It's the final quarter of the year and we are looking at an excellent month of music for October 2020. It's a rich blend of debut releases and albums from more established artists and we know we'll come out of this month with a new contender for album of the year.

LANY - Mama's BoyLANY - Mama's Boy

LANY - Mama's Boy
(October 2)

Since their epic single collaboration with Lauv on 2019's Mean It, we've been really looking forward to rock trio LANY's third output Mama's Boy, which is out this week on Polydor. It sees them at their most authentic and honest yet, with more of an acoustic tone and a confidence that is unsurprising given the skillful development of their sound.

Matt Berninger - Serpentine PrisonMatt Berninger - Serpentine Prison

Matt Berninger - Serpentine Prison
(October 16)

Setting out on a solo venture is always daunting for an artist who's used to being in a band, but The National frontman Matt Berninger should have nothing to worry about if his recent singles One More Second, Distant Axis and the titular Serpentine Prison are anything to go by. His voice is more stripped back than we've ever heard it, and we are loving what we're hearing.

Beabadoobee - Fake It FlowersBeabadoobee - Fake It Flowers

Beabadoobee - Fake It Flowers
(October 16)

Shortlisted this year for the Brits' Rising Star Award (and longlisted for the BBC's Sound of 2020), Beabadoobee has been making waves ahead of the release of her debut album Fake It Flowers. She first came on our radar after featuring on Powfu's Death Bed (Coffee for Your Head), followed by her stunning lead single Care earlier this year.

Gorillaz - Song Machine, Season One: Strange TimezGorillaz - Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez

Gorillaz - Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez
(October 23)

The first "season" of Gorillaz's new audiovisual Song Machine project is set to drop this month. If it sounds complicated, it probably is; though since when has Damon Albarn done anything simple? Strange Timez sees the return of Murdoc Niccals who we missed in 2018's The Now Now, and also sees a number of different collaborators spanning all genres; from The Cure's Robert Smith and New Order's Peter Hook, to Elton John, St Vincent and Schoolboy Q.

Nothing But Thieves - Moral Panic Nothing But Thieves - Moral Panic

Nothing But Thieves - Moral Panic
(October 23)

After 2017's epic output Broken Machine (which reached number 2 in the UK charts), we are really looking forward to what Nothing But Thieves have got for us this year with Moral Panic. Songs like Is Everybody Going Crazy? and Real Love Song have been on repeat for us lately, and it definitely feels like they've been pushing themselves even further this time round.