5 albums you need to hear in April

Each month we look at the most anticipated albums coming out. Scroll down to learn more.

1. Timber Timbre, Sincerely, Future Pollution (April 7)

Having tailored a penchant for a moody and melancholy brew of blues and folk, Timber Timbre has attracted critical acclaim for its distinctive sound. Sincerely, Future Pollution, Timber Timbre's new album and the follow-up to its 2014 Polaris Music Prize-shortlisted Hot Dreams, delves deeper into those dark sounds. Helmed by the creative leadership of Taylor Kirk, Sincerely, Future Pollution also explores newer sounds with bandmates Mathieu Charbonneau, Simon Trottier and drummer Oliver Fairfield arranging songs in Montreal, before taking off to a Paris chateau to finish the tracks.

— Del F. Cowie

2. Father John Misty, Pure Comedy (April 7)

Josh Tillman, better known as Father John Misty, has become a go-to musician when it comes to no-punches-pulled commentary on everything pop culture. He has defended Nickleback, trashed Ed Sheeran, and even co-written songs for Beyoncé and Lady Gaga on one day, then railed against the pop machine the next. Tillman's unhinged candour is front and centre on Pure Comedy, his third and possibly best album. Each song seems to present a new character and theme, whether it's the husband who wants to experience intimate relations with pop stars via virtual reality, or a man on his deathbed who has spent his life spouting false wisdom online. Taken together, it's a biting, if not wholly depressing look at what makes us tick, set to beautifully lush instrumentation. The perfect soundtrack for the end of the civilized world.

— Jesse Kinos-Goodin

3. Kendrick Lamar, TBD (April 7) 

Anticipation for Kendrick Lamar's next official album after the genre redefining opus, To Pimp A Butterfly, was already sky-high but it reached fever pitch when Lamar's entire Instagram was recently scrubbed save one cryptic "IV" image and, a couple days later, the song "The Heart Part 4" surfaced followed by a video for "Humble" Thursday evening. Familiar names from the core K-Dot creative team, including Terrace Martin, Thundercat and Flying Lotus, reportedly return for the new album but a superstar cast of guests including Andre 3000, Q-Tip, D'Angelo, Anderson .Paak and Kanye West join the fray, too. What's More Life?

— Ian Steaman

4. Little Dragon, Season High (April 14)

Quirky Gothenburg, Sweden, indie-electronic quartet Little Dragon celebrates its return with a fifth album of original music, the first in three years, with dates at Coachella and a lone Canadian date in Toronto two weeks later. Prefaced by two singles so far, the dancey "Sweet" and the more moody, downtempo "High," the 10-track collection augurs a continued exploration of the sounds on 2014's well-received Nabuma Rubberband. After an unexpected but excellent feature appearance on "Drawn" from De La Soul's and the Anonymous Nobody... album in 2016, might some hip-hop be in the mix, too, though? — IS

5. Feist, Pleasure (April 28) 

Six years after taking home the Polaris Music Prize for her album Metals, Leslie Feist is finally back with another. Her highly-anticipated fifth studio album, Pleasure, was recorded last winter with longtime collaborators Mocky and Renaud Letang, both of whom were instrumental to her 2007 hit record, The Reminder. The album's title track serves as the lone preview listeners have gotten so far but it's a rapturous window into what Feist does best: furiously wielding guitar riffs around her echoing vocals as she howls, "It's my pleasure! And your pleasure!" Indeed, it's a pleasure to see one of Canada's beloved songwriters return to the fold.

— Melody Lau