Here are the 17 albums you should listen to in August

Erstwhile EDM overlord and Calvin Harris is returning to the party he started in 2017 with the long-awaited sequel to his surprisingly excellent Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1. Like the original, Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2 promises to be an immaculate collection of party-starting lite-funk jams featuring a whole host of big-name guests. Early singles “Potion,” “New Money,” and “Stay With Me” brought Dua Lipa, Young Thug, 21 Savage, Justin Timberlake, Halsey, and Pharrell into the fold, and the rest of the tracklist boasts collaborations with Pusha T, Swae Lee, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Normani, Tinashe, Offset, Jorja Smith, and more—all enlisted to help fuck up your summer in the best way possible. [Peter Helman]

Like it or not, it’s the world we live in, and Eminem has two greatest hits albums in him. Curtain Call 2, the sequel to his 2005 compilation Curtain Call: The Hits, will cover his post-Relapse era, and there’s a lot to work with there. Recovery was 2010’s best selling album, and more importantly birthed the insane Dominic Monaghan-Megan Fox fever dream of a music video for “Love The Way You Lie.” But the first new single off the album, the Snoop Dogg collaboration “From The D 2 The LBC” leaves much to be desired, and saw its world premiere at NYC’s Ape Fest. While the real Slim Shady pours his money into Bored Ape NFTs, a new compilation is a welcome relief for fans eager to revel in Em’s most memorable hits, even as they grow fewer and farther between. [Hattie Lindert]

Following up on Music on Vinyl’s recent colored-vinyl reissues of Elvis Costello’s Warner Brothers catalog, starting with 1989’s Spike (green vinyl and first time on double LP) in March and 1991’s Mighty Like A Rose (gold vinyl) in July, August will bring a vinyl reissue of 1993’s The Juliet Letters, a song-cycle collaboration with the world-renowned Brodzky Quartet. These 18 songs feature more pop-oriented material like “I Almost Had A Weakness” and the single “Jacksons, Monk, And Rowe” as well as more classical-inspired material like the beautiful closer “The Birds Will Still Be Singing.” Controversial at the time among both Costello fans and classical aficionados, this is a rare pop/classical crossover combination that works seamlessly. It’s also only the second time the album has been available on vinyl since its original 1993 release (MoV reissued it in 2014). [Matthew Berlyant]

Originally released back in 2006 when Lewis was still in Rilo Kiley, this incredible album kicked off her solo career and proved that Lewis didn’t need Rilo Kiley to make a great record. Loosely described as a “sort of soul record,” the album was inspired by Laura Nyro’s 1971 album Gonna Take A Miracle. Backed by The Watson Twins on harmony vocals and featuring a range of indie stars and contemporaries like labelmate Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes) and Ben Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie/The Postal Service) on The Traveling Wilburys cover “Handle With Care,” the album also features brilliant original material like the title track, “Rise Up With Fists!!” and “You Are What You Love.” [Matthew Berlyant]

Osees, the John Dwyer-led California garage-rock institution alternately known as Thee Oh Sees, OCS, Oh Sees, and a billion other similar permutations, are perhaps the only band capable of rivaling Bob Pollard and Guided By Voices in sheer lunatic prolificacy. After taking an eternal (by their standards) two-year break between albums for Dwyer to focus on his improvisational psych-jazz side projects, Osees are finally back in August with A Foul Form. With tracks like the rip-roaringly scuzzy “Funeral Solution” and the frenzied anti-cop anthem “Perm Act,” A Foul Form is an urgent 22-minute blast of glorious scum-punk paying homage to Bad Brains, Black Flag, and all the other iconic punk bands that Dwyer and company grew up on. [Peter Helman]

Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour tour (and the feminist indie-rock multiverse of madness it featured) may be coming to an end, but angsty pop-punk lives on. Pale Waves, the British quartet that counts Avril Lavigne as one of their main inspirations, returns with their third studio album, Unwanted. The project’s lead single “Lies” dropped on May 9th; they’ve also shared two additional tracks since then, “Jealousy” and “The Hard Way.” As an album-promo opening statement, “Lies” is all middle fingers and crunchy guitars, with singer Heather Baron-Gracie coming to collect responsibility from the former paramour who ripped out her heart. “Fortunately for me that person is no longer in my life,” singer Heather Baron-Gracie of the biting track’s inspiration. “Once you do me wrong you’re gone!” Nothing spawns creativity like clean-cut betrayal. [Hattie Lindert]

When the Bad Brains regained the rights and started reissuing most of their ’80s back catalog a few years ago, one quirk was that graphics maestro John Yates designed alternate versions of each album cover that looked like old Blue Note jazz albums from the ’50s and ’60s. Rock For Light is the first studio album Bad Brains released, coming a year after the legendary ROIR cassette cemented their place in American hardcore punk history as one of its greatest and most influential and inspiring bands. Produced by Ric Ocasek at his studio in Boston, the album is slightly slicker than the raw-as-dirt ROIR tape and contains re-recordings of some earlier material plus then new songs like the Discharge-inspired “Riot Squad,” the reggae jam “The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth” and opening track and future live staple “Coptic Times.” [Matthew Berlyant]

There are already two albums by the experimental Japanese stoner metal band Boris called Heavy Rocks. The first Heavy Rocks came out in 2002, the second Heavy Rocks came out in 2011, and the third Heavy Rocks is arriving another decade later in 2022. “This is the heavy rock of Boris now,” the band explains in a statement. On the latest installment in the series, Boris continue to mine the sounds of classic 1970s hard rock and heavy metal and filter them through their own weirdo aesthetic. If the driving “She Is Burning” and the gargantuan “Question 1” prove anything, it’s that the heavy rock of Boris now sounds just as vital as ever. [Peter Helman]

One of the most anticipated hip-hop albums from a duo since Black Star’s reunion No Fear Of Time, the Roots’ Black Thought and veteran producer Danger Mouse team up for Cheat Codes. The album reportedly builds on a shelved 2005 collaboration between the pair, and features an all-star list of talent including Run the Jewels, A$AP Rocky, Raekwon, Michael Kiwanuka, Joey Bada$$, and Conway the Machine. There’s even an appearance from the late Madvillain himself MF Doom, who Danger Mouse collaborated with on his last hip-hop influenced work, 2005’s The Mouse And The Mask. The album’s first single, “No Gold Teeth,” previews a nostalgic, layered, and bluesy sound. The beat is a perfect match for Black Thought’s introspective and lived-in verse, an ode to Philadelphia wrapped up in a testament to the artist’s skill, grind, and vision. “Please, you ain’t fucking with no amateurs homie/Philly ain’t known for cheesesteak sandwiches only,” he scoffs. The proof is in the pudding; no amateur rapper could so skillfully match the syncopation of a stand-up bass. [Hattie Lindert]

Panda Bear’s solo work has always been this writer’s favorite Animal Collective side project, and now the multi-hyphenate has linked up Spacemen 3’s Sonic Boom for the new album Reset. The first single, “Go On,” samples Brit garage band The Troggs, adding a headiness to the otherwise psychedelic-laced venture. “Go On” features the same cyclical lyricism often featured in Panda Bear’s music, lulling the listener into a state of bliss. [Gabrielle Sanchez]

With their debut album, Texas-to-New-York transplants Why Bonnie offer a dreamy, thoughtfully composed work filled with picturesque moments of a life in motion. The shared singles take us all over, from “Galveston” to “Nowhere, LA,” in which lead singer Blair Howerton croons about a relationship that’s stalled like a car on the Louisiana pavement. While the album may be called 90 In November, this summer-soaked set will provide plenty of apt listening time in August. [Gabrielle Sanchez]

