July Release Roundup

With festival season in full swing and heatwaves galore, here is a roundup of some of Aux’s favourite albums, EP’s and singles released over the past month to dig into as you bask in the soaring British weather.

Jamie T - The Theory of Whatever

Jamie T has arisen in classic Jamie T fashion following a 6 year hiatus of reclusive radio silence. In an industry where artists are pushed to try to stay relevant with their online presence and constant touring, Jamie T’s approach of moving at his own pace has always been admirable. The album itself is stylistically rich, jumping from gritty thrashy indie, into hip hop influenced breakbeats and synth loops. It’s the type of experimentation that made him stand out from the crowd in the 2000’s, and now at the age of 36, he continues to have the eye for the sonic boundaries that are there to be pushed.

Laura Veirs - Found Light

Portland folk singer/songwriter Laura Veirs’ latest album ‘Found Light’ is the first that she’s written since divorcing from her husband, who was also the producer on all of her previous work. Her husband kept their shared studio in his part of the split, and so Veirs moved onto pastures new, co-producing ‘Found Light’ with friend Shahzad Ismaily. The album itself is very frank in its addressing of the divorce, as she sings of pawning her wedding ring, meeting new people and generally exploring a newfound freedom. Laura Veirs thrives in her self discovery, and while it is a breakup album, the dry wit in the lyricism makes ‘Found Light’ an entertaining and more buoyant than expected listen, which doesn’t overbear the listener with too much heartbreak.

Jack White - Entering Heaven Alive

In true prolific form, Jack White’s second album of the year feels like a very separate project to April's facemelting ‘Fear Of The Dawn’. On ‘Entering Heaven Alive’, White channels a more lounge-like, speakeasy style that takes things down a notch or two. The majority of the album is recorded on acoustic guitar, piano and strings, but there are remaining hints of that coined electric blues tone, particularly in the track “I’ve Got You Surrounded (With My Love)”.

Billie Eilish - Guitar Songs

Fresh from headlining Glastonbury last month, Billie Eilish has released a surprise 2 track EP. ‘Guitar Songs’ consist of delicate lo-fi acoustic picking over Eilish’s internal streams of consciousness. ‘The 30th’ showcases a rawness to the production of her brother/collaborator Finneas as well as Eilish’s insular vulnerability, while ‘TV’ relates to her criticism of pop culture with various references to recent happenings, such as a mention of the worlds obsession with the Depp v Heard trial.

Killer Mike (Feat. Young Thug) - Run

Having operated within the rap duo ‘Run The Jewels’ for the best part of a decade, ‘Run’ is Killer Mike’s first single under his own name since 2012. Released on Independence Day, an infectious bass loop anchors the song that in his own words aims “to be representative that there’s a fight, the spiritual fight, that is going on every single day with us.” Young Thug’s stunted autotuned flow is also a poignant presence on the track, as he is currently in jail on gang related charges.

Katy J Pearson - Sound of The Morning

Katy J Pearson's second album aims to evolve from her country music roots as she explores different sources of influence. This exploration was aided by Speedy Wunderground’s Dan Carey on production duties. In this journey into new territory, the Bristol singer/songwriter has achieved her aim which was “to create a record that is increasingly unafraid to explore the darker side of life with an openness that is full of light.”

Loyle Carner - Hate

As the title suggests, ‘Hate’ is the most angry song that we have heard from Loyle Carner so far, as he breaks away from the heartfelt innocence that has endeared audiences over the past two albums, and has evolved into something slightly darker. If this gives a sense of a new direction on an upcoming album, it will be intriguing to see Carner pursue new motivations for his output.

Viagra Boys - Cave World

Sweden’s favourite post-punk outfit returned this month with their third album ‘Cave World’, and in true VB spirit they continue to raise rambunctious, discordant hell. Lead singer Sebastian Murphy channels a grimy energy in the best sense of the word, instilling an odd sense of glorification to the downfalls of life over water tight yet chaotic musicianship from the rest of the band.