11. June in music - including The Aces, NewDad and Baby Queen
a (late) monthly round up of everything I listened to in June!
The Aces - I’ve Loved You For So Long
‘I’ve Loved You For So Long’ is The Aces’ third album, released via Red Bull Records. Here’s my ranking:
Suburban Blues
I’ve Loved You For So Long
Miserable
Always Get This Way
Not The Same
Stop Feeling
Person
Solo
Girls Make Me Wanna Die
Attention
This record has a nostalgic feeling which I love in music, and The Aces were one of the first bands I listened to who openly wrote about mental health and being queer in a small town. They perfectly capture how it feels to not belong and how nowhere feels like home, as well as accepting you’re human and we’re all going to make mistakes.
The reflective nature of the album closer ‘Younger’ rounds up the journey of the record, and this feels like their strongest, most cohesive album yet. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but The Aces do guitar pop very well.
Rating: 4/5
Bring Me the Horizon featuring Lil Uzi Vert, Daryl Palumbo and Glassjaw
Sometimes I find that BMTH songs with features are weaker, but I love how each artist contributes to the track. With the classic themes of existential doom and suffering, I can’t wait to scream this song live.
Rating: 4/5
Rob Grant and Lana Del Rey - Lost At Sea/Hollywood Bowl
Lana could never not sound perfect, and these tracks are reminiscent of her Honeymoon era sonically. Sometimes Lana’s newer, slower tracks border boring for me, but these are so calming and beautiful.
Rating: 4/5
LipGloss - Better Off This Way
This is the first LipGloss track the band have officially released, and it reminded me a lot of earlier Wolf Alice tracks, so naturally I loved it. I’m excited to hear more from them because I think they can be big. Fans of Wolf Alice, Pale Waves and Drug Store Romeos should get onto them before they get big.
Rating: 4.5/5
Halsey and SUGA - Lilith
Lilith is one of my favourite tracks from ‘If I Can’t Have Love I Want Power’, so I was half excited and half wary of this rework, because I’m not a fan of SUGA’s music and their previous collaboration, ‘SUGA’s Interlude’. The lyric changes were interesting and are more dark and obsessive, which I always enjoy from Halsey because they do it so well. I’m not a big fan of the main beat - it’s a bit too industrial and rough compared to what I usually enjoy, and SUGA’s verse doesn’t interest me. I’ll definitely stick to the original version, but it’s not a bad rework - it’s just not for me.
Rating: 3/5
Baby Queen - Dream Girl
Baby Queen is an artist I wish I had gotten onto sooner, but after seeing her open for Olivia Rodrigo on the SOUR Tour last summer, I was hooked. Again, I love music which makes me feel nostalgic, and her deep voice is a delight to hear. It’s often nice to listen to younger artists sing about things young people, me included, think about everyday - namely yearning for someone who is in love with someone else, but with a fun anticipation of what might happen.
Rating: 4/5
Lauren Sanderson - IDC AT ALL
Surprise, another guitar pop song by another woman. While it’s not really a surprise, this song did take me by surprise because Lauren Sanderson wasn’t really on my radar before this. ‘IDC AT ALL’ explores the pain of having a friend who is suffering or going through pain, and they can’t see the point in anything. Sometimes it’s hard but it can do more harm than good for yourself, if it’s making you hurt too. The anger and pure emotion translates strongly in this track and it’s obvious recording this was cathartic, as well as for me listening to it. The vocals are strong, the guitars match them, and I’ll be on the lookout for what she does next.
Rating: 4.5/5
Boyish and King Princess - Kill Your Pain
I’m not a fan of King Princess but this collaboration works really well, even if I prefer Boyish’s parts and vocals. A song about being fearful of yourself and the pain you experience, sometimes it’s good to indulge in these negative feelings through music to feel heard.
Rating: 4/5
Katy Perry - One Of the Boys (15th Anniversary Edition)
Each of Katy’s first three albums hold a special place in my heart, even if I don’t listen to them that much anymore (it took everything in me not to order the vinyl reissues because I know they wouldn’t get the love they deserve). One Of the Boys is special because it’s rockier and more raw and it has some of my favourite Katy tracks. Here’s my ranking:
Self Inflicted
Lost
Fingerprints
If You Can Afford Me
Waking Up In Vegas
Mannequin
I’m Still Breathing
One Of the Boys
Thinking Of You
I Kissed a Girl
Ur So Gay
Hot N Cold
The reissue also features remastered versions of ‘A Cup of Coffee’ and ‘I Think I’m Ready’ and hearing these tracks for the first time in YEARS felt so nostalgic and sweet. This album is underrated in her discography because of how successful and, frankly, perfect, ‘Teenage Dream’ and ‘Prism’ were. If this album has zero fans then I’m dead.
Rating: 9.5/10
NewDad - Break In
The band describe the song as “about feeling like a stranger in your own body, while losing your sense of self” via Instagram. I can relate to this a lot due to my BPD symptoms, feeling like I’m looking at someone in the mirror who I’ve never met in my life, and basing my identity off of others’ due to a lack of my own. NewDad make this feeling comforting rather than sad though, and even though these are old lyrics of theirs, it still feels nice to be seen. The guitar melody definitely contributes to this feeling, as it’s soft and sweet.
Rating: 4.5/5
Radium Jaw - Pure Love
Radium Jaw are another band I’ve been getting into recently (not just because I’m fascinated by medical stories of people becoming ill due to dangerous materials which hadn’t been seen to be hazardous yet, as their name suggests). It’s hard to not like a song with an adorable cat for the single cover, but it’s the type of song that’s perfect for sitting in a park and watching the sunset. Its ethereal vocals paired with guitars and synths which almost drown them out, but not too much, create a stunning track.
Rating: 4/5
Thank you for reading my very (very) late June wrap up, July has been a busy one with my 22nd birthday, trips to London and working! I promise July’s won’t be this late (probably).
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love, jess scarlett 💌