10) Coco & Clair Clair – “Girl” (2024)
Atlanta pop duo Coco & Clair Clair are back with their sophomore album “Girl”. The girls rose to popularity through their SoundCloud releases, becoming recognizable for their soft, dreamlike vocals and ethereal instrumentation. With the release of their debut album, “Sexy” in 2022, the group expanded on this sound and even changed it up with some high-energy tracks, like “The Hills”.
As the duo continued to grow, they released a remix album before beginning promotion for “Girl”. This new album has all of the traits fans have come to love, such as hard-hitting wordplay and soft vocals, while showing off some of their new and improved production value.
The highlighted track this week, “Kate Spade”, is full of subdued sass and groovy bass notes.
9) Hippo Campus – “Flood” (2024)
Hailing from St. Paul, Minnesota, bedroom pop band Hippo Campus is back with the release of their 4th full-length album, “Flood”. On this album the band attempts to step away from any preconceived notions of how their music ‘should’ sound, instead deciding to start creating this album from a clean slate.
With themes of vulnerability across the record, the group aimed to capture a universal feeling that everyone can relate to. This new set of songs demonstrates what can be made when you have a tight-knit group that has been growing together both musically and personally, strengthening their bond with their art and their fans.
The highlighted track, “Paranoid”, has a laid-back, surf-rock quality that’s perfect for relaxing.
8) Jamie XX – “In Waves” (2024)
Since 2006, James Thomas Smith has been a part of the musical world. Beginning with the band The xx, Smith honed his talent for sampling and remixing before going out under the name Jamie xx to release solo work. He received acclaim for remixes of a Gil Scott-Heron album, “I’m New Here”, entitled “We’re New Here”. Most notably his remix of the song “I’ll Take Care of You” was used as the base of Drake and Rihanna’s 2011 hit “Take Care”.
In this new album, Jamie xx uses the staple sounds of house music with some R&B samples to create an irresistibly danceable set of songs. The use of horn also adds a lot of flare to the album on tracks like “Baddy On The Floor” and “Life”. “In Waves” also features many of the artist’s longtime collaborators like The Avalanches, and Romy who was also a member of The xx.
The highlighted track this week, “All You Children”, has an undeniable energy and features The Avalanches.
7) Greg Mendez – “First Time / Alone” (2024)
This latest EP from Philadelphia offers introspective lyrics with a piano to create a melancholy atmosphere for the listener. Mendez began formally releasing music in 2016 with the album “Phone Records”. Since then listeners have come to appreciate the moody feeling associated with the singer/songwriter’s work.
Mendez’s self-titled 2023 album garnered attention from bigger publications like Pitchfork, even landing him a place on their list of “10 New Albums You Should Listen To Now”. This EP, “First Time / Alone” is the artist’s first release since signing to Dead Oceans Records.
The highlighted track “Alone” features an acoustic guitar with Mendez’s melodies to blend the smooth and gentle sounds with abrasive and powerful lyrics.
6) Xiu Xiu – “13” Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips” (2024)
Hailing from San Jose, California, experimental group Xiu Xiu (pronounced shoo-shoo) has been releasing music since 2002. Pulling inspiration from an expansive collection of influences, from Indigenous instrumentation to jazz legend Nina Simone and then synth-pop groups of the 80s. The undefinable group has seen many personnel over its two decades in the scene and is currently a trio consisting of Jamie Stewart, Angela Seo, and David Kendrick.
Their most recent album, “13” Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips” was released on September 27th of this year. The album leans into the genre of noise-pop
The highlighted track of this week, “Pale Flower”, has whirling synths and distorted vocals to create an expansive feeling.
5) Magdalena Bay – “Imaginal Disk” (2024)
Pop duo Magdalena Bay is back with their 3rd studio album, “Imaginal Disk”. Following the release of “Mercurial World” (2021), fans of Magdalena Bay have been waiting to see what the synth-pop duo had in store for their next album. Expanding on themes previously explored, the new album offers both more personal themes lyrically and a much richer sound on the instrumental side.
Both of us on the music team got to see the duo bring the songs to life on the Denver stop of their “Imaginal Mystery” tour. With elaborate staging, lighting, decor, and costuming the show was truly unforgettable. The album is full of bright spots making it hard to pick just one song to spotlight.
The highlighted track, “Killing Time”, feels very delicate at first before building into a darker bridge to finish out.
4) Crumb – “AMAMA” (2024)
Back with their third album, Brooklyn-based psychedelic-rock band Crumb brings a lighthearted vibe to “AMAMA”. The band consists of Lila Ramani, Bri Aronow, Jesse Brotter, and Jonathan Gilad. With poetic lyrics written by Ramani, and hypnotic instrumental, this album is full of bright spots.
The title of the album, “AMAMA”, is the word for ‘grandmother’ in many Dravidian languages, including Malayalam, which is reflective of Ramani’s Indian heritage. The title makes more sense when you dive into the title track which opens with a sample of Ramani’s grandmother singing in Malayalam.
This week we’re highlighting the track “Genie”, which features chirping birds and some stretched-out synths.
3) The Harlem Gospel Travelers – “Rhapsody” (2024)
This trio, Ifedayo Gatling, Dennis Bailey, and George Marage, got their musical journey started back in 2019. They began as a duo when Gatling and Marage were studying under the same mentor learning about the combination of 60’s inspired gospel music and more contemporary funk and soul.
The group released their first album, “He’s On Time”, in 2019 earning them comparison to some of the greats such as Elton John, and even slots of music festivals like Telluride Jazz. This new album is the group’s attempt at making music that bends genres and makes the listener reconsider the idea of categorizing music.
The highlighted track, “How Can I Lose”, utilized a tambourine to pick up the energy and keep it there with some powerful vocal harmonies.
2) Amyl and the Sniffers – “Cartoon Darkness” (2024)
This pub-rock band from Melbourne is led by Amy Taylor along with Bryce Wilson, Declan Mehrtens, and Gus Romer. The band was formed out of a roommate dynamic turned musical group and they quickly became locally known for their high-energy performances and edgy lyrics. Their self-titled debut album got the band some more widespread recognition and Taylor was even included on the list of “The 15 Australian female artists changing the game right now” from Happy Mag.
Their newest album expands on the sound fans have come to love, ample in attitude and intensity. The singles “Facts” and “U Should Not Be Doing That” became instant fan favorites to excite listeners for their upcoming tour. They also sparked some controversy with the music video of the song “Jerkin” which featured nudity and obscene language, something Amyl and the Sniffers have proven they do not fear being judged for.
This week’s highlighted track, “U Should Not Be Doing That”, is unapologetic and inspires confidence and defiance.
1)Khalid – “Sincere” (2024)
Since debuting in 2016 with his hit “Location”, Khalid has been a star of the R&B world. His subsequent album “American Teen” was certified as quadruple platinum and earned the artist a Grammy nomination for “Best Urban Contemporary Album”. Following that, Khalid found success with the singles “Love Lies” featuring Normani and “Eastside” with Halsey and Benny Blanco.
More recently, the singer notably co-wrote the song “Outside” for Zayn and his album “Nobody Is Listening”. He also had a song featured on the soundtrack of “Barbie” (2023) entitled “Silver Platter”. This album came out in April of this year with the lead single “Please Don’t Fall In Love With Me”.
The highlighted track, “Breathe”, features Arlo Park and has a calming quality with breathy vocals and relaxed piano notes.