Practically skipping out the door and tripping over my own feet, I’m downright giddy. I’ve never been quite so excited to drive to an eight hour shift at my minimum wage job, but at this point any car ride is the highlight of my day. I finally climb into the driver’s seat and sit there fiddling with my keys until my phone graciously decides to connect to Bluetooth and without looking or adjusting anything within Spotify THE playlist starts. My perfect summer playlist. Summer 2024 has been so good to me in regards to new music with three of my top artists releasing new albums one right after the other. Thus, my The Secret of Us/The Golden Years/Short n’ Sweet playlist was born. As you can see I’m a genius when it comes to playlist titles (let me know if you need help thinking of one).
The Secret of Us by Gracie Abrams:
Gracie Abrams has been one of my favorite artists ever since I saw her open for Olivia Rodrigo on her SOUR Tour in April of 2022. She has been releasing music since 2019 and her debut album Good Riddance was released in 2023. Because Good Riddance came out just last year, I was shocked to see how fast Abrams cranked out another album with The Secret of Us coming out in June of 2024. I absolutely love this album. Her songwriting has really matured while still staying true to her own artistry. This album is a lot more upbeat than the previous, but it still has the emotional depth that I felt in Good Riddance.
The lead singles from The Secret of Us are “Risk” and “Close To You” which I think, though both amazing songs, only one of them is really needed. “Risk” is the perfect way to transition from the somber slow tempoed ballads that Good Riddance was known for, to the hopeful and butterfly inducing tone that I think really shines through in this record. I don’t have an issue with “Close To You” being on the album, but I personally don’t believe it fits well as a single. This song was written years ago by a much younger Abrams and though I do love it, because it was written so long ago, it didn’t follow the main story that The Secret of Us is about. Singles are supposed to set the tone for the rest of the album and “Close To You” just doesn’t accomplish that. A song that I think would have benefited itself and the album from being a single instead is “Blowing Smoke.” This is a fan favorite, one of my favorites as well, and though it keeps with the upbeat theme, It just feels more cohesive with the rest of the album.
The Golden Years by Joshua Bassett:
Fast Forward to July 26, my personal most-anticipated album of the year was finally released. After nearly five years of waiting and hoping, Joshua Bassett’s debut album The Golden Years is all I’ve ever wanted. There is such a great emotional range throughout the album which I think is a really good move considering Bassett isn’t really known for a specific tone in his music. He is a very versatile artist and It is nice to hear him explore all of his different styles in a single album.
The singles on this album are very well chosen with one being the title track, “The Golden Years,” and the other one called “Dancing With Tears In My Eyes” which I believe really sums up the concept of the project as a whole. I am usually not a huge fan of the title track being a lead single because I believe it’s better to build anticipation for the album by withholding what should be the core of the story. The vibes of this song, however, are so immaculate that it actually made me more excited. Because of how all encompassing the title “Dancing With Tears In My Eyes” is, I believe that this is actually the most perfect choice Bassett could’ve made. It is literally a description of me while first listening to the album. “Look How Far You’ve Come” is by far my favorite song on the album for many reasons. Bassett has always been very open with his journey whether it be in his faith, his relationships, or even in his mental health. This song felt like a love letter to his younger self and I just can’t get over it. I cried for a solid half an hour.
Short n’ Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter:
Sabrina Carpenter has had a huge year. Short n’ Sweet, her sixth studio album, came out on August 23rd 2024 and had a wildly successful debut compared to all of her past work. I feel like in the past, people have known of Carpenter, but more so for her work on Disney Channel and not so much for her music. With her 2021 release emails i can’t send, Carpenter started to gain more traction than ever considering all the drama surrounding the album. Ever since, listeners including myself have been anxiously waiting for something new. Short n’ Sweet made it very obvious that Carpenter has found her sound and the fans are loving it. This is the epitome of a summer album and I absolutely cannot get over it.
“Espresso,” the fan acclaimed song of the summer, has been stuck in everybody’s heads since it was released way back in April. It is a great choice of a lead single, capitalizing on all the popularity Carpenter had at the time through her song “Feather” and her time opening for Taylor Swift on The Eras Tour. “Espresso” sticks with the pop princess vibe that “Feather” has and gave me and everyone else something to savor while waiting on an official album announcement. “Please Please Please” is the next single and, again, perfection. If Carpenter knows how to do anything, it’s how to take advantage of her current situation, and she did just this by casting Barry Keoghan, her boyfriend, to play the romantic lead in the music video. On the day of the album release, Carpenter dropped the final single, my personal favorite, “Taste.” This song’s energy is just out of this world, and something about the melody is just ridiculously addictive. Not to mention Jenna Ortega starring in the video.
I pull up to work and the fact that I have to stop my music is absolutely devastating. My obsession with all of these albums is not something I can necessarily describe, but I can say that my AirPods will not remain in my pocket for long.