Despite a slow month for me personally I managed to keep up with most of the new releases~
May Albums
Blondshell - If You Asked For A Picture
My boyfriend went to the local record store when it was nice out and asked if I had heard this album. I hadn’t, but remembered liking her debut, and with not much else to do decided to give it a whirl. Since then If You Asked For A Picture is slowly becoming one of my favorite albums so far this year. The songs take their time and linger and it’s been enjoyable to get to know them.
I would describe this album as a heterosexual feminist record. I don’t know how Blondshell identifies, so apologies if she does not agree with that sentiment- but that’s what it feels like to me. It reminds me of Liz Phair’s Exile in Guyville in all the best ways. My favorite track is the opener Thumbtack (and not just because it namedrops Bat For Lashes’ track Laura) but melodically it is the standout here. Overall this record is not a melodies record, but a lyrical one- her melodic tone is very mono, masculine, 90’s alt overall. T&A is a perfect example of this. But what’s most striking about this track and a lot of the songs here is how they interrogate the language of male romantic conquest.
“He said ‘your tits and ass don’t really hurt’”
“Letting him in/
Why don’t the good ones love me”
“I can’t tell my sister we’re together/
She knows about that fight, remember?”
“I’m giving and/
Taking it off”
The way she uses bluntness makes a lot of these lines feel like sucker punches. Relatable, unfortunately. Hearing her talk about herself the way men have talked about her is evocative and illuminating. She continues this theme with tracks like Arms that uses an extended metaphor of mothering a male partner. Two Times is another big Pharian highlight, lamenting the other way:
“You’d be a good dad/
You carried me to the bed/
You carried me to the car/
When I got sick”
Rico Nasty - LETHAL
Rico is one of my favorite personalities in music. She’s really funny without it ever getting too dark or serious. For a few releases now it feels like Rico’s trying to break into the mainstream, and LETHAL is her best attempt yet. She gave us cutesy hyperpop banger ON THE LOW. Stadium-sized Punk Rap-banger TEETHSUCKA (YEA3x), trap bangers like EAT ME! and genuinely melodic ballads like CAN’T WIN EM ALL. My personal favorite tracks are BUTTERFLY KISSES: a hyper-hip-hop experiment gone right. This cut is the most successful blend of Rico’s natural cadence and energy with some cool and contemporary pop production. And CRASH: a true emo-hop cut like the best of that Princess Nokia era. It also has one of the best lyrics of the year:
"Need somewhere to crash like the waves”
Samia - Bloodless
Another great singer-songwriter record, this one was recommended by my friend Michelle~ This one is more melodically fluid than the Blondshell record. There’s an airy quality to the melodies, but they still manage to be heard and remembered even after a casual first-listen. Samia may be in contention for best lyrics of the year on track Fair Game, an extended metaphor of mosquitos:
“You can go outside on a hot night and clap/
but you won’t get your blood back”
Lead single Bovine Excision is simply undeniable and could knock you over with a feather. Second single Lizard is the brightest cut from the record, and has another lyric of the year contender:
“It’s a beautiful party, and it’s not mine to ruin”
Though it’s possible she pushed some lyrics too far like on track North Poles, which otherwise is a highlight save for the really out of place lyric about masturbating to someone who’s pregnant? Idk, I get a certain realism and absurdity but that line just sticks out like a sore thumb to me. Though looking past a stray line or two in favor of songs like Carousel is easy enough to do. It’s a piece of melodic candy with track-stopper lyrics I could play in summer or Christmas time:
“I’ve been rubbing together bramble/
I wanna hitch my fire to your candle”
Mariam the Believer - The Wishing Well
This EP seems to be the official release of a song-cycle performance Mariam did in 2022 of the same name. I wasn’t expecting anything new so soon after last year’s she release of her 3rd full length, Breathing Techniques- which broke an 8 year hiatus from releasing music. Regardless, I’m glad to have finally been given these tracks because what a gift they are. Becoming is probably the most immediate and central track here: Mariam’s melody-work feels conversational yet is so nuanced that even her breath carries notes and inflection. It’s a deeply meditative set of songs. Mariam’s lyrics could potentially be a little too “woo-woo” for some but I find the way she lays out specific mantras to be quite profound- I’ve been particularly calmed by the closing track The Big Wave recently:
“When even the waves know your name, call your true name”
Jensen McRae - I Don’t Know How But They Found Me!
