10 Big Things That Happened in Music the Week of June 7, 2024
It's the first New Music Friday of June 2024, and this week's releases were positively sizzling.
Over the last seven days, we were blessed with another beachy single from Sabrina Carpenter, a dreamy duet between Ayra Starr and Giveon and a brand-new anthem from Megan Moroney—and that's just the tip of the iceberg. To find out about the hits we loved best, keep scrolling to discover the 10 biggest things that happened in music the week of June 7, 2024.
(Image courtesy of Island Records)
1. Happy Landing Celebrate Young Love in 'My My My'
Indie-folk quartet Happy Landing has been making quite a name for themselves with their unique brand on contemporary folk music, and we're especially in love with their latest single, My My My." Driven by jangly banjo and acoustic guitar, it sounds like the distillation of a summer evening as they sing of young love and living in the moment. It's also the third single off their upcoming album, Golden, arriving July 12. "'My, My, My' was the first song from Golden we started playing live," the group shared in a post on Instagram. "it's added such a new energy to our live set (and to the album 😉) and we can't wait to play it for y'all all year long."
2. Axel Flóvent Shows a New Side of Himself on New Album, Away From This Dream
Icelandic alt-pop singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Axel Flóventis the viral artist between a number of our favorite hits, and his music has never been better or more poignant than on his new sophomore album, Away From This Dream. Across 10 tracks, Axel showcases his growth as both a human as an artist with effervescent, instantly nostalgic synth-driven pop that'll be stuck in your head for weeks to come. "I've always been a big fan of artists who evolve on each album," Axel shared in a press release. "I don't feel limited in terms of what I can do. It's important for me to be able to explore a variety of sounds to show different sides of myself. I wanted to create an album I could perform with a band for a lot of people at a festival or you could listen to on headphones alone." Get a taste with the vibrant, feel-good video for "Don't Wait For Summer" below.
3. Tama Gucci Teases His Debut Album With 'Runaway Pup'
Rising star Tama Gucci may be best known as an electronic artist, adding in elements of '90s R&B and the pop sounds of the oughts to create something all his own, but he promises something entirely new on his upcoming debut album, Notes to Self. The album drops Aug. 16, bringing his journal entries and "notes to self" to life in the form of music, with the new single "Runaway Pup" showing his willingness to experiment with a dark pop-rock sound we haven't heard from him before. "This video was so fun to make!" Tama Gucci shared in a press release. "We reference Funny Games—one of my favorite movies ever, by one of my favorite directors, Michael Haneke… I was challenging myself to create something just as cool with the best team behind me. It was very rewarding to see this come to life!"
4. Slow Joy Drops Highly Anticipated EP, Mi Amigo Slow Joy
Esteban Flores, aka Slow Joy, is one of our favorite rock artists of today, and all four tracks off his new EP, Mi Amigo Slow Joy, are instant classics. The EP includes hits "Pulling Teeth" and "King Cowboy," plus new tracks "4U" and "Lay Me Out, I'm Out of My Mind," all of which we can't wait to hear live on his current tour across North America. If you're a fan of pop-punk and post-rock, the new EP is bound to scratch that itch—and we love the way the title plays on the artist's Mexican-American roots. "To me, the more representation, the better," Esteban said in a press release, "And I'm thankful that the people who felt maybe like I did can now have more archetypes that they can say, 'Well, if he can do it, then someone else can do it.'"
5. LØLØ Shares Her Iconic Debut Album, falling for robots and wishing i was one
As fans of Canadian pop-rock artist LØLØ for years, we'd been eagerly anticipating the release of her debut album, falling for robots and wishing i was one, and it's lived up to all of our expectations. The album consists of 15 raw and relatable tracks with absolutely zero filler, with a powerful narrative about the way that love and heartbreak can change you forever. The focus single "wish i was a robot" sets the scene, serving as an anthem about being so full of hurt and angst that you dream of being a lifeless hunk of metal so you wouldn't have to feel it all. "My debut album falling for robots & wishing I was one is out now! I can't believe I'm typing this sentence! What do you guys think, what's your favorite song? Tell me everything. I have been working so hard on every little detail of this album for the past three years so releasing it right now is the weirdest, most exciting most scary feeling ever. Now it belongs to you and the only thing I can do is sit back and hope that everyone else likes it just as much as I do."
