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10 New Albums to Listen to in October 2023

Finally, we've made it to Spooky Season! The album releases in October are going to be scary good. And there's a lot of great treats – some albums coming out this month are ones we aren't able to mention here due to our 10-record limit. (Honorable mentions go out to Reba McEntire, Offset, Colbie Caillat, Of Mice & Men, and Margo Price!)

But never fear: you won't be tricked by the projects we did manage to mention in our list below. We've done our fair amount of research on each, and these are the ones we're most excited to sink our vampire teeth into. You've got a great mix of musical candy here: big hip-hop, alternative, pop, international, and rock releases. There's even some albums on here fitting to play during your next Halloween party!

Without further ado, here are 10 new October 2023 albums that are sure to be boo-tiful!


1. For All the Dogs - Drake

We're surprised For All the Dogs will only be Drake's eighth studio album...it feels like he's made even more music than that! Anyway, Drizzy will get us howling over his new tunes today (October 6), now that the album has dropped. The record follows both of Drake's albums that were released in 2022: his seventh studio album Honestly, Nevermind and the collaborative studio album Her Loss (with 21 Savage).

The album features guest appearances from Nicki Minaj, Bad Bunny, SZA, Yeat, and Lil Yachty. Production was handled by 40, Bnyx and Yachty, among others. For All the Dogs was preceeded with the singles "Search & Rescue" and the SZA collab "Slime You Out." (The songs charted at number two and number one, respectively, on the US Billboard Hot 100.) There's also the tune "8AM in Charlotte," which was released yesterday.


2. Javelin - Sufjan Stevens

We've been dying for another Sufjan Stevens album of original material after 2015's Carrie & Lowell. Along with Drake, Stevens is also dropping his latest studio effort, Javelin today.

Stevens created the record mostly by himself in his home studio with contributions from several friends, including harmonies provided by Adrienne Maree Brown, Hannah Cohen, Pauline Delassus, Megan Lui, and Nedelle Torrisi. Additionally, The National guitartist Bryce Dessner played acoustic and electric guitar on the record. While Sufjan penned nine of the tracks on his own, the project also features a cover of Neil Young's "There's a World" from his 1972 album Harvest. We love the gorgeous piano playing and Stevens' heart-stirring vocals on the lead single, "So You Are Tired."


3. Formentera II - Metric

We'll always be fond of Canadian indie rock band, Metric. They're releasing the sequel to their 2022 album Formentera on October 13. There will be nine new tracks, including "Nothing Is Perfect," "Who Would You Be For Me," and the album's lead single, "Just the Once," that was dropped on July 7.

Both Formentera and Formentera II were created during the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recording sessions were held at the band's Main Street Studios in Toronto and Motorbass Studios in Paris. If you haven't listened to "Just the Once" yet, we highly suggest you do. Lead singer Emily Haines has described it as "regret disco," and the song is a lot more upbeat, synthy, and slightly pop-ier than the band's standard fair. But it still has Metric's signature indie edge! We feel it's a good gateway into the rest of the band's discography.


4. The Name Chapter: Freefall - TOMORROW X TOGETHER

Whether you've been following them since before the pandemic, heard them on the Jonas Brothers' "Do It Like That," or got introduced to them during this year's VMAs, you can't deny TOMORROW X TOGETHER is the next hottest South Korean boy band right now. Like BTS, they're also represented by Big Hit Music. They will be releasing their fifth studio effort The Name Chapter: Freefall on October 13. It's also the third entry in their "Chapter" LP series.

Another interesting detail? This record will drop just three months after their last album, Sweet, arrived in July. We're excited to see what the five-man band brings to this new project! Or should we say, this new chapter? Until then, we'll keep coming back for more of their latest English language single, "Back For More."


5. Something to Give Each Other - Troye Sivan

After the summer smash that was "Rush," we're excited to hear what else Troye Sivan delivers on Something to Give Each Other. It will be the Australian artist's third studio album and will be gifted to fans on October 13. It's also Sivan's first new record in five years.

