{"id":10315,"date":"2024-07-03T21:17:22","date_gmt":"2024-07-04T01:17:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/?p=10315"},"modified":"2024-07-03T21:17:22","modified_gmt":"2024-07-04T01:17:22","slug":"music-update-june-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/2024\/07\/03\/music-update-june-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Music update, June 2024."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>June brought three of the best albums of the year so far and a slew of comeback singles from bands I thought weren\u2019t recording any more, so I\u2019d call it a good month even beyond the part where it included my birthday and my daughter graduating from high school. Anyway, if you can\u2019t see the playlist below, you can <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/playlist\/1Neh95pTDykdPgmqn4xSkj?si=1223bfe6b708447f\">access it here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify wp-embed-aspect-21-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Klaw&amp;apos;s June 2024 music update\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/playlist\/1Neh95pTDykdPgmqn4xSkj?si=db1169601f2e431d&#038;utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rakim feat. Kurupt and Masta Killa \u2013 Be Ill.<\/strong> The world has been waiting for new music from Rakim for 15 years, and for good new music from him for at least 25 years. We\u2019re getting a new album, modestly titled <em>G.O.D.s NETWORK: REB7RTH<\/em>, on July 26<sup>th<\/sup>, and this song has Rakim sounding as good as he has since the 1990s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>GIFT \u2013 Later.<\/strong> More shoegazey than straight shoegaze, with a heavier dose of \u201880s synths, cleaner guitars, and way more prominent vocals. GIFT\u2019s second album, <em>Illuminator<\/em>, their first as a full band (rather than a solo project for vocalist\/guitarist TJ Freda), comes out on August 23<sup>rd<\/sup>, but the three singles they\u2019ve released so far are all bangers \u2013 this one, \u201cGoing in Circles,\u201d and my favorite, \u201cWish Me Away.\u201d There\u2019s definitely some Slowdive\/Ride influence here, but Freda is doing more than just mimicking his idols, especially when it comes to building towards a big chorus or other hook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Hundred Waters \u2013 Towers.<\/strong> I had long given up on hearing more music from Hundred Waters, whose sophomore album <em>The Moon Rang Like a Bell<\/em> was also one of <a href=\"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/2019\/12\/18\/top-25-albums-of-the-2010s\/\">my top albums of the 2010s<\/a>, but whose last release was 2017\u2019s <em>Communicating<\/em>. The trio, led by singer Nicole Miglis, released a four-song EP called <em>Towers<\/em> on June 14<sup>th<\/sup>, and Miglis still sounds incredible, while the band continues to experiment with the electronic sounds that back her up. I\u2019m hoping there\u2019s a full album to come but I\u2019ll take what I can get.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Mysterines \u2013 Hawkmoon.<\/strong> The Mysterines\u2019 sophomore album <em>Afraid of Tomorrows<\/em> came out on June 21<sup>st<\/sup>, the same day as Pond\u2019s and Alcest\u2019s newest albums, and it\u2019s a huge step forward from Lia Metcalfe\u2019s quartet across the board, but especially in the quality of its hooks. My friends at Paste <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pastemagazine.com\/music\/the-mysterines\/the-mysterines-embrace-the-next-day\">interviewed Metcalfe and drummer Paul Crilly<\/a> about the new record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Pond \u2013 So Lo.<\/strong> <em>Stung!<\/em>, the latest album from these Australian experimental psych-rockers, is all over the place, for better and a bit worse, but I take that as the price of admission given their willingness to jump between genres. This has strong mid-80s Prince vibes, as well as the 1970s funk songs that inspired his Revolution era sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Howl &amp; the Hum \u2013 Same Mistake Twice.<\/strong> Imagine a mashup of gang of youths and the Front Bottoms and you get this song from the Yorkshire quartet whose name unfortunately sounds like a discount version of The Head &amp; the Heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sl\u00f8tface \u2013 Ladies of the Fight. <\/strong>This is what I want from Sl\u00f8tface\u2019s Haley Shea, who is now the only official member, and has a knack for punk-pop hooks and witty, sardonic lyrics. This track is full of movie references, including <em>Fight Club <\/em>and <em>A League of Their Own<\/em>, fitting since the upcoming album is titled <em>Film Buff<\/em> (September 27<sup>th<\/sup>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Color Green \u2013 God in a $. <\/strong>This is just good old-fashioned blues-based rock and roll, maybe with a dash of jam-band sensibility thrown in. I\u2019d love to see them live, although their summer tour doesn\u2019t go anywhere west of Boise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Good Looks \u2013 Broken Body. <\/strong>This Austin jangle-pop band released their second album, <em>Lived Here for a While<\/em>, in June, featuring this track and the lead single \u201cIf It\u2019s Gone,\u201d which showcase their sense of melody and wistful lyrics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Chime School \u2013 Give Your Heart Away. <\/strong>More sunny jangle-pop goodness from San Francisco Giants fan and Seablite drummer Andy Pastalaniec, whose second album, <em>The Boy Who Ran The Paisley Hotel<\/em>, drops on August 23<sup>rd<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Los Campesinos! \u2013 Feast of Tongues.