Summer: a season of relaxation, hot temperatures and, of course, new music releases. In the past, some of the biggest albums of the year such as Beyoncé’s “RENAISSANCE” and Taylor Swift’s “folklore” have dropped during the summer, amassing critical acclaim from fans all over the world.
Even in Ohio, music lovers have found albums that have become their summer favorites through exploring Spotify and Apple Music, or through the recommendations of their friends and family. Maybe they have even taken notes from former president Barack Obama, known for posting his annual summer playlists.
However one finds their music, listeners have been able to fall in love with new artists and albums since the school year ended in May, including Sarvesh Gupta, a senior at The Ohio State University studying data analytics.
Gupta’s favorite album of the summer has been •“That! Feels! Good!” by Jessie Ware, an English pop singer-songwriter. Back in April, Pitchfork ranked the singer’s fifth studio album an 8.3 for its revival of the disco-pop influences.
“This is my favorite because it just feels like summer,” Gupta said in an email. “It's a great disco album that keeps you captivated - from jazzy instrumentation to backing vocals, there's something going on at every moment and it just makes you move! It doesn't take itself too seriously at all, so there's quality without feeling too forced or monotonous.”
He was introduced to Ware in 2020 when one of his friends recommended her previous album, “What’s Your Pleasure?” Liking her sound, Gupta continued to listen to the singer, following her up to the point of her newest release, which is now his favorite of Ware’s albums.
Out of all the songs on the record, Gupta enjoys listening to tracks such as “Pearls,” “Begin Again,” “Freak Me Now” and “These Lips.” In particular, he likes the lyrics from the second track because of how Ware dives into the themes of true love and starting over.
“My favorite lyrics are the verses of “Begin Again,” where she sings about finding true love and wanting to start over, as well as this line from “These Lips:” ‘These lips will take you places you never thought you'd go / These lips are wanted in a hundred countries, maybe more,’” Gupta said in an email.
Meanwhile, Jack McInerney, a junior studying finance at the University of Cincinnati, said his favorite album of the summer has been the soundtrack to the “Barbie” movie, which was released on July 21.
With big names such as •Billie Eilish and Charli XCX and even actor Ryan Gosling all on the tracklist, McInerney has enjoyed getting to hear all their contributions throughout the summer.
“(I’m a) big fan of the movie,” McInerney said. “I loved all the big-name artists who helped contribute to the Barbie album. As someone who really loved “La La Land,” it was great to see Ryan Gosling singing another song. I love that.”
While it was hard for McInerney to pick his favorite song off the album, he said a standout for him was Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” a beloved favorite by fans of the movie.
“Billie Eilish’s song was very good, and I would probably go ahead and also put her down for favorite artist,” McInerney said.
Beyond the track list, McInerney said this album is one of the best of the summer because of its range, especially with a diverse array of artists. He said he also likes listening to Charli XCX’s song, “Speed Drive.”
As someone who has seen the “Barbie” movie, McInerney encourages everyone to go see it before the rush of going back to school and listen to the soundtrack before August turns to September.
“I loved all the different ranges of motion in the album from Billie Eilish’s song to Charli XCX, there's a lot of diversity,” McInerney said.
Now with summer slowly coming to a close, it seems like everyone has been able to find a favorite album. Whether it’s a film soundtrack or a recent release, there’s something for everyone to listen to during this time of year.
