The struggle for waiting on new music is real

It’s the feeling we all know (and despise) too well. We find an artist or two we adore, listen to every album, EP or single they’ve released to the point we know the lyrics front to back and … that’s it. Waiting eons and eons for new music to be released. 

Last year, I was blessed with four new albums by some of my favorite artists in the first few months of 2023, giving me constant new songs to stream. Only having to wait a few weeks for each new album, there was always something to look forward to and anticipate. The rest of 2023 was uneventful music-wise for me, with a few singles and EPs for me to look forward to and becoming obsessed with a few new artists.

I have quite a few up-and-coming artists that I enjoy and who I wish would get more recognition instead of the people we hear about way too much (looking at you Harry Styles and Taylor Swift). There are pros to finding these newer, lesser-known artists, such as being a part of a small fan club and being able to say you were there from the beginning (assuming they become huge). The biggest con is, since they don’t have the pressure from millions of fans to release a new album, they can take their sweet, sweet time creating one.

I’m not opposed to having people take their time to work on an album; however, I don’t like their sneak peeks they constantly drop without actually releasing anything new. One of my favorite indie artists hasn’t had an album out since March of 2022. Last year, he released four singles and I thought for sure a new album would have come out towards the end of 2023. 

What did I get instead? Teases on Instagram. He released 20-second snippets of several songs he was working on and, a couple of weeks later, a 24-hour-only link to his SoundCloud for songs that were only going to be up for one day (no, he’s not a rapper). Meanwhile, I’ve heard all of his songs hundreds of times (and the screen-recorded ones I took, shhhh..) and I want to hear all the songs he’s been working on. It’s even more annoying, too, when the artists post photos of them in the studios because, while you know they’re working on their newest album, you know it’s still months away from release. 

There are several factors that play into the delay of a new album. Tours, special concert gigs, diving into other creative outlets such as acting, collaborations with other artists and living their lives outside of their jobs. As much as it pains me to wait, I know it’s usually worth it in the end. Cue up your headphones and listen to your favorite songs for the millionth time so you can fully enjoy their newest album to the fullest. 

So please, Jake Miller, Chase Wright, Amber Van Day, Ruel, Almost Monday, RAYE, Alan Walker, Jeremy Zucker, and ESPECIALLY August Royals, if you’re reading this, please release a new album this year. I promise to give you all the streams you so greatly deserve.

Write to Emma Johnson at emma.johnson@mnsu.edu