Mere weeks separate the end of the school year and summer, so teens are now more than ever on the hunt for their summer 2022 jams. As many artists seem to be returning from extensive hiatuses, there will be no dry-spell of music this summer. However, there are a few albums that are guaranteed to be worth a listen.
- “Harry’s House”
Rapidly-growing star Harry Styles’s new album “Harry’s House” is set to hit streaming services on May 20. The album features 13 songs, and fans got a teaser of the album’s tone with single “As It Was,” the single succeeds in making heart-breaking lyrics with an uplifting, ultra-pop beat. Styles promoted the release even more during his night one Coachella performance where he sang upcoming releases “Late Night Talking” and “Boyfriends.” With the ambience of each song teased ranging from similarities to Styles’s long-time influence Fleetwood Mac to the hopeless romantic sensation of “Late Night Talking,” it is clear that “Harry’s House” will include something for everyone to enjoy this summer.
- “Mr, Morale & the Big Steppers”
Hip-hop music is essential for a summer playlist, and luckily, all-star Kendrick Lamar has the genre covered with his May 13 drop of “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.” However, Lamar’s fifth studio album might not invoke a complete “roll your windows down” summer vibe. Instead it is likely Lamar, unafraid to lyricise sensitive issues, will also divulge his opinions of the past five years worth of race-related backtracking our world has experienced. Even days before the release, potential features and tracklist information have been kept locked-up by Lamar, but there is no doubt, Lamar will keep going up.
- “Special”
Pop icon Lizzo announced her third studio album “Special” debuting July 15. The album announcement came in tandem with the drop of new single “About Damn Time,” which has already amassed almost over 150 thousand videos on TikTok. In classic Lizzo style, “About Damn Time” perfectly fits the role of a summer hype song. Fans are due for more upbeat, dance-worthy music from Lizzo throughout the rest of “Special.” “I hope that when people listen to this album, it makes their day just a little bit better, a little bit more filled with love,” she told Variety.
- “Superache”
Conan Gray is releasing his long-awaited sophomore album “Superache” on June 24. Gray teased the album with four unexpected, heartfelt singles including “Astronomy” and “People Watching.” Starting with YouTube covers and sailing towards first album “Kid Krow,” Gray continually manages to deliver gut-wrenching, vulnerable music surrounding the troubling teenage experience. Listeners should expect no less honesty from his summer release, “A superache is something that hurts you so much, it lingers with you for years after,” Gray told Rolling Stone.
- “1989 (Taylor’s Version)”
Though Swift is the only artist on this list who has not confirmed the drop of a summer album, with songs from Swift’s “1989” like “Wildest Dreams (Taylor’s Version)” and “This Love (Taylor’s Version)” coming out this year, fans are safe to bet “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” will hit stands this summer. As expected, Swift left subtle hints towards a summer release like referencing her “1989” tour on Instagram and making new single cover art to match the polaroid style of “1989.” Swift supposedly wrote nearly 150 songs for “1989,” so it is hard to tell what “from the vault” songs to expect from her rerecord, but fans have high hopes for collaborations with pop-stars like Selena Gomez or Harry Styles.
With these five albums entering the music scene in a few days to months, this summer will be an unforgettable season of music.
