3 albums to round off your sad/hot girl summer
Drag yourself from the dregs of the dog days with these twisted tunes
Photo by Elviss Railijs Bitāns on Pexels.com
At time of writing, 11 days remain of August (Yes, I know, I forgot I wrote this. Uni and that.) It’s been a surprisingly good summer all things considered, with success in the Euros and Olympics entertaining the nation, and the slow resumption of life as it was bringing a long-awaited relief. Sure, the weather has been a bit all over the place, but what did we expect? As we approach Autumn, I thought I’d give one last nod to my least favourite season by bringing you my three favourite newish albums I discovered during the last three months.
Pom Pom Squad – Death of a Cheerleader
The first album up is one I discovered by inadvisable means – a rough trade vinyl binge. After all, it would be nice to get free shipping on my order… What initially grabbed my attention for having a cool cover and name quickly became an obsession after the record arrived and I discovered a blast of Brooklyn’s finest borderline-grunge. The group’s formation was inspired by films like The Virgin Suicides, and the music absolutely conveys those slightly twisted high school drama vibes. ‘Lux’ is a favourite track of mine, barrelling through its 1:40 at breakneck speed from the perspective of The Virgin Suicides character Lux Lisbon, birthing fantastically frantic lyrics and riffing on its way towards her eventual suicide. With a title like Death Of A Cheerleader, surely you weren’t expecting a happy-go-lucky approach?
Olivia Rodrigo – SOUR
I am aware that I am late to the Olivia Rodrigo party. How she got so massive in a scant 8 months I don’t know, though I am informed it has something to do with Tik Tok. Regardless of whatever caused her explosion, the resultant album is undeniably a masterclass in teenage heartbreak. ‘Drivers Licence’ indisputably proves that, while also displaying more of the traits that made Lorde great than any of the New Zealander’s recent singles have. The sonic range on the album is impressive and surprising. I can imagine there was pressure to release just ballads, and yet it has yielded impressive pop-punk influenced bangers ‘Brutal’ and ‘Good 4 U’. One could argue that SOUR is thematically tired by the halfway point, but I’m of the opinion that the sonic diversity, and array of angles of approaching heartbreak more than counteract that. Or, more simply put, let me live my sad bitch summer. It’s in the title of the article for a reason.
Lucy Dacus – Home Video
Credit must be given to my friend Sarah for this one. My ability to identify Lucy Dacus from a street-encounter selfie led to the recommendation of this album. Immediately, I felt like a total fool for having listened to Dacus’ debut single ‘I Don’t Wanna Be Funny Anymore’ and then going no further, back in 2019. Quite simply, ‘Home Video’ is AOTY material. Dacus’ ability to craft a slightly worrisome tale is impeccable. Take long term live closer ‘Thumbs’ as an example. The soundscapes are cavernously vast and sparse, creating a haunting atmosphere before you even reach the point things get dark. The willingness to murder her friend’s absent father is almost tender in its gentleness, moving quickly into some rather unpleasant imagery that doesn’t manage to penetrate that façade. Every track has the whimsical feeling of a home video shot on VCR that you’ve dug out of the basement, charmingly imperfect and showing things you probably wouldn’t get away with nowadays yet seemed fine at the time.
Hopefully you find something new to enjoy here or have some suggestions that you think I’d like based on this, and if so please let me know below! There’s no such thing as too much music…
