Image: [sabrinacarpenter] via Instagram
August 2025 is piled with fresh music from start to finish. Reneé Rapp kicks off the month with ‘BITE ME’, while rap duo $uicideboy$ return with ‘Thy Kingdom Come’. The Jonas Brothers, Bradley Zimmerman, the Black Keys, Amaarae, and Ethel Cain all drop everything from country and alt-rock to ethereal R&B and baile funk. Mid-month, Maroon 5 go back to their roots on ‘Love Is Like’, Chevelle deliver ‘Bright As Blasphemy’, and Conan Gray gets introspective on ‘Wishbone’. Ciara unveils ‘CiCi’, and Hunx and His Punx release ‘Walk Out on This World’. The month wraps 29 August with Sabrina Carpenter, Belinda Carlisle, the Beaches, the Hives, and Margo Price all delivering standout albums.
So, here are 15 albums you should watch out for, as they will also impact the Grammys!
1. Reneé Rapp – ‘BITE ME’ (1st August)
Reneé Rapp is opening August with her sophomore album, ‘Bite Me’. It is a project built on embracing every side of yourself: the chaotic, the messy, the confident, and the in-between. The production is raw and unfiltered, making it vulnerable for the artist. It also offers an honest take on self-acceptance while creating a space for unapologetic self-expression.
The album is led by singles ‘Leave Me Alone’, ‘Mad’, and ‘Why Is She Still Here?’. Each of these singles carries the sharp and no-nonsense attitude Rapp embraced after her 2023 debut ‘Snow Angel’. In a June chat with Paper magazine, she revealed that after a whirlwind of touring, press, and film work, she hit burnout. “I needed to shed everything that was hurting me immediately,” she said. It was a decision that shaped the record’s fearless energy.
Now, Rapp says she is “insanely proud” of what she has made, calling it a perfect reflection of where she is in life. Following the release, the young superstar will head out on a North American headline tour with major stops at Madison Square Garden in New York and The Kia Forum in Los Angeles. “This is exactly what I live and breathe. This is me at this point in my life, an album and a world that is really easy to step into,” the artist shared.
2. $uicideboy$ – ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ (1st August)
$uicideboy$ return with ‘Thy Kingdom Come’. It is their follow-up to 2024’s ‘New World Depression.’ For the first time, the New Orleans duo includes guest artists on two tracks. Rapper BONES is featured on the standout ‘Now And At The Hour Of Our Death.’ The lead single is called ‘Self-Inflicted’, which channels their early SoundCloud vibe with dark, heavy beats and gritty energy. It reached No. 59 on the Spotify Global Chart and has already racked up over 10 million streams.
A week after the album dropped, the duo launched their Grey Day tour. It is hitting 44 cities across North America and started on 5th August. The tour partners again with mental health group PLUS1, donating $1 from every ticket sold to support the cause. This is definitely a powerful way for the artist duo to combine music and advocacy while keeping their fans connected on and off stage!
3. Bailey Zimmerman – ‘Different Night Same Rodeo’ (8th August)
Rising country star Bailey Zimmerman returns with his second album after his 2023 debut, called ‘Different Night Same Rodeo’. It is produced by Austin Shawn and includes singles like ‘Backup Plan’ featuring Luke Combs, ‘Holy Smokes,’ ‘New to Country,’ and more. “This album I’ve worked on for, like, two years straight,” the artist told Billboard in an interview.
“I almost dropped it last year, and then it didn’t feel like it was good enough. I didn’t love it enough. So I just did it. I canceled everything. Now I feel like, ‘Wow, this is telling my story.’” He further added that the album draws from his life after fame. It explores emotions tied to being in the spotlight, his life on tour, and the search for a lasting relationship.
Zimmerman is touring the U.S. with his New To Country tour. He is hitting 16 amphitheaters alongside special guests Dylan Marlowe and Drew Baldridge. The artist is also lined up to perform at a bunch of summer festivals like SunFest Country Music Festival, Boots and Hearts Music Festival, and McHenry Music Festival.
