The Best Tracks of July 2018 & Our Monthly Spotify Playlist

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Graphic by Julia Carbone

The early summer has been jammed full of incredible releases. Between the months of June and July there were so many great albums, that it was hard for any of us to keep up. Because last month we didn’t have a best of June because we were busy working on our Best Releases of 2018 So Far List (which is excellent I might add), on this month’s Best of July playlist I will also be including a bunch of the best music from June.

I can’t write about nearly as many of these albums as I want to, firstly because there were so many, and secondly because I am currently on a little workcation on the west coast, and dealing with some life stuff. As they said in Jurassic Park, “Life gets in the way”. But I figured I would do my best to write about a few of my favorites, and then all those and way way more will be included in our Best of the Month Spotify Playlist.

Take a listen below and I hope you find a few tracks that you missed.


THE BEST TRACKS OF JUNE & JULY

First off, I have to say how impressed I was with this new Pool Kids album. It may not have gotten as much press as some of the larger releases from this summer, but that says nothing about the quality. They are able to combine Hayley Williams esque vocals (and no I’m not just saying that), with TTNG like math rock. Its a combination I’m surprised I’ve never heard before because it works so well. Absolute must listen.

Counter Intuitive’s “Summer of Love” continued with the release of Mom Jean’s new album Puppy Love and Just Friend’s Nothing But Love. While both bands are on the same label, and come from the same state, and even play together very often, sonically they are both very different. Mom Jeans pursue that sort of classic Marietta/MoBo emo breakup song style that has become so well known in the DIY emo world, and Just Friends rap over brassy funk beats pausing occasionally to sing about standing up to bullies and believing in yourself. Like I said, very different sounds, but both really brought something to the table. Whether you’re in the mood for emotional angst or a dance party, the Summer of Love has something for you.

This month also featured new singles from Mitski and Foxing that completely blew me away. Unlike the prior 2 bands, Mitski and Foxing are 2 bands that made changes to move almost into the same lane on their new releases. Both releases funky, almost disco, pop tracks that completely shock and awe their prior listeners with their beauty. The hooks in these tracks, especially Mitski’s “Nobody” and Foxing’s “Slapstick” are true ear worms and I think I have listened to each of these tracks 100 times each. I absolutely can not wait for their new albums.

Another album that totally surprised me was the new release from Jupiter Styles. I had never heard of this project before but they came out swinging with some heavily Weezer influenced tracks on this LP, and they nailed it. Post-Weezer rock can be excellent (see also: Rozwell Kid and Prince Daddy), and this is another great example of that. You don’t even need to be a Weezer fan to enjoy it though, because there is much more here than your standard tribute.

In the rap world, there was also 2 really interesting releases from Denzel Curry and Rico Nasty that pushed the boundaries of what trap and soundcloud rap can sound like. I especially liked how Rico was able to incorporate mid 2000’s screamo influences into her track “Rage”. Emo Rap has mostly been a genre tag dominated by goth shit, but I’d be down to hear more of this screamo rap for sure, and I think we will.

If you’re a fan of the yunahon mixtape, you’ll be happy to know that Oso Oso released 2 more tracks, not quite B sides because they’re as good as anything on yunahon, and if youre a fan of that you’ll be happy to check out the new Alien Boy singles. They have a very Oso type vibe and god knows I need more bands that sound that good. This is another Tiny Engines release that I absolutely can’t wait for.

Before I go, I also have to mention the new Ovlov album. Ovlov create hazy post rock type guitar heavy tracks, and they’re about as good as it gets when it comes to that sort of stuff. Ovlov are your favorite band’s favorite band, and Steve Hartlett is your favorite songwriter’s favorite songwriter. The way that he is able to craft songs in this sound and keep them memorable and fun is unmatched and on this new album (their first in 5 years) he hits the mark. I don’t think there’s any album this summer that I’ve listened to as much as this one.

Ahhhh I need to get this post out, but you also need to check out the new albums from The Internet, Culture Abuse, Vein (is you like heavy shit), Wild Pink (if you like radio rock) and Thin Lips (if you are a human being). Also, oh yeah there’s a new Joyce Manor single.

This is really just scratching the surface of all the great albums that came out over the last 2 months. Definitely take a listen to our Spotify playlist below and get in tune with all the coolest new music.


BEST OF JUNE & JULY SPOTIFY PLAYLIST


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Writing by Henderson // @HendoSlice

Playlist curated by Steven Lalonde // @StevenLalonde


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