The sun is shining. The birds are chirping. The flowers are blooming.
Spring is now most definitely here, and summer is quickly approaching. However, changes in nature aren't the only signs of that. The fact that there is a ton of new music being released these days that might to be in the running for "Song of the Summer" should also tell you that another winter is finally behind us.
And what an interesting summer of tunes it's already shaping up to be. You're going to want to make sure you put this week's most notable new releases on your summer playlist because there's something perfect for every kind of occasion you'll encounter from Memorial Day to Labor Day this year.
Want to get everyone on the dance floor at your Fourth of July party? Put on Ciara's Jackie. Cruising Route 66 this summer? Best Coast's California Nights will be your jam. Relaxing on your porch after a long, hot day in the sun? Oddisee's The Good Fight will cool you down and soothe your soul.
Now is the perfect time to get your summer music in gear, and you should be checking out all of these and a few other albums released this week as you do so. If the rest of this summer's music releases are half as good as the ones dropping this week, this may just be the best season yet. Here's what you need to know about this week's most important new music releases that will surely convince you of their worthiness of a spot in your music library.
1. Mumford & Sons, Wilder Mind
Dust off your bowler hat and comb your handlebar mustache. Mumford & Sons, one of the bands that has helped define hipster style of the late 2000s and early 2010s, is back with its third studio album, Wilder Mind. As the title suggests, Mumford & Sons are wilder on this album, which finds the band evolving from a folk quartet to a rocking, fierce foursome.
Listen on: Spotify | iTunes | Amazon
2. Ciara, Jackie
A lot has happened in Ciara's personal life since her last album was released in 2013. She gave birth to her first child, son Future Zahir Wilburn, last May and then subsequently broke off her engagement with his father, the rapper Future, in August. Now she's rumored to be dating Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. That's a lot to go through in less than a year. However, instead of sounding shaken or uncertain on her sixth studio album Jackie, which is named after her mother, Ciara sounds stronger than ever.
Listen on: Spotify | iTunes | Amazon
3. Best Coast, California Nights
If you need a soundtrack for those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer, look no further than Best Coast's third LP California Nights. Bethany Cosentino and Bobb Bruno bring their unique brand of dreamy shoegaze to the max on California Nights, which is the perfect complement to any road trip or bonfire on the beach.
Listen on: Spotify | iTunes | Amazon
4. Django Django, Born Under Saturn
Sounding like Kraftwerk if the German electronic music pioneers played the Monterey Pop Festival on a spaceship, Django Django is caught somewhere between paying homage to the past and giving us a preview of what people will be listening to in 1,000 years' time. Born Under Saturn is one strange ride that you'll be dying to be a part of.
Listen on: Spotify | iTunes | Amazon
5. Hop Along, Painted Shut
Hop Along's Painted Shut is modern garage rock at its best. With crashing guitars and lead singer Frances Quinlan's voice sweet and whiny and powerful and ferocious all at the same time, you can't help but wait on bated breath to see what will come out next.
Listen on: Spotify | iTunes | Amazon
6. Oddisee, The Good Fight
Rapper/producer Oddisee has come back swinging with his latest studio album The Good Fight, full of soulful, funky, jazzy samples and honest rhymes.
Listen on: Spotify | iTunes | Amazon
Be sure to follow T-Lounge on Twitter and visit our Facebook page
