No wonder there was no song of the summer, there were too many fantastic new albums to choose from.
1.“Wishbone” by Conan Gray
Someone always gets the short end of the stick; in this case, it’s definitely not the listener, because this album is incredible. This fourth Conan Gray album, released on August 15, returns to a more familiar sound after the more rock-influenced sound of “Found Heaven.” This album has no skips for me, but some major standouts are “Actor,” “Vodka Cranberry,” and “Eleven Eleven.”
The album takes on even more meaning from the trilogy of music videos Gray created with actor Corey Fogelmanis, which tell the story of Wilson and Brando, two disillusioned kids falling in and out of love. The songs featured (This Song, “Vodka Cranberry,” and “Caramel”) had themes that felt very accessible to anyone, and the amazing cinematography only elevated them. I would definitely recommend watching the videos before you make any hard judgements on the album, because it helps to put a face to the emotions Gray lays out so vulnerably in “Wishbone.”
2.“Man’s Best Friend” by Sabrina Carpenter
After much discourse over the album cover and the photo shoot, “Man’s Best Friend,” released on August 29, delivered on Carpenter’s usual clever cynicism. At first, I thought that some of the songs, especially “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night” and “Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry,” were bland, but over the past few weeks, they’ve randomly popped into my head and stayed there. My personal favorites are “My Man on Willpower,” “Nobody’s Son,” and “When Did You Get Hot?” though the internet has been all over “Go Go Juice” and “House Tour.” Overall, it was a fair sequel to “Short n’ Sweet.” Definitely not better, but not terribly worse, either.
3.“A Matter of Time” by Laufey
“A Matter of Time,” released on August 22, shows a clear maturity in Laufey’s music. There’s a healthy mixture of complete departures from her normal sound (“Sabotage”) and some more familiar themes (“Snow White.”) As a former dancer, I thought the ballet motifs throughout the album were gorgeous, and intertwined well with the fairytale concept. She’s always been great at bridging classical, jazz, and pop, which really shines through in songs like “Forget-Me-Not.”
I definitely loved the laugh at performative men in “Mr. Eclectic,” which featured Clairo as well (especially great considering they’re considered the artists that performative men listen to, along with beabadoobee).
4.“I Barely Know Her” by sombr
He has a pretty signature sound – the echoey, sad, but also a little groovy moment, and he definitely stuck with that. I like a lot of the music, and I think all of his newer songs are consistent with the older releases that he also put on this album. Both thematically and auditorially I think his music is very similar, which creates a nice, cohesive energy, if a little boring at times. Standouts for me are definitely the singles he had put out, as well as the older songs that were on the album, like “undressed” and “12 to 12.” Overall, a good listen but I didn’t necessarily need to listen to it all the way through more than once, I think he got his point across fairly easily.
5.“Bite Me” by Reneé Rapp
This album was so much fun. I think her sound is great, and I love the variation of slower and faster songs. I also think she showcased her voice in incredible ways, displaying techniques like her belt, and fun riffs. “Shy” in particular stood out to me as one of the strongest songs on the album both lyrically and musically, with a building chorus that shocks you with how strong the emotion in her voice is. I also really loved “You’d Like That Wouldn’t You” and “Leave Me Alone” for their less serious, more sassy energy and lyrics. Overall, this album is one of my summer standouts for sure, and I’ve been listening to it on loop since its release.
Honorable Mention
The “K-Pop Demon Hunters” soundtrack catapulted to the top of the charts, smashing the Billboard Hot 100 charts where it’s been on top for the past 12 weeks. Even if you’re not a K-pop fan, you can still enjoy the addictive beats and insanely talented voices.
