19 New Albums I’m Enjoying this Summer [July & August 2025]

I share some of the best music I've heard during my time off.

Aug 04, 2025

I wasn’t planning to send anything out during my summer break, but these albums wouldn’t leave me alone.

They’ve kept sneaking their way into long walks, late nights, and tanning sessions on my balcony. So I thought, “Why wait for regular newsletter programming to return?”

Here’s a batch of records that got under my skin in the best way. Some made me feel heard. Some kept me still. All of them stuck with me. I have a feeling that at least a few will stick with you, too.

To keep it tight, I’m doing rapid-fire-style “micro” reviews for you today. I’m supposed to be on vacation, after all.

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In no particular order, let’s begin:

1. “Don’t Tap the Glass” by Tyler, the Creator

Genre: Hip-Hop, Electronic, Experimental

Label: Columbia

Release Date: July 21, 2025

Vibe: 🪞

Both a continuation and a rejection of some of the themes he explored on Chromakopia, this surprise Tyler, the Creator release floored me in the best way. It’s a manic, utterly dazzling part record that continues to build on his already dense backlog of characters and backstories. It may be his sleekest identity crisis yet, but it may also be his most compelling piece of performance art to date.

2. “Beloved” by Giveon

Genre: R&B, Neo-Soul

Label: Epic Records

Release Date: July 11, 2025

Vibe: 💔

Giveon’s latest album, Beloved, is a collection of aching love songs that come through as carefully thought-through post-mortems. It’s pristine but also messy, like fingerprint smudges on a floor-to-ceiling penthouse window. But, even when the emotional terrain gets tough, the warmth of the vocal performance carries you to a hopeful place.

3. “Loner” by Barry Can’t Swim

Genre: Electronic / House

Label: Ninja Tune

Release Date: May 17, 2025

Vibe: 🌊

Of all the records on this list, Loner may have the most staying power in my regular rotation because of its sterling production. Barry’s beats glow and shimmer like summer sun sneaking through sheer curtains or kissing the top of a serene lake. But, for as beautiful as much of this collection sounds, there’s a quiet, almost haunting, anxiousness that adds a lot of intrigue.

4. “Let God Sort 'Em Out” by Clipse

Genre: Hip-Hop, Gangsta Rap

Label: Roc Nation

Release Date: July 4, 2025

Vibe: ❄️

Praise be, the Clipse are back! And thankfully, their long-gestating, hotly anticipated new record harkens back to the brilliance of *Hell Hath No Fury.* The bars are scathing, the storytelling intensely personal, and the production from Pharrell is some of the best work he’s done in years. At a time when plenty of rap’s elder statesmen are in cash grab mode, this LP is a reminder that talented emcees can age gracefully if they make the effort to refine their craft.

5. “Mars Is Electric” by Maxo

Genre: Hip-Hop, Alternative, Experimental

Label: SMILEFORME

Release Date: June 20, 2025

Vibe: ☁️

Maxo’s work has always had a dreamy, surrealist quality to it, but he leans into that aesthetic harder than ever on Mars is Electric. Like the most enveloping dreams, one of the underlying themes is how disorienting it can be when you don’t know if you’re awake or still asleep. Everything around him flickers, ripples, and stutters, but if you embrace its off-kilter nature, this record may rank as one of the best you’ll hear this year.

6. “Tropicoqueta” by Karol G

Genre: Latin Pop, Reggaeton, Cumbia Colombiana

Label: Interscope

Release Date: June 7, 2025

Vibe: 🔥

Karol G continues to establish herself as Latin pop’s preeminent Colombian voice. Following the success of 2022’s excellent Mañana Será Bonito, Tropicoqueta is an often poignant tribute to Latin music of the past, encompassing an expansive array of Central and South American traditions along the way. Come for the party starters, stay for the tender, touching ballads that will hit you right in the feels.

7. “Tonky” by Lonnie Holley

Genre: Experimental / Avant-Soul

Label: Jagjaguwar

Release Date: May 24, 2025

Vibe: 🌀

If you’ve never heard a Lonnie Holley record, you’re in for a treat. I was an out-and-out fan of 2023’s Oh Me Oh My, and you could successfully argue that his voice is even more assured and his rage more focused on Tonky. This album is cinematic poetry set to music that looms large in the mind’s eye, providing listeners with an unflinching lesson/reminder of the pain and suffering the American dream was built on.

8. “Infinity Club II” by Bambii

Genre: Electronic, Jungle, Dancehall

Label: Because

Release Date: June 28, 2025

Vibe: ⚡

Canadian-Caribbean DJ Bambii makes quite an impression on Infinity Club II, refining her genre-hopping sensibilities with better production value and catchier grooves. The vibes veer from frosty (”Mirror”) to sweaty (”NSYNC”) in a heartbeat, all without letting your heart rate slow to what I’d call a comfortable level. It’s club music for those who enjoy a little bit of hair-raising experimentation.

9. “Tether” by Annahstasia

Genre: R&B, Neo-Soul, Singer/Songwriter

Label: drink sum wtr

Release Date: April 26, 2025

Vibe: 🏔️

That voice. My goodness. Not since Sade or Erykah Badu have I encountered a singer who carries such weight in such a quietly intense manner, but that’s what Annahstasia pulls off on Tether. Framed with intricate, intimate instrumentals that are stripped nearly to the bone, the focus is (rightfully) on her words and delivery, both of which are never anything less than spellbinding.

