever (9 February, Warner Music Australia)

Yours Forever has been described as the album where Jessica Mauboy feels like her “truest self”. Containing 14 tracks, including the Jason Derulo-featuring first single, Give You Love, Mauboy is on a mission of self-empowerment through the lens of authentic soul and R&B music.

Upon announcing the album, Mauboy said: “YOURS FOREVER is me at my truest self, comfortable in my skin, not comparing myself or trying to be someone or something that anyone expects me to be. When you strip it all back, musically, it’s beautiful melodies, storytelling lyrics, rhythms that connect with the soul, and it has a depth that I’ve never gone to or shared before.”

Royel Otis – Pratts & Pain (16 February, OURNESS)

Quirky Sydney duo Royel Otis had an incredible 2023, having been nominated for the Breakthrough Artist Of The Year award at the ARIA Awards, performing at Splendour In The Grass, embarking on a sold-out UK and European tour, and this February and March, will take their new album on the road.

Pratts & Pain arrives in quick succession to their March 2023 debut album, Sofa Kings, and with singles like Fried Rice, Royel Otis might just take over the Australian indie rock landscape.

Middle Kids – Faith Crisis Pt. 1 (16 February, EMI)

A few months after singer Hannah Joy stole hearts in the Heath Davis festive film Christmess; she’ll grace the music world with her Middle Kids bandmates, Tim Fitz and Harry Day. The new Middle Kids album, Faith Crisis Pt. 1, follows the critically acclaimed Today We’re The Greatest and was preceded by the singles Bootleg Firecracker, Highlands, Dramamine and Bend.

The Music described Highlands as “euphoric”, with Joy explaining that the single was about a “yearning to be free”. We can’t wait to hear how free Middle Kids get on their latest LP.

Donny Benét – Infinite Desires (29 February, Donnyland Records)

2024 – the year that Donny Benét goes independent. The music icon and adult entertainer is poised to drop his “most complete musical statement yet” with eight tracks that “embrace a diversity of experience, from elation to introspection, from disquiet to unbridled ecstasy”.

He launched the album announcement with the single Multiply, with another track coming later this month. Accompanying new music was the revelation that Benét had started his own record label, dishing the details with The Music.

Benét released his fifth album, Mr Experience, in May 2020, with the LP reaching #26 on the ARIA Albums Chart.

Mildlife – Chorus (1 March, PIAS)

Melbourne-based psychedelic jazz fusion outfit Mildlife will release their fourth album, Chorus, this March after dropping the single Musica.

The group have been on a roll, taking home the 2018 Music Victoria Award for Best Electronic Act and the ARIA for Best Jazz Album (Automatic) in 2021. They will pull all the elements together on Chorus. Describing the new album, Mildlife commented in a press release, “Chorus is about a coming together of disparate elements. Not in some sort of utopian aesthetic where everything works perfectly, but in the natural flow and state of things.”

San Cisco – Under The Light (1 March, Island City Records)

It’s been a long four years between albums for San Cisco, but devoted fans of the breezy indie-rock trio will find that the wait has been worth it.

Under The Light was announced in October and was preceded by the singles High, the title track, Lost Without You, Horoscope and Honeycomb. Under The Light has been described as the album that “truly embodies the genuine essence of San Cisco”, according to the band, and was recorded in the first half of 2023 in LA and Fremantle.

Ricki-Lee – On My Own (8 March, Black Label Entertainment)

On her first album in ten years, Aussie pop favourite Ricki-Lee isn’t afraid to walk alone. After releasing a string of stellar tracks, including On My Own – which would later be revealed as the album title – Ghost and Point Of No Return, Ricki-Lee proves that her new musical path is where she’s meant to be.

She said about the LP, “I have poured my absolute everything into this album, and without a doubt, it’s my best work to date; I’ve never been prouder.”

Peter Garrett – The True North (15 March, Sony Music Australia)

A music legend returns in 2024, with Midnight Oil singer and solo artist Peter Garrett returning to his roots for the new album The True North. Recorded with his band The Alter Egos – starring Midnight Oil’s Martin Rotsey on guitar – the album is more interpersonal than listeners are used to from the larger-than-life star.

He said about the “deeply personal” album, “With the Oils, and even the first solo record, there was plenty of banging down the doors and speaking out about the things that need to change. There’s still a bit of that in this album too, of course, but generally, these songs are reflective of the special things we need to cherish: the natural world as well as our always spinning internal compass that helps us navigate the unruly passage of life.”

Kita Alexander – Young In Love (22 March, Warner Music Australia)

Kita Alexander, the singer with a voice like honey who can sing anything – especially pop or country – is releasing her highly anticipated debut album, Young In Love, this March.

“Finding yourself in your early 20s isn't easy,” she explained about the album. “It's hard, whichever path you take. But I feel like I've been able to come into myself whilst being in such a loving and beautiful relationship.”

Young In Love follows the release of four singles: Best You Ever Had, 7 Minutes In Heaven, Queen, and Date Night, featuring Aussie country music sensation Morgan Evans.

Logic1000 – Mother (22 March, Because Music)

Aussie DJ Logic1000 (real name Samantha Poulter) isn’t far off releasing her highly anticipated debut album, Mother, a collection of euphoric club-ready bangers.

It’s an album that Poulter has described as “beautiful” and “healing”, providing a salve for a wounded world. The next chapter for Poulter is looking bright.

