Best New Releases: Early Summer Edition
The highlights from May and June, combined into one bumper round-up
I always lose track of new music around this time of year and end up chasing my tail throughout the summer. It’s just the way life seems to work out. Consequently, a combined May/June round-up/playlist feels like a no-brainer. I get to catch up, you get to hear what I’ve been enjoying, and we can all move on and pretend this didn’t happen.
May’s Best New Releases
LE PAIN
“Dirge Technique”
(Slouch)
Le Pain’s Dirge Technique is a delightful little slice of Sarah-influenced twee pop, with a Francophile edge. Tracks like “Is That How You Want Me To Feel” are perfectly suited to the early summer vibe that my lack of reliability has forced on this round-up. I was a little disappointed to learn they’re based in LA as opposed to, I don’t know, La Rochelle — but it’s a minor quibble.
BILLY WOODS
“GOLLIWOG”
(Backwoodz Studioz / Rhymesayers)
Is there a safer bet in modern Hip Hop than billy woods? Whether with Armand Hammer, his solo work, or the endless stream of collaborations he somehow finds time for, the standard always seems to be impeccably high. The visionary is on a run like 1999 to 2005-era MF DOOM right now, and fans of any form of Hip Hop should make the time to enjoy it.
FOXWARREN
“2”
(Anti-)
I’ve been following the work of Canadian singer-songwriter and musical polymath Andy Shauf since 2016 when No Ripcord Editor-in-Chief Juan Rodríguez introduced me to The Party through a wonderful song called “The Magician”. Shauf’s career has gone from strength to strength since, and an increasingly compelling element of that is his work with Foxwarren, a separate full-band project. There have been few records as quietly ambitious as Foxwarren’s 2 this year. It’s a stunning technicolour creation, characterised by refined genre-hopping, bold sampling, and accomplished orchestration, all knitted together with Shauf’s superb sense of restraint. It also has one of the finest album covers of the year to date.
THESE NEW PURITANS
“Crooked Wing”
(Domino)
I missed 2019’s Inside The Rose altogether, so this is the first I’ve heard from Southend-on-Sea’s These New Puritans since 2013’s Field of Reeds, which I loved at the time. My first impression of Crooked Wing is that it is undoubtedly a special record, yet one that requires a certain mood and setting to approach. I think it demands calm. I haven’t had a lot of calm recently, but when the moment arises, I’ll be reaching for Crooked Wing and exploring its obvious charms further.
BEN KWELLER
“Cover The Mirrors”
(Noise Company)
Kweller has crafted a beautifully vulnerable collection of songs celebrating his son’s life and detailing the family’s struggles in the aftermath of his death. Cover The Mirrors is bold, uncompromising, and mighty. And sometimes, that’s all that needs to be said.
June’s Best New Releases
HOTLINE TNT
“Raspberry Moon”
(Third Man)
Raspberry Moon had me from the first chord. Like Cloakroom’s excellent Last Leg of the Human Table from earlier in the year, this one almost feels like a bespoke order, tailored carefully to my tastes and desires. Shoegaze, power pop and jangle haven’t meshed together this seamlessly since Teenage Fanclub’s landmark Bandwagonesque.
SUBSONIC EYE
“Singapore Dreaming”
(Topshelf)
Isn’t it great when a band quietly and consistently progresses on successive albums? Singapore’s Subsonic Eye are on their fifth full-length at this point, and they’ve never sounded better. Singapore Dreaming is sure to satisfy anyone craving fuzzy, off-kilter indie rock with C86 undertones.
LÙLÙ
“Lùlù”
(Howlin’ Banana)
Lùlù is arguably the most overtly fun pick in this whole round-up, a rip-roaring blast of bilingual (vocals come in both French and Italian) power pop bliss. Think The Nerves if they’d taken a gap year in Europe and never left. Joyful.
LIFEGUARD
“Ripped and Torn”
(Matador)
Did the surprise success of Kai Slater’s Sharp Pins side project overshadow his main gig? I feel like I should say no — but truthfully? I think it kind of did. Despite its scrappy aesthetic, Radio DDR has a broader appeal than Ripped and Torn. Both are excellent records, but Lifeguard’s feels like a relatively niche statement. It reminds me of early Iceage in many ways, where fleeting moments of softness were largely obscured by more oppressive sonics. It’s thrilling, edgy, and outright jarring at times, like all the best art punk music, but it’s not an easy listen. The beauty is we get to have both — and long may that continue.
MCKINLEY DIXON
“Magic, Alive!”
(City Slang)
McKinley Dixon already features on my favourite Hip Hop track of the year in Ghais Guevara’s “The Apple That Scarcely Fell”. With Magic, Alive! he’s put forward a solid argument for my favourite Hip Hop album of the year. I’m a sucker for jazz-inspired sampling, smart lyrics, superb flow, smart collaborations, and concise records — Magic, Alive! delivers on all fronts. Get on board.
PULP
“More”
(Rough Trade)
When I heard Sheffield’s beloved Pulp would be returning with their first album of new music in 24 years my first thought, accompanied by a rush of anxiety, was “What if it’s really shit?”
If the rather good lead single “Spike Island” quickly eased those fears, the rest of More extinguishes them altogether. It isn’t shit. If anything, it’s better than We Love Life. There is nothing here that holds a candle to their prime years, but it’s a joy to hear 61-year-old Jarvis Cocker singing quintessentially Pulp lines like “That's when I saw you, babe / In the car park of the Farmers Market backlit by the sunset”. It’s also refreshing to hear cerebral pop music from the perspective of a sexagenarian. This isn’t a voice we hear often, and it lends More an additional sense of vitality.
The Playlist
Here is my Best Albums of Early Summer playlist on Spotify. Please share your own favourites in the comments.
i really loved the foxwarren album. shockingly, maybe?
Love that Foxwarren album. Andy Shauf is on a roll!