Not sure exactly how to sugar-coat this: but I wonder if McRae was a Gleek growing up? McRae is another artist giving some post-Folklore, singer-songwriter music- but her spin is noticeably prettier and more melodic than other releases so far this year. In fact, I’d say some tracks almost verge into showtunes. Albeit, contemporary showtunes, from a really hip musical like Once or Spring Awakening. All of this to say- a good third of this album sounds like McRae is the ingenue singing her big confessional ballad right before the 3rd act. This is a double-edged sword: that sort of songwriting is popular, successful, and requires legit vocal chops to pull off, which McRae undoubtedly has- look no further than opening track: The Rearranger for proof. But McRae’s lyrics feel most appropriate when they lean a little dryer, a little bit more post-Lilith Faire, like on deep-cut highlight: Novelty. This track reminds me of Blondshell’s T&A- specifically as example of a woman recontextualizing the language of her objectification. Minor criticisms aside this album has no slack, and the richness of McRae’s singing is a rarity these days.
May Singles
Lorde - Man Of The Year
Damn Lorde really did that! She heard all that shit we were saying about Solar Power, said- “hold my kombucha” and got to her writing desk. Finally, she’s back to melodically pushing the millennial-pop blueprint she created: bright, bold, un-insecure choruses that you just wanna belt along to. Perhaps it’s that melodic earnestness that inspired these raw, and necessary lyrics. Production works really well here too- it starts almost as tense as Maps, but blooms into the endearingly chunky synths of a video game. Ultimately it’s Lorde’s deft pen that guides the ship here though.
The music video is thought-provoking and has the potential to stir some real discourse. I hope Lorde really has a moment with this one, honestly. It’s a gorgeous self-expression of identity. For my last few Round-ups I’ve been a bit flippant about the relationship of pop culture and politics, but to have an artist as big and beloved as Lorde be vulnerable like this with us (in this climate) is genuinely quite touching. Can’t help but notice how collab smash Girl, so confusing also gets recontextualized by a song like this.
Album Virgin is out 6/27
Farao - Dreamy Ride
So I’m a big fan of Farao- her 2018 album Pure-O was my album of the year! I think she’s severely underrated as an indie musician and particularly as a producer. In recent years she has been working in the ironicly sensual Berlin-based duo Ultraflex and released a lot of funny, cool sauna/aerobics-inspired tracks. But I’m very glad to see she’s back releasing some solo music!
Dreamy Ride has those broken glass pentatonic synths I love so much. It starts off with some silky 90’s verses that slide into a spritely Scandinavian pre-chorus with lots of moving parts: her vocals are ghostly, and icy until they land into her most tender chorus to date. It has a shy earnestness that catches me off guard in the best way. I can’t wait for another dreamy ride~
Laufey - Tough Luck
I honestly have not listened to any other Laufey tracks besides this one. I’m genuinely not sure what convinced me to click on it, but I’m glad I did- the track is pretty classic pop, with a melodrama that could befit a showtune. Lyrically it’s got a cute wink and nudge that I’ve been told Sabrina Carpenter possesses. I was mostly struck by how strong the bridge of this song was- it took me back to some that true retro pop flare of VV Brown, or the soulful Duffy, or even a little Anjulie or Paloma Faith- the theatrical coffee shop divas of 2008-2011. It also reminded me of contemporary Chappell Roan, who may have single-handedly made writing bridges en vogue again after brat summer.
Album: A Matter of Time is out 8/22.
Frankie Cosmos - Bitch Heart
To honor the shows I’ve seen at Silent Barn and Shea Stadium I usually like to keep up with the latest Frankie, and this single really got stuck on me. It almost strikes a “how has this song not been written already” sort of feeling when the chorus finally kicks in, though its tense little pre-chorus is actually my favorite bit- it’s so charming and perfectly done. Reminds me of Clario’s only great track: Bags.
Album: Different Talking is out 6/27
Tei Shi - Drop Dead
Tei Shi is a true independent pop diva, writing and self-producing off a Canadian arts grant (which is incredibly chic). She’s such an underrated icon and continues to prove why she’s remained such a force despite such shitty industry response. I love how poppy, junky, trashy and sharp the instrumental is here- it’s as addictive and as a Pussycat Dolls song but with a 2025 edge and intellectuality. She knows exactly what she’s doing and you can feel it.