James Spearing: Jessy Lanza’s new album Love Hallucination has been slowly growing on me since release and I’m glad the effort of repeat listens has been rewarded. It’s more vocally and stylistically wide ranging than I initially thought and she seems to know herself and what she wants more than ever before.
I’m also seeing out summer with a final blast of some big house tunes from a new discovery Pangaea. Give yourself a treat with a few spins of ‘Installation’ and ‘Changing Channels’.
Tom Burrows: Being on the Mercury Prize edition of the podcast was of course a blessing, but also a curse as the 12-album strong playlist dominated my August listening. It didn’t leave much time for new music, but Noname’s Sundial, her first album in 5 years, crept through. I’m glad it did. Full of her customary biting social commentary, it’s also probably her best sounding record with the jazzy and soulful production adding to its immediacy. Big fan so far.
I’m also surprisingly excited for the new James Blake album, having heard his new singles. I’ve not been too keen on his most recent work, but September’s Playing Robots Into Heaven will seemingly see him return to his early days – that is, the experimental electronic production that got him noticed in the first place. I am all for this, particularly if the new stuff is as good as ‘Loading’, or the ambient track that backs the official ‘album film’, which I am mesmerised by.
Rick Larson: Yard Act’s new single ‘The Trench Coat Museum’ is the feel good, feel weird, get very sweaty dance hit of the year. Epic stuff. I can’t stop listening to it.
Sofia Hansen: The month of August saw Heartstopper return to screens for its sophomore season, depicting emotionally nuanced, intelligent adolescent joy and queer love. With bright pops of colour, the show continues to emphasise the importance of showcasing queer joy. This is accentuated by the effervescent soundtrack accompanying the series.
It’s always a joy when your favourite musicians make an appearance in a series, in Heartstopper the resident band seems to be Wolf Alice. Kicking off the first episode, lesser known track ‘The Beach’ from their album Blue Weekend, soundtracks the inevitable question of Nick and Charlie’s relationship being out at school. The song reaches its crescendo just as the credits cut, making for a stunning ending to the episode. Fan favourite, ‘Blush’ from debut record My Love Is Cool, delivered a gut wrenching, working together with scenes of the character Darcy being ridiculed for their self-expression. For a song about finding one’s identity, it delivers a tear jerking performance alongside the montage.
Lastly, ‘seven’ by Taylor Swift makes a bittersweet appearance in the last episode, soundtracking a tender moment between couple Tara and Darcy as they exchange I-love-you’s. For all the Swifties, if you know you know. The Heartstopper soundtrack goes to show the difference hand-picking music to tailor character arcs and story line, has when crafting a coming of age series. The soundtrack feels like something the characters would listen to, and in simple terms, it’s the cherry on top. It’s also somewhat of a gold mine for all music geeks alike, and for that the Heartstopper soundtrack is the best of the month.
Matt Paul: Two albums have caught my attention this month. First DRUMMER by G-Flip delivers a big pop record. What sets it apart is their instrument of choice. As the title hints, the drums are front and center. Beyond that I’ve been enjoying the new Open Mike Eagle album. another triumph of ghetto engineering has only been out a week, but it’s more quippy and heady hip hop. Always a win in my book.
My favorite new release though has been the new single ‘Punk’s Dead’ from Soft Play (fka Slaves). It’s a bold and brash return, and an effective take down of some of the criticism they received for changing their name. Plus there’s a surprise Robbie Williams feature?!
Sam Atkins: I’ve really enjoyed diving into the Mercury Prize shortlist this month, albums from Jockstrap and Young Fathers becoming big favourites of mine over the course of the month. You’ll have to listen to the podcast to hear what I thought of the whole list though…
The musical highlights of the month though have all been live gigs. I’ve luckily been able to see Ethel Cain live twice this month, once supporting the also excellent boygenius and once at her own show in Manchester. I was stunned not only by her performance vocally and emotionally on stage, but also with the connection she has found with her fans. Seeing the mostly young queer crowd so enamoured with an emotive and complicated artist like Ethel sent me straight back to feeling exactly the same way about Florence Welch or Lana Del Rey over a decade ago. The impact of artists like Ethel Cain on real people will outlast any ‘best music’ taste-maker lists and I felt so privaleged to be able to witness these powerful moments.
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