This August saw an insane lineup of music being released; almost every Friday, another album dropped from one of my favorite artists. In short, the music industry was well fed this month. Everyone from Sabrina Carpenter, to Conan Gray, to Laufey, Renee Rapp, Sombr, and Chappell Roan released something this month, and I wanted to highlight my favorite releases: “The Subway”, Bite Me, A Matter of Time, and Man’s Best Friend.
“The Subway” – Chappell Roan
This single by Chappell Roan is one I have been waiting to be released for a very long time now, and Chappell did not disappoint. She debuted “The Subway” at the Gov Ball in June of 2024, and it immediately grabbed people’s attention. Over a year later, the single is finally out on streaming platforms and is undoubtedly one of my favorite songs she has released. This song is a passionate, ear-catching ballad that I listened to 41 times in August, according to my Apple Music monthly replay, so my high opinion of this song is evident, and I highly recommend it to all music listeners. This song has a more bare feeling to it with layered instrumental sounds, especially guitar and soft drums, rather than the synth that made up most of her previous songs. This change in sound helps the vocals in the song really shine and gives it more emotional depth that really complements the lyrical content of the song.
Bite Me – Reneé Rapp
This album kicks off the avalanche of August albums, released on the first of the month. Renee Rapp is relatively underground for someone with her record and level of talent. Along with her incredible career in pop music, Renee starred in Mean Girls the Musical on Broadway as Regina George and in the series, The Sex Lives of College Girls, as Leighton. She continues to showcase her impressive range with her third album, Bite Me. This album has a new sound for Reneé that leans more alternative than her older works, while still balancing that ratio of emotion and fun that was a staple in her other albums. My favorites from this album are “At Least I’m Hot” and “That’s So Funny”, both of which showcase her incredible vocal abilities.
A Matter of Time – Laufey
A Matter of Time was another album I was highly anticipating this month. Laufey is one of my favorite artists because of her ability to integrate her love for jazz and the classics into her music. This album was no exception to that rule. This was probably one of my favorite works released by any artist this year. While it lacked the volume of love songs you would typically expect from one of Laufey’s albums, she didn’t miss a beat. She says this album is about how it is only a matter of time before your lover sees every side of you, and she worked hard to capture every part of herself in this album. She wrote a lot about past experiences, her insecurities, and of course her love. Everything about his album was personal and expressive, as far from performative as you can get. My favorites were “Castle in Hollywood” and “Carousel”, both songs that I really connected with the first time I listened to the album and stuck with me.
Man’s Best Friend – Sabrina Carpenter
Of course, released at the very end of August was Man’s Best Friend by Sabrina Carpenter. Being released only a year after her last album, Short and Sweet, I had my doubts about this album being high in quality, but I was proved very wrong. This album is an excellent continuation of Sabrina’s signature style, full of catchy beats, fun lyrics, and her signature wordplay. One thing I really loved about this album, which Sabrina has also talked about in interviews, is how the songs tell one cohesive story. The album’s songs are each distinct moments in a single chain of events, something Sabrina hasn’t done before in any of her previous works. This is why she urges her fans to listen to the album in full and in order to appreciate the work as a whole. Although I had my doubts about this album, it did not disappoint, and I enjoyed having a listening party with some of my close friends to celebrate the release and listen to it for the first time together. After a few listens, my favorite songs from the album are “My Man on Willpower” and “Housetour”.
