What albums are coming out in October 2023?

Virgin Radio

28 Sep 2023, 10:29

Here’s a look at all the records vying for a chance at the top spot in the charts this month!

There’s a good mix of brand new music from some beloved faves as well as some reworked classics too. 

Without further ado, here are the albums coming out in October 2023:

Rick Astley - Are We There Yet? (6th October)

Never Gonna Give You Up crooner Rick Astley will hope for massive chart success with his ninth studio record - Are We There Yet?

The 80s icon has been steadily building up the hype for the upcoming album by dropping singles like Dipping My Feet, and announcing another UK tour too. 

Speaking about one of the meanings behind the album’s title, Rick - who is now 57 years old - told The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with cinch in June: “I sometimes wonder, well, when do you feel you’re there? There's always a bit of something else. And I don't mean that negatively, like chasing something. 

“I just mean, there are new things always to do. Because the world changes all the time, doesn't it? And what you thought was normal now, and you've got that sorted... ‘I know how to do that’, someone will change it tomorrow. So yeah, get with it.”

Blink-182 - One More Time (20th October)

Things are getting emotional for legendary punk-pop band Blink-182 and their upcoming ninth studio album, One More Time…

The lead track from the album, called More Than You Know, details all the heartbreaking things the trio have been through in their 30-year career, including lead singer Tom DeLonge’s departure, drummer Travis Barker’s near-fatal plane crash and guitarist Mark Hoppus’ cancer diagnosis. 

One More Time marks DeLonge’s long-awaited return to the studio with Hoppus and Barker since 2011’s Neighbourhoods, after which Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba took over the lead vocals. 

The Rolling Stones - Hackney Diamonds (20th October)

The Rolling Stones are finally back with their first original material in 18 years! 

Not only will the new album - titled Hackney Diamonds - feature legendary musical artists Stevie Wonder and Lady Gaga, but the record will also include the last currently known recordings of late drummer Charlie Watts.

The 12-track album was recorded in an appropriately jet-setting fashion for the world's biggest rockstars, with recording locations including: Los Angeles, London, The Bahamas, and New York, where they used Jimi Hendrix's legendary studio Electric Lady Studios.

Not only are Gaga and Wonder also featured, but track Bite My Head Off will feature a rare collaboration from Beatles bassist and all round musical icon, Paul McCartney.

Duran Duran - Danse Macabre (27th October)

The likes of Billie Eilish and Talking Heads will be covered on Duran Duran’s spooky new record, Danse Macabre. 

Duran Duran, made up of Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor and Roger Taylor, will have their rendition of Billie Eilish’s Bury A Friend, alongside Psycho Killer by Talking Heads, Paint It Black by the Rolling Stones, Ghost Town by The Specials, Siouxsie and the Banshees’ Spellbound and Cerrone’s Supernature.

Danse Macabre will also reunite Duran Duran with former guitarist Andy Taylor. Bassist John revealed Andy, who is currently battling stage 4 prostate cancer, was actually a major inspiration for the record, after he was unable to perform at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2022. 

John explained:  “Had [Andy] come to LA and just gone on the TV show, we probably wouldn’t have even thought about it. That [the album] happened as a result of this. There’s a lot of cover songs on the album, songs meaningful to us when we were kids. So having him be a part of that project is great.”

James Blunt - Who We Used To Be (27th October)

Despite releasing his greatest hits album, The Stars Beneath My Feet, in 2021, James Blunt admitted he’s ready to "inflict more painful music" on fans with his seventh album, Who We Used To Be. 

Alongside the album announcement, James also released the mood-boosting earworm Beside You.

During his sit-down with our Chris earlier this month, the You’re Beautiful singer said of his upcoming record: “I'm excited because last time around was the Greatest Hits, and I thought maybe that meant my career was over, and I thought I was being shelved. But then my record label gave me a new record deal and so I'm gonna inflict more painful music on the nation!

“And it's kind of liberated me, and I've had a tonne to write about. I'm a grown-up now. So I've got loads of stuff, loads of inspiration, some of it happy and some of it miserable and it's an exciting album.”

Taylor Swift - 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (27th October)

That Taylor Swift has certainly been busy as of late, and just a few short months after dropping Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), she’s back with 1989 (Taylor’s Version) from her 2014 record of the same name. 

While on stage at the sold-out SoFi stadium in Los Angeles in August, Taylor confirmed 1989, would be the next one released as part of her Taylor’s Version album collection. 

Swifties can get their hands on the newly recorded 1989 on 27th October, and according to Taylor’s Instagram feed, re-recording her fifth record was “her favourite” out of the lot. 

Taylor wrote on social media at the time: “Surprise!! 1989 (Taylor’s Version) is on its way to you! The 1989 album changed my life in countless ways, and it fills me with such excitement to announce that my version of it will be out October 27th. 

“To be perfectly honest, this is my most FAVORITE [sic] re-record I’ve ever done because the 5 From The Vault tracks are so insane. I can’t believe they were ever left behind. But not for long.”