Hey there! It’s been increasingly impossible to keep up with the barrage of great new music lately, but let’s try — by zooming into seven albums I’ve had on rotation. Admittedly, these aren’t all the most under-the-radar picks. But I wanted to shout them out just in case you haven’t heard ‘em yet.
Follow the Hear Hear playlist for standout tracks from the below albums + every issue.
Wet Leg’s whimsical debut. If you missed the bandwagon, have no fear: now is still a good time to hop on. Despite the discourse around their suspiciously rapid rise to success, the Isle of Wight duo justified the hype with a stellar debut album of catchy, sunny indie-rock jams. As Stereogum’s Chris DeVille put it, “their songs are sprightly little machines built from rolling basslines, driving drums, and guitars that shoot off at cartoonish angles.” Highlights: “Being In Love” and “Angelica”
Arcade Fire’s return to form. Meanwhile, the Arcade Fire bandwagon hasn’t been a fashionable one to ride for quite some time. I’m biased, since I’ve remained a superfan despite the awkward rollout of their weakest record to date, 2017’s Everything Now. The band got the memo and responded with a “smart reset,” according to Vulture’s Craig Jenkins: their new album WE is “a heaping pile of everything you want from Arcade Fire: touchy-feely rock tunes, inspired sequencing, and melodramatic, inspirational lyrics, just like Funeral.” Highlights: “Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)” and “The Lightning I, II”
Syd’s heartbreak album. On Broken Hearts Club, Syd “reshapes heartbreak into pillowy, ’80s-nodding R&B” according to Pitchfork’s Eric Torres. The tracks blend together in a vibey, slinky atmosphere — bolstered by welcome features from Lucky Daye, Smino, and Kehlani — worth spending 38 minutes with. Highlights: “CYBAH” and “Fast Car”
Harry Styles’ well-built House. I tried to resist, but it’s impossible! The charm and craft on display throughout this album is top-notch. Highlights: “Daylight” and “Satellite”
Kendrick Lamar’s latest opus. Admittedly, I haven’t spent enough time with this album just yet, but I was still captivated on the first listen by the density of the production and provocation of the lyrics. For NPR Music, Marcus J. Moore has a great piece on the “expansive ambition and messy incoherence” of Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. Highlights: “Father Time” and “United In Grief”
Dehd’s surfy road-trip rock. Quickly emerging as a favorite new band, Dehd follow up on their strong 2020 album Flowers of Devotion with Blue Skies, another delightful batch of summer tunes. From Pitchfork’s Jayson Greene: “Road-trip rock albums are tallied and graded on their supply of fun, catchy lyrics to yell along to, and Blue Skies boasts a profusion.” Highlights: “Bad Love” and “Empty In My Mind”
Young Guv’s sunny throwbacks. More twinkly power-pop chords and ‘70s hooks from the absurdly consistent Young Guv. Highlights: “Couldn’t Leave U If I Tried” and “Good Time”
Fittingly, here’s Arcade Fire covering Harry Styles.
Podcast Rec: Las Culturistas’ Great Global Songbook
You may know Bowen Yang as SNL’s latest breakout star, but he’s also a culture obsessive with one of today’s funniest podcasts: Las Culturistas, co-hosted with the hilarious Matt Rogers. On a recent batch of episodes, the dynamic duo listed their very specific Great Global Songbook — a truly chaotic list of 300 songs and a long journey of a listen. (Spoiler alert: Baha Men’s “Who Let The Dogs Out” has a place in the Top 20, alongside Judy Garland and Fergie.) If you want to skip the episode and just see the songs, the full playlist is here.
ICYMI: Maggie Rogers returns with a sleek pop anthem
The video for Maggie Rogers’ latest single is an ode to NYC in all its cheesy, clichéd glory, complete with glamour shots of the Empire State Building — a building I famously love. It also has cameos from favorites David Byrne and Hamilton Leithauser.
The new Arcade Fire is far from being a masterpiece, but it’s a pretty decent and welcoming return to their good shape! And I must be the only one that didn’t get hit by Harry’s House. I absolutely loved the single, but the algum didn’t grab me... yet? 😆