2022 marches on, faster than anyone wants to realize. And where most years, new releases would be waning down by now, mid-November is filled with tons of new releases, across metal, hip hop, punk, and more from underground acts and icons alike.

Here’s what we’re most excited for.

Analecta/SPACESHIPS – Retrouvé

These two South Bend, IN bands have been holding down the fort of loud guitars and big effects pedals for a decade now, each offering up huge walls of noise and intricate atmospheres in their own idiom. And now, they offer up Retrouvé (French for “Found”), a split release through Friend Club Records.

Bruce Springsteen – Only the Strong Survive

The Boss is back, this time offering up a collection of soul classics from Motown Records, Gamble and Huff, and more. Springsteen is most fondly known for his blue-collar anthems and clever songwriting, but his unique voice is highlighted here as he uses it to reinterpret these standards.

Craig’s Brother – Easily Won, Rarely Deserved

After Craig’s Brother’s unceremonious dismissal from Tooth & Nail, their opus Lost at Sea became something of a cult classic on message boards and P2P networks, eventually leading to the band reuniting. Easily Won, Rarely Deserved is their first full length since 2011’s The Insidious Lie and first bit of new music since Devil’s in the Details EP in 2019. Easily Won… is sure to delight fans with their one-of-a-kind brand of artistic melodic punk.

Dream Unending – Song of Salvation

The sludge/prog metal duo is back just after a year after their earth-shattering debut, offering five more tracks of third-eye-opening metal. These tracks meander through cosmic atmospheres, white-hot heavy metal guitar solos, and volcanic doom, adding to their already expansive sonic palette with a host of additional players.

Drowse – Wane Into It

Kyle Bates’ second album as Dowse is part of a long tradition of experimental self-recorded Pacific Northwesterners. Originally conceived as a response to a terminal family member’s “living wake,” Wane Into It is a meditation on the interplay of grief and memory—and especially how we curate those memories in the forever-online post-pandemic era. Field recordings and delicate melodies are paired against bursts of black metal, drones, and noise.

Gold Panda – The Work

The acclaimed producer offers his first new album in six years—and his first since becoming a father and getting sober. The title of the album is also its M.O., using the work of creating music as a means to itself, and how that process functions as self care.

her shadow – The Ghost Love Chronicles

This eerie pop act was originally conceived as a way to combine their mutual love of Lana Del Rey and Twin Peaks. The result is a fusion of Midcentury Girl Groups and Film Noir aesthetic that is sure to delight.

MMXX – Sacred Cargo

As Rome and New York City were locked down after the onset of Covid-19, members of The Foreshadowing and Daylight Days began passing demos back and forth. Even as the world has adjusted to the new normal, these ideas continued to flow, eventually spawning the project MMXX (2020 in Roman numerals). Sacred Cargo, their debut album, recruits guest features galore to put a voice to its diverse, dynamic, and heavy sound.

Nas & Hitboy – King’s Disease III

The hip hop icon returns with his third collaboration with Hitboy. Following up the success of their previous two collaborative releases, King’s Disease III is sure to find the East Coast pioneer showing why he’s still a force to be reckoned with.

Nervous Eaters – Monsters + Angels

Nervous Eaters have been offering up unpretentious, rough-around-the-edges New Wave since the late 70s, brushing shoulders with legends like The Pretenders, The Cars, The Ramones, and the Stooges. Monsters + Angels is the newest entry in their long career, and picks up about where they left off, offering catchy punk tunes about the end of the world.

S.C.A.B. – S.C.A.B.

After releasing their debut record in 2019, S.C.A.B. suddenly saw all of their hopes dashed as the world came to a halt the following year. But instead of laying down, the NYC quartet drove to Georgia to record the follow-up. This self-titled record offers up psychedelic-tinged indie rock that feels classic and fresh at the same time.

Sheridan Woika / Sav Grimes – split

These two Pittsburgh bedroom artists combine forces to offer up a lo-fi collection of songs that are sometimes hushed, sometimes harsh, and always charming.

Slaney Bay – A Life Worth Living

West-London newcomers are set to release their debut EP this Friday, a collection of charming pop songs aided by electronic flourishes, fuzzy guitars, and hooks so sticky sweet you might have to wash your hands afterward.

Sleeping Lion – Most Improved

The LA-based indie-pop songwriting duo offers up Most Improved, a collection of art pop songs mixing smooth R&B melodies with alternative undertones. The centerpiece is “Windrunk,” a five-minute a capella ode to dissolving friendships that features vocal contributions from dozens of collaborators, creating lush choirs of harmonies not unlike Imogen Heap’s “Hide and Seek” or Bon Iver’s “Woods.”

Smut – How the Light Felt

Genre-melding shoegazers Smut have already found a fair amount of attention since their 2017 debut album, touring with the likes of WAVVES, Nothing, Swirlies, and more. How the Light Felt combines a smattering of 90s influences into one delightful pop smorgasbord. There are bits of shoegaze, jangling Britpop, and trip-hop mojo, all wrapped up in delicious melodies and danceable rhythms.

Did we miss your favorite band’s new album? Let us know in the comments.