A CLOSER LISTEN weekly #85.5
Ten Tracks That Sound Like Summer / First Half Highlights
Dear Listeners, Joseph again for a mid-cycle newsletter collecting two special posts before we have a little week of summer holiday. We’ll be back on the blog with more daily reviews coming next Monday, and the second half of my Mid-Year Mini-Review Marathon will be up later this week. I’ve been busy with the Suoni per il Popolo festival in Montreal this last week plus, and will have some reflections on the fest (alongside the full transcript of my interview with Suoni director Kiva Stimac for paid subscribers) next week as well. This week’s ACL internet radio show for CAMP (airing Sunday at 6pm CET and available on their Mixcloud soon after) will feature our Ten Tracks That Sound Like Summer, plus a few extra selections to fill the hour, so let’s kick it off with that list.
Ten Tracks That Sound Like Summer
Summer is as much about the feeling of summer as the season itself; in like manner, summer music is as much about the sound as it is the season of release. Many summer albums are not released in summer, while classic summer tracks can drop at any time of year. This playlist collects tracks released in all four seasons, united by their summer vibe.
This year has been characterized by war and unrest, anxiety and uncertainty. We long for summer and its music more than ever, if only as a respite, a means of replenishing our strength. We hope that these songs lift your spirits and give you hope!
Our cover art comes from the single release of Sieren’s “Waves,” included in our list below!
Dalton Alexander ~ Last Night of Summer (oscarson)
While it may seem unusual to begin a summer playlist with a track titled “Last Night of Summer,” Dalton Alexander’s piece captures the wistfulness of summer: early evenings under the stars, the chirping of crickets and cicadas, and the sense that everything is ephemeral. Listen at the start of the season, and one may find one’s self appreciating summer all the more.
Sophie Hutchings ~ A Sense of Place (Mercury KX)
Sophie Hutchings’ life and music is inextricably tied to the sea. The expressive video exudes a love for oceans and waves, sand and shores, while the music touches upon the gentle beginning of the season, when everything lovely is beckoning. Ironically, Hutchings’ new album is released in the heart of winter in her native Australia, highlighting the longing for what is to come.
Dmitry Evgrafov ~ Upi (Open Pathways)
Another track from an as-yet unreleased album, “Upi” find Dmitry Evgrafov transformed. This is a new sound for the artist: classic trip-hop in the Tricky mode. Languid, slightly distorted strings in the back of the mix rise like burgeoning waves; light clicks are reminiscent of water on pebbles.
Shelf Nunny ~ I Think I’m Finally Happy (Sun Glitters Remix) (Self-Released)
We love the thought that Shelf Nunny may finally be happy, although happiness has been knocking on the artist’s door for years. In this track, he finally opens the door, only to find the aptly-named Sun Glitters! This gorgeous reimagining of an already-evocative track is the icing on the cake.
Elskavon ~ Panoramas (Western Vinyl)
The bright and ebullient title track of Elskavon’s new album has the rare honor of timing; the album was released on the very first day of summer. Those who enjoy seasonal music have been marking their calendars, waiting for the solstice to arrive and the album to drop! “Panoramas” captures the joy of open windows, open roads and open beaches, an entire season beckoning.
Bella Wakame ~ Shades of Nambei (Umor Rex)
The lead single from Bella Wakame’s self-titled album was inspired by Spirit Fest’s Nambei, but somehow manages to evoke 80s new wave, 90s trance and the X-Files theme as well. This punchy piece is tailor-made for club floors, uniting fans of many genres in a retro-futuristic dance party.
Sieren ~ Waves (Friends of Friends Music)
From the moment we heard it, “Waves” was destined for our summer playlist. The cover art of both single and album are perfectly designed to evoke the season: bright skies, freshly-hewn decks, friendly surf. The whole album sings of summer, and we can imagine it being played on the beach next to beach balls, sand castles and fully-stocked coolers.
Nicolas Bougaïeff ~ Summer Beach Bar Where Jodie Foster Goes in the Movie Contact (Mute)
An earlier frontrunner for The Best Track Title of Summer 2025, this mallet-led piece grooves from beginning to end, producing excitement for the full drop of the Sunday Summer EP on July 9. We’ve never thought of Contact as a beach movie, but maybe it’s time to watch it again!
4EVA ~ s2WINGSs2 (Pink Oyster)
Multiple sub-genres are represented on Yetsuby’s 4EVA, but the opening track is the one that sounds the most like summer. This brief piece is like a day that goes too fast, an eye-blink of ebullience, the sun descending too soon, leaving behind a residue of gratitude.
Ale Hop & Tita Makorta ~ Bonne année (Nyege Nyege Tapes)
Can we forget for a moment that bonne année means happy new year? When we featured this piece in our Winter Music Preview, we called it “a party in a box, winter’s happiest track.” Much time has passed since then ~ the track was released in November, the album in January ~ but “Bonne année” sounds just right for a summer vacation, from Peru to the Congo and everywhere in-between.
(Richard Allen)
First Half Highlights ~ The Top 20
We’re about to take a short summer break (back on Monday), but first, we’re excited to present our staff picks for the first half of 2025. We invited each writer to choose two albums or EPs released from January 1-June 30 and covered on our site. While there was no frontrunner (as only two releases received multiple votes), the consensus was that this has been an incredibly strong year for music to date.
One of the trends we’ve seen has been an increased number of topic-based albums, with artists tackling marginalization, deportation, war, genocide, climate change, natural disaster, screen addiction, fake news, A.I., and more. Often one has to read the liner notes (as many are instrumental releases), but the shift is obvious. The encouragement is that so many artists are turning their frustrations into fine art. We hope that you’ll enjoy our first half selections!
