The summer-to-fall shift is always my favorite time for playlisting â thereâs something about the switch to hoodies, hot coffee, and horror movies that sparks a wave of nostalgia and more focused listening. Recently I tapped into these feelings, devolving into full self-parody as a 31-year-old white guy when I went to a Death Cab For Cutie and Postal Service show, solo. The bands played Transatlanticism and Give Up back-to-back, revisiting those 2003 albums with a sleek, modern stage setup that brought their sounds into the future. Over at Pitchfork, Jill Mapes wrote a great piece on the âPeak Millennial Nostalgiaâ of this tour, and this distinct feeling of hearing songs from your youth in a new light.
But as always, Iâm still looking for new sounds to pair with these comfy old favorites. So hereâs a list of 5 albums worth discovering â I hope thereâs something in this batch youâll be excited to hear again at a twentieth-anniversary concert in 2043.
5 new albums to hear
As always, standout songs from all the albums below are in the Hear Hear playlist.
Aperture, Hannah Jadagu. The debut album from this 20-year-old NYU student veers âfrom indie rock to electronic to warped R&B,â as Jon Pareles writes in an NYT feature. [Highlights: âLetter To Myselfâ + âLoseâ]
Crying, Laughing, Waving, Smiling, Slaughter Beach, Dog. This album of warm, lush âconversational folk-hued rockâ (as Josh Terry put it in his newsletter) has been making me smile, recalling old favorites like Noah And The Whale and Bright Eyes. Lead singer Jake Ewald also curates a monthly playlist of songs to soundtrack your walks â a good one to save! [Highlights: âStrange Weatherâ + âSummer Windowsâ]
Sorry I Havenât Called, Vagabon. Vagabonâs sound has changed over the years, evolving from the lo-fi rock of her 2017 debut. On this stellar new album produced with Rostam, she âchanges shape once more,â writes Pitchforkâs Mary Retta, âresulting in bright and dewy electro-pop songs with more rhythmic dimension.â [Highlights: âCan I Talk My Shit?â + âLexiconâ]
Mid Air, Romy. You know Romyâs voice from her influential band the xx â but Mid Air is her first solo record, and itâs a dancey delight with an emotional undercurrent. For The New Yorker, Carrie Battan wrote a great review explaining how the album draws on âEurodance, the oontz-oontzy stepchild of house and techno.â Fittingly, Romy curated a playlist called âEmotional Music To Dance Toâ featuring her collaborations with Fred again.. alongside similar vibes. [Highlights: âStrongâ + âWeightlessâ]
I Miss You Already + I Havenât Left Yet, Del Water Gap. By now, longtime readers of this newsletter should know Del Water Gap, the solo project of songwriter S. Holden Jaffe. Over the years, Jaffe has built a remarkable catalog of catchy jams â from stellar Americana-style singles and EPs in the mid-2010s, to big synthy pop-rock songs on his 2021 self-titled record. On this stellar new album, his ever-expansive sound gets even bigger, with undeniable arena anthems and more addicting choruses. Fresh off a fun How Long Gone podcast appearance, DWG is about to embark on a big North American tour â I highly recommend catching his excellent live set. [Highlights: âLosing Youâ + âQuilt of Steamâ + âCoping on Unemploymentâ]
5 playlists for Fall 2023 đ
pumpkin spice lattes in the mountains from Kaseyâs Playlist // ft. Noah Kahan, Hozier, Big Thief, Phoebe Bridgers, Caamp // I just discovered the hyper-specific playlists of Kasey Gelsomino thanks to Flipboardâs Art Of Curation podcast, and so glad I did. On this one, she taps into the âStomp and Holler revivalâ led by Kahanâs sweet songs. (Covered nicely in this Vulture piece: âHow Noah Kahan Became Gen Zâs Mumford And Sons.â)
Body Between Weather, Mind Between Seasons from cultural critic Hanif Abduraqqib // ft. Miguel, Tasha, Nick Hakim, Tennis, MICHELLE // Per Abduraqqibâs Instagram, this playlist was really meant as an ode to âLower Summerâ in the early days of September, but itâs still an expertly curated mix that I couldnât pass on sharing.
Autumn Rotation. đ from curator Patrick Mahan// ft. Kate Bush, Mitski, The Replacements, Night Moves // In his newsletter Carefully Curated, Mahan shared his 11th annual Autumn playlist, mixing new and classic songs with a seasonal vibe.
fall2023 from playlist connoisseur Adam Sharp // ft. Jess Williamson, Sun June, Zach Bryan, Wilco // Mostly folky tunes to capture the golden season, perfect for sleepy mornings and early sunsets.
feels like fall from content strategist Maya Kosoff // ft. Dr. Dog, Taylor Swift, The Cranberries, The Smiths, Yo La Tengo // A wonderfully nostalgic mix from Kosoff, who just launched a new editorial consulting agency. đ
New songs from Hear Hear faves
As usual, there has been way too much music to keep track of over the past couple months, so I just dropped a bunch of new stuff into the Hear Hear playlist, including:
Songs Iâve been loving from Beatenberg, Omar Apollo, Katy Kirby, Middle Kids, Bleachers, The Staves, Jamila Woods, Ryan Beatty, and Hozier ft. Brandi CarlileâŠ
And album highlights from Ratboys, Mapache, Walter Etc, Olivia Rodrigo, and The National.
A couple of good music readsâŠ
âWhy Gen X Dads Can Appreciate Olivia Rodrigoâ from Jay Caspian Kang
âListening to Guts while driving my daughter to soccer practice in our van â an activity that can only really be described with self-effacing irony â I could still drag up the vestiges of my own adolescent rage. It was a pleasant experience â me, a quarter century removed from the intensity of teen-age feeling, and my daughter, hopefully at least ten years away from the same, both living through the nineties again.â
âDiscography Deep Dive: Vampire Weekendâ from Josh Terry
âTheyâre easy to rag on but dig deep and youâll find some of the finest, most joyful, and most adventurous pop music of this century.â
More playlists tracking the best music of 2023 (so far)
23 Great Songs from 2023 So Far from director James Gunn. Known for top-tier needle-drops in his work on Guardians of the Galaxy and the good Suicide Squad, Gunnâs playlist introduced me to some fun new bands like Prima Queen, JAWNY, and quinine.
Flux Focus Trax Summer 2023 from Fluxblogâs Matthew Perpetua. A well-sequenced, 76-song mix âof top-quality music from the first 8 months of 2023â â including Jungle, Miguel ft. Lil Yachty, Dijon, Tinashe, Crumb and more.
another fall playlist to throw in the mix - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5ynFrZKfzAb7d9I58stxTs?si=9a7d852793ac4b76
tons of rabbit holes to dive down, thanks