‘Blissfully painful insanity’ from Robyn’s Hang With Me was the perfect lyric for me this month to try and explain the Feelings Of Lockdown. Something so unsure, so unpredictable, so INSANE that we’re living through it in our lifetime, I feel like Robyn hit the nail on the head. This track comes from her 2010 album Body Talk, and is the first of two tracks from the album I was loving this month, the second being Get Myself Together, which you can check out, along with the rest of the playlist as always. And if you like what you hear, give me a cheeky follow on Spotify!
Keep scrolling to find out what else I've been loving this month.
Petit Biscuit ft. Shallou – I Leave Again
If you’ve ever put a sunset on your Instagram story you will 100% know who Petit Biscuit is (check out Sunset Lover now to prove that theory). Now the French producer is back with his first track from his upcoming album, and teams up with American singer Shallou for I Leave Again. This song stays true to the sound and style Petit Biscuit has established since first coming onto the scene over five years ago, but Shallou’s deep and winding vocals bring a more reflective edge to the track, making it a darker summer song that I’m sure wouldn’t be out of place in a Boomerang or two.
5 Seconds of Summer – Wildflower
Calum, Ashton, Luke, and Michael released their fourth LP CALM (which is an acronym for their first names – who knew?!) in March of this year and Wildflower was released as the fifth single in April. The song has really been a slow burner for me but here we are in June and I can officially say it’s easily one of my favourites of the month. With 80’s vibes and an infectious chorus I physically cannot stop myself bopping along to, this would be a great one for the clubs (if they were open, of course).
Tove Lo – I’m Coming
Up next, following on from Robyn, is even more Swedish pop, in the form of Tove Lo. This has fast become one of the ‘boppiest’ tracks in June for me, with the somewhat promiscuous hook in the chorus finding the right balance between sex and pure pop. This translated version of Jag Kommer from Veronica Maggio is done beautifully (so much so I didn’t realise it was a translation until recently) and for huge Tove Lo fans, you can even listen out for little Easter Eggs to a couple of her past songs threaded in.
Bon Iver – Naeem
One of my all-time top bands Bon Iver finally make it into one of my playlists, with Naeem (a word meaning happiness or comfort in Arabic, which is gorge). This comes from their most recent album, released last year, i,i. I have to admit I really took my time with his album. Bon Iver always produce the most poetic and beautiful records; their lyrics always take me somewhere else; they really create a universe and a truth in their music which is unlike any other. I was nervous in case it didn’t live up to my expectations, but needless to say of course it did. Naeem, as well as a host of other tracks from the album, give us that classic Bon Iver pang, while still continuing to evolve in an interesting and new way that makes it clear to me nobody can do it quite like them.
Bo Bruce – Another Life
As a teenager coming of age in 2012 and inevitably being infected (can we still say ‘infected’ in 2020??) with talent show fever, I remember being mesmorised by the first season of The Voice UK and, more specifically, the runner up of that year, Bo Bruce. I would spend hours upon hours rewatching her performances, and so naturally was over the moon when she released her first full album Before I Sleep in 2013. This month, whilst strolling down a virtual musical memory lane, I stumbled upon Another Life from the aforementioned album and was so full of nostalgia and pride I had to give it a whirl in June. If you don’t know Bo (or her new project Equador) I urge you to check them both out immediately.
*Special Mention – The 1975*
Robyn isn’t the only act ‘doing the double’ this month, as The 1975 also feature twice, with two tracks from their new album Notes On A Conditional Form, which I have been streaming non-stop this June. Both The Birthday Party and Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied are in this month’s playlist, and I’m sure you can expect to see more in the future as this album has no less than twenty two (not a typo) tracks! Naturally this can seem daunting, and on first listen the sound can in one way blend together, but this is a record to play several times a day, as the more you listen you more you can distinguish and discover some of its hidden gems.
Be sure to follow me on Spotify and come back next month to see what I end up listening to in July!
