Summer is here, and before we get lost in its haze, it’s time to get our music release calendar in order. The following female artists all looked inward to inspire them when creating new music that’s perfect for our pool parties, picnics, and summer road trips.
Here are five albums that will wash up our shores within the next two months. Let us know which one you’re looking forward to most in the comments below, or tweet us @UnitedByPop.
Clairo, Sling (July 16)
Indie pop darling Claire Cottrill, aka Clairo, is set to release her sophomore album Sling this month. Following up on the success of Immunity, she co-produced her new album with pop music stalwart, Jack Antonoff.
The lead single off of the project, “Blouse,” is a moving ballad about being sexualized in the workplace: “Why do I tell you how I feel / When you’re too busy looking down my blouse?” She debuted the song on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon last month, and the studio version features backing vocals from Lorde. In her feature with Rolling Stone, it was revealed that Lorde was introduced to Clairo via FaceTime by Antonoff.
Sling was inspired by Joanie, the dog she adopted during the pandemic. Clairo tweeted about how her role as a parent to Joanie inspired the album, saying, “It’s a glimpse into a world where I found that domesticity is what I was missing.”
Preorder or presave Sling here.
Willow, lately I Feel EVERYTHING (July 16)
Willow is a multi-hyphenate artist known for acting (like her movie star parents), singing, and rapping. But did you know she is single-handedly bringing pop-punk back again?
The TikTok-famous song “Transparent Soul” was the first single that was released for her fourth studio album, lately I Feel EVERYTHING. The 20-year-old collaborated with drummer Travis Barker on the track, which is about seeing right through your fake friends. Her most recent single “Lipstick” pulls from the pop-punk influences she grew up with.
Working with artists like Barker and Avril Lavigne, and being influenced by her mom, Jada Pinkett Smith, who was in a metal band in the early aughts, was what made up her new sound. Willow is dismantling the stereotypes of rock and pop-punk music — it became a space for predominantly white musicians, although Black artists pioneered it. Willow is blazing a trail for the rest of Gen Z to be inspired by, and we’re eating it up.
Preorder or presave lately I Feel EVERYTHING here.
Anne-Marie, Therapy (July 23)
British singer Anne-Marie is also releasing her second studio album Therapy this month. Aptly titled, she details her growth as a person while seeing a professional psychologist in the project.
Anne-Marie started teasing the album earlier this year with the release of the songs “Don’t Play” and “Way Too Long.” Album promotion started ramping up in May with the release of “Our Song” featuring Niall Horan; the catchy pop tune went number 1 in the U.K. In the music video, which has now been viewed over 23 million times, the singers play a scheming, jewelry-thieving duo. Anne-Marie has also been teasing the next single and music video, “Kiss My (Uh Oh)” featuring Little Mix, which is also expected to be an absolute banger.
Anne-Marie using her platform to advocate for mental health while giving us reliable pop music is truly all we could ask for after the year we’ve had.
Preorder or presave Therapy here.
Billie Eilish, Happier Than Ever (July 30)
In a busy year for the 19-year-old GRAMMY-winning singer, Billie Eilish managed to find time to finish and release a second album, titled Happier Than Ever.
The era started exactly one year before the album is due, with the release of the moody song, “My Future.” Billie subsequently released four more singles; most recently “NDA,” a pop song highlighting the downside of her rise to fame and inability to trust others. In the track, she sings: “Had to save my money for security / Got a stalker walkin’ up and down the street.” Happier Than Ever consists of 16 songs, with the title track being teased in her Apple TV+ documentary, Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry.
She is embarking on a nearly sold-out world tour in 2022 and making history as the youngest person to co-chair the Met Gala this September.
Preorder or presave Happier Than Ever here.
Lorde, Solar Power (August 20)
Lorde made her triumphant return earlier this summer with the release of “Solar Power,” the title track of her third album out in August.
“Solar Power” gives the energy of healing and basking in the sun with your best friends in the summer. It features Clairo and Phoebe Bridgers on backing vocals, and was master-mindfully co-produced with Jack Antonoff, as is the rest of the 14-track album. “Solar Power” is just a peek at the potential of her third album, which is anticipated to continue the dreamy pop nature of Lorde’s discography.
With tracks titled “Stoned at the Nail Salon” and “Leader of a New Regime,” she revels in the kooky and avant-garde. The global rejoice of Lorde’s return this year will only be amplified with the release of Solar Power.
Preorder or presave Solar Power here.