Entertainment
These 7 Albums Will Add So Much Sunshine To Your Summer Playlist
There's only so many times you can play Daft Punk's 'Get Lucky' before you realise that you've truly rinsed a summer anthem. While you can rely on the same old songs to get you through Christmas, summer sounds need to be shaken up a bit. You need those songs that'll remind you of this summer, just like you have with all those summers past. But if you're at a loss with what this summer's anthem could be, then here's a list of seven recent albums from UK artists to listen to in summer 2019 that will provide the perfect soundtrack to fun in the sun.
These seven albums are a bit more lowkey than Daft Punk, but they're full of shimmery brilliance that you might have missed. All released in the past few months, they've received plenty of acclaim, streams, and plays, but they're also begging to be memorialised into 2019's summer soundtrack. Whether you like things upbeat and joyful or more blissed-out and mellow, these albums cover plenty of ground. Among this list, you could well be introduced to your new favourite rapper or singer, as well as some old favourites. It's time to get that playlist going.
1Miss Universe — Nilüfer Yanya
Each of Nilüfer Yanya's songs contain the light and shade of a summer's day. The sparkling guitars, the sultry saxophone, Yanya's velveteen voice. It's the ideal set up for a relaxed introspective few hours in the sun. Miss Universe is Yanya's debut album, and it's caused plenty of waves already this year. Having scored the distinction of Pitchfork's Best New Music, and plenty more praise besides, it's not just my recommendation you'll be taking.
2Little Simz — GREY Area
Little Simz aka Simbiatu "Simbi" Abisola Abiola Ajikawo really outdid herself here. Already equipped with a couple of acclaimed albums, GREY Area has taken Simz to the next level. With lyrics that'll have you hanging on every word, Simz covers everything from her childhood to processing trauma after a friend had been murdered. It's delivered over gorgeously rich beats, and when Simz declares that she's "Jay-Z on a bad day," by the album's close, you're inclined to think she's a whole lot better than that.
3Jai Paul — Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones)
Jai Paul's something of an internet ghost, coming back to haunt us every once in a while with music that's scarily good. He emerged back in 2007, when he casually posted a couple of songs onto Myspace. After retreating back into anonymity for several years, a collection of songs reportedly written by Jai Paul were leaked onto Bandcamp. Six years later, he's back on his own terms. He rereleased the leaked songs himself in June, titling the collection Leak 04-13, and they are summer of 2013 and 2019 material.
4The Japanese House — Good at Falling
Amber Bain aka The Japanese House has been touted by the likes of The 1975, with whom she shares a label, but her music should be listened to on its own terms. While her third album Good at Falling might have a similar sensibility to some of Matty Healy's woozier moments, it's the kind of swoon-fest that only Bain is capable of putting on. These songs swell with dreamy synths, and would make the perfect soundtrack for a reflective drive somewhere beautiful.
5Hot Chip — A Bath Full of Ecstasy
A Bath Full of Ecstasy happens to be both a confounding and beautiful album title, which is also a convenient summary for the album itself. Arriving four years after Hot Chip's last album Why Make Sense?, Hot Chip's latest picks up from where the band left off, and takes them in a huge, poppier, dancier, more immediately beautiful direction. It's one that'll no doubt be replayed all summer long.
6Cate Le Bon - Reward
A little more left of centre, Wales' Cate Le Bon is lowkey one of the country's greatest critical darlings. Her fifth album Reward is, as Rolling Stone calls it "handmade art pop," which is a pretty fitting description of the scintillating, yet very slightly unnerving songs that make up the album. Straight from the get go, it feels like a hypnotic journey, as the beautiful repeating melodies lock you into a trance, and will keep you there all summer long.
7Mark Ronson - Late Night Feelings
While Mark Ronson spends most of his time in New York nowadays, he'll always be a proud British export. You might associate him with a bright, bellicose sound, but on Late Night Feelings, Ronson brings forth his so called sad bangers. With appearances from the likes of Camilla Cabello and Lykke Li, it not only boasts a fine roster of very talented ladies, but it also brings forth Ronson's talent to create a summertime sadness anthem, unlike any you've heard from him before.
