Matt's Books and Music

I’ve been enjoying my monthly reading roundups here, so I thought it would be fun to do the same for new music releases.

Here are some of the highlights, and one notable low-light, from the past month of new music releases.

Five Raves, Albums

Good Grief (Sara Bareilles)

While there’s good reason Taylor Swift is known as the generational songwriter for Millennials, if my friend group is any indication, Sara Bareilles has that role for the X-ennial sandwich mini-generation. Here we see her embracing the maturity and perspective that come in middle age. This is a sad album, exploring themes of grief, loss, and sorrow in its many forms. But it’s extraordinary.

Lost Weekend (Phoebe Bridgers)

Possibly the year’s most anticipated album, Lost Weekend is Phoebe Bridgers’ first solo work since her 2020 masterpiece Punisher. I’m as surprised as I am pleased to say that it exceeded the lofty expectations set for it. (As of when I’m writing this, it has an aggregate score on Metacritic of 91, so it’s not just me saying this.) It’s a quiet and reflective album, and a creative step for her. I’m never sure how quiet albums will fare in the singles-driven streaming era, but this is something special and a big contender for Album of the Year.

Yours (Phoebe Ryan)

It’s too bad this was released the same day as Lost Weekend, because it really got lost. But this is a really solid album with a sound that feels both retro and contemporary. I’ll definitely be revisiting it.

America’s Greatest Burnout (Anna Graves)

I don’t have a lot to say about this, but few people are doing Americana as well as Anna Graves right now.

Chuck Timely & the Hourglass (Role Model)

This is a deeply nostalgic album, reminiscent in both sound and theme of 1970s rock. On the plus side, it sounds great, but on the negative side, the derivative nature of a lot of the music makes one wonder why one wouldn’t just listen to the Eagles or Jackson Browne. But, criticisms duly considered, Role Model just has something to him, almost a weaponized likability, that pushed this into something I really enjoyed.

Five Raves, Songs

• “Hazel Eyes” (Sam Smith)
• “In My Gut” (Medium Build)
• “Idiot Heart” (Sara Bareilles)
• “serena joy” (Olivia Rodrigo)
• “She’s the Best” (Troye Sivan)

And One Disappointment

Blue Island (Ravyn Lenae)

I really like Ravyn Lenae’s vibe, so I was excited for her sophomore album to drop in August. While it’s entirely unobjectionable, it was, for me at least, also unexceptional.