Summer Preview: 4 Must-Hear Albums & Their Alternatives

The summer season can be one of the most exciting times of the year for an artist to release new music. With the days getting longer and warmer, music that evokes the carefree, sweltering days of summer are perfect to soundtrack your nights out, beach days and your BBQ parties.

Over the next few months, major pop stars and indie artists alike will run the gamut of new releases, ranging from saccharine albums that unleash radio bangers and to smaller LPs with lesser known, but equally exciting, jams. The artists listed below are expected to release new music this summer (along with some alternatives), ranging from hip-hop, pop, experimental music and rock, that will be worth checking out.

Genre: Pop
Artist: Troye Sivan
Album: "Bloom"
Release: August 31

Coming out during the tail of summer is queer pop singer Troye Sivan's sophomore album. He's already generated early buzz with his latest singles "My My My!" and "The Other Side." His newest single "Bloom," which is the title track from his forthcoming effort, made headlines for being described as "an anthem for power bottoms." The young singer, inspired by queer artists before him like George Michael and Boy George, is upfront about his sexuality in his music, making him a refreshing voice in the pop landscape dominated by straight men. Though it'll be a few more months before Sivan shares "Bloom," the singer's smart approach to his music will be worth the wait.

Alternative
Genre: Pop
Artist: Christina Aguilera
Album: "Liberation"
Release: June 15

It's been six years since Christina Aguilera shared new music - her seventh album "Lotus" was released back in 2012. The iconic singer has already dropped three songs from her upcoming effort, "Liberation." The lead single "Acceleration," produced by Kanye West and features rappers Ty Dolla $ign and 2 Chainz, is a daring and sprawling song unlike anything she's released. Buzz song "Twice" is a stirring ballad that Xtina fans have come to know and love her for. Her latest single "Fall in Line" has been described as a "feminist anthem" and features fellow powerhouse singer Demi Lovato. The track is also a spiritual sequel to Aguilera's 2003 song, "Can't Hold Us Down." Katy Perry tried her hand with political pop on her 2017 album "Witness" and now it seems Xtina is picking up where she left off.

Genre: Hip-hop
Artist: Kanye West, Kids See Ghost
Album: "Love Everyone," "Kids See Ghost"
Release: June 1, June 8

Kanye West is promising fans a lot while also putting them through a lot. The iconic rapper returned to social media this spring and, for better and for worse, offered updates about his own music, collaborative projects and a number of albums he's producing. The updates came while he touted support for President Donald Trump and ultra-conservative figures, like commentator Candace Owens. Nevertheless, during his distressing tweet storms, West said he'd follow up his daring 2016 album "The Life of Pablo" on June 1 with a 7-track album called "Love Everyone." A week later, he says he'll release a collaborative album with Kid Cudi under the name Kids See Ghost. Fans, however, are likely cautiously optimistic, given the roller coaster ride that was the rollout for "TLOP." Still, West's music, often game-changing and challenging, will undoubtedly be one of the biggest music moments of 2018. That is, if it does come this year.

Alternative:
Genre: Hip-hop
Artist: Drake
Album: "Scorpion"
Release: June

Drake has provided fans with a constant flow of music over the last few years, releasing new albums, mixtapes, one-off singles, EPs and "playlists" since his 2013 album "Nothing Was the Same." Earlier this year, he released the two song EP "Scary Hours," which contained the chart-topping hit "God's Plan." After teasing that his fifth album, likely titled "Scorpion," will drop sometime in June, the Canadian rapper released the stunning single "Nice for What," a breezy R&B and hip-hop bop that's one of the best songs of the year. (Like "God's Plan," that song also went to no. 1 on the Hot 100 Billboard chart.) There's no telling if his previously released 2018 songs will be included on "Scorpion" but Drake, who is at his apex of popularity, rarely disappoints (even the over-stuffed "Views" had a handful of stellar tracks) so his latest effort will probably be one of the biggest successes of the summer - if not the year.

Genre: Rock
Artist: Florence + the Machine
Album: "High as Hope"
Release: June 29

Florence + the Machine are readying their new album "High as Hope," following their understated and minimal 2015 effort "How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful." Though the sparse buzz single "Sky Full of Song" sounded like it could have come from their last album (with barebones production, the song highlighted vocalist Florence Welch's powerhouse voice), but the band returned true to form with its official lead single "Hunger," a dazzling and explosive earworm co-written by Welch, producer Emile Haynie (Lana Del Rey), Thomas Bartlett (St. Vincent) and indie singer-songwriter Tobias Jesso Jr. The band collaborated with Haynie, who co-produces all of "High as Hope" along with Welch. Also contributing is Jesso Jr., Bartlett and Brett Shaw. "High as Hope" will likely be another satisfying album in Florence + the Machine's solid discography.

Alternative:
Genre: Rock
Artist: Snail Mail
Album: "Lush"
Release: June 8

Snail Mail gives us hope that rock is not dead. At just 18-years-old, the queer Baltimore rocker, whose real name is Lindsey Jordan, is generating much-earned buzz ahead of her debut album "Lush," thanks to her 2016 EP "Habit" and her latest string of singles, "Pristine," "Heat Wave" and "Let's Find an Out." Guitar music hasn't sounded so rich and vibrant in years. As The New York Times' Caryn Ganz describes Jordan, she's got "a high school diploma, an emotional intelligence well beyond her years and a chance to push herself out on a bigger stage."

Genre: Experimental
Artist: Let's Eat Grandma
Album: "I'm All Ears"
Release: June 29
The impact of the experimental pop collective PC Music is being felt with the new music coming from the young British duo, Let's Eat Grandma. Childhood friends Rosa Walton and Jenny Hollingworth released their debut album "I, Gemini" in 2016 and their upcoming sophomore effort "I'm All Ears" sounds to be like a grander expression of experimental pop music. "Hot Pink," which could be mistaken for a PC Music release, is an electric bop. "Falling Into Me" is a sprawling banger and the duo's third single "It's Not Just Me" is an epic anthem, and one of the best songs of the year. It's also their most streamlined song to date, thanks to producers PC Music adjacent musician SOPHIE and Faris Badwan of the British goth rock band the Horrors. It's certainly impressive music coming from two young teens.

Alternative:
Genre: Experimental
Artist: Oneohtrix Point Never
Album: "Age Of"
Release: June 1

Composer Oneohtrix Point Never, whose real name is Daniel Lopatin, has dabbled in creating incredible soundscapes based on nostalgia - old commercials, specific sounds from games and more are often used as templates and building blocks for his music. His newest album "Age Of" could possibly his most refined and accessible work to date, at least judging by its lead single "Black Snow." Not only was the album co-produced by electronic artist James Blake (who found cross over success since breaking on to the scene in 2010) but Lopatin enlisted the help of other artists, including singers ANOHNI and Prurient. ANOHNI appears on the hypnotic and dystopian single "Black Snow," lending her stunning voice to the track, allowing Lopatin to distort and warp it. Though "Black Snow" is the only taste Lopatin has shared from "Age Of," there's a good chance his latest effort will evoke a digitized hellscape, the perfect soundtrack for the MAGA era.