<\/strong> We do love Welsh bands around here, but I have to admit that Los Campesinos! have often missed the mark for me \u2013 they\u2019ve often struck me as trying too hard to be snarky or different, or just generally too cool for school. This track, from their upcoming album <em>All Hell <\/em>(out July 19<sup>th<\/sup>), is something I at least haven\u2019t heard from them before, reminiscent lyrically of Okkervil River and musically of Mercury Rev.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mercury Rev \u2013 Patterns. <\/strong>Oh hey, what a coincidence. I thought Mercury Rev had hung it up after 2015\u2019s <em>The Light in You<\/em> (which I barely remember), and I can\u2019t say I\u2019ve been into anything they\u2019ve done since 2001\u2019s epic <em>All Is Dream<\/em>. This song feels like a throwback to that record, with spoken, philosophical (or just) lyrics over a psychedelic space-pop backdrop. Their new album <em>Born Horses<\/em> drops on September 6<sup>th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Jesus Lizard \u2013 Hide &amp; Seek. <\/strong>These 1990s noise-rock icons haven\u2019t released an album in 26 years, but <em>Rack<\/em> drops on September 13<sup>th<\/sup>. They\u2019ve promised a departure from their old sound; this track sounds more like the clean punk sound of the Descendents than <em>Goat <\/em>or <em>Liar<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Amyl and the Sniffers \u2013 Facts.<\/strong> Seth Meyers\u2019 favorite band put out two singles at the end of May, this one and \u201cU Should Not Be Doing That,\u201d and they haven\u2019t changed their fast-driving throwback punk sound a bit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Fontaines D.C. \u2013 Favourite.<\/strong> Fontaines D.C. go Britpop on the closing track from their forthcoming album <em>Romance<\/em>, due out in August. I saw this Irish post-punk band open for Arctic Monkeys last September and they were unbelievable live, so much so that I would have said I wasn\u2019t a fan before seeing them but definitely became one after.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Hayden Thorpe \u2013 They.<\/strong> Thorpe was the lead singer of Wild Beasts, whose final album <em>Boy King<\/em> ranked 5<sup>th<\/sup> on <a href=\"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/2019\/12\/18\/top-25-albums-of-the-2010s\/\">my list of the best albums of the 2010s<\/a>, but his solo output since their breakup has lacked some of the urgency and verve of Wild Beasts\u2019 best material. I\u2019m cautiously optimistic about his next album, <em>Ness<\/em>, out September 27<sup>th<\/sup>, given the more ambitious music on this track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>One True Pairing \u2013 Mid-Life Crisis.<\/strong> So Hayden Thorpe\u2019s return sent me down a Wild Beasts rabbit hole that led me to One True Pairing, the <em>nom de chanson <\/em>of their bassist Tom Fleming, who put out a self-titled album under that moniker in 2019 and has put out three singles in the last eight months. He also doesn\u2019t sound quite like Wild Beasts did, but there\u2019s a sweeping, lush texture to this song that kept me coming back to listen to it again. (It\u2019s not a cover of the Faith No More track. Sorry.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Griff \u2013 Anything.<\/strong> Griff\u2019s full-length debut <em>Vertigo<\/em> comes out on July 12<sup>th<\/sup> and includes a bunch of the singles she\u2019s already released, including this banger, the title track, \u201cAstronaut,\u201d and \u201cPillow in My Arms.\u201d She\u2019s playing Philly in September \u2026 on a Monday when I\u2019ll be in Chicago for Stadium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Soccer Mommy \u2013 Lost. <\/strong>A lovely acoustic ballad from Sophia Allison, her second single (along with last year\u2019s \u201cLose You,\u201d with Bully) since her 2022 album <em>Sometimes, Forever<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Hinds \u2013 En Forma.<\/strong> Hinds began as a duo, became a quartet, went dark after a one-off single in 2021, lost two members, and now are about to release their first album with their original lineup of Carlotta Cosials and Ana Garc\u00eda Perrote, <em>Viva Hinds<\/em>, on September 6<sup>th<\/sup>. They\u2019ve released three singles so far, and it sounds like they\u2019ve cleaned up their sound and production enough that they no longer sound like they recorded the record in a subway bathroom or are just learning to play their instruments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>METTE \u2013 MUSCLE.<\/strong> I had no idea who METTE was when I heard this song, and while I don\u2019t generally go for this kind of commercially-oriented electro-pop, this damn thing would not let go of my ears for days. Then I found out METTE is actress Mette Towley, who was in <em>Hustlers<\/em> and <em>The Old Guard<\/em> and briefly in <em>Barbie<\/em>, and she\u2019s opening some of Taylor Swift\u2019s shows in the UK, so, uh, good job me finding out about the famous person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Nubya Garcia \u2013 The Seer.