This summer, the world was taken by storm with the release of Charli XCX’s electro pop masterpiece, Brat. While I agree with the public that this is a nearly perfect album, there are three lesser known projects that I have had on repeat, and I believe have a bit more to offer than the internet sensation.
The beginning of May saw brothers known as The Lemon Twigs drop their new 60s inspired classic rock project, A Dream is All We Know. Their album released the year prior, Everything Harmony, got me hooked on their Beach Boys-like sound and beautiful harmonies. This new LP continues with that style and even improves upon it further.
Experimental hip-hop powerhouse JPEGMAFIA released his first solo project in three years, I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU, on the midnight transition from July to August. This album begins with his signature chaotic style and leads into some more introspective, chill cuts on the back half. As always with Peggy, it is such a treat to deep dive into his absurdly selected samples and see how he flips them into ear-pleasing beats and instrumentals.
Lush pop duo Magdalena Bay released their sophomore project, Imaginal Disk, at the tail end of the summer. Matt Lewin and Mica Tenanbaum combine to create dreamy and distorted production with beautiful vocals to boot. While this album is still only about a month old, I can already tell that it will be in my rotation for many years to come.
Although this summer was jam-packed with music, I believe that The Lemon Twigs, JPEGMAFIA and Magdalena Bay came out on top as some of the best projects released.
