10 Must-Hear New Albums In August 2022: Demi Lovato, TWICE, Calvin Harris, YoungBoy Never Broke Again & More

Just as July 2022 crescendoed with Beyoncé's triumphant Renaissance, August looks to keep the musical magic flowing with tons of highly anticipated, new albums across all genres dropping this month.

Dance music fans rejoice: GRAMMY winner Calvin Harris is back with Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2 this week. Political protestors and punk heroes Pussy Riot are back to restart the fire with Matriarchy Now. And for the rest of the month, we're in for enticing prog offerings (Muse's Will Of The People), delightfully devilish rock (Demi Lovato's HOLY FVCK), synth-pop (Pale Waves' Unwanted), electronic-folk (T Bone Burnett's The Invisible Light: Spells), and so much more.

Below, check out an extensive guide to the must-hear new albums dropping in August 2022 and learn why they all should be on your radar — no matter where your stylistic arrow points. — Morgan Enos

Calvin Harris — Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2

Release Date: Friday, Aug. 5

Things that make summer, summer: ice-cold lemonades, beach trips, blurry music festival weekends, and a wildly catchy and relatable Calvin Harris bop on your latest aesthetic playlist. Where the latter is concerned, the Scottish super-producer is offering you many to choose from with his second installment in his Funk Wav Bounces album series. Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2 is a concentrated return to vocal-heavy, radio-friendly dance pop following Harris' years-long rave detour via his Love Regenerator alias — though in between stints, he collaborated with The Weeknd in 2020 on "Over Now" and released stand-alone single "By Your Side," featuring Tom Grennan, last year.

Like its successful 2017 predecessor, Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2 brings together many of today's hottest artists — Halsey, Latto and Lil Durk among them — on a record you can call upon to chill, hang out, and build a vibe. Lead single "Potion," with Dua Lipa and Young Thug, brings the type of seductive funk you post on TikTok when you're feeling yourself and hoping your crush will see the self-confidence, too. The balmy synths on "New Money," featuring 21 Savage, sparkle like ocean waves. Then you have Normani, Tinashe and Offset turning up the humidity on the syrupy disco number "New To You." Does summer have to end? Not if Calvin Harris has his way. — Krystal Rodriguez

YoungBoy Never Broke Again — The Last Slimeto

Release Date: Friday, Aug. 5

Fans of Louisiana rap sensation YoungBoy Never Broke Again know to expect a whirlwind of new music at all times — and the hits keep coming. The prolific rapper's next album, The Last Slimeto, is out August 5 via his own Never Broke Again label and Atlantic Records; the album features a 30-song track list that has only been partially revealed.

The Last Slimeto comes hot on the heels of YoungBoy Never Broke Again's last mixtape, the hugely successful Colors, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart following its release in January. Leading The Last Slimeto, the take-no-prisoners single "4KT Baby" boasts an equally bracing video. Like Colors before it, The Last Slimeto is sure to delve deep into YoungBoy Never Broke Again's dark past and conflicted psyche. — Jack Tregoning

Pussy Riot — Matriarchy Now

Release Date: Friday, Aug. 5

Pussy Riot's debut mixtape, Matriarchy Now, is a capstone on a remarkable decade for the Russian punk agitators. Its August 5 release comes 10 years after Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Yekaterina Samutsevich were convicted with "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred" for performing a song critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin in a church and sentenced to two years in prison. The verdict made international headlines and garnered the collective new fans in far-flung corners around the globe.

Watch: Bun B and Pussy Riot's Nadya Tolokonnikova Talk Intersections Of Music And Activism During GRAMMY Career Day

A decade on, with the world now reeling from Putin's invasion of Ukraine, Pussy Riot's brand of protest art is more urgent than ever. The group tapped Swedish hitmaker Tove Lo as executive producer on Matriarchy Now, which also features an assortment of up-for-it guests including Big Freedia, Phoebe Ryan, mazie, and Slayyyter. Lead single "PLASTIC" is a twisted pop earworm featuring Atlanta-via-Los Angeles rapper ILOVEMAKONNEN, who slides right into the collective's off-kilter aesthetic.

