Kings of Leon, Article 31 and the other albums of the week

The indie rock made in the USA by Kings of Leon on the one hand, the Italian rap of reunited Articolo 31 on the other.

“Can we please have fun” by the band led by Caleb Followill and “Protomaranza” by the “Tranqi funky” duo are the most anticipated records among those coming out this week, for naturally different reasons. Kings of Leon return three years after “When you see yourself” to confirm themselves once again as one of the most loved bands on the indie-alternative circuit of the last twenty years. J-Ax and Dj Jad, on the other hand, return to send an album together to stores twenty-one years after the last time (it was 2003 and the album was “Italiano medio”). But there are not only Kings of Leon and Article 31 in New Music Friday next Friday, May 10th. Here are the records to listen to this week.

Kings of Leon – “Can we please have fun”

Caleb Followill and his teammates change everything. Almost. The quartet entrusted the production of the twelve songs contained in “Can we please have fun”, the ideal sequel to “When you see yourself” and album number nine of the American band, to Kid Harpoon, already behind the successes of Harry Styles and Florence and the Machine, among others. The first three previews of the album, the singles “Mustang”, “Split screen” and “Nothing to do”, gave fans hope. Guaranteeing the quality of the group's sound is the great Mark “Spike” Stent, sound engineer under whose fingertips the pieces of “Can we please have fun” passed: his CV includes collaborations with Madonna, U2, Depeche Mode , Coldplay, Peter Gabriel and Oasis.

Orville Peck – “Stampede: Vol. 1”

The masked singer who redefined the boundaries of country music returns after a year's break with seven songs created in duet with great guests: in “Saturday night's alright (For fighting)” there is Elton John, in “Cowboys are frequently secretly fond of each other” there is the icon Willie Nelson, in “Conquer that heart” the king of American traditional music Nathaniel Rateliff and in “How far Will we take it?” Noah Cyrus, Miley's little sister. “Making this record has been a fun journey. There are simultaneously the most country songs I've ever made and the least country songs I've ever made,” he anticipates.

Ditonellapiaga – “Flash”

“In here is everything I've done in recent months. I put my heart, my liver, my head as hard as marble and even some hip movements at will. This concoction came out, I don't know if it's good to eat, but I really like it to listen to”: this is how Ditonellapiaga presents her new album, the ideal sequel to that “Camouflage” which in 2022 allowed Margherita Carducci, this is the real name of the 27-year-old Roman singer-songwriter, to win the Targa Tenco as Best First Film. Among the guests also Fulminacci (in “Come prima”) and Coma Cose (in “Dna”). There is more beyond “Chemistry” and Ditonellapiaga is ready to prove it.

Article 31 – “Protomaranza”

31 years after their first album, “Strade di città”, released in 1993, and 11 years after “Italiano medio”, their latest recording effort, the reborn Articolo 31, with a union re-consecrated also by the spotlight of the Sanremo Festival 2023, they return with “Protomoranza”, a new album out on May 10th. Sixteen unreleased tracks, with many guests (Bugo, Fabri Fibra, Guè, Jake La Furia, La Sad, Neffa, Nina Zilli, Rocco Hunt, Pinguini Tattici Nucleari, Tedua), in which J-Ax and Dj Jad, consistently with their path, with an incendiary irony and the disenchantment of libertarian surfers, but in some songs also with depth and reflection, they photograph the crazy society in which we move.

Ele A – “Water”

After the good response to “Globo”, Ele A's new EP, “Acqua”, produced by Disse, will be released on Friday 10 May. It is a story of society, seen from the eyes of the emerging rapper herself: people trying to escape from their own reality, everyday problems magnified disproportionately by anxiety and that sense of helplessness you feel when seeing a person close to you self-destruct. On a stylistic level, however, the album presents influences that vary from 90s hip hop to electro sounds, passing through some elements of drum and bass. The single “Dafalgan” precedes the EP.

Selton – “Gringo Vol.1”

That something was about to happen in the Selton household was clear when the Italian-Brazilian band reset their social profiles. “Gringo Vol.1” will be released on May 10th. It is the seventh studio album by the band of Daniel Plentz, Eduardo Stein Dechtiar, Ramiro Levy. As the name suggests, it is the first part of a double album. The band also revealed the tracklist for the album “Gringo Vol.1”. These are nine tracks with extremely evocative titles. Selton are also announced for May 25th at Mi Ami, the most anticipated Milanese festival of the year. They will then fly to Brazil for a mini tour that will stop in Rio De Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Porto Alegre.