2018: Second Quarter Favorites 26 incredible music releases from the last three months

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For each year's first three quarters, we celebrate by sharing a list of our favorite music releases. Unlike our year-end lists, these quarter features are casually compiled, with an aim to spotlight the underdogs and the lesser-heard among the more popular picks. More from this series

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26 incredible music releases from the last three months

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Fri, 2018-06-01
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TMT’s Musical Innovation Summit, now in its 14th year, is the oldest meeting of its kind in the industry. Like last quarter’s summit, roughly 10 music professionals from TMT gathered in New York to discuss the latest musical breakthroughs and make predictions on which releases will spark future awe-inspiring innovations.

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More about: Beach House, Christina Vantzou, DELROY EDWARDS, DJ Healer, DJ Koze, Eartheater, Elysia Crampton, emamouse, Félicia Atkinson, Gas, Gemini Sisters, Grouper, Jenny Hval, Kanye West, Klein, Lucrecia Dalt, Playboi Carti, Pusha T, Sarah Davachi, serpentwithfeet, Seth Graham, SOPHIE, The Body, The Caretaker, THE HIRS COLLECTIVE, Tierra Whack, yeongrak

For each year's first three quarters, we celebrate by sharing a list of our favorite music releases. Unlike our year-end lists, these quarter features are casually compiled, with an aim to spotlight the underdogs and the lesser-heard among the more popular picks. More from this series

felicita details new album hej! on PC Music, shares “marzipan” video featuring Caroline Polachek

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felicita details new album hej! on PC Music, shares "marzipan" video featuring Caroline Polachek

Following an overflowing handful of singles, EPs, soundtracks, and dance pieces, felicita’s debut album hej! is finally (almost) here from the fi

More about: Felicita

Drake Scorpion

[OVO Sound; 2018]

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Rating: 1.5/5

Styles: liturgical summer, simulation life, soul coffee
Others: n/a

“I’m really scared for my generation, you know. The thing that scares me most is Tumblr. I hate what Tumblr has become. Because it like, it reminds me of those clique-y girls in high school that used to make fun of everyone else and define what was cool, but in five years, when you all graduate, that shit doesn’t matter. No one gives a fuck about that shit. Instead of kids going out and making their own moments, they’re just taking these images and living vicariously through other people’s moments. It just kills me. Then you’ll meet them and they’re just the biggest turkey in the world.

More about: Drake

James Ferraro Four Pieces For Mirai

[Self-Released; 2018]

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Rating: 4/5

Styles: [time-travel] feudalism, =VLOOKUP, spaghetti pasta
Others: Spencer Clark, Scott Storch, Phillip Glass

More about: James Ferraro

Future Superfly OST

[Epic; 2018]

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Rating: 3/5

Styles: rap, creative direction, action
Others: Young Thug, Yung Bans, Sleepy Brown

The line usually drawn between rap and soul music is perhaps a little too thick. The relative heydays of the two genres offer no overlap for direct comparison or opposition; the imagined conflict between the two is more so an extension of the tired polarization of the current and the canonized. Rap’s forebears, both musical and thematic, abound in the soul oeuvre.

More about: Future

Chance the Rapper is making a 7-song album with Kanye West

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Chance the Rapper is making a 7-song album with Kanye West

Legend has it that Kanye West’s College Dropout was the first rap album Chance the Rapper ever listened to; the two have sure come a long way since their celebrity-fan (non) relationship dynamic. Appearing for an exclusive interview on YouTube talk show Open Late with Peter Rosenberg, Chano has confirmed rumors that he and West are about to make an album together. The seven-track release doesn’t have a set drop date yet, but they are “supposed to work on it in July.” Which means it could possibly come out on Sunday — YOU GUYS!

More about: Chance the Rapper, Kanye West

Grouper announces international tour dates, where she’ll reach your town via jet stream

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Grouper announces international tour dates, where she'll reach your town via jet stream
Photo: JJ Harris

Maybe it was just a slightly different mix, or maybe Liz Harris herself had just ascended to her natural position amid the fog of the Pacific Northwest when tracking her vocals — but Grouper’s latest album Grid of Points (one of our recent new favs) sounds way lighter than the preceding album Ruins.

More about: Grouper

♫♪  Charli XCX - “Focus” / “No Angel”

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It’s Charli, baby. After recently dropping a video for “5 In The Morning,” Charli XCX returns tonight with two new tracks, “Focus” and “No Angel.” The first track features production from A. G. Cook (who is 27 years old) and Swedish production team Jack and Coke, while the second comes courtesy of The Invisible Men and SOPHIE. Pretty RADICAL!

Listen listen listen:

More about: A. G. Cook, Charli XCX, Invisible Men, Jack and Coke, SOPHIE

Drake’s Scorpion is a double album

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Drake's Scorpion is a double album
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

Sick of Drake? TOO BAD. On the eve of release day, Drake has revealed that Scorpion, his fifth studio release, is actually a double album. Champagne Papi, perhaps best known for making fun of social media in his lyrics, hopped on social media to reveal the full tracklist, which includes mega-hits “God’s Plan” and “Nice For What” in a 25-long tracklist. That’s like three and a half G.O.O.D. albums!

More about: Drake

SOPHIE announces September North American dates

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SOPHIE announces September North American dates
Photo: Instagram

Our intrepid news editor is still recovering from the last time SOPHIE announced something, so here I am to let you know — in a very calm, collected, and professional fashion — that SOPHIE has announced several tour dates in September.

More about: SOPHIE

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