The following summer albums are some of this year’s strongest releases featuring various genres and an array of styles despite many of them being largely underrated.
Noname – Sundial
The Chicago born rapper, poet and activist returns after five years with ferocity on Sundial. With a runtime of half an hour, Sundial packs a swift punch and never overstays its welcome. Noname tackles contemporary themes of political power, gender politics and America’s glorification of its military through the lens of a young black woman living in the America that has been handed to her. On the track “namesake”, she references the Super Bowl Halftime Show and her own experience at Coachella, scolding herself for falling in line with the very systems she criticizes and swearing to herself to do better.
In all its aggression, however, Sundial still provides a casual enough listen with Noname’s signature jazz-infused hip-hop which would not be out of place in a quaint café.
Noname straddles an authentic, coming-of-age narrative style as someone asserting their place in the world with a disconnected voice of revolution – the frustrated youth in a frustrating world. As an album, Sundial doesn’t mince its words as it takes the names of everyone, including its own creator.
Amaarae – Fountain Baby
Ghanaian artist Amaarae kicked off the summer with her sophomore album Fountain Baby, which is an instant classic of afrobeat music and afrofuturist art. Amaarae’s flirtatious soprano coos glide over the tracks with a continuous element of intimate sensuality. The confident swagger she exudes is irresistible and at times hypnotic; when she wants you to get on your feet and move, you abide by her commands.
The cleverly written single “Co-Star” is a clever diss-track with an astrology theme. Between horoscope puns and unfiltered criticisms of each sign, the track is self-aware, making it playful in nature. The throbbing Afrobeat drums drives the danceability of this song throughoutwhile being occasionally seasoned with harps and synthesizers to create a unique, joyous summer anthem.
Genesis Owusu – STRUGGLER
Ghanaian born Australian artist Genesis Owusu doesn’t succumb to the curse of a “sophomore slump” on his follow-up release STRUGGLER, where Owusu crafts a unique melting pot of genres. The opening track “Leaving The Light” sets the scene of the album with an urgent synth bass beat, aptly fitting the story of the album as Owusu sings from the perspective of a roach running through a mysterious hellscape, unsure of what has him in pursuit, simply referring to it as a “cat”.
Owusu’s vocal performance is equally as intriguing as STRUGGLER’s production choices, blending a melancholy post-punk sound similar to Molchat Doma with a commanding spoken delivery in the same field as JPEGMAFIA. The blend of these two make for an unexpectedly addicting quality. The rhythm of this album works in the favour of the story it seeks to tell, remaining consistent yet never dull courtesy of Owusu’s eclectic vocal delivery and lyrics.
STRUGGLER is a release that may be under the mainstream radar, but nevertheless shows an evolving artist with a dedication to the art he creates.
ANOHNI, Antony and the Johnsons – My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross
Returning with her band “Antony and the Johnsons” after 13 years, the British artist ANOHNI releases the heartbreaking experimental rock album My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross. At the album’s gates, the listener is greeted with an image of queer drag icon, activist and revolutionary Marsha P. Johnson, a name that strikes close to the hearts of queer people, evoking emotions of power, respect and sorrow.
The opening track “It Must Change” serves as a blanket to the album’s themes of change, fight and heartbreak as one watches in helplessness and acceptance as time’s arrow drives the world into more despairing problems. Throughout the track, ANOHNI reassures the listener through spoken word passages that the world they are born into is their only world. The only way to stop the darkness from swallowing them whole is to keep their flame from going out, as difficult as that may be. My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross may be a somber listen, but the importance and power behind ANOHNI’s words are not to be overlooked.