Summer is officially here and the songs of summer are rolling out day by day. This weeks new releases are to numerous to list them all here. Now that school is out and your house has suddenly turned into a 24/7 Chuck E. Cheese filled with all of the neighborhood kids, you certainly do not have time to decide what new music to listen to and that’s where I come in. Below, I have chosen two of my top favorites from this week for you to learn about, but I have also compiled a list of the best songs released this week for you to listen to. To do so, join me Friday on the AMP app immediately following the SoBros Network Happy Hour show that starts at 4:30 central as you get your weekend started listening to my New Music Friday show. Not only will you hear the artists below, but also new music from Nial Horan, Janelle Monáe, Jenny Lewis, and Jason Isbell, just to name a few. iPhone users can download AMP in the App Store and follow me @smmccash75 and the SoBros Network at @sobrosnetwork. Android users can listen along at onamp.com or through their Alexa device by saying “Alexa, Play AMP.”
Milky Chance Living in a Haze
German duo Milky Chance are back with their fourth studio album Living in a Haze. Childhood friends Clemens Rehbein and Phillipp Dausch first single and album opener from their new release “Living in a Haze” hits just right and is bound to be played at every pool party this summer. Milky Chance’s signature sound of guitars and club beats complimented by Clemens’ vocals is stamped on the lead single that the duo says is “for all who wanna be able to dance the pain away.”
Operating from an eclectic mood-board of influences — reggae-pop alchemists like Bob Marley, The Police, and Sublime; global pop icons including Burna Boy, Stromae, and Rosalía; the emotive deep house of Fred again…; and the moody, neon-streaked Euphoria soundtrack — Milky Chance pack every song on Living In A Haze with delectable noises and the freight train hooks that have become their signature. Living In A Haze ultimately works because it applies the band’s endless musical curiosity to the propulsive logic of the best club music. “In order to really connect with an audience, particularly in a live setting, music needs a sense of physicality and movement,“ says Rehbein.
Milky Chance is currently on tour in support of Young the Giant and will be in Nashville on July 14 at Ascend Amphitheater with your chance of hearing some of the great songs on Living in a Haze. @MilkyChance
Blk Odyssy Diamonds and Freaks
While strolling through the long list of new releases for this week, I came across an artist that is new to me. As I scrolled through the track list for Blk Odyssy’s Diamonds and Freaks, I was not expecting to see the name of one of music’s most influential artists, Bootsy Collins. The Parliament-Funkadelic bassist appears on the Portishead inspired track “HONEYSUCKLE NECKBONE” rapping to a young lady as only Bootsy can.
The Austin-based singer recruited Memphis crooner Kirby for the sultry “You Gotta Man.” Blk Odyssy fights with his morals and monogamy on the song singing “I want you to myself but I don’t think that’s right for me; got me overthinking, wish my thoughts would rest in peace.” Kirby, who has songwriting credits for Ariana Grande, Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce, and John Legend, battles the same demons when running into her counterpart while out with her man. “Holding hands with him when you approach me, said you was a fan; told my man be cool, he just a homie, shit gon’ hit the fan.”
Blk Odyssy will be taking Diamonds and Freaks on the road with rapper Cordae as they open for emcee NF. You can catch Blk Odyssy on July 26 at Bridgestone Arena. @blkodyssy
Steven McCash is the Lead Music Writer and Utility Man for SoBros Network. Steven is the host of the ‘Drinking With…’ podcast, and the pioneer of New Music Friday, highlighting each week’s new releases in the world of music in addition to the occasional live show review. He also pitches in as a Nashville lifestyle writer and football analyst (hence the ‘Utility Man’ title). Follow on Twitter: @MC_Cash75
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