August 2022

Black Thought & Danger Mouse Deliver With ‘Cheat Codes’; Megan Thee Stallion Graces With ‘Traumazine’; Phoebe Green Has Me ‘Dancing In The Club’; and Gently Tender Release A Potential Hidden Gem Album of the Year

By Joshua Gutierrez - Editor

Perhaps the biggest drop this month was Taylor Swift’s announcement of her 10th album “Midnights” at the MTV Video Music Awards. As for new releases in August, things were a bit more quiet.

While I only fell in love with 6 albums in August, half are Album of the Year contenders in each of the respective categories I use.

In the over 1 Million Listens category, Black Thought and Danger Mouse’s “Cheat Codes” lived up to the long-awaited hype. As I described it over on Instagram, the album just felt like two of the best athletes got together and simply destroyed the competition. Also, “Violas and Lupitas” is just a gorgeous song and a favorite of 2022.

My Below Radar Album of the Month and instantly a favorite of 2022, is Manchester Singer-Songwriter Phoebe Green’s “Lucky Me.” A blend of dance club bangers and introspective balladry, Phoebe Green not only made a statement for 2022 but will be one of my favorites to watch out for in the future.

Lastly, the final week of August had me falling in love with Gently Tender’s “Take Hold Of Your Promise!” The Hidden Gem London band’s debut album was just so well thought out in its thematic sound and overall aesthetic. I drew so much comparison’s to Black Country, New Road’s “Ants From Up There,” another Album of the Year contender in the Below Radar category.

As a final note, I wanted to let people know that I will be removing Arcade Fire’s songs from my 2022 playlists. Front man Win Butler’s allegations of sexual assault are abhorrent and truly diminish the work of a genius band. The last thing I would want is for people to feel threatened or alienated from listening to my playlists.

While I have made the decision to personally listen to Arcade Fire, a band whose music remains a pivotal touchstone in my life, I don’t think it’s appropriate to share their work currently. There are many contradictions of morality when listening to artists who have a checkered background… but somehow we manage to keep listening. For me, Arcade Fire enters this realm.

Thanks! and good luck on finding some music in September!