As you well know, Beyoncé drops her album at the end of this month. And there’s plenty of high-flying releases between now and then, too.
Paolo Nutini – Love in the Bittersweet – 1 July
I’ve mentioned ‘The Nutters’ a few times – the self-described collection of Paolo Nutini fans – but it’s worth shouting about them again. Especially when this is the Paisley-born star’s first release in eight years. Expect the nutters to be nuttier than ever. Five tracks have already been released ahead of the full 16-track album, including ‘Through The Echoes’ and ‘Shine A Light’.
The Game – Drillmatic – 1 July
Pushed back by a week, seemingly due to his disbelief at being excluded in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of 200 Greatest Rap Albums Of All Time, Drillmatic now sneaks into the July releases. Track ‘Violence’ has already been released, tackling his issues with Dr. Dre as well as his drug dealing problems. Will it be good enough for Rolling Stone? We’ll have to wait and see.
Burna Boy – Love, Damini – 1 July
At a gig in April, Nigerian superstar Burna Boy announced he was releasing a new album called Love, Damini in celebration of his 31st birthday on 2nd July – a gift for us all, if you will.
James Bay – Leap – 8 July
The title for James Bay’s forthcoming release, Leap, was inspired by a John Burroughs quote: “leap and the net will appear”. That was the mindset the critically acclaimed singer-songwriter placed himself in following a challenging period in 2019. That quote did the trick. The record contains many of the qualities that have endeared millions to him before and has had a helping hand from producers such as Foy Vance (Ed Sheeran), Joel Little (Lorde, Taylor Swift) and even Finneas on the track ‘Save Your Love’.
Katy J Pearson – Sound of the Morning – 8 July
Bristolian Katy J Pearson is releasing her sophomore album, Sound of the Morning, through Heavenly Recordings. This record was written and recorded in late 2021 and was co-produced by Ali Chant (Yard Act) and Dan Carey (Fontaines D.C., Wet Leg, Foals), who also heads up record label Speedy Wunderground. Expect more of Katy J Pearson’s Americana instincts, with an album that is influenced by, but not categorised as, country.
Metric – Formentera – 8 July
Formentera is the forthcoming gothic synth rock from Canadian outfit Metric. The 10-minute lament over the world’s present plight, ‘Doomscroller’, has been released already. But why listen to me blabber on about it? Here’s our interview with them from a couple weeks back.
Beacon – Along the Lethe – 9 July
Brooklyn duo Beacon (Thomas Mullarney III and Jacob Gossett) had been on the label Ghostly for years but decided to release their forthcoming album, Along the Lethe, on their own. The track’s atmospheric opener, ‘Until Next Time’, is already out and it isn’t long until the rest of Along the Lethe (Lethe being a river in Hades that caused forgetfulness in those who drank its waters).
beabadoobee – Beatopia – 15 July
Filipino-British singer-songwriter with an are-you-sure-I’ve-spelt-that-right name, beabadoobee, is releasing Beatopia in the middle of the month. The 14-track record from the indie label Dirty Hit is the follow-up to the singer’s brilliant Fake It Flowers LP from 2020. Speaking about the track ‘Talk’, the first to be released from the album, the singer said it was “about doing things that aren’t necessarily healthy or great for you, but you can’t help indulging”. And indulge we certainly will when it comes to her next release.
Interpol – The Other Side of Make-Believe – 15 July
Another “lockdown album” written entirely during the pandemic, The Other Side of Make-Believe is American rock band Interpol’s seventh studio album. Pieced together when the group reunited for song-writing and rehearsal sessions in the idyllic setting of the Catskill Mountains, the record went on to be completed in North London with producers Alan Moulder and Mark Ellis, aka ‘Flood’.
Lil Silva – Yesterday Is Heavy – 15 July
The first debut album on this list, which is indicative of the high-profile releases coming this month. Lil Silva, though, has in fact been releasing music for over a decade and, what’s more, Yesterday Is Heavy contains some very strong collaborations: Little Dragon, BADBADNOTGOOD and long-time collaborator Sampha, to name a few. Not bad at all… for a debut.
