Issue 43: Everything Is Connected
My favorite albums from June and July, plus my growing conspiracy.
Welcome back to Band Practice where I have more excellent albums from June and July (we’re catching up) that I couldn’t possibly go without telling you about. It’s a diverse mix of genres with country-leaning alternative, eclectic R&B, neo-soul-kissed pop, and indie rock offerings for you. If you’re a fan of those genres, I think you’ll love them. If you’re unsure, keep reading; I might convince you. Since we’ve got a few albums to get through, and it’s also been a week and I am running on about 2% brain battery, I’m keeping the reviews brief—“fun-sized,” if you will. Enough to give you a taste and hopefully pique your interest.
[In case you missed the last issue, the special “family tree” profile of Charli XCX and her latest album, you can find it here. A lot of work went into it and I’m super proud of it. It will also clue you into why everything is “brat” now.]
But before we get to the albums, there has been something I have been piecing together for a few months now that I think has reached its endpoint (but maybe not!). It is honestly more of a rabbit hole than a conspiracy, but it had me thinking like a conspiracy theorist à la Charlie Day in It’s Always Sunny In Philidelphia (pictured below).
Intro
Earlier this year, I started noticing connections between the artists I was listening to—similar producers, writing credits, etc.—and created a game for myself. Could I draw a line of connection between the first issue of this year (Issue 32: Going Solo) to this one (skipping the formative albums issue 40), through the featured artists? And while some of the connections are albeit weak, I think I’ve done it—from André 3000 to Kehlani. Here it goes:
Outkast's (André 3000, Issue 32) “Ms. Jackson” is sampled in DJ Khaled’s “Just Us” which features SZA (Issue 33).
SZA was also featured in Kali Uchis’ (Issue 34) “fue mejor.”
In the iffiest of connections, someone made a rough mash-up of The Notorious B.I.G.’s (Issue 35) “Big Poppa” and Kali Uchis’ “Telepatia” (Telepoppa).
USHER (Issue 36) appeared in the music video for The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Nasty Girl.”
The-Dream co-wrote/produced and was featured on USHER’s “Cold Blooded” of his reviewed album Coming Home. Beyoncé (Issue 37) worked with The-Dream on most of Cowboy Carter, including the single, “Levii’s Jeans.”
Post Malone was featured on “Levii’s Jeans” with Beyoncé and also appeared on Taylor Swift’s “Fortnight” in The Tortured Poet’s Department (Issue 38).
Annie Clark (St. Vincent, Issue 39) co-wrote Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer.”
Dua Lipa (Issue 41) and St. Vincent performed this steamy duet at the Grammy’s in 2019:
Charlie XCX (Issue 42) provided backup vocals for Dua Lipa on this performance of “IDGAF.”
And finally, Kehlani released an album (reviewed in this issue) with the same name and suspiciously similar cover as Charli XCX’s CRASH of 2022, which Charli XCX supposedly subtweeted the day the album was announced.
There are other notable connections between artists, like Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig (Issue 39) co-writing/producing Beyoncé’s “Hold Up” for her 2016 album Lemonade. You can listen to the fascinating story behind that and his original demo here. (I could write a whole issue about everyone involved in making that song, but I probably won’t—unless the public demands it!)
Can I keep the game going until the end of the year? Probably not, but we’ll see. The bottom line: the music industry may be huge, but the mainstream is narrow enough to make all sorts of conspiratorial connections. While Kehlani is somewhat mainstream (she’s had a few hits that have made it into the Billboard Hot 100), the other artists featured in this issue are a bit under the radar and deserve more recognition. No matter how big or small or “well-connected” an artist is, the only thing that will determine whether I share them with them with you is how good their music is. And, readers, we’ve got some good ones today.
Let’s get started!
The best albums I listened to in June
If you’re a relationship ruminator…
Queen of Jeans — All Again
Indie Rock [Released 6/28/24]
Have you ever listened to an album and been stopped in your tracks by a song, requiring you to put it on repeat after repeat before moving forward? That’s what happened when I got to “Go Down Easy” from Queen of Jeans’ latest album. The subtle harmonies in the dizzying chorus, instruments so perfectly balanced it is hard to tell them apart, and the shoutable bridge of, “god damn you, and I mean it” are all bits of magic. Now take the power of this song, multiply it by 11, and you get an album that will burrow into your guts and become its new microbiome.
Queen of Jeans joins a wave of emotionally intelligent songwriting that includes artists like Soccer Mommy, Snail Mail, and Shalom. The songs are honest, vulnerable, and relatable to anyone who has ever experienced heartache. Vocalist Miri Devora describes All Again as a concept album “about a relationship and passage of time—how it can make the truth of it more warped.”1 She is joined by Mattie Glass on guitar, Patrick Wall on drums, and Andrew Nitz on bass. They describe their sound as, “Crock-Pot denim core”—an ambiguous blend of genres—or, as they quote a friend on their bandcamp page, “like a 2016 revival of a 90s throwback to the 60s.”2 I promise it makes sense if you listen to it. This is my most repeated album as of late. Once you get through it, you’ll want to hear it “all again” immediately.
