Sam Atkins – June was a huge month for new albums from the favourite artists, HAIM, Loyle Carner and Little Simz all delivering excellent follow ups to some of my all time favourite albums.
But it was Lorde with Virgin who dominated my month. An expansive daring and wild ride of an album, it captures everything that Lorde has been feeling since her last record but also feels like an album she’s been building to her whole career. Songs like ‘Hammer’, ‘Shapeshifter’, ‘Favourite Daughter’ and ‘Clearblue’ are so artistically direct it’s an album that only gets better with every listen.
Thomas Burrows – For me, June featured scattershot listening of the many notable new album releases. I landed on the Little Simz album enough times to write a review, so won’t repeat those thoughts here. By contrast, I’ve only managed a couple of listens to the new one from U.S. Girls, but instead, that triggered a bunch of plays for the old ones: In A Poem Unlimited in particular has got even better with time.
Outside of albums, I really enjoyed Cassandra Jenkins’ set at Manchester’s Deaf Institute. She sounds as graceful and calming on stage as she comes across on record. And to round the month off, Amaarae’s set was my favourite one that I caught on the Glasto coverage. It was quite mad: she played established album tracks like ‘Co-Star’, she demanded that a mostly indifferent crowd get hyped for her new music, and she played a medley of songs by British artists to “show love to the UK” which ranged from garage classics like MJ Cole’s ‘Sincere’ through to The Beatles’ ‘Let It Be’. Hoping she brings this crazed energy to her upcoming album.
And R.I.P. Brian Wilson. I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface with The Beach Boys’ music, but some of his compositions on Pet Sounds still sound hauntingly beautiful in 2025. What a legacy.
Rick Larson – I mention Shitkid too much probably, but I loved Åsa Södeqvist’s wildly inventive “band” that traipsed across whatever genres she felt like in the catchiest way possible. Then she disappeared in 2021. Just because I Google her occasionally I found that she released a self-titled album in February under the name ÅÅssAA on her own label. It’s an EDM album because sure, why not? Not my favorite genre, but hearing her wry voice again was a gift that I did not expect. Welcome back Åsa. You shoulda been a star. Maybe still…
James Spearing – As I approach 40 I’m settling further into my position of being ever harder to please with new music. Which seems to suit the premise of being a Picky Bastard absolutely perfectly. On the other hand, this does mean that when something does impress, I enjoy it all the more. In June it was Chloe Foy who caught my ear with new album Complete Fool. The song ‘Blinkers’ was the stand out for me with the driving chord progression of its chorus and the dextrous transitions between loud and quiet throughout. Hope to catch her live in Manchester in October.
Picky Bastards 