{"id":11276,"date":"2026-06-30T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/?p=11276"},"modified":"2026-06-29T22:49:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T02:49:24","slug":"music-update-june-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/2026\/06\/30\/music-update-june-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Music update, June 2026."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">June was heavy, in a good way \u2013 this list has more psycheledic rock, post-hardcore, or metal tracks than most of playlists do. If you want to rock out, I have a few songs for you. As always, if you can\u2019t access the widget below, you can access the playlist on <a href=\"https:\/\/music.apple.com\/us\/playlist\/klaws-june-2026-music-update\/pl.u-8aAVjq9fL66VY\">Apple Music<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/playlist\/2wbtbJj5ahEKjZQZGxktco?si=43084963a1854c57\">Spotify<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe allow=\"autoplay *; encrypted-media *; fullscreen *; clipboard-write\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"450\" style=\"width:100%;max-width:660px;overflow:hidden;border-radius:10px;\" sandbox=\"allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation\" src=\"https:\/\/embed.music.apple.com\/us\/playlist\/klaws-june-2026-music-update\/pl.u-8aAVjq9fL66VY\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Mastodon \u2013 Your Ghost Again.<\/strong> How could I start this playlist with anything but this new track from Mastodon that pays tribute to former member Brent Hinds, who left the band (or was kicked out) in March of 2025, then died in a motorcycle crash in August?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Jack White \u2013 Dollar Bill.<\/strong> I\u2019m very into this new Jack White vibe, which seems to be carrying over from 2024\u2019s <em>No Name<\/em>, such as on that album\u2019s \u201cArchbishop Harold Holmes.\u201d (That track got <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ru5afNNSPeU\">a surprise video<\/a> last year starring John C. Reilly, who came up with the concept. It played at Tribeca this spring.) White\u2019s new album <em>Frozen Charlotte<\/em> comes out on July 10<sup>th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Liminal \u2013 The Crop.<\/strong> Unabashedly late \u201860s psychedelic rock, very in line with what Temples typically does but a little darker in tone. Hailing from the Northern Rivers region of eastern Australia, this quartet has put out two albums to date, and promised a new and more experimental one this year, with this the only song released so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Temples \u2013 Glimmer.<\/strong> Oh, hey, speak of the devils. <em>Bliss<\/em> came out on Friday and it\u2019s more of the usual, which is a good thing in my mind, as I love Temples\u2019 guitar-forward psychedelia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Pond \u2013 Skyworks.<\/strong> More psychedelic-rock, although Pond\u2019s flavor is more experimental than Temples\u2019 is. This Australian band put out their latest album, <em>Terrestrials<\/em>, on June 19<sup>th<\/sup>, and it\u2019s a little more pensive than their last few albums \u2013 I didn\u2019t find anything as immediately compelling as \u201cNeon River\u201d or \u201cAmerica\u2019s Cup,\u201d but songs like this one, which is more powered by the beat than the guitars, still landed for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Les Big Byrd \u2013 Artificial Sunlight.<\/strong> Sticking with a theme, this is a psychedelic-space rock group from Stockholm whose latest album <em>Ruin Everything<\/em> came out on June 5<sup>th<\/sup>. The first track is called \u201cH\u00f6kvind\u201d (featured on one of my previous playlists) if you want a sense of what they sound like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The Afghan Whigs \u2013 Jungle Roux.<\/strong> The Whigs will release their tenth album, <em>Soft Control<\/em>, on August 21<sup>st<\/sup>, featuring this driving lead single. I was never into the band in their 1990s heyday, but I\u2019ve really enjoyed their second phase, especially 2017\u2019s <em>In Spades<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Suede \u2013 Emotionally Unavailable.<\/strong> Suede continues to evolve and surprise; this extra track from the deluxe edition of their 2025 album <em>Antidepressants<\/em> is in that album\u2019s post-punk vein, but has a harder edge and rocks out in a way they haven\u2019t really done much since their 1990s peak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Quicksand \u2013 Crystallize.