Even before the age of streaming, artists would often delight their fans with surprise albums. From the overnight album drop to calculated partnerships, artists are no longer reliant on the traditional method of an album roll-out. From U2’s surprise release Songs of Innocence to Radiohead’s pay what you want model, here are ten surprise albums that shook up the music world.
Radiohead: In Rainbows (2007)
Radiohead not only disrupted the traditional album rollout, they completely changed the way artists distributed their music. When it came to their follow-up to 2003’s Hail To The Thief, the band announced a new album on their website. It shocked the industry when it also included a pre-order link where fans could pay what they wanted for it. In Rainbows not only set a precedent for album releases, but marked a new era for the band following their departure from EMI. Two months following the release, the band dropped a second In Rainbows disc featuring eight new tracks. Key track: “Weird Fishes”
The Raconteurs: Consolers Of The Lonely (2008)
Following Radiohead’s release, music critics were in store for another surprise. This time the surprise came from rock supergroup The Raconteurs. The project was labeled as a rush-release without any promotion, drumming up even more curiosity. Jack White went to great pains to pull off a surprise drop, dubbing the album “The Plug-Ins” to prevent any leaks. But it was all for nought. iTunes accidentally made the album available for purchase ahead of time and fans and critics snatched it up. Key track: “Salute Your Solution”
David Bowie: The Next Day (2013)
On his 66th birthday, David Bowie caught the world by surprise when he dropped a new single, “Where Are We Now?,” and announced a new album. This was his first album in 10 years. Not only did it shatter the speculation that he’d retired from music, but Bowie managed to spend two years recording an album and not a whisper got out. For an icon of his status to pull off such a feat was unheard of. Even the president of his record label only knew of The Next Day a month before its release. When the album did materialize on iTunes, at 5am, on March 8, 2013, it proved that Bowie was still capable of challenging both listeners and himself. Key track: “Where Are We Now?”
Kendrick Lamar: DAMN. (2017)
It was two years since Lamar released his game-changing To Pimp A Butterfly, and K Dot was set to headline Coachella without any new material. In late March, he posted on social media the last bar of his new freestyle, “The Heart Part IV,” and teased new material. In just a few days’ time, Lamar dropped the video for DAMN.’s lead single, “Humble,” and the album went live for pre-order on 7 April. It was a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it roll-out, but DAMN.’s influence would extend far beyond the festival circuit, eventually going double-platinum and earning him a Pulitzer Prize in 2018. Key track: “Humble”
U2: Songs Of Innocence (2014)
U2’s automatic iTunes release remains one of the biggest surprise albums in history. As part of their Apple Watch and iPhone 6 announcement, Apple also inked a deal with the band to make their new album, Songs Of Innocence – their first in five years – free to Apple customers – all 500 million of them. Bono later called it a “drop of megalomania, a touch of generosity.” Key track: “The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)”
Rihanna: Anti (2016)
This is the rare case when a leak actually furthered an album’s hype. Fans had been conditioned to expect a new album from Rihanna each year, so, after several years of silence, when she finally delivered three new singles and album details in 2015, the internet went wild. After successfully debuting Anti’s first single, “Work,” the album appeared on Tidal by mistake for only 20 minutes, but not before users were able to rip and share it. As a mea culpa, Samsung released a million free downloads as a part of a deal, causing Anti to be the fastest platinum-certified album by RIAA. Key track: “Work”
Björk: Vulnicura (2015)
Back in 2011, Björk released Biophilia with as much fanfare as she could possibly muster. The album’s 10 tracks were each released with a corresponding interactive app. Björk followed up this success with the surprise album, Vulnicura.
The frigid, broken suite was originally scheduled to hit stores in March, but after it was leaked, Björk threw caution to the wind and dropped it unannounced on Jan. 20, 2015. It was originally going to be released alongside a museum installation and a career-spanning book, but Björk instead opted for a no-ceremony route which led to some of the best reviews she’s seen in years. Coincidence? Maybe. But the candidness was certainly welcome. Key track: “lionsong”
My Bloody Valentine: mbv (2013)
My Bloody Valentine recorded parts of mbv before breaking up in 1997. Disappointment simmered until 2007, when My Bloody Valentine announced they were getting back together. Any word on the new album? “It’s about three-fourths of the way done,” said Kevin Shields, the band’s core mad scientist.
How long does a quarter of a My Bloody Valentine album take to make? Apparently six years, because it wasn’t until the evening of Feb. 2, 2013, that the band finally allowed us to hear what they’ve been working on. How do you know you’ve taken the world by surprise? Probably when your website crashes over and over again. Key track: “If I Am”
Ariana Grande: thank u, next (2019)
After the August release of Sweetener, Ariana Grande suffered a tragic personal loss with the sudden death of her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller. Talks of touring and new album were nixed, but she later decamped to New York to record with a few of her longtime collaborators. In less than three months, Grande released the album’s first single, titled after the forthcoming record, and reportedly recorded thank u, next in a matter of weeks. At first, it seemed that Grande was eschewing the typical album roll-out and just releasing singles instead, but then thank u, next dropped in February (less than six months after Sweetener) and continued her chart domination. Key track: “7 rings”
J Cole: KOD (2018)
Four days prior to the release of his fifth album, KOD (which stands for “Kids On Drugs,” “King Overdosed” and “Kill Our Demons”), rapper J Cole cleared his socials, prompting mass speculation. Leading up to the album’s release, Cole hosted a series of fan listening events both in the US and the UK, drumming up hype before KOD’s cover art and tracklist were even revealed. This wasn’t the first time that Cole dropped a surprise album. He released his third album, Forest Hills Drive, without fanfare and announced 2016’s 4 Your Eyes Only with just an iTunes pre-order page. Clearly the tactic paid off each time, and KOD notching him his fifth No.1 in the US. Key track: “ATM”
