July 2024 Vinyl Releases
July 2024 Vinyl Releases
Highlighting records out this month that I’m excited about. For upcoming vinyl releases sent to your inbox every month, subscribe below.
The Best Albums of July 2024
Johnny Blue Skies - Passage Du Desir
Get Vinyl: Gold | Black
Debuts #10 on the Album of the Year Leaderboard
After vowing to release only five albums under his name, Sturgill Simpson kicks off a new era with Johnny Blue Skies and Passage Du Desir, on his independent label, High Top Mountain Records.
Clocking in at eight songs and 42 minutes, this album is classic Sturgill, as if he turned back the clock ten years. While his recent projects—Ballad of Dood & Juanita, Cuttin’ Grass, and SOUND & FURY—were solid, they felt like fun side gigs. Passage Du Desir stands tall with Metamodern Sounds and Sailor’s Guide as some of his best work.
Listening to this, I’m reminded of so many greats: John Mayer, Allman Brothers, The Band, Jimmy Buffett, even David Bowie. The whole album is a no-skip zone, but standout tracks include the soulful “If The Sun Never Rises Again,” the grandiose “Jupiter’s Faerie,” and the stellar closer “One for the Road,” which is one of the best album finales this year.
Clairo - Charm
Get Vinyl: Blue Marble | Yellow | Pink | Purple | Black
Debuts #14 on the Album of the Year Leaderboard
Indie pop darling Clairo is back with her third album, Charm, co-produced by Leon Michels (of The Dap-Kings, El Michels Affair, Menahan Street Band).
First single “Sexy to Someone” is a jazzy-psych delight that feels like it could've slipped right off Vampire Weekend’s newest record. It’s in my top ten songs of the year so far.
While the rest of Charm doesn’t quite reach those highs, it’s a warm, lived-in record that grows on you with each listen. “Slow Dance” especially has been on repeat (that piano!), and the psychedelic “Echo” will remind you of Jessica Pratt’s AotY contender. I can see this one climbing up the leaderboard as the weather gets colder.
Molly Nilsson - Un-American Activities
Get Vinyl: White
Debuts #28 on the Album of the Year Leaderboard
Berlin-based lo-fi synth-pop artist Molly Nilsson has just dropped her eleventh album, Un-American Activities, and for the first time, it comes with vibrant color album art (the previous ten were all monochromatic), courtesy of her own indie label, Dark Skies Association.
Timed perfectly with America’s Independence Day, the album was recorded in California at the home of Lion Feuchtwanger, a writer who fiercely opposed Hitler in the 1930s. Feuchtwanger's tale of imprisonment, escape, and asylum in the U.S. threads through Nilsson’s music, creating a work that’s both a tribute and a sharp critique of America’s unfulfilled promises.
The ten-track, 30-minute album is loaded with infectious 80’s melodies and shimmering tones. Standouts include the grand, soaring anthems "Excalibur" and "Red Telephone." The album's centerpiece, "Palestine (Somewhere Over the Rainbow)," with its Wizard of Oz homage and blend of empathy and solidarity, captures the spirit of hope and resistance against oppression.
Cassandra Jenkins - My Light, My Destroyer
Get Vinyl: Summer Sky Splash | Pink Clear Wave
Debuts #32 on the Album of the Year Leaderboard
Cassandra Jenkins’ new album, My Light, My Destroyer, is like an interstellar voyage wrapped in soft rock bliss. Her enchanting vocals pull you in, casting a spell that’s both soothing and spellbinding. The lush instrumentation and dazzling chord progressions make each track a delightful escape.
Jenkins’ soundscapes feel literally out of this world. She blends cosmic wonders with earthy emotions, crafting a subtle and poetic experience that’ll leave you starry-eyed and craving more.
toe - NOW I SEE THE LIGHT
Get Vinyl: Madness Summer Pink
Debuts #51 on the Album of the Year Leaderboard
I'm thrilled that Japanese math rock band toe is back in our lives! Their first album in a decade is set to satisfy long-time fans and hook new listeners. It’s an ideal soundtrack for anyone craving a meditative, ambient experience.
Upcoming July Releases
Childish Gambino - Bando Stone & The New World
Get Vinyl: No vinyl announced yet | July 19 Release
Donald Glover is set to release the sixth and final album under his Childish Gambino moniker, Bando Stone & the New World, this Friday. Serving as the soundtrack for his upcoming film of the same name, directed by Glover, the album promises a genre-blending experience. Rumored collaborations include Steve Lacy, Flo Milli, Fousheé, Jorja Smith, Yeat, Amaarae, and Khruangbin (hell yeah!). The Bando film is slated to hit theaters and IMAX later this year.