<\/strong> Another band I didn\u2019t get into in their original tenure \u2013 which, in Quicksand\u2019s case, lasted just two albums, and came way before I was at all a fan of what is now called post-hardcore \u2013 but whose work post-reunion I\u2019ve loved. Their fifth album, and third since they got back together, is titled <em>Bring on the Psychics<\/em> and comes out on July 17<sup>th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Zoh Amba \u2013 Dead End Street.<\/strong> Amba is a multi-instrumentalist whose previous output was mostly free jazz, but on their latest album, <em>Eyes Full<\/em>, they\u2019ve changed it up to a hybrid of alt-country and grunge to better tell stories of their childhood growing up in Kingsport, Tennessee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>beabadoobee \u2013 Sun Has Set. <\/strong>Beabadoobee\u2019s fourth album, <em>Pylon<\/em>, comes out in Septeber; this lead single is a real rocker, and while it\u2019s still clearly her sound, it feels like there might be some Olivia Rodrigo inspiration behind it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Big Truck \u2013 Central Reservation Blues. <\/strong>Big Truck is the brand-new side project by Laurie Vincent, who is half of the English punk band Soft Play (ex-Slaves), but there\u2019s no punk at all on this jangly indie-pop song or their other released track, the jazzier \u201cCollided.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>feeble little horse \u2013 Poison.<\/strong> <em>Bitknot<\/em> is probably going to end up on my top albums of 2026 list; that swirling guitar lick between the verses here is a good example of why. It\u2019s their first album since their founding guitarist left the group, but I don\u2019t think I\u2019d have noticed had I not read that fact, because this is still guitar-driven rock, pop and anti-pop at the same time, with harsh and even dissonant rhythms set against sweet melodies in the vocals and some of the lead guitar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Slow Pulp \u2013 Better Man. <\/strong>I was mixed on Slow Pulp\u2019s last album, 2023\u2019s <em>Yard<\/em>, preferring their harder, more grunge-tinged stuff to some of the material that better matches their name. This track is the former kind \u2013 heavier, very \u201890s alternative rock, with a great hook in the chorus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Young Empress feat. Prides \u2013 Never Enough.<\/strong> Young Empress is a duo of two unrelated people with the surname Davies, hailing from the West Midlands; Prides is now a solo act of Stewart Brock, the only remaining member, whose distinctive singing voice helps elevate this electro-pop song to something more demanding of your attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Rosa Walton \u2013 Romance is Dead On.<\/strong> Both members of Let\u2019s Eat Grandma put out solo albums this year; Walton\u2019s was my preference over that of bandmate Jenny Hollingsworth (who records as Jenny on Holiday). Both record in the same experimental dance-pop vein as their main band does, though, and I didn\u2019t find either solo album that much a departure from LEG\u2019s stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Wishy \u2013 Lovesick.<\/strong> Wishy\u2019s 2024 debut album earned them plaudits all over the music press, but I found most of it lacking in hooks, other than \u201cTriple Seven,\u201d which landed at #91 on my top songs of that year. This one is fucking banger, though. I name-check Velocity Girl a lot around these parts because that specific sound \u2013 power pop with distinctive, bright vocals above a rougher-edged backdrop \u2013 will always speak to me, and this song does it, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Meg Stalter feat. MUNA \u2013 Gay. <\/strong>It\u2019s a novelty song, but kind of slaps? I have to admit I always thought Stalter\u2019s Pride Month corporate videos were a riot, so perhaps I was primed to like this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>La S\u00e9curit\u00e9 \u2013 Deny. <\/strong>La S\u00e9curit\u00e9 started as a side project during the pandemic, but their debut album <em>Stay safe!<\/em> was such a success that they\u2019re back with a new album, <em>Bingo!<\/em>, featuring more of the same dance-punk from the first LP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Lakecia Benjamin feat. Terence Blanchard \u2013 Beyond the Dawn. <\/strong>Jazz saxophonist Benjamin released her new album <em>We Dream<\/em> on June 5<sup>th<\/sup>; this track includes jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard, twice nominated for Oscars for his scores for Spike Lee films.