What’s Hot In Music This Month: New Albums, Local Concerts (2024)

It’s no secret that country music is hot right now, and much of that is thanks to Georgia native Megan Moroney, who first gained traction with her 2022 single “Tennessee Orange,” which went viral. The certified platinum song is a college football–inspired love story, with Moroney describing betraying her home state for the University of Tennessee: “He’s got me doin’ things I’ve never done/In Georgia, they’d call it a sin/And I still want the Dawgs to win/But I’m wearin’ Tennessee orange for him.” Since then, Moroney has risen steadily in the ranks of country stardom. Now, with her second studio album since signing with Columbia Records/Sony Music Nashville, this self-proclaimed “emo cowgirl” has the opportunity to prove that her songwriting chops can make her a true country staple. Am I Okay? arrives July 12.

Phish, the jam band created in a University of Vermont dorm room in 1983, is one of those bands that will always be classic, but never quite mainstream. And arguably, that’s what makes them so good. Evolve, being released through the band’s own record label, JEMP, is their 16th album, a milestone few bands can claim. Known for their improvisational stage presence, Phish leaves nothing off the table. Evolve’s title track sees them exploring groovier funk sounds, temporarily bidding farewell to the rock influences that have defined their long career. Whether that’s true for the rest of the album is up in the air until it drops on July 12.

Charm, the third studio album by local indie-pop singer Clairo (who grew up in nearby Carlisle, Mass.), comes three years after the commercial success of her 2021 album Sling. The songwriter first made a name for herself when “Pretty Girl” went viral on YouTube, quickly becoming a lo-fi staple for internet teenagers. Though Clairo’s last album was produced by Bleachers frontman Jack Antonoff, known for producing albums for Taylor Swift and Lana Del Ray, for Charm she’s partnered with Leon Michels, whose work has been producing jazz artists. And you can see Michels’ influence in the first single, “Sexy to Someone,” with its 1970s jazz beat. Clairo has retained the honest self-reflection that makes her lyrics so relatable. Expect synth, sweet rhythms, and an indie groove when Charm arrives July 12.

For a band with only two studio albums, Cigarettes After Sex has made a disproportionately large impact in the indie rock scene. Headed by Texas native Greg Gonzalez, whose vocals are often described as androgynous, the band has an easily recognizable shoegaze sound, defined by soft, dream-like vocals, often overshadowed by stronger instrumentals. Though much of Cigarettes After Sex’s sound has an almost playful lean into a depressed emo persona, they embrace the saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Their songs are often described as blending into one, giving them a unique atmospheric sound that has allowed them to build a massive fanbase on a relatively small discography. On X’s, their newest studio album, Gonzalez mourns the end of a four-year relationship the only way he knows: somber lyrics and classic indie rock instrumentals. But “Tejano Blue” does something unique, taking listeners to the singer’s hometown of El Paso, Tex., where he bares his soul through poignant nostalgia, a narrative unlike anything we’ve seen from this singer/songwriter. But as the band’s name suggests, and its past records prove, Gonzalez isn’t afraid to get erotic, and if the album promises more of the same…it’s a win in my book. X’s comes out on July 12.

“Sometimes, all I think about is you/Late nights in the middle of June/Heat waves been faking me out/Can’t make you happier now.” These lyrics to Glass Animal’s number one single “Heat Waves” were blasted all over in summer 2020. The electronic pop song, with its infectious ability to make you smile, served as many people’s introduction to the British band Glass Animals, which has been around since 2010. That’s when singer, writer, and producer Dave Bayley recruited his high school buddies Drew MacFarlane, Edmund Irwin-Singer, and Joe Seaward to perform under the name Glass Animals. Bayley admits the band’s name is a combination of random words in the dictionary—but it works. Their debut album, 2014’s Zaba, featured the single “Gooey,” which quickly went platinum in the United States. The lyrics are a bit eerie: “Fresh out of an icky, gooey womb/A woozy youth/Dopes upon her silky, smooth perfume.” Their fourth studio album, “I Love You So F***ing Much,” out July 19, signals an intentional shift away from the indie pop sound they’re known for towards something bigger, possibly more anthemic. As Bayley said in an interview with Apple Music: “We didn’t want to shock anyone too much, so this is an easy way into the new world.” What that new world sounds like, we’ll have to wait until mid-July to find out.