Pretty hard to believe, but the raging dumpster fire known as 2017 is already more than halfway over. Summer’s warmth will soon be cooled by that familiar autumn breeze. If we’re just talking about music though, 2017 has actually been a pretty great year. Top artists like Kendrick Lamar, Lorde, and Lana Del Ray have all blessed us with excellent albums in the first half of the year.
With so many killer releases from big artists, it’s understandable if some of the less hyped projects fell off your radar. We know you’re busy and don’t have time to scour for each and every last hidden musical gem. That’s what we’re here for. Check out these albums you might have missed this year and let us know on Twitter what albums we’re still sleeping on!
BROCKHAMPTON – Saturation – BROCKHAMPTON Records
For a hip hop collective featuring more than ten members, BROCKHAMPTON have truly impressive chemistry. All of the small individual contributions on the project add up to way more than the sum of their parts. On a single track you might hear five or six distinct flows and cadences and yet, it somehow all still works. Standout tracks here are the infectious ‘Gold’ and the inventive “Star.”
Fit for an Autopsy – The Great Collapse – Entertainment One Music
Some people would say the deathcore genre is dead. Fit for an Autopsy would say otherwise. While The Great Collapse does not present any truly new ideas, it is the most perfectly executed combination of death metal and hardcore in recent memory. If you jammed to Whitechapel or Suicide Silence in 2008, this is your album. From the opening track until the furious end of ‘Spiral,’ this one packs a punch.
Syd – Fin – Columbia Records
With this record, Syd solidifies her position as one of the most promising renaissance women in music. Already an established producer and audio engineer with The Internet and Odd Future, here she showcases a different talent. On Fin her voice is simultaneously demure and soulful. She effortlessly floats over a unique production palate that combines pop-trap influence with a more traditional R&B sound.
Joyner Lucas – 508-507-2209 – Atlantic Records
A rapper since the age of 10, the 28-year-old from Massachusetts has been going at it for almost as long as some of hip-hop’s most popular new acts have been breathing. Joyner’s debut album paints a vivid picture of struggle. When he finally raps about the successes he has found, you can’t help but vicariously feel victorious. Standout cut ‘Winter Blues’ is the perfect combination of an infectious hook with some A1 flow.
Völur – Ancestors – Prophecy Productions
There is a very cliche saying claiming “not all who wander are lost.” I would like to amend that statement to say that “not all music that wanders is lost.” The sophomore album from doom metal band Völur is a meandering journey that sounds like the soundtrack to an epic journey across Middle Earth. The mood within a single song bends and twists like a river stretching off into the horizon. Oh, and did I mention there are no guitars? Those silly old things have been replaced by violins and cellos. This album is experimental metal at its finest.
Hand Habits – Wildly Idle (Humble Before the Void) – Woodsist
There’s something beautiful about vulnerability. Everyone feels vulnerable and some point and when an artist articulates it as well as Meg Duffy does, it reminds us that we’re never alone in this feeling. On ‘Flower Glass’ she croons “I hold you like you’re the only thing I’ve ever had, I hold you like it’s the only thing that would ever last.” Haunting, yet hopeful.
Kweku Collins – grey – Closed Sessions
If you’re a fan of Chance The Rapper’s early tunes, you will thoroughly enjoy Kweku Collins. grey is a meditation on the possibilities Kweku has been afforded through his music. After all, he’s only 20 years old and he’s still figuring this shit out. His cadence often feels like he’s inviting you to be part of a conversation and his positivity is downright contagious. ‘International Business Trip’ will have you bumping along in seconds.
The Dopamines – Tales of Interest – Rad Girlfriend Records
A lot of pop punk today has a certain vanilla flavor to it. The Dopamines are the antithesis of that. Foregoing the popular 12 year-old girl demographic, they are back with 14 more unapologetic anthems of disorder. This is THE album to jam while you crush a 30 pack or two with your closest homies.
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