Lizzo – Special – 15 July
Lizzo recently hit the headlines when she removed a “harmful lyric” from the track ‘Grrrls’ – one of the two tracks that have dropped ahead of her album Special. With that now out the way (and Lizzo subsequently praised, albeit after criticism, for her actions), the anticipation for the album can continue to mount. It drops in the middle of July – by which point it’ll be about damn time.
Steve Lacy – Gemini Rights – 15 July
The guitarist for the internet has had some impressive solo releases – and a relatively prolifically one at that, with his 2019 debut Apollo XXI followed a year later by The Lo-Fis. The latter was derived from a host of unofficial early releases, which had originally been limited to Lacy’s SoundCloud. Gemini Rights is a more straightforward release through RCA, with a video already released for the track ‘Mercury’.
Superorganism – World Wide Pop – 15 July
London group Superorganism have stripped down in recent years, now consisting of five key players: Orono, Harry, Tucan, B and Soul. Indie pop seems to be the overriding term used to describe them, but in truth that barely scratches the surfaces of their sound and aesthetic, which takes on just about everything. Their second album, as suggested by their name, might be a more defined sound. We shall find out when it drops later this month.
Jack White – Entering Heaven Alive – 22 July
Jack White has been in fairly prolific form in recent times, not least being giving a surprise recent set at Glastonbury. The former White Stripes frontman dropped of the Dawn in April and this month sess the release of its follow-up: Entering Heaven Alive. Recorded at White’s Third Man Studio in 2021, this will be the musician’s fifth solo studio album.
Sports Team – Gulp! – 22 July
London-based Sports Team have their second album out this month, via Island Records. Three releases have already blessed our earholes ahead of Gulp!, including ‘R Entertainment’, ‘The Game’ and the recently released ‘Cool It Kid’. The band described ‘R Entertainment’ as “packaging down of all human experience into entertainment, prompted by the infinite scroll through social feeds and the manic formlessness of the images we are hit with every day.” Thankfully, at least one of those things hitting us this month with be Gulp!.
The Kooks – 10 Tracks to Echo in the Dark – 22 July
British indie-rock favourites The Kooks are bestowing us with yet another high-profile album release this month. ‘10 Tracks to Echo in the Dark’ might sound like an ambient Brian Eno release, but the record is set to be what we know and love them for, with an electronic-tinged edge. The record is being released in three parts; the first two parts consisting of 3-track EP releases, which are both out already. The final part will a further four tracks to the full album later this month.
Ty Seagall – Hello, hi – 22 July
Ever the prolific artist, Ty Seagall is releasing Hello, hi just a year from Harmonizer, which itself was followed by the official release of his soundtrack for the documentary Whirlybird. As its homely title suggests, Hello, hi was recorded at Seagall’s California home and is being released via his longtime label, Drag City.
Beyoncé – RENAISSANCE – 29 July
Could it get much bigger? Bey is back. Specifically, as the name of her album suggests, she’s set for a renaissance with release her first solo release since 2016’s Lemonade. The release of ‘Break My Soul’ ahead of the full album, has had her fans in raptures for its celebration of New York disco. Interestingly, Variety reports the album will feature both dance tracks and country-leaning ones, too. The wait is nearly over to find out how exactly – albeit near the very end of the month.
Jamie T – The Theory of Whatever – 29 July
It seems Jamie T has a habit of clashing with the big names. Following his Glastonbury set which was on at the same time of not just a star-studded Paul McMcartney set, but also Megan Thee Stallion, Mr. T (no, not that one) is now dropping The Theory of Whatever on the same day as Beyoncé. Good luck to him, not that he’ll need it. It’s been four years since he released his album of B-Sides, and six since 2016’s Trick.
Maggie Rogers – Surrender – 29 July
Recorded in three locations – Electric Lady Studios in New York, Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios near Bath, and Rogers’ parents’ garage – Surrender is out at the end of the month via Capitol. The album has been co-produced by Rogers, who began working on it in early 2020 after a lengthy period of touring in support of her first album, and Kid Harpoon, aka Tom Hull from Chatham.