Glass Animals - I Love You So F***ing Much
Get Vinyl: Black and White Splatter | Black | July 19 Release
I love me some Glass Animals, but I’m a little worried with their upcoming album, their first since Dreamland rose to the top of the charts four years ago thanks to the ubiquitous hit “Heat Waves.” The new singles haven’t wowed me and the self-censoring album title is cringe. Still, I’m holding out hope!
Los Campesinos! - All Hell
Get Vinyl: Harvest Moon | Milky Clear | July 19 Release
Los Campesinos fans, we are so back! After seven long years since 2017’s "Sick Scenes," the seven-piece Wales band returns with a new album on their very own label.
You’ve got to love this band. Despite having day jobs, they pool their money to tour small venues and keep ticket prices affordable for their fans.
Unlike the Glass Animals rollout, the singles have hit my sweet spot, especially “kms” with rare lead vocals by keyboardist Kim Paisey.
Ben Seretan - Allora
Get Vinyl: Highlighter Yellow | Orange/Bone | July 26 Release
I hadn’t heard of New York artist Ben Seretan until recently, but I’m correcting that now. The first singles from his new album Allora (Italian for “at that time”) caught my attention so much that I pre-ordered the vinyl based on their strength alone. I'm especially enamored with opener “New Air,” an eight-minute guitar jam that's as exhilarating and sprawling as anything I've heard this year.
Cults - To The Ghosts
Get Vinyl: Pinkurple, Zoetrope Slipmat | Green, Slipmat | Black, Slipmat | July 26 Release
Cults, the indie-pop duo of singer Madeline Follin and guitarist Brian Oblivion, have crafted a timeless sound that's instantly recognizable, and their early singles from To The Ghosts continue this trend. Their debut album still holds up incredibly well, and they’ll be hitting the road with Vampire Weekend on tour this September and October.
Upcoming Vinyl Reissues
Bloc Party - A Weekend in the City, Intimacy, Four
Get Vinyl: AWITC on Green, Intimacy on Pink, Four on Yellow | July 26 Release
Back in April, I recently made a list of my top ten vinyl I most want to see repressed, and already two have been announced!
Last month, it was Sade’s discography getting repressed, and now we get word that Bloc Party’s three albums after Silent Alarm are finally getting a colored vinyl reissue: A Weekend in the City on green wax, Intimacy on pink, and Four on yellow.
I’m most excited for A Weekend in the City, the brooding sequel to debut Silent Alarm, with its gritty riffs and venomous lyrics expressing disillusionment with the culture.
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
Get Vinyl: Red and Blue | July 26 Release
One of the quintessential '90s pop rock records, Californication, turns 25 this year. With a freshly sobered John Frusciante back on guitar, the Chili Peppers cranked out some of their biggest hits to date: the iconic title track, "Scar Tissue," and "Otherside." To celebrate, a gorgeous red and blue vinyl edition is dropping at the end of the month.
Linkin Park - Meteora
Get Vinyl: Gold and Red Splatter | July 26 Release
Somehow I don’t have Linkin Park’s rap-rock masterpiece Meteora on wax, so I’m pouncing on this one; I love the spray can splatter vinyl that perfectly complements the album cover.
Mariah Carey - #1’s
Get Vinyl: Metallic Silver and Black Swirl | July 26 Release
If you don’t have any Mariah Carey in your collection, this compilation of her first 13 chart-topping singles is a great place to start. What an extraordinary stretch of number ones and record breakers for Mimi between 1990 to when this came out originally in 1998. Now, 25+ years later, this is available on colored vinyl for the first time in the United States.
Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense
Get Vinyl: Clear | Black | July 26 Release
The Talking Heads film by Jonathan Demme, Stop Making Sense, is widely regarded as the best concert film of all time and now it’s been newly remastered on vinyl with two previously unreleased songs.
On the same day, A24 Music is releasing Everyone’s Getting Involved, a tribute album to Stop Making Sense. This 16-track compilation comes in Big Suit Silver and standard black vinyl, featuring a star-studded lineup including The National, Miley Cyrus, Paramore, BADBADNOTGOOD, Norah Jones, Toro y Moi, Lorde, girl in red, and more. These reissues are all the excuse I need to give the film a rewatch!
Hey friends, thanks for tuning in! We’d love to hear what you’ve been spinning lately, so drop your favs in the comments.
Just a quick note: we're still waiting to hear back from our latest vinyl giveaway winner. As soon as that’s sorted, we'll have all the details for you, hopefully later this week. Until then, happy collecting!