BY: Alexis Eichelberger

It’s only July, and summer is still heating up. Nevertheless, the middle of the month is bringing some steamy and long-awaited new releases that we’re sure are going to rocket up the charts and be on repeat for the rest of the year.

We’re breaking down four releases coming July 16, 2021. Here are four hot new albums coming soon.

 

JOHN MAYER’S SOB ROCK

You either love to hate him or hate to love him. The modern guitar icon is back with his first new album in four years. John Mayer announced last month that the title of his eighth studio album would be Sob Rock, a title fit for the almost campy vintage-inspired album artwork.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Mayer explained that he created this album in the throes of the pandemic when he was longing for comfort. 

“I asked myself, ‘What music makes me feel like everything’s going to be okay?'” he said. “And it’s the music I listened to growing up in the ’80s. There’s a security-blanket aspect about that sound that reminds me of a safer time.”

Mayer has already released four of the ten tracks on the album, including the fan-favorite “New Light” and the easygoing “Carry Me Away.” The latest drop, “Last Train Home,” has a glorious retro rock vibe that left us wanting more.

 

CLAIRO’S SLING

Indie princess Clairo is also back with her highly anticipated sophomore album. The dreamy sounding 22-year-old stole our hearts when songs like “Sofia” and “Flaming Hot Cheetos” took over the internet in recent years. We’ve been longing for a second record ever since.

The new album, titled Sling, will feature 12 tracks. Unfortunately, we don’t know much about them, and we’ve only heard one single so far. But what a song! “Blouse” is a beautifully sad ballad that builds from a hushed acoustic lullaby into an orchestral masterpiece. If that wasn’t enough to persuade you to listen, it was produced by Jack Antonoff, and Lorde sings backup vocals.

 

WILLOW’S LATELY I FEEL EVERYTHING

WILLOW (yes, as in Willow Smith) is the future of pop-punk. She’s solidified herself as the new face of the genre’s revival with a single song, and we’ve got high hopes for the remainder of her upcoming album Lately I Feel Everything.

We’ve adored watching this talented young woman come to fruition as an artist, and we have an unshakeable suspicion that this genre is exactly where she’s supposed to be. She sounds bold and brave and loud. Everything a girl should be in 2021.

If you haven’t heard her killer collab with drummer Travis Barker “t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l,” there is something significant missing from your life. Also released from Lately I Feel Everything so far is “Lipstick,” a trippy, gritty rock track that paints an intimate portrait of a girl grappling with the harshness of reality.

 

TONES AND I’S WELCOME TO THE MADHOUSE

Australia’s overnight pop sensation will finally deliver her debut studio album on July 16. Tones and I’s Welcome to the Madhouse has been in the works since before the coronavirus pandemic. The extra time afforded Tones and I some extra time to add additional tracks and hone them to perfection. We can’t wait to hear the finished product.

“Dance Monkey” put Tones and I on the map, but this album will feature some of her other stellar hits like “Fly Away” and “Ur So F**king Cool.” The record is entirely self-produced by Tones and I, something she’s very proud of, according to an interview with MTV News.

“These songs are completely me and my own production,” she said. “It’s not swayed by other songwriters or by anyone that’s trying to help me get a hit, because that’s never been important to me.”