Pretend it's festival season with these new releases

Maybe we’re missing being in large groups, or maybe this is just what summer sounds like to us. Either way, festival season has begun in our minds. This week, we’ve got all the things we wish we could listen to while surrounded by people.

Local

Trickshot Johnson, DRUM ALBUM

Trickshot Johnson (you might know him from Shakewell or Partygoers) has made a sweet little drum album. Each track sounds different, showcasing the drummer’s range. You might not have noticed drums before, but you will after listening to this.

Cory Fay, Thanks (For All The Randy Newman)

Cory Fay combines country with garage band rock on “Thanks (For All The Randy Newman).” He joins it all together with grinding background vocals, catchy guitar licks and unexpected trumpets and violas. This will be a bonfire song (when we can).

Hardwood Heart, The Longer Road EP

If there was an award for “folkiest city in America”, we’re pretty sure Missoula would win it. This strings trio’s sophomore EP has everything a bluegrass group needs: acoustics, rough-around-the-edges vocals, and fun. Plus, a Gnarls Barkley cover.

New Albums

The 1975, Notes On A Conditional Form

The 1975 start “Notes On A Conditional Form” with righteous anger that soon turns into playful self-deprecation. The record, which seems to go through all the stages of collective grief, bops along mixing not-so-typical radio hits with the band’s odd - and iconic - sound.

HAIM, Don’t Wanna

It feels like we’ve been waiting for new HAIM forever, but listening to “Don’t Wanna” makes it seem like no time has passed. The new record is groovy and nostalgic, but it never feels old. It’s modern, with new production and ideas but the same great voices and stylings.

The Racer, Bang Bang Bang

The Racer has somehow created an album that feels experimental and straight-forward, never boring us but never overwhelming us either. The beats are familiar without feeling like they’ve been done before, and the Killers-esque vocals bring an edge.

New Singles

Das Mörtal, Wicked Desires

“Wicked Desires” sounds like if Flock Of Seagulls made the soundtrack for a dystopian “Brave New World”-esque movie. The track is gloomy, playing into darker themes, but it’s never a bummer. Synth and electronic elements lift the song up, making sure the music is never overpowered by the theme.

Re.decay, Sun In The Morning (feat. ADH, Mawcom X, Sedric Perry)

Re.decay shows off the natural talent of ADH, Macwom X and Sedric Perry on “Sun In The Morning.” Re.decay’s production, reminiscent of Marvin Gaye or Snoop Dog, ties the track together without overpowering the smooth vocals.

Girlhood, The Love I Need

This gospel-infused track proves that there’s nothing more reliable than soul. “The Love I Need” is a ballad without feeling cheesy, picking listeners up and making them dance with church choir backing and bright production.

Lucas Nord, No One Even Knows My Name (feat. Husky)

This smooth dance track combines 80s synth with R&B to make a glossy song that reminds us of summer festivals, laying in the sun covered in glitter, not a care in the world. Smooth production and lush vocals float on the same level, keeping the power purely in the finished product.

The Moving Stills, Your Standards

The beginning of “Your Standards” starts off sounding like the moment right before the Scooby Gang unmasks the villain. But then it cruises into a groovy, surfy dance track that you can drive down our (nonexistent) coast to.

Genevieve Stokes, Lonely and Bored

Genevieve Stokes sings with a voice and a conviction that sounds much older than her 18 years. “Lonely and Bored” is a song for the broken-hearted, the barely-recovered, and everyone in between. Stokes’s voice is the centerpiece, providing background harmonies with her vulnerable lyrics.

Assembled by music director Meghan Jonas.