Seattle is known widely as one of the biggest music cities in the United States, leaving Seattle Pacific University students with the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the booming music scene.

In a city flooded with historical concert venues and record stores, music can be a major part of students’ experience at SPU. Whether you choose to be a part of the lively local music scene or follow the more mainstream arena tours, there’s always a musical moment to be a part of in the surrounding Seattle area. 

In the coming months of spring and leading into the summer, students can expect to see new albums, and likely corresponding tour announcements from plenty of exciting artists. Given the volume of live music that comes through Seattle, it may be a wise idea for students to keep track of upcoming albums before their release so they can anticipate any future tour dates. 

On April 14, Metallica will drop their 11th studio album, “72 Seasons.” Metallica’s album release will then quickly be followed by Seattle-native rock band, The Smashing Pumpkins, who plan to release their 12th album, “Atum: A Rock Opera in Three Acts.” 

Ed Sheeran’s newest album, “Subtract,” comes out on May 5, 2023. This album will be the fourth and final entry in his series of albums named after well-known mathematical symbols. Sheeran has already released the tour dates for his upcoming tour following the album’s release, which features a set list which encompasses the music of all four previously released albums. Sheeran will be in Seattle on Aug. 26 at Lumen Field. 

Also in the month of May, specifically on May 26, indie-pop artist Arlo Parks will release her album “My Soft Machine.”

BTS band member, Suga, is also preparing to release an album on April 21. This will be his first solo album, which is titled “D-Day.” Following shortly behind his former bandmate, Jimim, who released his first solo ep “Face” on March 24.

In other boyband news, on June 9, Niall Horan will be dropping his third solo album. The album, “The Show,”  has stirred up much excitement among fans with the release of his single “Heaven” on March 10.

Horan has not released an album in over three years since his last album, “Heartbreak Weather,” was released on March 13, 2020. “The Show” is expected to do well in the charts as fans await the return of Horan’s music. Also on June 9, “Joy’All” by Jenny Lewis will be released. 

June is shaping up to be an exciting month for music. On June 9, Melanie Martinez will perform her newest album, “Portals” at WAMU Theatre. The album released on March 31, and the tour begins at the end of May, giving fans only two months to memorize lyrics.

First-year student Curtis Kitchen is a fan of Melanie Martinez and was instantly excited to hear that Martinez was releasing new music. 

“I obviously love the album and have had it on repeat since it’s been released. It continues to follow the story of the character she came up with for her first album, Crybaby,” Kitchen said. “Each album she’s released has had a narrative plot, but at the beginning of this album we find out that the character we’ve been following is dead. We’re following her through the afterlife now.” 

First-year education major Emeri Beitler’s most anticipated album has not been released yet. Beitler is looking forward to Greta Van Fleet’s new album, “Starcatcher,” which will be coming out on July 21. 

“I think it’s going to be good, but I think it’s also going to be on par with everything else they’ve made. But maybe they’ll surprise us. I don’t know, but their newest song is pretty similar to their last album, ‘Battle at Gardens Gate,’” Beitler said. 

There are also many artists who are expected to release an album later in the year yet have not announced a release date, including Peter Mcpoland, Kelly Clarkson, Khalid and Selena Gomez.

In an even less official form, there are a handful of big-name artists who have been rumored to be currently working on their next albums. Beyonce, Cardi B, The Killers, Frank Ocean and Taylor Swift are a few of the many speculated artists. 

To keep track of their favorite artists, students can find features on most music streaming services, such as Spotify or Apple Music, that will remind them of upcoming releases and any new tour updates.