On April 5, Grammy-winning rock band Vampire Weekend releases a new and much-anticipated album—the first since 2019’s Father of the Bridge, which took home the 2020 Grammy for Best Alternative Album. “Gen-X Cops,” one of the lead singles off the new album, sees Vampire Weekend embrace a more chaotic, electronic sound, layering distorted vocals as lead singer and songwriter Ezra Koenig laments how each generation makes its own mistakes and has its own flaws. Vampire Weekend continues to push the boundaries of what it means to be a modern rock band, and this new record proves the group is on the right track.

When vocalist and guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney first became friends in high school in Akron, Ohio, nearly 30 years ago, they probably didn’t imagine they’d go on to become one of garage rock’s most influential bands and winner of three Grammys. Now, 22 years after their debut record, they’re releasing their 12th studio album, Ohio Players, April 5. The title is a nod to their beginnings and the funk band of the same name. The lead single, “Beautiful People (Stay High),” is a bouncy, fun bop that sets the stage for one of the band’s best records yet. When Rolling Stone calls it “mellow gold,” you know you’re in for a treat.

Don’t Forget Me sees Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Maggie Rogers taking a more stripped-down approach to her work, with an emphasis on sparse instrumentation. The album was recorded over just five days in December 2022 and January 2023. Rogers has said it came together so quickly because it features demos originally intended to be rerecorded with a band. Recording the songs, she and collaborator Ian Fitchuk decided that beefing up the production values diminished the songs’ humanity. “In the end, the album was made because we weren’t trying to make an album,” Rogers says. Don’t Forget Me comes out April 12 and showcases an artist whose love for the creative process is imbued in each note and chord.

Does she ever take a day off? Global superstar Taylor Swift is releasing her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, on April 19. This comes after her record-breaking win at the 2024 Grammy Awards, where she made history as the first artist ever to win four Album of the Year trophies. She used the occasion to announce this project, which she has been working on since 2022. Featuring Post Malone and Florence + The Machine, The Tortured Poets Department is still a sonic mystery, but Swifties are already lining up to see what the megastar’s 11th studio album has in store.

Even if you don’t recognize his name, you’ve definitely heard the work of Canadian singer and producer PARTYNEXTDOOR (the stage name of Jahron Brathwaite). He’s collaborated with industry legends like Usher, Christina Aguilera, Kanye West, Rihanna, and more. With hits like 2016’s “Come and See Me,” featuring Drake, PARTYNEXTDOOR has his finger on the pulse when it comes to creating smooth and irresistible R&B with his trademark blend of soul and trap. A follow-up to 2016’s PARTYNEXTDOOR 3, PARTYNEXTDOOR 4 drops April 26 and is sure to be yet another stellar entry in the multitalented performer’s discography.