Sivan's been busy with a bunch of other commitments over the years, including his Bloom tour and HBO's now-cancelled show The Idol, so it's nice to see him step back into new music work. Sivan described the new LP on social media, saying, "This album is my something to give you - a kiss on a dancefloor, a date turned into a weekend, a crush, a winter, a summer. Party after party, after party after after party. Heartbreak, freedom. Community, sisterhood, friendship. All that."


6. One More Time... - Blink-182

Our three mischievous boys are back. Blink-182 will be dropping their next studio album, One More Time... on October 20. It marks the return of original member Tom DeLonge and will arrive just before the band's big headlining performance at the When We Were Young music festival.

One More Time... has been previewed by four singles so far: "Edging," "One More Time," "More Than You Know," and "Dance with Me." Our favorite of those four is the title track. No, it's not a Daft Punk cover, but it does address the band’s whole history, including Mark Hoppus’ battle with cancer and the plane crash that almost killed Travis Barker.


7. Danse Macabre - Duran Duran

Thank you, wonderful Duran Duran, for creating an album tailor-made for the Halloween season! On October 27, the English new wave band will drop Danse Macabre: their sixteenth studio album and first to feature former guitarists Andy Taylor and Warren Cuccurullo since 2004 and 2000, respectively. Nile Rodgers and Victoria De Angelis of Måneskin are also set to appear as guest artists.

Danse Macabre will feature three new tracks, covers, and reimagined versions of older Duran Duran material. We're very excited for the covers in particular, because they include the group's renditions of Billie Eilish's "Bury a Friend," The Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black," Siouxsie and the Banshee's "Spellbound," and the Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer," among other tracks.


8. Zig - Poppy

Is spooky season even spooky season without Poppy's creepy-yet-creative tunes? As soon as Halloween weekend starts (October 27), she's dropping her latest LP, Zig. It will be the artist's fifth studio effort and will include the singles "Church Outfit," "Knockoff," and "Motorbike" that she's dropped this year.

All of the singles that have been released so far have been produced by Ali Payami. He's been responsible for The Weeknd's "I Can't Feel My Face," Taylor Swift's original 1989, and other songs by Demi Lovato, Ariana Grande, Ellie Goulding, and Katy Perry. We're excited to hear more of the dark pop Poppy has in store for us!


9. 152 - Taking Back Sunday

We're excited for the return of this pure-blooded emo band. Named for the section of road in North Carolina between Highpoint, Chapel Hill, and Raleigh where the band and their friends would meet up as teenagers – 152 is Taking Back Sunday's first full-length offering since 2016’s Tidal Wave. It will also be their eighth studio effort, out on October 27.

152 was produced by Tushar Apte (whom the band met through a mutual collaboration with DJ Steve Aoki) and mixed by Neal Avron (Twenty One Pilots, Bleachers). This was another pandemic-inspired record, and according to the band's label, Fantasy Recordings, the tracks will be "intensely vulnerable and absorbing." We know that's certainly true about their latest single, "Amphetamine Smiles."


10. 1989 (Taylor's Version) - Taylor Swift

Last but not least, a nod to the Swifties. Yes, Taylor's been making headlines at the beginning of this month thanks to her involvement with Travis Kelce and her Eras Tour concert movie. But she'll be in the press later this month, too with the release of 1989 (Taylor's Version). The original 1989 is considered by Swifties to be one of Taylor's all-time best records, so this release is going to be monumental.

The LP also drops on October 27. You can expect 21 songs on this revised Swift album. In addition to the 16 songs on the original deluxe album, 1989 (Taylor's Version) will include five more that have not yet been heard. Four of those "from the vault" titles have been revealed: "Say Don't Go," "Now That We Don't Talk," "Suburban Legends," and "Is It Over Now?" The fifth title hasn't been announced, but Swift did drop a word scramble puzzle on her Instagram for fans to figure it out.


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Article Image: Emily Haines from Metric belts into a microphone. (Christian Bertrand via Shutterstock.)

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About Kathryn Milewski

  • New Jersey