Designer: Grant Ruof
Well, one eventful summer later, and we’re back into the seemingly endless routine of classes, homework and stress. So I’ve decided to take a step back into summer through the music that peaked then and music I felt had those summer vibes that everyone misses so much.
This summer was filled with new music for me, as I began to branch outside of my comfort zone, which was my goal to help widen the musical views of others who might be tunnel-minded toward a certain genre.
The first branch I decided to follow was the instrumentals that make up most of the tracks and artists who pour their time and effort into building strong instrumental tracks to support the true feeling listeners get from the music versus the message it’s trying to give.
Mainly, I listened to three artists who fit this category, many of whose songs you may have heard this summer because of their rising popularity, whether through inclusion in popular media or through social media.
The first artist I dove further into over the summer was DJO, better known as Joe Keery, an indie rock artist who is evolving from a popular actor into a mainstream indie rock artist, most notably with his 2022 hit song, “End of Beginning”, which many people may know. Still, his less popular music includes his newer music, most notably his newest studio album, “The Crux”.
“The Crux” is an album that demonstrates the evolution of his sound from his days of experimental sound into a more permanent idea, with songs such as “Fly” and “Delete Ya” standing out to me as the most well-put-together and best-sounding songs on the record, with an incredible combination of emotions in both the vocal performances and instrumental tracks.
The second experimental artist I found myself listening to over the summer was Tame Impala. Now, this is where the instrumental tracks really start to take over and create an incredible listening experience I can truly only describe as saying it feels like you’re floating.
Kevin Parker, the one man behind Tame Impala’s true sound, is often considered one of the greatest producers of the modern era. Albums such as “Currents” and “Lonerism” truly capture the feeling of psychedelic rock. The album I want to focus on is “Currents”, as in my opinion, it is one of the greatest albums of the 2010s.
Songs on the album such as “New Person, Same Old Mistakes” and “Let It Happen” are modern psychedelic rock staples that take the listener into what feels like another dimension.
In fact, I can say that every song on the album has dreamy and infrequent vocals, distorted wavy guitar and synths that just make listeners happy and sad all at the same time. It is a legendary album that everyone should listen to at least once in their life, and if you take anything away from this story, it would be this album.
The final and by far most unique band I believe I have ever taken time to listen to is Angine de Poitrine. Most notably known for their black-and-white polka dot branding combined with the story that they are an alien duo from space learning human music in a wonderfully entertaining, math-rock and musically impressive way.
Their most popular song is “Fabienk” from their most recent record, “Vol. II,” which is wildly impressive with the use of semitones, which are notes that fall between established notes not normally available on instruments.
Now, while some of these artists might sound quite fever-dreamish, I urge everyone to give these bands a try at least once. You never know; you might find your next great playlist addition.
Just remember to have fun, step outside your comfort zone, and enjoy these artists’ incredible work.
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