With July Staff Picks, our writers and editors share the records from this month that turned into our obsessions. Here, in alphabetical order, are what we think are the 15 best albums from July 2023.
ANOHNI and the Johnsons — My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross
ANOHNI has said that the touchstones for her first album with The Johnsons in over a decade were Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On, Marsha P. Johnson (who graces the cover), and her own 2016 solo LP HOPELESSNESS. While press release descriptors can often be so much set dressing, damn it all if My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross isn’t an exact synthesis of everything ANOHNI mentioned. Introducing a new (and perhaps entirely pioneering) baroque soul sound, this singular artist has created a stirring record about living amidst the maddening sorrow of the modern world. Just as ANOHNI intended, however, it’s not a record to wallow, but to accompany and nourish the listener through the shared experience. — Ben Kaye
aldn — The End EP
aldn’s new EP The End concludes a long string of releases for the producer, singer, and songwriter, and it’s his strongest body of work yet. His style draws upon dozens of influences, culminating in a singular hyperpop vision. The hooks on The End are so thunderous that they can break entire songs open; look no further than the infectious “headstrong gunner,” which features a pitched-up, earworm chorus melody that takes the song’s dance-punk attitude to cathartic desperation. He aptly soundtracks the feeling of icy distance in a relationship, like on the swampy, energetic “sub 32.” And overall, aldn creates with extraordinary confidence, even when he’s manipulating his vocals and shrouding his emotions in reverb. It may be The End, but hopefully, it’s just the beginning of a new era for aldn. — Paolo Ragusa
Alice Phoebe Lou — Shelter
One of the reasons we here at Consequence created our CoSigns feature was to let readers get in on the ground floor of a musician destined for something great. When we bestowed the honor on Alice Phoebe Lou back in 2019, Shelter is the album we were anticipating. That’s not to say the pair of records she dropped in 2021 (Glow and Child’s Play) weren’t excellent; it’s just Shelter has all the spacey-yet-intimate, raw-yet-lovely songwriting that enamored us in the first place presented at its absolute peak. The psychedelics may be reeled in, but the harmonics are as adventurous as ever, reminding us APL is every bit the artist we knew she was. — B. Kaye
Barbie the Album
Barbie the Album, on the surface, is everything you’d expect it to be — bright fun pop leaning heavily into the Barbie brand. The first track? Literally Lizzo’s movie-opening number “Pink,” with its film-specific lyrics and poor grasp of spelling. (“K? Cool!”)
However, like the film itself, there’s unexpected depth here, as there’s more crossover between the soundtrack and the actual film than we often see these days — which is to say, most of the songs on the album are actually featured in the movie, in significant ways. Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” is easily the best bop, while later tracks echo Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling)’s individual identity crises: Billie Eilish performing a song entitled “What Was I Made For?” is so on the nose it’s actually kind of perfect, while Gosling gets to croon on two different numbers, the original song “I’m Just Ken” and a cover of Matchbox 20’s “Push” that will make you feel like you’re alive and it’s 1996 again. It’s a record that truly captures the spirit of a film — the platonic ideal of a soundtrack album. — Liz Shannon Miller
Blur — The Ballad of Darren
From the Consequence review: “While it’s as contemplative as Albarn’s early looks at British life and identity, the magnifying glass is pointed inwards, and the band is wrestling with how to move forward in peace. And yet, as Albarn assures, these are still Blur songs through and through, a voicing of ideas linked to band’s past while turning their gaze towards the future. Growing older can be sad, but Blur know that light arrives after darkness. Across 10 songs, you can hear them each trying to find it, hand in hand, harmony after harmony.” — P. Ragusa
Ethan Tasch — Got Him!