Jebediah – Oiks (12 April, Cooking Vinyl Australia)

Who isn’t excited about the return of Jebediah? Their first album in 12 years, Oiks, follows 2011’s Kosciuszko. In September, Jebediah returned with their first new single in over a decade, Gum Up The Bearings, and announced a national tour. And in November, they dropped the quirky number Rubberman and were subsequently inducted into the WAM Hall Of Fame.

It’s a good time to be a Jebediah fan.

Mark Seymour & The Undertow – The Boxer (19 April, Bloodlines Records)

The Boxer is coming, and you might just see yourself in the stories told by Mark Seymour & The Undertow. “We’ve thrown everything at these songs,” Seymour explained about the album. “Portraits of women, men, urban decay. Life in a landscape of uncertainty. And love, of course. You can never abandon that. After all, beyond despair, there is nothing else.”

Seymour has shared that there are “no angry songs” on The Boxer – we’ll just have to wait and see what comes of the record. The title track will be released next month.

Sia – Reasonable Woman (Date TBC, Atlantic Records)

Sia’s first album in eight years is due for release this year, but until it drops, there’s the first single, Gimme Love. The song hit the airwaves with an anthemic chorus, engaging verses, an aura of hope and optimism, and just enough anguish from the Adelaide-born vocalist and songwriter to keep her brand of melancholy within a big pop tune.

Sia wrote the track alongside co-writer and producer Jesse Shatkin. Gimme Love is Sia’s first single since Unstoppable, while Reasonable Woman is the follow-up to 2016’s This Is Acting, which featured many tracks Sia had initially written for artists such as Rihanna, Shakira and Adele.

The Veronicas – Gothic Summer (Date TBC, Big Noise)

Aussie twin sisters Jess and Lisa Origliasso are back, and the edge to their pop-punk new singles prove it. The Veronicas will release their new album, Gothic Summer, via LA label Big Noise later this year, following their 2021 albums Godzilla and Human.

With a few new singles teasing what’s to come, including the punchy and theatrical Perfect, we can’t wait to see what’s next.

TBA

Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds

Of course, Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds are on this list, and for good reason: in November, Cave wrote to fans on social media and revealed that he was “heading to Buffalo to mix the new Bad Seeds album.”

The announcement arrived a few months after Cave said he was “finishing” the new Bad Seeds album in a Red Hand Files Q&A. In January, Cave revealed that his plan for 2023 was “to make a new record with the Bad Seeds”. Is it finally time?

Missy Higgins

While Aussie favourite Missy Higgins is celebrating the 20th anniversary of her iconic debut album, The Sound Of White, from March through to June, 2024 could signal a new era for the Scar singer, who plans to release a new album this year. And in even more exciting news for fans, the new LP might just be acting as a sequel to The Sound Of White.

Here’s what Higgins had to say about her upcoming new music: “This new album that I’m recording right now will be a kind of sequel to The Sound Of White. They’re both looking forward nervously and wondering what comes next. They’re both asking questions like ‘Who am I?’ and ‘Who do I want to be?’ so I liked the idea of previewing some of this new material in the first act of a live show, then going back to the start of the story in the second act.”

Northlane

In November, Aussie metal outfit Northlane released their first new song since releasing their ARIA #1 album, Obsidian, in 2022. Dante saw them reunite with prolific producer and musician Will Putney (production credits include Every Time I Die, Thy Art Is Murder, In Hearts Wake, and the Grammy Award-winning track Bum-Rush by Body Count from their 2020 album Carnivore). The band previously worked with Putney on 2013’s Singularity, 2015’s Node and the 2016 Equinox EP.

Dante dropped a few months after they revealed they were back in the studio with Will Putney in a The Music exclusive. “We’ve cherry-picked our favourite sounds from Northlane’s discography,” vocalist Marcus Bridge told us in September. “This new music feels like a refined version of everything we’ve done up until now and a step into the future for us, finding even more new avenues to explore.”

Bring on new Northlane.

Tones And I

While Tones And I hasn’t officially announced a new album for 2024, Regan Lethbridge at Lemon Tree Music (the artist management company looking after Tones And I) previously said that the Dance Monkey singer was “locked away recording her album”. Are you ready for the hitmaker to return?

Make Them Suffer

Make Them Suffer looked like they were ready to take over the world in 2023, having recruited new singer/keyboardist Alex Reade from Drown This City, dropping some bangers, and signed to Sharptone/Greyscale Records.

The Perth metalcore band got truly ravenous with their singles Doomswitch and Ghost Of Me. On the latter track, lead vocalist Sean Harmanis said, “The new song marks a significant step in the evolutionary process of MTS' sound, showcasing our dedication to exploring new sonic territories.”

Ghost Of Me followed the late 2022 single Doomswitch, which saw the band comment: “This song marks a new chapter and the next step forward for the band, and the sonic shift in Doomswitch really drives that home.”

While we don’t have any information about the future of Make Them Suffer, we’re pretty confident that 2024 will be a great year for them.

3%

First Nations collective 3% - Nooky, Dallas Woods and Angus Field - burst onto Australia’s hip-hop scene in 2023, dropping the instant classic Our People, which sampled The Presets’ iconic My People. They finished off the year with their first tour – through prisons in Victoria – and plan to release a new album in 2024.

Alpha Wolf

Aussie metalcore favourites Alpha Wolf launched a new era in November, dropping the breakdown-laden Bring Back The Noise. The track was accompanied by a colourful, slick music video that easily puts them alongside their heavy peers and brings extra hype for their upcoming CVLTFEST.

With their most recent album a quiet place to die released in 2021, isn’t it time for more Alpha Wolf in 2024? We’re ready for them to… bring back the noise.