In June, Pussy Riot joined the national fight for reproductive rights by unfurling a 45-foot banner at the Texas State Capitol that read "Matriarchy Now." Expect the mixtape to be just as direct. — J.T.

The Interrupters — In The Wild

Release Date: Friday, Aug. 5

With it raucous energy, hummable hooks, and classic ska-punk fusion, In The Wild, the fourth album by Los Angeles quartet the Interrupters, feels like a welcome breath of fresh air. The 14-track album finds lead singer/songwriter Aimee Interrupter, her romantic partner and guitarist Kevin Bivona, and his younger twin brothers Jesse and Justin, in an exuberant mood. The rollicking "In The Mirror" sounds tailor-made for the concert stage — the band is touring the U.S. with Celtic punk darlings Flogging Molly throughout the summer — while the gorgeous "As We Live" evokes the multicultural magic of late-'70s British two-tone at its elegant best.

Lyrically, the album pulsates with unrelenting honesty. During the pandemic, the Interrupters built a brand-new home studio in L.A., allowing Aimee a safe space where she could process and confront her wounds from a difficult childhood. The band has never sounded so self-assured — both musically and emotionally. — Ernesto Lechner

T Bone Burnett — The Invisible Light: Spells

Release Date: Friday, Aug. 5

Three years ago, T Bone Burnett released the critically acclaimed and darkly experimental The Invisible Light: Acoustic Space, a collaboration with percussionist Jay Bellerose and musician/producer Keefus Ciancia. Inspired by a disturbing nightmare that plagued Burnett decades ago, the album touches on humanity's excessive reliance on technology, often resulting in a deluded interpretation of reality. The visionary trio returns with The Invisible Light: Spells, the second installment of a planned trilogy.

For Burnett, Spells marks a bold, new chapter in a career that includes mainstream fame as a guitarist with Bob Dylan in the '70s and, most recently, creating — together with Ciancia — the haunting music for "True Detective." Opening with the tribal, spoken-word march "Realities.com" and continuing with the stark "I'm Starting A New Life Today," a glorious slice of industrial rock that shimmers with vague echoes of '80s Peter Gabriel, Spells picks up where its predecessor left off: a gloomy meditation on the dangers of today, framed by gorgeous soundscapes. Years from now, it will be remembered as one of the most challenging albums of 2022. — E.L.

Kokoroko — Could We Be More

Release Date: Friday, Aug. 5

Kokoroko, the eight-piece U.K. jazz/Afrobeat fusion collective, take their name from the Nigerian Urhobo language; the moniker translates to "be strong." The phrase could represent the band's resolve to share Afrobeats and highlife music with the world, from their parents' generation to their own and, hopefully, the next one, too. If so, their plan is working. After starting out performing covers, the group elevated to the next level after their track, "Abusey Junction," was featured on the 2018 compilation We Out Here, released on Gilles Peterson's Brownswood Recordings.

Four years, a self-titled EP, and a handful of singles later, Kokoroko are releasing their debut album, Could We Be More. The 15-track LP blends Afrobeat, highlife, soul, and funk in a heartwarming homage to the West African and Caribbean sounds from their childhood. "It's that feeling when you're younger and you hear something and you feel some ownership over it," the band's percussionist Onome Edgeworth said in a statement. "Recreating a piece of music that fills you with pride, 'this is a piece of me and this is what I came from.'" Album singles "Age of Ascent," "We Give Thanks" and "Something's Going On" surge with an energy that's nostalgic, spirited, and life-giving. Play this at sunrise or sunset and groove away. — K.R.

Pale Waves — Unwanted

Release Date: Friday, Aug. 12

Manchester group Pale Waves released their last album, Who Am I?, early in 2021, with the pandemic raging and lead singer Heather Baron-Gracie battling heartbreak and burnout. This year, the band came back strong, starting in May with "Lies," a fierce pop-punk rebuke to a deceitful lover. In July, Pale Waves released "The Hard Way," which draws on Baron-Gracie's high school memories of a girl who was bullied and took her own life.