Folk-rock singer-songwriter enigma Cass McCombs has already cemented his status as one of the greats, and Heartmind, his 10th studio album and the follow-up to 2019’s Tip Of The Sphere, seems like it’ll keep his streak going. Recorded with Ariel Rechstshaid, Shahzad Ismaily, and Buddy Ross, Heartmind was written as McCombs’ way of processing the loss of several close friends. That may sound heavy, but McCombs’ music has a way of balancing expertly on the line between tragedy and comedy without settling definitively on either side, a duality perfectly encapsulated by the playful “Karaoke”: “You sang a melody, unchained/But will your love godspeed to me?/Are you gonna Stand By Your Man/Or is it just karaoke?” [Peter Helman]

The Mountain Goats’ John Darnielle tends to organize his records around a central theme. Bleed Out, produced by Bully’s Alicia Bognanno, was inspired by classic action movies from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s, and each of its tracks works as its own little action movie in miniature. The triumphantly charged-up chorus of “Training Montage” sets the scene for an epic final battle against evil, while the all-gas no-brakes “Wage Wars Get Rich Die Handsome” is a fist-pumping getaway drive down the open highway and into the sunset. The Mountain Goats’ uptempo rockers are often their best songs, and Bleed Out leans into that style with predictably thrilling results. [Peter Helman]

Julia Jacklin has always had a way of making her listeners feel chosen, as if they were wrapped up with her in a honey-colored cocoon, miles from any other soul. But if 2019’s brilliant Crushing was a 2 a.m. wine-drenched confessional, Pre Pleasure is a shout from a cliff at the end of a long hike, when all that’s left is emotion, adrenaline, and the air. Leadoff single “Lydia Wears A Cross” sees Jacklin at the height of her lyrical power, aided by the very The National-esque influence of co-producer Marcus Paquin, a former producer for the band and a first-time collaborator for Jacklin. As the song reaches an unexpected crescendo, Jacklin’s fraught lyrics of childhood religious isolation give way to a wordless hum–a communion of sorts with the real force that moves her. Crisis and catharsis. It’s what Jacklin does best. [Emma Keates]

By far the most comprehensive overview of Blondie’s ’70s and ’80s run (before their late-’90s reunion) and also the most comprehensive reissue in the 19-year history of the Numero Group reissue label, this box set features everything the iconic New York band recorded, including their six studio LPs, a 10-inch EP of their 1975 demo for Alan Betrock, other demos, B-sides, rehearsals and even a 45 featuring their cover of The Doors’ “Moonlight Drive.” There’s also a 128-page hard-cover mini-book and, on the super deluxe edition, a 120-page photo discography book as well. And there are vinyl and CD options for those who just want the bonus tracks. [Matthew Berlyant]

Stella Donnelly burst onto the scene with 2019’s Beware Of The Dogs, a phenomenal debut characterized by juicy, indie-rock goodness and witty, cutting lyricism. On her sophomore album, Flood, the knife has only gotten sharper. Recorded in a period of displacement due to pandemic border closures and inspiration from bird-watching in the Australian rainforests in which she found herself, Flood promises a lush mirror of this journey–one that’s as playful as it is biting. In both traveling and writing, Donnelly says that she “was able to lose that feeling of anyone’s reaction to me. I forgot who I was as a musician, which was a humbling experience of just being; being my small self.” On the two tracks that have been released so far (“Flood” and “Lungs”), it’s easy to get lost in the joyous, gooey world that Donnelly creates. [Emma Keates]

Bret McKenzie is best known as one half of Flight Of The Conchords, the cultishly beloved group who once billed themselves as “New Zealand’s fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo.” As its title suggests, however, his upcoming debut solo album Songs Without Jokes is emphatically not a comedy album. Instead, it’s McKenzie’s take on the 1970s singer-songwriter studio-pop of artists like Harry Nilsson, Randy Newman, and Steely Dan, all of whom made quote-unquote “serious” music that still retained an undeniable sense of wry humor. “I love comedy songs but I don’t put a comedy record on while hanging out; I don’t drive around listening to standup, I listen to regular music,” McKenzie says. “So it feels right to finally make a record of music I might want to listen to.” [Peter Helman]