Andriana-Yaroslava Saienko ~ Atlantis (Original Theatre Soundtrack)
A heartfelt tribute to a town that no longer exists, this theatre production suggests that Bakhmut is the new Atlantis. Prayer and song emerge from the rubble, suggesting a spiritual residue. As the album closes with a pair of wedding songs, the next generation is imagined, if not affirmed.
BRUIT ≤ ~ The Age of Ephemerality (Pelagic)
The George Orwell quote at the end of the album seals its relevance. “Imagine a boot stamping on a human face – forever.” The French collective makes a mighty case against demagogues, double speak, technological slavery and supposed progress at the cost of human rights, channeling the spirit of GY!BE.
Concepción Huerta ~ El Sol de los Muertos (Umor Rex)
Using magma and lava as metaphors, the album channels mass anger against the lack of attention given to Mexico’s “disappeared.” Stories are squashed, texts are scrubbed, histories are rewritten, and the earth itself erupts in indignation.
Drum & Lace ~ tempora
An ode to the seasons, tempora contains tracks suitable for every time of year. The impression is one of peace, the cycles of nature offering solace, comfort and the feeling that all things, in time, shall pass.
Original Review
HxH ~ STARK PHENOMENA (OFNOT)
What are the chances that two albums on our mid-year list would reference. volcanos? This set associates an Ethiopian volcano with ancestry, the ocean with the primordial sea, and the spirit with the breath of creation: a literal return to roots.
Human Pyramids ~ Thank You (Ricco)
By far the happiest album on our list, Thank You is steeped in gratitude and exudes ebullience. Not a single second is dour or dark. The album serves as a reminder that there are still good things in life and events worth celebrating.
Jake Muir ~ Compana Sonans (enmossed)
The ultimate album for those who love church bells, Compana Sonans collects recordings from across Europe and weaves them into a pair of longform soundscapes. Sometimes the bells are methodical, tolling the time of day; at other times they burst into beautiful metal melodies.
Jeremy Young ~ Cablcar (Halocline Trance)
Tape wobble and reel-to-reel, field recording and found sound, comment and conversation collide on Cablcar. The fact that the letter e has fallen out seems appropriate, as the set is spliced together, hanging on hinges, fraying at the seams.
Kronos Quartet & Mary Kouyoumdjian ~ WITNESS (Phenotypic)
Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. This masterful album addresses the Lebanese civil war and the Armenian genocide, with obvious contemporary parallels. The album peaks with the literal “Bombs of Beirut,” which end all conversation, producing a stunned silence.
Laura Cannell ~ A Compendium of Beasts Vol. 1 (Brawl)
The first in a series (two more are already out), this compendium collects creatures real, imaginary and in-between, connecting legend and lore, history and imagination. We look forward to seeing where this series heads next!
Ludwig Göransson ~ Sinners (Original Motion Picture Score) (Sony)
The score of the year from the film of the year to date (the soundtrack is great too!), Sinners is a tribute to the power of music that simultaneously pushes music beyond existing boundaries to territories exciting and new. If you haven’t seen it yet, HBO Max will start screening it July 4.
Lyra Pramuk ~ Hymnal (7K!)
An astonishing vocal range is demonstrated on this multifaceted release, which turns Pramuk’s voice like a prism, holding it up to the light then allowing it to refract, investigating its colorful properties. The album is best listened to as a whole to allow the rainbow to collect its hues.
Natalie Beridze ~ Street Life
Dedicated to David Lynch, Street Life takes the sounds of street protests in Tbilisi and manipulates them into unpredictable forms. While crowds and car horns become nearly unrecognizable, the anguish is amplified, reflecting the disrupted, distorted nature of life in upheaval.
Penelope Trappes ~ A Requiem (One Little Independent)
As a new gothic icon, Penelope Trappes revels in the dark and demonic, embracing darkness in an unflinching manner. And yet by the end of the album, the sun comes out, the dark spirits dissipate, and one is left with a residue of light.
Saapato ~ Decomposition: Fox on a Highway
An incredible array of collaborators, from Laraaji to KMRU, help to bring Saapato’s vision to life; ironically, the topic is decomposition. As a body decomposes, so does a note, a track, a memory. The album may begin with a fox, but it travels down the highway to destinations unknown.
Sara Persico ~ Sphaîra (Subtext)
Tripoli’s Experimental Theatre was designed as a showcase for the area’s revival; that is, until civil war halted construction and the edifice was left to crumble and decay. Persico receives permission to record at the site, and explores its sonic properties while highlighting its pathos.
Theresa Wong ~ Journey to the Cave of Guanyin (Room40)
On this album the cello becomes a pilgrim, transformed by an encounter with a famed bodhisattva. After emerging from the cave, the timbres flow into undulating drones, imitating ancient chant and becoming a form of worship all their own.
Valotihkuu ~ Drifting Between Seasons
Many albums honor specific seasons, but few stare into their seams. This album travels the tunnel between winter and spring, incorporating snow and rain, cold and warmth, reflecting the fact that no season is a single, unflinching entity.
Various Artists ~ Only Sounds That Tremble Through Us (Bilna’es)
The genesis predates the existing conflicts, which makes the project seem prescient. Beginning with recordings of “people singing and dancing in communal spaces in Iraq, Palestine, Syria, and Yemen,” the set expanded to an installation, an album, and a second LP of commissioned works.
William Tyler ~ Time Indefinite (Psychic Hotline)
Far more than just a guitar album, Time Indefinite incorporates choir, drone and horses’ hooves, traveling from emotional instability to relative peace. While there’s no predicting how long such peace might last, Tyler’s journey proves that such a thing is possible, even now.