Hi <<First Name>> <<Last Name>>! For the best viewing experience, view this email in your browser. |  | | Week Ending June 27th | 20 years ago today, we lost The Who’s John Entwistle, arguably the greatest bassist of all time. Relive “The Ox’s” genius here. | Click here for a Spotify playlist with the songs mentioned in this email. | | | BIGGEST Songs of the Week 📈 |  | Last week, we talked about how Drake took a card from Beyoncé’s playbook by dropping a surprise album. Not only did the album’s release shock fans, but so did it's content — it was a house album — a dramatic change in direction for the R&B rapper. Just three days after Drake’s release, in the most uncanny way possible, Beyoncé released the single BREAK MY SOUL, which is, well, also house music. This raises a couple questions: (1) Are Drake and Beyoncé in a group chat together where they jointly decided to reclaim house music this summer? Or (2) Did someone in the industry tip Drake off to Beyoncé’s impending house release, causing him to jump the gun and emergency-drop his album? After initial criticism of his record, Drake told fans, “It’s all good if you don’t get it yet. We wait for you to catch up.” Is it possible that Drake made that comment knowing Beyoncé was on her to save him? House music dates back to the ‘80s when DJ Frankie Knuckles began making music for the post-disco world in Chicago’s black, gay men’s club The Warehouse. The sound caught fire and spread to other US cities, creating spinoff styles like Jersey club and Baltimore club, the two most prominent sounds on Drake’s album. In the early ’90s, songs like Robin S’ Show Me Love finally got Europe to pay attention. Since then, European DJs like Daft Punk, David Guetta, and Tiësto have led the genre. Always one to acknowledge her influences, Beyoncé pays homage to house’s history. on BREAK MY SOUL. She samples the bass line from Show Me Love and interpolates Big Freedia’s 2014 bounce song Explode, an important nod to house’s black, queer history. Though artists like Azealia Banks, Kaytranada, and Channel Tres have been carrying the house torch stateside for awhile, Beyoncé and Drake’s popularity means an aggressive house revival is about to happen on this side of the pond. It’s interesting to note that in the same way house music was born out of the ashes of disco, this house revival emerges on the heels of the disco revival popularized by Dua Lipa in 2020. 1. Beyoncé, BREAK MY SOUL (House) 👍👍 2. Lil Nas X, NBA YoungBoy, Late To Da Party (F*CK BET) (Pop Rap) 😑 3. Charlie Puth, Jung Kook, Left And Right (Alt Pop) 🗑️ 4. Eminem, Snoop Dogg, From The D 2 The LBC (Hardcore Hip Hop) 🗑️ 5. Taylor Swift, Carolina (Indie Folk) 👍👍 6. Imagine Dragons, Sharks (Pop Rock) 😑 7. Conan Gray, Disaster (Electropop) 👍 8. Chris Brown, Fivio Foreign, C.A.B. (Catch A Body) (Contemporary R&B) 😑 9. DaBaby, Davido, Showing Off Her Body (Afrobeats)😑 10. YG, Tyga, 21 Savage, BIA, Run (Hyphy) 😑 Honorable Mention: Giveon, Lost Me (Contemporary R&B) 👍 | | Noteworthy 📰 |  | On Friday, Baz Luhrmann’s long awaited Elvis Presley biopic hit theaters and with it came Kacey Musgraves’ highly anticipated, angelic cover of The King’s greatest love song, Can’t Help Falling In Love.
After numerous delays, Brent Faiyaz finally confirmed that July 8th is the release date for Wasteland, the follow-up to his 2017 debut Sonder Son. The news was accompanied by a brand new track, PRICE OF FAME.
Stranger Things star Joe Keery, who makes music under the name Djo, previewed his upcoming album, Decide, with the psych-pop single Change.
