10 Big Things That Happened in Music the Week of August 2, 2024
Just because it's August doesn't mean the blazing energy of the summer season has calmed down in the slightest, and there's nowhere that's more evident than in the music world.
This week was a doozy, with Khalid's most vulnerable album yet, an angsty new rock track from Mckenna Grace (with Mckenna's debut Lollapalooza performance on the horizon) plus a new EP from Latin pop sensation VALÉ and so much more. Curious about what we loved best? Keep scrolling to discover the 10 biggest things that happened in music the week of Aug. 2, 2024.
(Sincere via RCA Records)
1. Small Shake Agonizes Over a Friend's Unhealthy Relationship in 'Toxic'
Rising indie-rock artist Small Shake is back after a year-long hiatus, following up the release of her debut single "Imposter" with the liadback new track, "Toxic." It's a platonic love song of sorts, with Small Shake watching in annoyance and frustration as someone she cares about manages to find themself in toxic relationships again and again. "I find that songs about platonic relationships come more naturally to me," Small Shake shared in a press release. "I was aghast watching a friend chase terrible men over and over, I wrote 'Toxic' in an angry fever dream. Only when it was finished did I fully understand the nature of my feelings."
2. april june Weaves a Cinematic Tale With New EP, baby's out of luck again
We adore pop artist april june for her hazy, dream-like sound and lush storytelling, and her talents are in top form on her new EP, baby's out of luck again. Its seven tracks are tinged with influences of the '80s and '90s as they weave a cinematic narrative that blends nostalgic romance with fear and uncertainty. These songs just beg to be features on the soundtracks of major motion pictures, and the music video for "carry you on my broken wings" could be a movie itself. "The last time I recorded something this long was 10 years ago," april june shared in a press release. "It's much easier, psychologically, to let go of a song that you've written, as opposed to an EP… This project is very special to me. It just has more weight to it."
3. Georgia Gets By 'Some Kind of Angel' and 'Split Lip' Dual Singles
New Zealand artist Georgia Nott may be best known for fronting musical duo BROODS, but she's also making a powerful statement as a soloist with her new project, Georgie Gets By. Her upcoming EP, Split Lip, is a vulnerable collection of songs born out of the end of her first queer relationship. It releases on Sep. 6, and we just got a first taste with atmospheric dual singles "Some Kind of Angel" and title track "Split Lip." "'Split Lip' and 'Some Kind of Angel' are depictions of my masculine and feminine counterparts," Georgia explained in a press release. "The songs and their visual worlds express how it feels to engage in intimacy through these two lenses. The soft gentleness of some kind of angel vs. the stoic and at times aggressive nature of split lip. Although these two parts of myself are inseparable it was fun to play with the contrast between them."
4. VALÉ Captures the Essence of a Colombian Summer on Debut EP, under the sun
As longtime fans of Colombian singer-songwriter VALÉ, we've been eagerly awaiting the release of her debut EP, under the sun, and it encapsulates everything we love about the artist. The six-track EP was recording entirely in her hometown of Barranquilla, Colombia, channeling the vibes of the country into its vibrant fusion of alt-pop, R&B and Latin sounds. "I named the EP under the sun mainly because it was made in my hometown, Barranquilla, Colombia, which is known to have extremely hot and humid weather," she shared in an interview with Sweety High. "It felt fitting in that regard! There is also a lyric in the song 'siempre serás mi corazón' that goes 'under the sun, I was missing you,' and I thought that was a really sweet title for the EP."
Also read about: VALÉ Shares the Influences Behind Her Sizzling, Summery Debut EP, under the sun
5. DARUMAS Celebrate Their Rise With New Music Video for 'La Llamada'
Latin pop-funk band DARUMAS have made quite the splash since their released their self-titled debut album in May, and they've shown zero signs of slowing down. The group consists of Argentinean bassist Aldana Aguirre, Cuban-American guitarist Ceci Leon and Haitian-born, Chilean-raised vocalist Vedala Vilmond, who just released a new music video for "La Llamada," (or "The Call" in English). The video serves as a montage of sorts for the trio's rise to fame, with the song telling a story about the kind of magnetic love that always manages to pull you back in.
