Shawn Mendes’ new album, Illuminate.
Photo courtesy of Shawn Mendes’s official website

This fall, many artists released new albums that satisfied the musical needs of fans around the world. Wondering what you have been missing out on? Let’s take a look!

Illuminate, 18 year old Shawn Mendes’ sophomore album was released September 23^rd. Mendes has song writing credits on all the songs on this album. Lyrically the album is more mature than his debut Handwritten and is musically more complex, featuring different styles and electric guitar throughout. A unique aspect to this album is the spoken word part featured in “Understand”, the album’s closer. It peaked at the number one spot on the US Billboard 200. 

Wild World, British band Bastille’s second album, was released on September 10^th. After a three-year hiatus, the album was highly anticipated by fans. The complete edition of the album runs just over an hour. Bastille’s unique style transformed from their debut album Bad Blood. It includes speaking bits as a common theme on numerous tracks throughout the album. It peaked at the number four spot on the US Billboard 200.

Bastille’s Wild World album from on top of the world!
Photo courtesy of Rolling Stone Magazine

Joyce Manor, a pop/punk rock group steadily rising in popularity, released their fourth album, Cody, on October 7^th. Senior Chelsea Gamarra, a proud fan, went to see them in concert and said, “It was a really exciting show. They put so much energy into their performance. They played an entire set. Honestly, it was just amazing.” While it only peaked at 192 on the US Billboard, it is only their second album to ever reach the charts.

Popular punk and rock group, Green Day released their twelfth studio album Revolution Radio, on October 7^th. The band has always made their art political so it is no surprise to fans that the album’s lyrics and sound reflect and explore the current culture of violence in the United States. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and also debuted at number one in the UK, Ireland, Italy, Canada, and New Zealand.

Lady Gaga released Joanne, her fifth studio album, on October 21^st.  She worked with several big-name producers such as Mark Ronson, RedOne, and Jeff Bhasker, to name a few. The album focused on stripped down soft rock and dance-pop with lyrics focusing around themes of family and life. The album was titled after her aunt, who’s death heavily influenced the album. Joanne charted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, making it her fourth album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 chart.

By Gabriella DePinho’17, Staff Writer