Sonic Shifts: X96-Ready Albums Dropping May 9
Alt-rock lovers, strap in—today’s release slate hits hard with a genre-defying blend of legacy acts, experimental side quests, and fresh melancholia. Here’s what’s new and worthy of your X96 playlist.
Arcade Fire – Pink Elephant [Columbia]
Best For: Longtime fans, indie rock revivalists
Montreal’s crown jewel of orchestral alt-rock resurfaces with Pink Elephant, their first full-length since WE. This time, Arcade Fire leans into synth-drenched paranoia and sprawling art-rock textures. Expect lyrical surrealism and slow-burning crescendos—more Neon Bible than Reflektor, with Win Butler confronting both personal and political hauntings.
Spin: “Year of the Snake”
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Preoccupations – Ill at Ease [Born Losers]
Best For: Post-punk purists, Joy Division devotees
Calgary’s coldwave heroes return with a record soaked in existential dread and jagged guitar work. Ill at Ease sharpens the band’s icy edge with industrial noise and anxious rhythms—an evolution from their previous outings. Vocalist Matt Flegel delivers disenchanted mantras like a prophet in grayscale.
Spin: “Ill at Ease”
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Don't just read about alt-rock—bathe in it. Stream X96 and cleanse your ears.
The Head and the Heart – Aperture [Reprise]
Best For: Indie romantics, festivalgoers who still believe
Polished yet earnest, Aperture balances the band’s folk-pop roots with airy synths and radio-ready hooks. Think Lumineers meets early Coldplay. The Seattle collective offers emotional uplift with just enough grit to keep it alt.
Spin: “After The Setting Sun”
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Mark Pritchard & Thom Yorke – Tall Tales [Warp]
Best For: Radiohead fans, electronic explorers
Yorke’s spectral vocals float over Pritchard’s lush, abstract beats in this cinematic collaboration. Tall Tales is a digital dreamscape—part ambient collage, part haunted trip-hop confessional. The record blurs the lines between song and sound design, delivering mood over melody.
Spin: “The Spirit”
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Deradoorian – Ready for Heaven [Fire]
Best For: Art-pop diggers, spiritual seekers
Former Dirty Projectors member Angel Deradoorian crafts a mystic journey with Ready for Heaven, fusing meditative chants, psych-pop swirls, and minimalist electronica. It’s hypnotic and hushed, drawing from Sufi music, new age aesthetics, and West Coast experimentalism.
Spin: “Set Me Free”
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Sleep Token – Even in Arcadia [RCA]
Best For: Emo-metal devotees, those who cry in the pit
Still masked, still mysterious, Sleep Token dials up the drama on Even in Arcadia, merging downtuned metal with lush balladry and R&B flourishes. Worship meets breakdowns in this post-genre sermon. It’s over-the-top and deeply sincere—like Deftones covering Bon Iver.
Spin: “Democles”
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Verdict:
Whether craving catharsis, contemplation, or chaos, May 9 delivers a six-pack of sonically rich alt albums built for repeat rotation. X96 listeners, it’s time to update that playlist.