| | BEST Songs of the Week 🔥 |  | Alex G began self-releasing lo-fi pop albums during his time at Temple University in the early 2010s. His do-it-yourself style struck a nerve within the music community and propelled him to indie stardom. Last week, Alex announced the release of his ninth studio album, God Save the Animals, out September 23, and it’s surprisingly produced by a large team of professional sound engineers. Finally willing to use a proper recording studio, Alex may be ready to shed his title of “indie’s best kept secret.” Blessing, the lead single for Alex’s upcoming project, was released last month. It was an ominous, gothy track which extended Alex’s sonic palette into darker, more foreboding territory. His latest single, Runner, is the exact opposite. It’s a bluesy, acoustic song with bright pianos and inviting vocals. It’s a Tom Petty-esque tune whose music video pays homage to Petty’s 1981 hit The Waiting. Like all Alex G albums, God Save the Animals will be tied to an overarching metaphor. In a press release, Alex noted that the album’s many references to “God” will reflect a guiding light that embodies faith and human connection. Sticking with Alex’s analogy, if Blessing was the song of Lucifer, Runner is the heavenly call of angels. 1. Alex G, Runner (Indie Rock) 👍👍👍👍 2. Gorillaz, Thundercat, Cracker Island (New Rave) 👍👍👍 3. death’s dynamic shroud, Messe de E-102 (Electro Art Pop) 👍👍👍 4. Stereolab, Robot Riot (Krautrock) 👍👍👍 5. The Mars Volta, Blacklight Shine (Latin Rock) 👍👍👍 6. YUKIKA, Scent (K-Pop) 👍👍👍 7. Taylor Swift, Carolina (Indie Folk) 👍👍 8. Tove Lo, True Romance (Alt Pop) 👍👍 9. WILLOW, <maybe> it’s my fault (Alternative Rock) 👍👍 10. Dev Lemons, CEO OF MY ASS (Hyperpop) 👍👍 | | Albums Spotlight 💿 |  | On her previous two albums, Clean and color theory, Sophie Allison, better known as Soccer Mommy, found a place in the burgeoning scene of female rockers with the help of indie producer Gabe Wax. On her latest album, Sometimes, Forever, Allison chooses to go in a vastly different direction, replacing Wax with Daniel Lopatin, aka Oneothrix Point Never. Lopatin, an electronic innovator, is fresh off producing The Weeknd’s Dawn FM, making him one of music’s most in-demand talents. Soccer Mommy + Oneothrix Point Never doesn’t make sense on paper, but somehow, the duo find a way to create a stellar album. On Sometimes, Forever, Allison keeps one foot in her guitar-driven world while expanding into new sonic territory with the help of Lopatin’s eccentric production. Lopatin’s presence is strongest on the glitchy, industrial track Unholy Affliction, which is harsher than any of Allison’s material to-date and sounds like it could’ve been written for a Nine Inch Nails project. This experimentation allows Allison to stand out in an over-saturated market of confessional indie rock females, which includes powerhouses like Phoebe Bridgers, Snail Mail, Mitski, and Angel Olsen. Soccer Mommy, Sometimes, Forever (Indie Rock) 👍👍👍 Lupe Fiasco, DRILL MUSIC IN ZION (Conscious Hip Hop) 👍👍👍 Porcupine Tree, CLOSURE / CONTINUATION (Progressive Rock) 👍👍 Regina Spektor, Home, before and after (Chamber Pop) 👍👍 Weezer, SZNZ: Summer (EP) (Power Pop) 😑 Other Notable Projects: Alexisonfire Otherness, Chris Brown Breezy, Cochise THE INSPECTION, Coheed and Cambria Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind, Conan Gray Superache, Giveon Give Or Take, Juicy J, Pi’erre Bourne Space Age Pimpin, LOONA Flip That (EP), Luke Combs Growin’ Up, MUNA MUNA | | Vinyl Giveaway 🎁 |  | You can win a copy of Hatchie’s latest LP Giving the World Away! Imagine if shoegaze music was designed for the dancefloor, or better yet, if a pop princess was plucked from a girl group and dropped into My Bloody Valentine — that’s what Hatchie’s music sounds like. On her previous recordings, with clear influences from acts like Cocteau Twins, Slowdive, and Mazzy Star, Hatchie blended fuzzy distortion with jangly guitars and glistening production. On Giving the World Away, Hatchie evolves her sound, transcending past her influences. How it works: When you refer a friend using this sign-up link, you get entered into a raffle to win. The more you share, the better chance you have. Make sure to include your own email in the referral field. Winners will be notified next week. | | WORST Song of the Week 🗑️Leah Kate, Twinkle Twinkle Little B*tch (Pop Punk) | | Next week: Cardi B drops single Hot Sh*t, which is rumored to feature Kanye West. Were you forwarded this email? Subscribe here. Have any comments or suggestions? Contact us here. | | |
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