10. “Animaru” by Mei Semones

Genre: Jazz-Pop / Chamber Pop

Label: Bayonet Records

Release Date: May 2, 2025

Vibe: 🌸

Brooklyn-based Mei Semones delivers one of the most eclectic records of the year with Animaru. Playing with form (there’s everything from jazz and folk to a waltz on this LP), melody, and pacing, she continually upends your expectations as a listener. But it’s far from a tough, experimental sit, either. These tracks are delicate and will reward those who can listen uninterrupted in an intimate setting.

11. “Lifetime” by Erika de Casier

Genre: Alternative, R&B, Trip-Hop

Label: Independent Jeep Music

Release Date: May 8, 2025

Vibe: 💅

The Danish multihyphenate’s fourth full-length outing looks forward as much as it harkens back. Full of nods to trip-hop, downtempo, and R&B aesthetics of yore, her vision of where her music and creative music is going is so precise that it doesn’t need to hit you over the head. It merely needs to show up and invite you to luxuriate in its beauty.

12. “More” by Pulp

Genre: Alternative, Rock

Label: Rough Trade

Release Date: June 6, 2025

Vibe: 🧃

Maybe it’s because I listen to so much music in a given year that when I see an alt-rock band reunite and drop a new album decades after their supposed peak, I brace myself for a middling cash grab. Thankfully, More is far from a lazy, on-autopilot effort. The controlled sonic chaos gives way to more assured, precise observations lyrically, helping this collection of tracks rank among the band’s very best.

13. “Addison” by Addison Rae

Genre: Pop, Electronic, R&B

Label: Columbia

Release Date: June 6, 2025

Vibe: 🍭

Yes, it’s bubblegum pop. Yes, you’ve heard this kind of debut record before, with the most obvious comparisons being Lana Del Rey and Britney Spears. But, to her credit, the TikTok sensation more than earns her keep against those pop girlie standards, moving from humid Jersey club bangers to spacey R&B with an assured sparkle beyond her years.

14. “Lotus” by Little Simz

Genre: Alternative, Hip-Hop, R&B

Label: AWAL

Release Date: June 6, 2025

Vibe: 🧘

Lotus features some of Simz’s sharpest, most confrontational writing yet, which is saying something. Part post-mortem on toxic relationship now in the rearview mirror and part character study, it’s a portrait of resilience in the face of forces, internal and external, who want to bring her down. In case anyone was wondering, she’s still here and stronger than ever.

15. “Golliwog” by billy woods

Genre: Hip-Hop, Experimental

Label: Backwoodz Studioz

Release Date: May 9, 2025

Vibe: 🕳️

Whenever I chat with someone who still thinks in outdated stereotypes of what hip-hop is or should be, I typically recommend a billy woods record. Golliwog is the latest in a long string of Ws for the DC native, serving up nuanced, provocative bars about race and class set against some of the most atmospheric horrorcore production of the year. Bring an open mind and you’ll be wowed.

16. “Something Beautiful” by Miley Cyrus

Genre: Art-Pop, Rock, Electronic

Label: Columbia

Release Date: May 30, 2025

Vibe: 🌅

For anyone who thought (incorrectly) that Miley would be content with running back the success of “Flowers” won’t know what they're in for. Not only is Something Beautiful her best album to date (and it’s not even close, in my opinion), it’s also her most complete artistic statement ever. It’s clearly trying to take a page out of rock operas of old and largely succeeds. “More to Lose” in particular stopped me in my tracks when I first heard it.

17. “13 Months of Sunshine” by Aminé

Genre: Hip-Hop, Electronic, Afro-Pop

Label: CLBN

Release Date: May 16, 2025

Vibe: 🌞

Score another breezy summertime hit for Aminé. The key to his recent success has been twofold: there’s absolute joy in his music, and it’s clear that he gets a ton of that energy from expanding his sonic palette further than he ever has. From laid-back club cuts to retrofied, more afrocentric fare, this LP gets better the more you spin it.

18. “Sincerely” by Kali Uchis

Genre: R&B, Neo-Soul, Pop

Label: Capitol

Release Date: May 9, 2025

Vibe: 💌

Kali Uchis has had quite a run the past couple of years. She dropped one of the best albums of 2024, gave birth to a son two months later, and has now gifted her fans with her polished, personal effort to date. On this record, Uchis explores the evolving nature of family, how it can be influenced by grief, and how both have contributed to her newfound stability.

19. “Fancy That” by PinkPantheress

Genre: Pop, Garage, Electronic

Label: Warner

Release Date: May 9, 2025

Vibe: 🧃

Anyone who has bemoaned Fancy That as yet another example of pop music catering to a manic, attention-deficient youth culture has missed the point. The latest from PinkPantheress is a surprising, almost free-associative delight that moves purposely from one nostalgia dopamine hit to the next. Even at its most heightened emotionally, it never takes itself too seriously.

What song or album have you had in heavy rotation this summer? Shout it out in the comments.