Damn, Kendrick Lamar is back: 25 essential albums to hear in May

To everything, turn, turn, turn. It’s the season of heat—of sunshine, and flowers in full bloom, and outdoor festivals where Red Bull-fueled twentysomethings run roughshod through fields of mud while you sensibly avoid them like the plague. It’s a time for enjoy yourself, in other words, and there’s all sorts of new music coming out this month, ready to act as the perfect soundtrack for your summer. Want to party? So does a new release from longtime dancefloor groovers !!!. Feel like drinking in a deck chair and watching the stars while you ruminate on life? Sharon Van Etten’s got a new one, baby. Or maybe you just want to hear the sound of a master at work? At long last, Kendrick Lamar’s new record is arriving. Whether you’re on your way out the door of a pop-culture site that you no longer recognize or just driving through the streets with the windows down, there’s some music here to soothe the pain and bring the joy.

!!! [Chik Chik Chik], Let It Be Blue [May 6]

To everything, turn, turn, turn. It’s the season of heat—of sunshine, and flowers in full bloom, and outdoor festivals where Red Bull-fueled twentysomethings run roughshod through fields of mud while you sensibly avoid them like the plague. It’s a time for enjoy yourself, in other words, and there’s all sorts of new music coming out this month, ready to act as the perfect soundtrack for your summer. Want to party? So does a new release from longtime dancefloor groovers !!!. Feel like drinking in a deck chair and watching the stars while you ruminate on life? Sharon Van Etten’s got a new one, baby. Or maybe you just want to hear the sound of a master at work? At long last, Kendrick Lamar’s new record is arriving. Whether you’re on your way out the door of a pop-culture site that you no longer recognize or just driving through the streets with the windows down, there’s some music here to soothe the pain and bring the joy.