Also read about: Aldana, Vedala and Ceci of DARUMAS Talk Making Music and Their Self-Titled Debut Album
6. Father John Misty Releases Compilation Album Featuring New Track, 'I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of Us All'
Thanks to a number of viral TikTok sounds, artist Father John Misty as seen a lot of new fans over the last year, and he decided to celebrate with the release of a compilation album with the sprawling title, I Followed My Dreams and My Dreams Said To Crawl: How I Admit I Didn't Sign Up for Showbiz To Be Cosmically Knee-Capped By A Karmic Teacher Disguised This Time As The Bathetic Career of a Semi Beloved Fringe Balladeer In The Twenty Teens. It consists of 17 tracks, beginning with the fan-favorite "Real Love Baby," and concluding with the contemplative never-before-released single, "I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of Us All." According to Father John Misty in a press release, the album, "exists now because over the last year or so, thanks to market forces beyond my comprehension, we've had an influx of new listeners. The idea was to offer them a piece of vinyl featuring, hopefully, all the songs they like in one place."
7. Tones and I Reflects on Her Journey So Far on Sophomore Album, Beautifully Ordinary
Australian singer-songwriter and producer Tones and I just dropped her her sophomore album, Beautiful Ordinary, reminding us yet again why she's one of today's most viral artists. She wrote the majority of the album without any collaborators, making this the most concentrated version of her artistry yet, and a clear demonstration of her musical evolution since her 2021 debut album, Welcome to the Madhouse. All 16 tracks are fueled by her unmistakable vocals and rich storytelling, with songs to make you dance, cry and everything in between. "This is my sophomore album," Tones and I shared in a press release. "Each song tells a different story, meant for its own moment. Some tracks are inspired by the same life experience, but from different perspectives. The album presents itself as whatever the listener takes from it, with undertones of loneliness, heartbreak, desperation, fear, vulnerability and triumph. The brightest songs often have the saddest stories. Nostalgia is a recurring theme, perhaps subconsciously reflecting how the past shapes who I am today."
8. Olivia O'Brien Develops an Inexplicable Crush in 'out of your league (but i want you so bad)'
Leave it to singer-songwriter Olivia O'Brien to write the perfect song about a completely illogical crush. Her new single, "out of your league (but I want u so bad)," is a breezy summer bop that captures the carefree vibes of the season as she sings about crushing hard on someone, despite all logic. The fact we've all been there makes the track even more irresistible. "I think nearly everyone, at one low point or another, has had an inexplicable crush on someone," Olivia shared in a press release. "A crush that nobody else seems to understand. A crush on someone who appears to have absolutely zero redeeming qualities. Your friends hate them, they treat you poorly, they probably don't even like you back at all, and they aren't even conventionally attractive, either… but there's just something that keeps drawing you back in. Sometimes the only thing you can do in this situation is have the self-awareness to make a fun song about it so that you can look back and laugh when you finally come to your senses."
Also read about: The Best Olivia O'Brien Lyrics as Instagram Captions
9. Mckenna Grace Teases Her Lollapalooza Debut With New Single, 'Swim Team'
Multihypenate Mckenna Grace is truly making the most of 2024 with high-profile film and TV roles, new music buzzing with rock edge and some exciting performances, including making her Lollapalooza debut today, Aug. 2. She just released her new single, "Swim Team," which elegantly balances a sense of vulnerability and fear with a bolder rock sound. It's a track about the angst that can come with inexperience, feeling as if you're watching from the bleachers everyone else live their best lives, and knowing you could join them if you weren't so terrified of jumping into the deep end.
Also read about: Everything You Wanted to Know About Actress and Singer-Songwriter Mckenna Grace
10. Khalid Gets More Dreamy and Vulnerable than Ever on Third Album, Sincere
Thanks to its gorgeous singles "Please Don't Fall in Love With Me," "Adore U" and "Ground," Khalid's third album, Sincere, has already been the soundtrack to our summers, and the tracks shine even brighter in the context of the surrounding album. Consisting of 16 songs, Sincere shows Khalid at both his most romantic and his most vulnerable, with his signature dreamy sound at its very best. "It's album week and I'm feeling many things right now," Khalid wrote in a post on Instagram. "Everyone asks me if I'm excited, and I tell them that I'm anxiously prepared for everything to happen. I know I put my heart and soul into this process, and at times it felt like I was starting all over again for the first time. I believe this album will touch and impact many of you, because it still impacts me when I listen to it to this day. Anything that happened before this album almost doesn't even matter anymore, and anything that happens after this album is what the universe intended. I'm so excited to see you all listen to this in full for the first time 🖤 I forgot how album week felt, but woah. Here we gooooo!"
Missed our favorite tracks last week? Click HERE to check out our top 10 favorite releases for the week of July 26, 2024.