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Yard Act \u2013 New Beginnings. <\/strong>This post-punk band\u2019s third album <em>You&#8217;re Gonna Need A Little Music<\/em> drops on July 17<sup>th<\/sup>; their sound continues to evolve from their first record, which was practically an homage to Gang of Four, to something more expansive musically, merging art-rock and even alternative hip-hop with that post-punk basis. This track has a very slow start, but the back half pays off with layers of sound behind an intense chorus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Trashcan Sinatras \u2013 Melodramatic.<\/strong> This was actually the third single from the Scottish band\u2019s upcoming album <em>Ever the Optimist<\/em>, due out July 31<sup>st<\/sup>, and came out in May, but I prefer it to the June release \u201cGames for the ZX Spectrum,\u201d which is more maudlin and lacks this song\u2019s hook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Car Seat Headrest \u2013 Joe Drives Again.<\/strong> I\u2019ve never loved CSH, mostly because of the vocals, but the vocals are more \u2018normal\u2019 here and it\u2019s a catchy, bouncy melody. The first line of the chorus is definitely borrowed from another track that I can\u2019t place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Sleep \u2013 Have Spacesuit Will Travel (4;20 Flexi Edit).<\/strong> Sleep announced in June that guitarist Matt Pike is no longer part of the band after 25 years; their new lineup features Melvins drummer Dale Crover, ex-Void guitarist Bubba Dupree, and original vocalist\/bassist Al Cisneros. I don\u2019t know if this was related to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2022\/05\/19\/1080581581\/can-matt-pike-face-the-music\">Pike\u2019s embrace of the work of antisemitic lunatic David Icke<\/a>, but unlike most Sleep fans, I\u2019m fine with them moving on. This song sounds a bit more commercial than what I think of when I think of Sleep, but I do like the melding of space rock and stoner metal, so I\u2019m happy to see what else they produce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Tygers of Pan Tang \u2013 Forevermore.<\/strong> Tygers of Pan Tang were part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal in the late 1970s, churning out four albums over a three-year span, but their biggest success was a cover of \u201cLove Potion No. 9\u201d and they disbanded for about 13 years before original guitarist Robb Weir restarted the group in 2000. They\u2019ve been prolific since then, with their new album <em>Electifyed<\/em> (due out in September) their eighth in 25 years, and frankly they sound pretty damn good. If you like Maiden, Priest, Angel Witch, or Saxon, this should be in your wheelhouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Lost in Kyiv \u2013 Liminality.<\/strong> Instrumental \u201cpost-rock\u201d music from a Paris quartet, turning more towards metal on their third album (and changing the spelling of their name from Kiev). It reminds me a bit of Alcest, without the shoegaze\/blackgaze elements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Insomnium \u2013 Shadow Life.<\/strong> This Finnish melodic death metal band has put out some interesting stuff over their nearly 30 years, with flirtations with progressive\/technical metal and even some overtly commercial elements \u2013 there are clean vocal harmonies in the chorus on this song \u2013 alongside the death growls. I can\u2019t say I\u2019ve listened to everything they\u2019ve done since their great 2014 album <em>Shadows of a Dying Sun<\/em>, but this is the best track of theirs I\u2019ve heard since then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Warning \u2013 Night Comes Down.<\/strong> There\u2019s doom metal, and then there\u2019s Warning, who make Candlemass sound like EDM. Warning isn\u2019t heavy like Cathedral; they\u2019re slower, darker, more depressing musically. If you like Candlemass or Saint Vitus, check these guys out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>June was heavy, in a good way \u2013 this list has more psycheledic rock, post-hardcore, or metal tracks than most of playlists do. If you want to rock out, I have a few songs for you. As always, if you can\u2019t access the widget below, you can access the playlist on Apple Music or Spotify. [&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":[1495,359,1096,167,1127,979,757,852],"class_list":["post-11276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-2026-in-music","tag-alternative","tag-doom-metal","tag-indie","tag-jazz","tag-melodic-death-metal","tag-metal","tag-music","entry"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11276","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=11276"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11276\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11277,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11276\/revisions\/11277"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11276"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11276"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}