The contrasting-yet-connected emotions on "Lies" and "The Hard Way" set the stage for the new Pale Waves album, Unwanted, out August 12 on Dirty Hit, home to the likes of the 1975 and Wolf Alice. The album sees the band exploring deeper themes of love, loss and gender identity. "Unwanted had to be honest, provocative and loud," Baron-Gracie said in a statement. "Not only thematically, but in the music as well."

Coming hot from supporting 5 Seconds of Summer around North America, Pale Waves are shootings for indie-pop glory on Unwanted. — J.T.

Demi Lovato — HOLY FVCK

Release Date: Friday, Aug. 19

Global pop star Demi Lovato will soon excite fans once again with their new album HOLY FVCK, a 16-track project, out Aug. 19, exploring the singer's ups and downs. And already, the sonic direction of the album promises an edgy vibe, tapping into Lovato's beloved rock and pop-punk sound. Lead single "Skin of My Teeth" dropped June 10 alongside a darkly tinged music video. The song, which showcases the singer's intense vocal ability atop an infectious rock sound, delves into Lovato's hardships and need for freedom, ultimately giving an unfiltered look into their emotions.

Lovato released their last album, Dancing with the Devil... the Art of Starting Over, in April last year; it received critical acclaim and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. Full of honest, relatable stories, HOLY FVCK now shows the star's growth, a step forward in their career. When speaking on the project, Lovato shouts out their "Lovatics," the fan base that has stood with them through the years as they evolved as an artist and person. Describing the album-making process as fulfilling, Lovato has clearly found their footing and creative confidence on HOLY FVCK. — Ashlee Mitchell

TWICE — Between 1&2

Release Date: Friday, Aug. 26

TWICE 11TH MINI ALBUM
"BETWEEN 1&2"

Tracklist
Lead Track - ‘Talk that Talk’

Release on
2022.08.26 FRI 1PM KST/0AM EST

Worldwide Pre-order Starts
2022.07.26 TUE 1PM KST/0AM EST#TWICE #트와이스 #BETWEEN1and2 pic.twitter.com/TBft00LVpo

— TWICE (@JYPETWICE) July 25, 2022

Armed with chart-dominating and addictively catchy songs like "Fancy" and "What is Love," TWICE have remained a heavyweight force in the global K-pop scene, converting millions of listeners into ONCE, their fan base, along the way. Now, the K-pop world is in for a treat: TWICE will soon release their highly anticipated, seven-track album Between 1&2, which finally drops on Aug. 26.

The mini-album's track list, which TWICE recently shared on social media, includes songs like "Talk That Talk," "Queen of Hearts," "Basics," "Trouble," "Brave," "Gone," and "When We Were Kids." Members Chaeyoung, Jihyo and Dahyun also have solo writing credits on the album.

After seven awesome years making a name for themselves in this industry, TWICE are now giving K-pop fans around the world a taste of what's in store with Between 1&2. — A.M.

Muse — Will Of The People

Release Date: Friday, Aug. 26

British rock trio Muse are no strangers to grand statements, and one of their grandest yet is coming this month. According to a statement from frontman Matt Bellamy, the band's ninth album, Will Of The People, out Aug. 26, grapples with all the ills of the world as we know it today — from Russia's invasion of Ukraine to the pandemic to natural disasters fueled by climate change. "This album is a personal navigation through those fears and preparation for what comes next," Bellamy said.

The weightiness of those themes will be matched, of course, by Muse's operatic, hard-rock riffs. The band has already delivered four singles, including the recent "Kill or Be Killed," which Bellamy described as "Muse at their heaviest." The trio hits select North American cities in October to road-test the new songs from Will Of The People, which include an album closer called "We Are Fucking F—". Don't say they didn't warn us. — J.T.

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