Also read about: LØLØ Shares The True Story of Toxic Obsession Behind Her New Single, '2 of us'
6. Taylor Felt Processes Lost Love via Her Dead Flowers EP
Pop singer-songwriter Taylor Felt just released her powerful debut EP, Dead Flowers, and it's pure catharsis over seven tracks. Lovingly crafted over the course of two years, these songs—including "Days Like This," "i wish you would cheat" and "MIRROR MIRROR"—feel like journal entries documenting the stages of romance, heartbreak and healing that we can't get out of our heads. "The themes of the EP are the rollercoaster of love, loss and letting go," Taylor shared in an interview with Sweety High. "It touches on the lack of self-love in 'MIRROR MIRROR,' which is written as a conversation to my reflection. I hope this EP opens people's eyes to the relationships in their life (to themself and with others) and asks the question, 'Do the people around me or the beliefs I have of myself limit me or allow me to grow?' I kept asking myself this question while creating this EP, and it was hard, but therapeutic to shed this past version of myself."
Also read about: How Taylor Felt Tackled 'Love, Loss and Letting Go' on Her Debut EP, Dead Flowers
7. Jana Diab Gets Lost in Her Vices in 'Escape Plan'
22-year-old artist Jana Diab recently signed with Interscope Records, and she just released her thrilling label debut in the form of the new single, "Escape Plan." The gorgeously vulnerable pop track is about getting trapped in a cycle and never fully escaping it because you avoid the issues rather than choosing to face them head-on. It also comes with a dreamy music video shot in Jana's hometown of Cairo, Egypt. "The story behind 'Escape Plan' began when I went into the studio to work with my collaborator, Couros Sheibani," Jana shared in an interview with us. "We didn't really have any expectations for how the session was going to go. This is roughly how our sessions start: I walk in, we talk, we talk, we keep on talking until we start writing—haha. If we don't hate what we're writing, we carry on until we finish the song. Usually, the more time we spend on the song, the better it gets as our ideas grow. Couros might come up with something amazing, and vice versa, and we feed off each other. Writing 'Escape Plan' was exactly like that. He got his guitar out, I started singing some melodies and we built it from there. When we got to the second chorus, we hit a bit of a wall and felt it needed a twist, so we did our thing and added a sick switch-up. We wanted to elevate the song and let it take you to a new emotion without altering the sound so much that it felt like a different song. I am so happy with how it turned out, we both are."
Also read about: Jana Diab Shares the Cycle of Hurt and Healing That Inspired New Single, 'Escape Plan'
8. Megan Moroney Is Ready to Move on in 'Man on the Moon'
Country sensation Megan Moroney is best known for her emotive "emo cowgirl" tracks, but her playful and independent new track "Man on the Moon" may be our favorite yet. With a classic and upbeat country sound, it's a song about letting go of a man who refuses to commit and only sends mixed signals, mentally putting him on a rocket and sending him to the moon, where she won't have to deal with his nonsense any longer. It will appear on Megan's upcoming sophomore album, Am I Okay?, out July 12.
9. Ayra Starr and Giveon Share Two Sides of the Same Breakup in 'Last Heartbreak Song'
Afrobeats artist Ayra Starr released her groundbreaking sophomore album, The Year I Turned 21, last week, and this week, we were all gifted the incredible music video for "Last Heartbreak Song," featuring R&B sensation Giveon. The swelling Afro-R&B track is a duet serving as a dialogue, with two perspectives on the same relationship as it comes to an end. She's ready to leave and be independent, while he still wants to hold on, promising to make amends for his actions. The cool and breezy new music video makes us love it even more.
10. Sabrina Carpenter Begs to Be Proven Wrong in 'Please Please Please'
Anytime Sabrina Carpenter releases new music, we drop everything to check it out, and "Please Please Please" gives us yet another reason to be completely obsessed. Featuring bouncy retro synths, it's an irresistible pop track about seeing all of the red flags in a lover and begging him to prove her wrong. Its cinematic music video starring Barry Keoghan is equally infectious, and the song will also appear on Sabrina's recently announced upcoming album, Short n' Sweet, which will release on Aug. 23.
Missed our favorite tracks last week? Click HERE to check out our top 10 favorite releases for the week of May 31, 2024.