1021 picks its albums of the summer

As we say goodbye to summer, we asked some members of our music team to reminisce about their favorite albums of the season. Check out the albums we’ve had on repeat for the last couple of months …

Run, Run Pure Beauty - Francis of Delirium

Sweet indie pop harmonies and swelling orchestration, accompanied by raw lyrics around vulnerability, isolation, and of course, love, can hook a listener almost immediately. Jana Bahrich (aka Francis of Delirium) creates bittersweet candy that reaches for fuzzy, lofty heights and often succeeds in pulling you into its cinematic gaze. - Mo Herms

Listen on YouTube: It's a Beautiful Life | Requiem for a Dying Day

Beard - Syd

For my summer favorite, I have to go with Syd’s third album, Beard. After a three-year wait, she completely delivered and linked up with Rodney Jerkins, my favorite producer ever. Every track on Beard feels like a personal conversation. It’s a smooth, soulful R&B vibe, and Syd really provides introverts an open diary on growth, emotional maturity, and self-love. - Talesha DeBose

Listen on YouTube: Callin (feat. Blu june) | Any Time (feat. James Fauntleroy)

Alone Together - Show Me the Body

A band that's always perplexed and astounded me, experimental post-hardcore group Show Me the Body's new album doesn't disappoint. Lyrics are reminiscent of Idle's Joy as an Act of Resistance, targeting topics of wage disparity, self-acceptance, and grief. Instrumentally, expect heavy bass, loud drums and … banjo? With intriguing and refreshing arrangements and song structures, Alone Together expresses a love for collective individuality and sticking together through life's trials and tribulations. - Eric Norseth

Listen on YouTube: Dance In The USA | Overture ft. Noble Spell

Zero - Alewya

Hailing from South London, the Ethiopian-Egyptian multidisciplinary artist Alewya released her debut album Zero this June. I’ve been a longtime listener of Alewya, and have appreciated the clash of cultures that have crafted her mystical, spunky, elegiac sound. This album became the soundtrack to my summer; an experimental medley of adrenaline pumping basslines, intricate syncopated rhythms, and harmonies that felt like a warm ocean breeze. Even more than it being a vibrantly, groovy record, Zero tells an emotionally stirring story of heritage that deeply resonates with me. - Efua Osei

Listen on YouTube: Maktoub ft. Addis Girls Skate | Eshi

Oda - Vic Bang

The third album by Victoria Barca, aka Vic Bang, captures the Argentinian electronic producer at her most summery and playful. Her webs of dizzying percussion, cut with bright synths that chirp like birdsong, effortlessly merge to new ideas including cello, silvery vocal samples, and a wondrous appearance by saxophonist Camila Nebbia. - Miles Bowe

Listen on YouTube: Synthesise (MONDOJ32)

The Thread - WILLOW

Defying genre expectations and turning the musicianship and songwriting up to 11 ... WILLOW cannot be contained. Plenty of unexpected but satisfying choices in chord progressions, dynamics, and sudden shifts in tempo. It keeps you guessing, and then rewards repeat listens. It’s rare to listen to something new and think, "I am listening to a masterpiece that people may be talking about years from now." - Glenn Case

Listen on YouTube: The Thread | She's My Religion

No Me Arrepiento de Sentir Tanto - KAROL G

I’ve been listening to this album nonstop because of the variety of influences throughout it: alternative pop, EDM, cumbia, and reggaeton. Even though the songs explore a lot of deep and difficult emotions, they're beautifully executed, with a nostalgic feel thanks to the '90s/2000s-inspired sounds. It's vulnerable, introspective, and somehow still something you can dance to. - Sabrina Sooknanan

Listen on YouTube: BbY WOW | Still

s/t - The Womack Sisters

Blood harmonies that only siblings can do merged with gritty late ‘60s soul are at the heart of this album from sisters with a lineage that cannot be denied (not only those Womacks, but Sam Cooke as well). The music may be retro, but the lyrics are modern and they also play around with Latin and jazz stylings within their brand of R&B. Come for the drama, stay for the sweetness, and enjoy that vintage sound with a contemporary twist. - Mo Herms

Listen on YouTube: If I Let You | I Just Don't Want You (To Say Goodbye)

Return to the Return (of the Spectrum of Intergalactic Happiness) - Zeds Dead

This sequel (to Return to the Spectrum of Intergalactic Happiness) takes you back to that same universe from the previous album. Zeds Dead cinematically captivates with the right sound frequencies making it the perfect music to soothe the mind. The bass, sub frequencies, textures, and sudden shifts can make headphones or speakers feel like a portal into one of their live sets with that psychedelic, extraterrestrial quality. - Michelle Bzoski

Listen on YouTube: Angel 2 | Pourin Rain

new avatar - Kelela

After the success of her second studio album, Raven, Kelela has cemented herself as an electronic-dance-R&B pillar in music. The sound of her most recent album, new avatar, grows from the same roots; invoking a brighter, yet even more solemn emotion. Teaming up with A. K. Paul, Fousheé, and Pinkpantheress, each track has that classic Kelela rhythm and bounce, with a heavy shoegaze influence that has created some of my favorite Kelela melodies. I haven’t stopped playing “new life forms” since it came out! - Efua Osei

Listen on YouTube: idea 1 | linknb