4. Ethel Cain – ‘Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You’ (8th August)
Ethel Cain, or Hayden Anhedönia, a singer-songwriter, will reveal more of their past with the album ‘Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You’ next month. It serves as a prequel to their 2022 debut, ‘Preacher’s Daughter’. The album starts in summer 1986, following a teenager trying to navigate first love in a broken town. It tells a deeply traumatized love story. “I see Ethel Cain as a piece of me that I separate from myself and discard, so that I can make good decisions in life,” the artist said. “If Preacher’s Daughter was my learning experience of what not to do with trauma and healing, Willoughby Tucker has been my experience of what not to do in love.”
Cain shared singles ‘Nettles’ and ‘Fuck Me Eyes’ to support the release. She will also tour North America and Europe from August to November 2025 on the Willoughby Tucker Forever tour.
5. mgk – ‘lost americana’ (8th August)
Months after sharing a video of MGK on Instagram, Nobel Prize winner Bob Dylan lent his voice to narrate the trailer for MGK’s seventh studio album. It is titled ‘lost americana’ and is dropping on 8th August.
“Lost Americana is a personal excavation of the American dream, a journey to find what’s been lost,” Bob Dylan said in the trailer. “This album is a love letter to those who seek to rediscover — the dreamers, the drifters, the defiant. It’s a sonic map of forgotten places, a tribute to the spirit of reinvention and a quest to reclaim the authentic essence of American freedom. From the glow of neon diners to the rumble of the motorcycles, this is music that celebrates the beauty found in the in-between spaces where the past is reimagined and the future is forged on your own terms.”
The album is led by ‘Cliché,’ ‘Vampire Diaries,’ and ‘Miss Sunshine. ‘ It is following MGK’s GRAMMY-nominated 2022 LP, ‘Mainstream Sellout’.
6. Amaarae – ‘Black Star’ (8th August)
Ghanaian American singer Amaarae gained global recognition with her 2023 album, ‘Fountain Baby’. She became the first Ghanaian solo female to perform at Coachella, as well as worked with big names like Janelle Monaé, and opened for Kaytranada and Sabrina Carpenter. Now, she is ready to drop Black Star.
“Black Star to me is the genesis of me feeling sure and confident in myself as a grown woman, number one, and knowing exactly what my message is, how I want to tell it to the world,” the singer told Rolling Stone in an interview. She traveled to Brazil with producer Kyu Steed to work with several baile-funk producers for this. “They make music not for money or hits, but the expression, and that is so beautiful. I wanted to feel free like that.”
The first taste of the project is the steamy ‘S.M.O. (Slut Me Out)’. It is inspired by Donna Summer and Control-era Janet Jackson, celebrating sexual freedom. “The message can’t be mistaken, and the beat makes you move. That’s all I want to do this summer, make people dance and feel things,” the singer said.
7. Big Freedia – ‘Pressing Onward’ (8th August)
New Orleans bounce icon Big Freedia announces her first gospel album, ‘Pressing Onward’. It is named after a local Baptist church, follows 2023’s Central City, and is her third official LP.”I’ve been waiting my whole career to make this album,” the artist said in a statement. “The church always spoke to me: the drama, the choir, and the attire. We are in uncertain times. I’m hoping fans can get some faith and hope from this album.”
Freedia started working on Pressing Onward to honor her strong ties to gospel music, which began in the church choir at age 10. The album is also a heartfelt tribute to her partner, Devon Hurst, who passed away in May 2025.
8. The Black Keys – ‘No Rain, No Flowers’ (8th August)
After teasing fans with the No Rain, No Flowers tour and releasing singles ‘The Night Before’ and ‘Babygirl,’ the duo confirmed their 13th album, ‘No Rain, No Flowers. ‘ Recorded in Nashville and self-produced, it features some exciting collaborations with Rick Nowels, Daniel Tashian, and Scott Storch.
“I had worked with Rick Nowels on Lana Del Rey’s Ultraviolence,” Auerbach said in press statements. “We’d never really collaborated with a keyboard player or someone who writes on piano the way he does, but it clicked immediately.” Carney added, “We wanted to go straight to the source — into the room with people known for their songwriting. Daniel Tashian was one of the first people I met after moving to Nashville, and we’ve been fans of Scott Storch forever.”
