the drop summer ’18 edition: The best albums coming out this summer
Summer is quickly approaching, and with it the promise of what could be one of the biggest summers in music yet. Heres my take on what you should be looking out for.
Enjoy
Drake – Scorpion
I will forever have excitement for new music from Drake. His two recent singles, “God’s Plan” and “Nice For What,” broke tons of streaming records, and are still being recognized as the songs of the upcoming summer. In addition, fans will also now receive an entire full-length album from Drake this June. Other than a time stamp, there is not much else known about the upcoming album, which leaves just anticipation to fuel my excitement for the next month.
Kanye West X2
June is going to be a big month in hip-hop, and a big month for Kanye West. An always controversial Kanye West is releasing two albums come June; one a solo project, and another release with Kid Cudi titled Kids See Ghost. There is no real telling what either of these albums are going to sound like (even after the release of a few new tracks). Kanye West, in recent weeks, has been leaving some people with a lot of opinions, while others are left in awe of what he has been saying over his social media platforms. Will these two albums sounds like anything Kanye has ever done before? The suspense of it all is driving all my anticipation for these two releases coming soon.
Vampire Weekend – Untitled
Just knowing that Vampire Weekend is going to be releasing a new album is enough to keep me going, even though there are no concrete details about it quite yet. This past February, it was revealed that their album was about 80% done. The release is on the horizon, and the assumption is that there will be new Vampire Weekend to obsess over this summer, as a follow-up to their 2013 release of Modern Vampire of the City. Further details of this album to come.
The 1975 – Music For Cars
2016 seems like an eternity ago since new music has been released from The 1975. Their last album, i like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful, yet so unaware of it, combined with ’80s funk and UK Rock made it into our “Top Albums” list here at Control HQ. Moving forward into 2018, The 1975 is back with new music this coming summer, and lead singer Matty Healy has described it to NME as, “Our first three albums are the story of a person; it’s always kind of been my story. It spanned adolescence to maturity, success and trying to mediate the two, and the third one is where we are now, I haven’t really decided the statement of where we are now yet. It’s sort of difficult to understand the present.” There is no official new music released from it yet, but there is a ton of cryptic social media posts and a countdown timer on The 1975’s official website. Either way, I am patiently awaiting the upcoming album that has the potential to be an absolute favorite of the summer.
James Bay – Electric Light
James Bay’s debut album, Chaos And The Calm, brought him massive amounts of attention, as well as new fans and a Grammy nomination. He offers up honest and vulnerable songs that have made him one of my favorite storytellers in music. “If I had to describe my first album visually it would probably be a flame— while this new album is about a real sonic and artistic evolution for me,” said Bay in a statement. “The feeling of a 100 watt bulb expanding and brightening is what I envisioned. Electric Light came to my mind, and I knew it was perfect.” The releases so far off this album are showcasing the singer-songwriter aspect of Bay that I love, while also freshly reinventing his sound. James Bay will also be embarking on a World Tour with this album starting May 13th. Electric Light is available May 18th.
Troye Sivan – Untitled
Troye Sivan, I think, is a very underrated artist, and more people need to be listening to him. His music is soft, sweet, and an all-around good vibe, which is the full feeling that I am getting from his newest releases off of his upcoming album. He is such an expressive artist when discussing love, his sexuality, and all other aspects of life that it is captivating to listen to (as well as to see the way he views life). Troye’s upcoming album has no official release date or title, but I do know it will be filled with ’80s synths and indie pop gold that is for sure going to be worth the wait.
Ariana Grande – Sweetener
In pop music, there is so much excitement surrounding the upcoming Ariana Grande album. After going through one of the most excruciating years, there was no true telling of when Grande would return to music and what her sound would be like. She released the lead single from the album titled “No Tears Left To Cry,” and sent the music scene into a frenzy of streams and support for Grande that has now skyrocketed her back into the pop scene. Her album is set to release this summer, and co-producer of the album Pharell Williams has gushed about the album saying, “The Ariana Grande stuff is pretty amazing. The things that she has to say on this album, it’s pretty next-level. Her album is amazing.” I am beyond excited to see what Ariana Grande has in store for fans on this album, and the album as a whole could be just what pop music needs.
Chromeo – Head Over Heels
Everyone needs to be excited about the return of the “Funk Lordz” and their upcoming album Head Over Heels. Chromeo has not released an album since 2014, and now finally this June we will have the long-awaited follow-up to White Women. Chromeo is without a doubt a damn good time, and there is no bad day when Chromeo takes over on a playlist. Match their funky beats and quirky lyrics with the summertime season, and there isn’t anything that really beats it. Not having new music from this duo for some time has me very ecstatic to have the vibe of Chromeo back again. Chromeo will be touring all around the US, along with many festival appearances this coming year.
-Morgan B.