Summer returns in cycles. Whether or not we connect most with ourselves during the summer, music has always been a platform of change. Like many artists looking to reinvent their image around this time, we would only hope that their music matches the reasons we listened to them in the first place.
The music industry is fickle. Where or how it will change or impact us as listeners is never set in stone. When we look at the music industry from various angles, whether political, social or culturally conscious, we see a lot of our lives in the artists we support and listen to today.
Art exists like many of us do today. For Lorde, Melodrama breaks the bottle of emotions. Set for a June 16 release, Lorde strips her world for us. She returns with a new album that touches on the emotions of being alone, being unappreciated, and losing the good and bad parts of people.
Consistency over time is a work in progress. Returning to an audience involves trust. Time changes like many of our connections with ourselves and those around us. Snoop Dogg plans to return with Neva Left this coming May. After a visually-charged music video envisioning Donald Trump’s death scenarios, Snoop Dogg continuously leaves his mark and reminds us why he’s been around for decades. Like Snoop Dogg, Sean Paul has become a household name. Whether this may rely on his classic songs like “Give It Up to Me” or “Like Glue,” Sean Paul is set to release his seventh studio album this summer. Only time will tell if he continues to bring a consistent separation from the pop mainstream that has current fans wanting more.
Life is an uneven playing field. It has forgetful moments but is never at a standstill. Lana Del Rey’s Lust For Life brings Hollywood glam to a politically conscious time-lapse. Set for a May 26 release, Rey has expressed how our current political climate has affected this upcoming record. She engages with the reality of a generational divide that remains among us.
We feel everything through the ages. Our emotions become a lot easier to handle and express as we grow older. Perhaps the time difference does not matter all that much on Lil Yachty’s Teenage Emotions, set to release on May 26. With past singles like “Broccoli” and “1 Night,” Yachty debuts with his first studio album centered around heartbreak, happiness, the turn up and sadness. With features that include Migos and YG, Lil Yachty is set for a multidimensional album.
As the summer nears us like the sunrise, music continues to help us sort out the ways in which we must speak without saying anything. The summer is set for change and its music awaits us.