Their tour runs through September and includes Forest Hills Stadium in New York and Blossom Music Center in Ohio. The tour also includes European and U.K. festivals before a second U.S. leg starting in Atlantic City.
9. Maroon 5 – ‘Love Is Like’ (15th August)
Four years after 2021’s JORDI, Maroon 5 returns to their roots with the new album ‘Love Is Like’. It includes singles ‘Priceless’ featuring Lisa from BLACKPINK, ‘All Night,’ and ‘California.’ “I feel like we’ve gone back to what we used to do, which is to not pay attention to where we fit and producing the music organically,” frontman Adam Levine said in a statement. “This is kind of how we stuck out in the beginning when we first started our career.” Guitarist James Valentine shared in an interview with ABC Audio that the band went back to their early style. “In the beginning, it was just the five of us in a room, sort of writing these songs together.”
To celebrate, Maroon 5 will launch a 23-date U.S. arena tour starting Oct. 6 in Phoenix and ending Nov. 25 in Detroit. Rising singer-songwriter Claire Rosinkranz is opening the shows.
10. Conan Gray – ‘Wishbone’ (15th August)
Conan Gray spent the last two years pouring his feelings into songs during quiet moments between tours and late nights after shows. “I’d come back home and write all the things I felt nobody wanted to hear,” he said on Instagram, “maybe even the things I didn’t want people to hear.” His upcoming fourth album, ‘Wishbone’, grew from that honesty. At first, he kept the music private, unsure if he would ever release it. “But over time, I began to feel something I’d never felt before,” he added. “I started to need the music. I listened in airports, in long cab trips, blaring in the shower. In heartbreak, then in joy.” Friends called the songs “an egregiously niche soundtrack to our own lives in real time, singing just for us.”
When he shared the songs with longtime collaborator Dan Nigro, they started building the album together. Gray said, “It felt like the music was reminding me who I am, at an experimental time in my twenties where ‘who I am’ had no definition at all.” To support Wishbone, the artist will start a tour starting Sept. 11 in Ohio, with special guest hemlocke springs.
11. Ciara – ‘CiCi’ (22nd August)
Ciara has officially announced her new album, ‘CiCi’. It is set for release on Aug. 22. The project expands on her 2023 EP of the same name and follows her 2019 album Beauty Marks. It features lead single ‘Ecstasy’ alongside previous hits like ‘How We Roll’ with Chris Brown, ‘Forever’ with Lil Baby, ‘Wassup,’ and ‘Run It Up.’
“This album right here is my love letter. A celebration of the journey — and more importantly, a thank you to you, my Day 1s and Day 21s,” she shared on Instagram. “You’ve stuck by me through every era, every evolution, and every independent leap of faith. Truth is, this season of life has been about forging my own path and tapping deeper into my inner drive. No label, no limits — just full-on freedom and faith.” The album also features artists like Latto, Busta Rhymes, and Tyga. “This project took 5 years to build, and every beat, every lyric, every moment was made with intention — to lift you, to move you, to make you feel something,” she added. “And when you see the 3D-printed breastplate? That’s not just a fashion statement. That’s my armor. A symbol of the strength I’ve had to summon, the boundaries I’ve had to set, and the power I’ve learned to wear with pride.”
12. Sabrina Carpenter – ‘Man’s Best Friend’ (29th August)
“I didn’t plan on releasing a new record, however, when inspiration strikes, I go to the studio, and when it doesn’t, I still go to the studio, but luckily life was really happening to me and inspiration struck!” Sabrina Carpenter shared news about her upcoming seventh album, ‘Man’s Best Friend’ in a recent newsletter.
Fronted by the catchy single ‘Manchild,’ Carpenter said she looked to some of her favorite artists for inspiration, like Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton, and Donna Summer. She was surprised to learn that many of them released new albums every year. “Can’t say that is or will be the norm for me but this time it really eased my mind about putting something out when it feels right,” she said. The 12-track album follows a life-changing 2024 for the Pennsylvania singer. Her previous album, ‘Short n’ Sweet’ won her two GRAMMY Awards and topped charts worldwide, setting the stage for another hit!
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