ROCK
Five Finger Death Punch
“The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Vol. 1”
Producer: Kevin Churko
Prospect Park
Release Date: July 30
Hearing the ferocity of FFDP’s fourth release, it’s no wonder the band was able to crank out two albums during its latest writing jag. The quintet sounds even more comfortable on the melodic tip of “Wrong Side of Heaven” and “M.I.N.E. (End This Way),” and the hard stuff is pure heavy metal heaven. -Gary Graff
POP
Emblem3
“Nothing to Lose”
Producers: various
Syco Music/Columbia
Release Date: July 30
Season-two “X Factor” trio Emblem3 walks the short distance between Disney Channel pop and boy-band gloss on its debut. On single “Chloe (You’re the One I Want),” the teen act raps a few lines over a buoyant chorus, but the intended crossover appeal only boxes the group further into a teens-only category. -Emily Zelmer
POP
Backstreet Boys
“In a World Like This”
Producers: various
K-Bahn/BMG
Release Date: July 30
Backstreet Boys are pretty much the same boy band we’ve always known on their new album: Kevin Richardson is back, producer Max Martin is responsible for the best cut (the title track), and lines like “Your words are a symphony/Music that sings to me” (from “Breathe”) are aplenty. -Jill Menze
HIP-HOP
Tech N9Ne
“Something Else”
Producers: various
Strange Music
Release Date: July 30
Tech N9ne’s double-time flow remains freakishly masterful on this quasi concept album. But it’s the rapper’s emphasis on unexpected collaborations that makes this release “something else.” Rock junkie Tech is most impassioned spitting over gnarly riffs alongside Serj Tankian (“Straight Out the Gate”) and Âthe Doors (“Strange 2013”). -Dan Hyman
ALTERNATIVE
Michael Franti & Spearhead
“All People”
Producers: various
Capitol Records
Release Date: July 30
Looking for feel-good music in a tough, tumultuous world? Then Michael Franti is your man. Life-affirming inspirational messages about diversity, staying true to yourself and the power of love fuse intimately with dance beats and electronic rhythms peppered with rap, punk, reggae and pop influences. This is what life sounds like. -Gail Mitchell
ELECTRONIC
AlunaGeorge
“Body Music”
Producer: George Reid
Vagrant Records
Release Date: July 30
Fans of AlunaGeorge’s 2011 release, “You Know You Like It,” a futuristic R&B banger that suggests Aaliyah singing on a spaceship, will find follow-up “Body Music” worth the wait. The new album melds drum’n’bass, ’90s pop and U.K. soul influences with Aluna Francis’ delicate, ethereal vocals, particularly on opener “Outlines.” -Andrew Hampp