Tracks on repeat: All My Friends, Let Me Forget, Go Down Easy
Available on Spotify, Apple Music, bandcamp
If you contain multitudes…
Kehlani — CRASH
R&B/Soul/Pop [Released 6/21/24]
Kehlani “double dog dared” themself to make a bolder album than they had made before and succeeded. The R&B singer-songwriter took a leap with a polychromatic mix of genres like rock, R&B, pop, afrobeats, and country—sometimes blended within the same song. Does it all mesh together perfectly? Not always. It’s a collection of bangers more than a continuous story, but each song is vivid, oozing with swag, and never boring.
An artist with just as much conviction as passion, Kehlani dedicated the music video for the single “Next 2 U” to Palestine, opening it with a poem by Palestinian-American writer Hala Alyan, giving its lyrics about love and protection against the odds new meaning. Whether they’re singing about love, lust (listen to “8” for some dirrrty innuendo), or fraying relationships, Kehlani makes it clear that swag and vulnerability are not in opposition, but two sides of the same coin of self-worth.
Tracks on repeat: After Hours, 8, Tears
Available on Spotify, Apple Music
If you need a palate cleanser…
Clairo — Charm
Alternative/Neo-Soul/Pop [Released 7/12/24]
There wasn’t a lot that wowed me in July, to be honest, but I instantly fell in love with singer-songwriter Clairo’s latest, Charm. It is the kind of album I can listen to when everything else is too much (and I have). It’s just grounding. Clairo’s featherlight voice is lifted from a daydream, bringing soothing ASMR tingles to the soul. The album falls into a sweet spot in the overlap between jazz, neo-soul, and pop—delightfully downtempo with a retro feel. Plucky piano, snappy drums, and a touch of synths and woodwinds score her introspective songwriting. As Clairo told Apple Music, the album exists within the “gray area” of a crush, and she perfectly conveys that. Each warm-hued song buzzes with attraction and anticipation, with a hint of uncertainty and longing. “I want to be sexy to someone (is it too much to ask?),” she sings in “Sexy to Someone.” Mathematically, it equates to 100% charm.
Charm is perfect for chill dinner parties, soothing road rage, curling up in a sunbeam, or any time you need a reset. (I know you need one.)
P.S. I am currently dog-sitting, and the upstairs neighbors happen to be playing this album as I write this, so that’s bonus points for this one, I think.
Tracks on repeat: Sexy to Someone, Thank You, Add Up My Love
Available on Spotify, Apple Music
If music is your therapy…
Medium Build — Country
Alternative [Released 4/5/24]
(I may have saved the best for last)
“How do you age as an emo kid?” Nicholas Carpenter (aka Medium Build) asked in an interview with Rolling Stone. “‘How do I write about being 30, being depressed and having a dog and dependents?’ It’s stupid to say, but I’m just trying to grow my tunes as I grow.”3 Not stupid at all, Carpenter’s growth is present and welcome on his latest album, Country—an evolution from the emo of yore. His raw and earnest songwriting immediately broke open something inside of me. Each break in his voice and the strained howl when he sings, “I love youuu,” in “Beach Chair,” can be felt deeply as he seemingly wrings out his heart like a sponge. The way he captures the weird complexity of adolescence in “In My Room,” complete with a Simpsons poster and Weird Al cassette tape, is painfully accurate. Every song is so poignant.
Carpenter bills his music as, “soul songs for indie queer kids or country music for city kids.” You could simplify that to acoustic rock with a country sensibility (although “Known by None” has some sick shredding), but the songs are undeniably soul songs. While his sound is perfect as-is, there’s a chance he could branch out. He has said he wants to write a song with Charli XCX, so maybe there will be another connection added to my thread in the near future.4 (One can hope.)
Tracks on repeat: Beach Chair, In My Room, Stick Around
Available on Spotify, Apple Music
Coming up
Coming up, I attempt to right my past music criticism wrongs! I’ve got a special issue highlighting some new (and a bit older) albums that I should have written about a lot sooner. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it.
The playlist!
If you’re new to Band Practice, I keep a running list of my favorite songs from every new album I listen to throughout the year (one each). The latest batch (it’s a big one) contains picks from June and July’s albums. It starts with, “I Fall In Love Too Easily” (track #123) by Andrew Bird, Alan Hampton, and Ted Poor, which you will easily fall in love with. Many of these songs appeared on one of my summer playlists, but other highlights include “No Hands” from Beastie Boys dupes Joey Valence & Brae and sunshiney folk gem “Sunever” from Chris Cohen. It’s a big batch, with a few hours of good music to browse. Happy listening!
Albums of 2024 - Apple Music playlist
Albums of 2024 - Spotify playlist
I love hearing what you have to say! If you have feelings about this issue, questions for me, album recommendations, or any other thoughts, send them my way by leaving a comment or replying to this email. You can also reach me at bandpracticenewsletter@gmail.com