Ethan Tasch – Got Him! Artwork
Ethan Tasch is a member of a very cool LA music scene, and he’s brought along some pals for his excellent debut album, Got Him!. Remi Wolf, spill tab, Wallice, and Boyish all chip in with backing vocals throughout the album, but Tasch’s strengths are scattered everywhere. He blends homespun country sounds with an indie spirit (fans of Hovvdy and Kacey Musgraves will feel right at home in Ethan Tasch’s hybrid style), rooting these songs in classic folk instruments, numerous funny lines, and his warm, pillowy-soft baritone. The album feels like a long time coming for Tasch, who arrives with a fully-formed statement and a bright future ahead. — P. Ragusa
Far Caspian — The Last Remaining Light
Far Caspian – The Last Remaining Light Album Artwork
It’s a wonder that Joel Johnston’s project Far Caspian hasn’t had its viral moment on TikTok yet. Any number of songs from their most recent record, The Last Remaining Light, could replace Duster as the soundtrack for all those existential memes that keep popping up on the platform (everyone else is getting those, right? RIGHT!?!). Their slowcore-infused, tuneful indie rock is as mesmerizing as it is melancholically self-reflective. With wonderfully downtrodden cuts like “Choice” and “Own,” The Last Remaining Light comes together to be one of Johnston’s best, most vibey collection of tracks yet. — Jonah Krueger
Haviah Mighty — Crying Crystals
With her 2019 debut 13th Floor, Haviah Mighty invited us to look at the things we’d like to ignore, and her 2021 mixtape Stock Exchange probed capitalism and excess, but Crying Crystals finds the Canadian MC somewhere we haven’t found her yet: in the club, and all in her feels. Her second official album is her most accessible work yet, with vibrant beats that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on Beyoncé’s RENAISSANCE. Haviah’s lyrics are as incisive as ever, and she proves to be as enchanting swimming in relationships as she is battling ideas. From someone who consistently challenges our heads, it’s refreshing to hear all that heart. — Wren Graves
Local Natives — Time Will Wait For No One
It’s a blessing when an indie band just keeps getting better with every release. Each new Local Natives album, from 2010’s scrappy-but-influential Gorilla Manor to their harmony-laden 2019 album Violet Street, contain multiple instant classics for the band, and Time Will Wait For No One is no different. There’s clarity, unity, and soul-baring: Co-vocalist Kelcey Ayer’s devastating narration on “Paradise” is reinforced by his bandmates flooding in for support, the effortless “Just Before the Morning” is like melodic candy, and the slow-burning “Hourglass” rings out with sticky, evocative harmonies. But the most memorable and infectious moment of the album arrives towards the end with “NYE,” a passionate post-punk romp that finds Local Natives on an urgent high. It’s one of their best songs to-date, and it shows that even with age, Local Natives are brimming with charm. — P. Ragusa
Madeline Kenney — A New Reality Mind
Madeline Kenney’s latest effort is wildly ambitious, textural, and filled with deliberate detail. The Oakland artist has shown in her previous releases that she knows exactly how and when to utilize her powerful voice, and A New Reality Mind advances upon these dynamic melodies and versatile presentation. She’ll create mesmerizing patterns just to break them, like on the thumping “I Drew a Line” and the effervescent, synth-heavy “Superficial Conversation.” A New Reality Mind is exactly the album that Madeline Kenney needs right now, a wholly authentic and provocative sonic experience that elevates her strengths to soaring heights. — P. Ragusa
NewJeans — Get Up
We have to face it: NewJeans are operating on an entirely different level. The bright, fresh K-pop group’s second EP is simply ethereal, a mesh of UK garage and glittering Y2K sounds that simply works. They have the airy vocals, the well-placed harmonies, the choreography, and the chemistry to bring it all to life and make it feel believable. Who else could secure the Tony Leung and Hoyeon for a music video less than a full year into their careers?! NewJeans are the revolution, so it’s time to get swept into their storm. — M. Siroky
Paris Texas — MID AIR
The debut album from Paris Texas has beats, bars, and bounce to spare. The buzzy duo of Louie Pastel and Felix already possess a veteran’s chemistry, with both MCs able to bring high heat or swerve offspeed depending on the needs of the song. The results never lose momentum, capturing the feeling of jumping in a pit, suspending the listener in the moment you first break free from gravity when its unclear if you’re ever coming down. — W. Graves
