Via Pitchfork

We start strong with Romanticism, the spectacular Hana Vu’s second full-length project. Hana is one of my favourite artists — her soulful voice and poetic lyrics are all her own. At times intimate with an acoustic rawness, and at times explosive with soaring synths, Romanticism is a great introduction to Hana Vu, but make sure to check out her other work as well.

Top Tracks: Look Alive, Hammer, Care, Love

Via Pitchfork

At last, a full album from Rachel Chinouriri — her debut is sharp, emotional, and vulnerable. For 50 minutes, Rachel gives us an intimate look into her life, accompanied by heavy bursts of guitar and beautifully wrenching vocals, melding into a style that is warmly familiar yet uniquely her. 

Top Tracks: Cold Call, Garden of Eden, The Hills, It Is What It Is

Via Spotify

Beabadoobee’s new record is slated to release in August but to tide us over she’s given us two singles, the other being Coming Home, released June 5. ‘Take A Bite’ doesn’t venture too far sonically beyond the indie rock scene where Bea has established herself, but its dark tone and wistful vocals are refreshing — an intriguing bite that makes me wonder how the new album will sound.

I’ve never been a big Billie Eilish fan, but something about ‘LUNCH’ hits different. Billie’s voice, for one, is full-bodied and strong, a departure from her trademark whispery vocals. The guitar and piano chords are bright and contrast nicely with the dark bass, adding to the track’s complexity.

Via Pitchfork

Ayra Starr’s second album spans a world of emotion — confident, wistful, heartbroken, reflective, in a narrative that Ayra has described as a TV show with each song being an episode, to Apple Music. Ayra showcases her ability to captivate listeners and tell stories, accompanied by brilliant production and features from a variety of artists that hold down the beat.

Top Tracks: Birds Sing of Money, Commas, Bad Vibes, Goodbye (Warm Up

Written in a day by legendary guitarists Mateus and Sydney’s own Plini, ‘sugarfish’ is a fun piece of prog that builds and twists dramatically over two minutes and forty seconds — relatively short for the genre. The song rises before falling just as quickly, giving the effect of a fleeting dream.

‘Please Please Please’ is Sabrina Carpenter at her best — a vibrant music video picking up from ‘Espresso’, humorous lyrics, and flawless vocals. Keeping in with the disco influence of ‘Espresso’, ‘Please Please Please’ weaves in a slight sad girl vibe but this is Sabrina, so any hints of sadness are hand-in-hand with smart quips.

Via Bandcamp

i tried to freeze light is Jahnah Camille’s debut EP, boasting an indie rock vibe with unique melodies and breathtaking lyrics. Many of the tracks have a 90s feel, and Jahnah’s voice is sweet and strong, conveying a whirlwind of emotions. It’s a stunning debut and I can’t wait to hear more.

‘The Future is a Foreign Land’ deepens the Ghost lore with another retro Papa Nihil song. Anthemic, dark, and theatrical, the track is somewhat cryptic with references to ‘1984’ and ‘2024’ but ultimately, it’s about hope for the future. It’ll definitely be interesting to see where Ghost takes us next.

I was never into Gracie Abrams until I heard the lead single from The Secret of Us, a song called ‘Risk’. Listening to the full album did not disappoint, with emotional songs like ‘Blowing Smoke’ and upbeat tracks like ‘Close to You’. If you’re a fan of Lizzy McAlpine, Maggie Rogers, or Lorde, you’ll love this record. Make sure to check out the music video for ‘Risk’ — it’s a lot of fun.

Top Tracks: Risk, Blowing Smoke, Close to You, Us

‘Small girl’ is on Lee Young Ji’s debut EP, 16 Fantasy, and it’s an honest and sweet track featuring EXO’s D.O. It feels like a song that would be on the soundtrack of a cute rom-com — don’t miss the adorable music video which pretty much turns the song into a movie.

Via Wikipedia

‘Charm’, Clairo’s third album, has a warm vintage feel that combines the styles of both her previous records. 'Sexy to Someone' is the lead single, and it’s nostalgic and jazzy, perfect for grabbing coffee in the springtime. This record sees Clairo stepping out of her comfort zone in a few select tracks, like in the haunting earworm ‘Echo’.

Top tracks: Nomad, Second Nature, Slow Dance, Juna

Via Stereogum

Sampha revisits ‘Satellite Business’ — an interlude from his 2023 album ‘Lahai’, joining forces with Little Simz to morph the short track into a song in its own right. The result, ‘Satellite Business 2.0’, is hypnotic and introspective, a perfect song for contemplating on late night drives.

Joy Paola is a first-year student studying Science and Arts. She loves to write, draw, listen to music, and create playlists for her friends.