Top 5 Albums of My Summer 2024
... So far
Summer 2024 so far in Canada has been heatwaves, forest fires, and just recently, plenty of rain.. But that doesn’t stop the bangers from being cranked at full volume all season long amidst 1st world apocalypse. Without further ado, here are the 5 soundtracks to my summer.
FYI - I am an elder emo whose summer highlights growing up consist of attending warped tours and various music festivals, backyard wrestling with friends, skateboarding and going to anime conventions. Just so you know what you’re getting into and where the selection is coming from!
Honorable Mention. Willow - “Emphatogen”
Willow has been very sporadic and hit or miss for me. However, this LP is a creative and conscious outpour featuring the best vocal performance on this entire list.
The issue that comes with a lot of artists who are already household names before even trying to make a name for themselves in music, is that most don’t take enough risks. And why not? When well off and don’t have to rely on your art to pay your bills by doing big numbers, can afford the resources and are well connected, why not create something bold?
Riding similar vibes with Paramore’s “This is Why” (my album of 2023), from her melody range along with strong jazzy, indie, mathy and post-punk chops. “Big Feelings” and “False self” are just an example of the feel-good, afternoon in a patio with drinks nature this record brings!
5. Bring Me the Horizon - “Post Human: Next Gen”
After teasing us with singles (every single one an anthem btw) for the past what.. 2 years? The band delivers this long-awaited LP along with 16 tracks, making hearing the 8 singles feel like only an appetizer.
Check out “Lost”, resembling mid 00’s emo with the hook screaming “I’m Not Okay” by My Chemical Romance. “Top 10 statues that cried blood” is a fusion of modern pop-punk with hyper-pop influences. Then there’s “Strangers”, perfect for summer love campfire sing-alongs.
4. ATARASHI GAAKO! - “AG! Calling”
Only discovering them this year, I’ve heard their prior projects and deem this one as being in their absolute elements. As a fan of Japanese pop culture, these 4 unhinged ladies put out a bold and varied that’s full of.. well, everything that can be considered fun!
“Toryanse” showcases their Japanese influences in a modern upbeat pop production. “Maji Yoroshiku” is a fast-paced jazz-fusion track reminding me of classic 90’s anime OP like Yu Yu Hakusho. Of course there‘s the single “Tokyo Calling”, a purposeful call out to Japanese work culture with MASSIVE marching drums production and a chorus memorable even to those who don’t understand a lick of Japanese.
3. The Home Team - “The Crucible of Life”
To sell you in on this band right off the bat.. think of a modern pop-punk band fronted by a soulful vocalist with a range reminiscent of Patrick Stump from Fall Out Boy.
This album is fun, playful, and full of catchy hooks that’ll have you sing all summer! Plenty of grooving basslines, horn sections, and rnb-esque seductive whispers backed by crunching guitars and occasionally, breakdowns. “Brag” and “Roommates” are your entry points, but my favourite track is “Somebody else’s face”.
2. Charli XCX - “brat”
I’m sure many have this on their top summer soundtrack of 2024 lists as this record has been getting major coverage, and deservingly so. To me, CharliXCX has always been unapologetic pop music that I will blast through my car windows without calling it a “guilty pleasure” (spoiler: I have none, I’ll wear all my pleasures proudly).
It’s just that since just before COVID, we’ve had more than plenty of mopy pop music be in the limelight. Artists like Lorde or Lana Del Rey are great mood music, but boy, have a lot of us missed almost obnoxious pop music that embraces its identity. “Club Classics” helps me forget that I’m in my mid 30’s and I’m way past my clubbing prime, “I might say something stupid” is a very vulnerable (what the lyrics to most of these songs are actually like despite the booming production) piano ballad, while my personal favourite “Sympathy is a knife” has been on constant repeat!
1. Bilmuri - “American Motorsports”
2 words - Country-Metalcore that’ll have you cranking your hog all day long yelling “yeehaw” riding a tractor.
Inside jokes aside, this is everything you want from a summer soundtrack. This album is an honest transition of a midwestern edgy scene kid who grew up to pay tributes to the music of his upbringing (country) and meticulously fuse it with the “core” riffs he toured with throughout the warped tour era. All that along with saxophone solos, beautiful harmonies sung by prominent country features, and Kevin James sound bytes.
Tear-face yelling choruses: check. Stank face breakdowns: check. Campfire acoustic ready; also check. This 28-minute run time is everything you want to feel in the summer, a soundtrack you can cry sing along with your friends 8 deep in cheap beers.
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Have a specific album, playlist or song that’s been speaking about your summer? Let me know in the comments!