With warmer weather, it’s time to organize our playlists. We’ve compiled a list of new albums to keep an eye on this summer. There are many anticipated new songs, although the dates are unknown. Meanwhile, there’s plenty of new good music to listen to. The following are the best albums of the summer!
Harry’s House by Harry Styles
Harry Styles is a music celebrity, a fashion icon, and maybe the next leading man in Hollywood; but, as his career soars, his forthcoming album is supposed to push us to new depths. Harry’s House is believed to be a private, contemplative record written by the vocalist during the epidemic’s early days, but it doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. His enthralling lead, “As It Was,” with its reflective lyrics and effervescent sound, is a great example. —Erica Gonzales, senior culture editor
Hypnos by Rayvn Lenae
Ravyn Lenae of Chicago is about to release her debut album, Hypnos, after mesmerizing us with her superb 2018 EP Crush, which featured groove-led tunes like “Sticky” and “4 Leaf Clover.” That’s an apt title considering the mesmerizing lead tracks “Skin Tight” and “Light Me Up,” both of which showcase Lenae’s distinctive silky voice for a dreamy ambiance. She also collaborates with Mereba, Smino, Foushée, and her constant collaborator, The Internet’s Steve Lacy.
Special by Lizzo
Even though it’s only been three years since Cuz I Love You dropped, the fact that there’s been a whole damn pandemic in between Lizzo albums almost sounds like a Lizzo lyric. “About Damn Time” does the honors instead, a disco throwback that sums up how everyone is feeling about hitting the dance floor after two years or more indoors. Lizzo performed her new hit, along with the album’s title track, “Special,” on Saturday Night Live earlier this year, cementing her status in the upper echelon of musicians doing it right now. Though she’s yet to release the studio version of “Special” or share the full tracklist for Special, her record is still the one many people look forward to this summer.
‘Love, Damini’- Burna Boy
Love, Damini, set to be released on June 30, right ahead of his 31st birthday, will be the Nigerian singer’s sixth studio album. This will be nearly two years after the release of his Grammy award-winning Twice as Tall album. His hit single “Last Last,” which samples Toni Braxton’s 2000 R&B hit “He Wasn’t Man Enough,” appears on the album. Burna Boy recently performed this song at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas last month (May)
SZA
SZA’s highly anticipated second studio album has been in the works since the release of her fantastic debut album Ctrl. Fans can’t help but guess when her highly-anticipated second project will emerge after she said at the 2022 Grammy Awards, immediately after her triumph with Doja Cat, that it’s completed and coming very soon. She’s had us on our toes for the previous six years. The First Lady of TDE said that her long-awaited album is done and would be released very soon after winning her first Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for ‘Kiss Me More’ with Doja Cat. She told Variety backstage at the Grammys press room, “I just finished it up in Hawaii lately, so I’m just handing it in.” “It’s perhaps my most unisex piece yet,” she continued, “and it’s absolutely for everybody in some manner.”
Normani
At the 2021 Soul Train Awards on Nov. 28, Normani revealed that her debut album as a solo artist is on the way and that she may even tour to promote it. “I wanna tell you that summer is gonna be lit,” she said. “I’m ready to perform, and I miss performing.”
Cardi B.
So far, a title for Cardi B’s new album hasn’t been announced. Invasion Of Privacy is the rapper’s first album. Her prior mixtapes include ‘Gangsta B*tch Music, Vol. 1,’ ‘Underestimated: The Album,’ and ‘Gangsta B*tch Music, Vol. 2.’ Cardi B said in December 2021 that her sophomore album would be released in 2022, following a hectic year. “It’s been very… a lot,” she explained. “Trying to balance out my new motherf**king existence has been a challenge.”
Best Summer Podcasts
The Trojan Horse Affair
It’s difficult to imagine anyone listening to Brian Reed’s last podcast, S-Town, expecting its sequel to move the focus from murder in small-town America to significant British controversy. However, this probe into the alleged 2014 Islamist conspiracy in Birmingham schools did just that, leaving no stone unturned — to the point of hauling an ex-dentist teacher to South Africa. Hamza Syed, a passionate co-host, enhanced the storyline in his podcast debut.
Rabbit HoleThe logo of Rabbit Hole.
Rabbit Hole is an easily bingeable look at how the internet influences our daily lives, politics, and how we got here. The New York Times’ eight-part series is disturbing at times, but the story it’s telling about how we connect with the internet is profound and difficult to forget. It is well worth your time.
Lolita Podcast Podcast by Lolita
The Lolita Podcast logo illustrates heart-shaped glasses and a person holding a camera. Jaime Loftus’ podcast series are always in-depth and frequently highly personal. The Lolita Podcast delves into Nabokov’s well-known and controversial work, but it also delves into how Lolita survives in our popular culture, in both good and negative ways. Righteous and still living, Lolita Podcast is one of the best new podcasts for you to check out this year.
Slow Burn: Roe v. Wade (Slate, June 1)
The conservative-stacked Supreme Court seemed almost destined to overturn Roe v. Wade, but that didn’t soften the impact when a recent leak appeared to confirm the verdict. Slow Burn’s planned four-part series on the influential abortion-rights case tries to reconstruct the context of the time. The season, hosted by Susan Matthews, will focus on various incidents that lay the groundwork for the political push toward Roe, beginning with the case of Shirley Wheeler, the first woman convicted of manslaughter for having an abortion.
Wild Things: Siegfried and Roy
Sometimes a podcast’s story is so transparent that you can’t believe it hasn’t been done yet. This was the case with this eight-part documentary on Las Vegas magicians Siegfried and Roy and their colorful lives and jobs. From the thrilling opening seconds, which show a tiger mauling Roy’s throat, to an origin story involving Nazis, cheetah smuggling, and Grace Kelly, it was packed with mind-boggling detail. It was solid gold entertainment from start to end, much like the two men in question’s shows.