<\/strong> Garcia is an English jazz saxophonist who released albums in 2017 and 2020 but nothing since; this track, which caught my ear for the obvious John Coltrane influence on her playing, is her first in four years and the lead single from her forthcoming album <em>Odyssey<\/em>, due out September 20<sup>th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>NIJI \u2013 A13 Fuji.<\/strong> Nigerian-British jazz pianist Niji Adeleye released his first proper LP <em>Somewhere in the Middle<\/em> in January and is already back with another track that blends western jazz styles with Afrobeat sounds. The main horn riff here is quite an earworm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ezra Collective feat. Yazmin Lacey.<\/strong> Ezra Collective won last year\u2019s Mercury Prize for their 2022 album <em>Where I\u2019m Meant to Be<\/em>, and have now released a pair of singles from their follow-up record <em>Dance, No One&#8217;s Watching<\/em>, due out September 27<sup>th<\/sup>. I think they\u2019ve embraced a more pop-oriented sound, going more for strong melodies in either their music or in the guest vocals. I didn\u2019t quite get the acclaim for the last record, at least compared to other candidates for the Mercury Prize, but I\u2019ve liked both this and \u201cAjala\u201d quite a bit more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Jamie xx \u2013 Treat Each Other Right.<\/strong> Jamie xx put out two singles in June, this and \u201cLife\u201d featuring Robyn, leading up to the release of his second solo album <em>In Waves<\/em> on September 20<sup>th<\/sup>. So far, I haven\u2019t heard anything as strong as \u201cLoud Places\u201d or \u201cSeeSaw,\u201d both featuring his bandmate Romy from the xx; it\u2019s been more tracks like this, big house beats but without the same hooks or cross-genre experimentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Alcest \u2013 Komorebi.<\/strong> Alcest\u2019s new album <em>Les Chants de l\u2019Aurore<\/em> is the best metal album of the year so far by a mile, and one of the best albums of the year, period. It\u2019s at least the best thing they\u2019ve done since 2016\u2019s <em>Kodama<\/em>, and I think represents the perfect balance of progressive metal, shoegaze, and extreme\/death metal, three genres with which guitarist\/singer Neige has experimented for his entire career, varying his use of all three. This album is a journey and I have already taken it many times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Crypt Sermon \u2013 Thunder (Perfect Mind).<\/strong> Crypt Sermon does a souped-up take on doom metal, with a little more groove to it than typical adherents of that genre, with a very polished but still heavy, crunchy take on the style on their new album <em>The Stygian Rose<\/em>, which came out in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Flotsam &amp; Jetsam \u2013 Primal.<\/strong> Props to Flotsam &amp; Jetsam, who just keep churning out thrash tracks like it\u2019s 1986. I\u2019ll always be a sucker for this style of metal even though its moment was short and it\u2019s hopelessly outdated now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Dark Tranquility \u2013 Not Nothing. <\/strong>Dark Tranquility are one of the leaders of the Gothenburg style of metal, often called melodic death metal, here mixing clean and growled vocals with a heavy, proggy guitar riff through the chorus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Tribulation \u2013 Saturn Coming Down.<\/strong> Tribulation gets labelled as \u201cblack metal\u201d or \u201cdeath metal\u201d because their vocals are growled and they wear silly corpse paint, but their music isn\u2019t actually that extreme \u2013 it\u2019s straight metal and often wouldn\u2019t be out of place on a compilation of \u201880s metal. On this new track they switch to clean vocals with a very goth sound in the chorus and it really elevates the whole endeavor; I know the death growls are part of their schtick but they\u2019re leaving money on the table because the music is way more accessible than the labels indicate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>June brought three of the best albums of the year so far and a slew of comeback singles from bands I thought weren\u2019t recording any more, so I\u2019d call it a good month even beyond the part where it included my birthday and my daughter graduating from high school. Anyway, if you can\u2019t see the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1374,359,1096,1191,167,1127,979,757,852,261,1114],"class_list":["post-10315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-2024-in-music","tag-alternative","tag-doom-metal","tag-hip-hop-2","tag-indie","tag-jazz","tag-melodic-death-metal","tag-metal","tag-music","tag-rap","tag-thrash","entry"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10315"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10315\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10317,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10315\/revisions\/10317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}