Most of us are still probably bumping the best songs of June 2024, but we have some news: July is also officially done.
We are officially all the way into New Music Friday for July 2024, and some pretty big names are have all made comebacks. Lana Del Rey and Quavo have officially dropped their long-anticipated collab, Childish Gambino has made his return with a new single, and K-pop rookies BABYMONSTER are back with a new single. Singles aside, ENHYPEN, Stray Kids, Remi Wolf, Clairo, and Ice Spice have all dropped long-anticipated studio albums this month.
We are still pretty much living in a Brat summer world, but July's new music releases have certainly aimed for as much attention as the green record dominating across socials and beyond. With the Fourth of July celebrations, the first week of July was admittedly not as packed with noteworthy releases, but the second week already picked up the pace, and it's been consistent ever since. Check out the best music releases you can't miss from July 2024 below:
→ Week 1 of July
→ Week 2 of July
→ Week 3 of July
→ Week 4 of July
Week of July 26
Ice Spice's debut studio album, Y2K!, is here after months of anticipation and teasers. The project's 10 tracks include the buzzy collaboration “Did It First” with British rapper Central Cee as well as “Oh Shhh…” with Travis Scott and “B*tch I'm Packin'” with Gunna.
Following the release of “Woke Up” in May, Japanese girl group XG keep teasing the release of their second mini album (which will arrive in full in November) with track “Something Ain't Right,” a disco house number perfect for summer.
Halsey is taking it all the way back to the '00s with new track “Lucky,” which samples Britney Spears's hit track of the same name and Monica's "Angel of Mine." A follow-up to June's “The End,” Halsey keeps using health, love, and motherhood as the main conductors in “Lucky,” albeit in a much poppier wrapper.
Following the release of “Debut,” in June, KATSEYE have released “Touch,” the second single off their upcoming EP SIS (Soft Is Strong). Produced by Blake Slatkin, Cashmere Cat, Omer Fedi, and Taka Perry, “Touch” is KATSEYE's take on the classic pop love song with an infectious chorus and TikTok-worthy dance to match.
Kacey Musgraves announced Deeper Into The Well, the expanded version of her sixth studio album from March, with the release of the new track “Irish Goodbye,” which she previously debuted live during the Dublin stops of her Deeper Well world tour in April.
British singer Mahalia has released a new song called “Life Size” as part of Sprite Limelight Season 3. Described as “an anthem for body positivity and self-confidence,” the song finds Mahalia singing about her experiences and being unapologetically herself over house beats.
The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Muni Long is welcoming us into her Revenge era. The “Made For Me” vocalist’s next smash hit will undoubtedly be “Ruined Me,” the other side of that lyrical coin. Singing of the universal experience of a seemingly everlasting heartbreak, Long taps into the feel of classic R&B with an insatiable melody and an undeniable chorus. Ready to scream this one at the top of your lungs, too?
Duendita has a voice that seems to defy the laws of this realm with its rich, tender marrow, transporting listeners to another world with her impressive register. The jazzy and diaristic “Planetary” is self-written and self-produced, a gorgeous amber-tinted track that is criminally short. Guess we’ll just have to play it on a loop.
Filipina R&B singer Denise Julia is back with her new single “Twin Flames” featuring Vietnamese-American artist Thủy. Julia and Thủy’s voices complement each other perfectly, their harmonies dancing together like, well, twin flames. Denise Julia has delivered a smooth, bonafide bedroom R&B jam that’ll have you body-rolling as soon as the chorus hits.
Week of July 19
Stray Kids are officially entering a new era with their new mini album ATE, fronted by Latin-inspired title track "Chk Chk Boom." Speaking to journalists in London just days before the album's release, the group admitted the album title is a double entendre that serves both as a reference to the wight members of the group (who have just renewed their contracts with JYP) and a manifestation that they are going to “eat” this comeback, and, well, the facts speak for themselves. The fun music video for “Chk Chk Boom” features cameos from Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman in their full Deadpool and Wolverine regalia.
Tyla keeps the hits coming. This time around, the South African star is joining forces with Nigerian producer DJ SPINALL and Nigerian singer Omah Lay for a song called “One Call" blending Afrobeats and house elements into a sultry summery bop.
NCT 127 are back with their sixth full studio album, WALK, led by a title track of the same name featuring the group's distinct penchant for hip-hop-influenced sonic references.
Following the release of “Smeraldo Garden Marching Band” featuring Loco in June, BTS member Jimin is releasing his sophomore solo album, Muse, in its entirety with main single “Who” leading the pack. (Check out the full album review of Jimin's Muse here.)
If you are looking for cozy vibes this month, look no further than Sampha and Little Simz's “Satellite Business 2.0.” A remix of the jazzy song of the same name from Sampha's Lahai, the two Brits join forces for a smooth intergalactic listen anchored by skittering percussion and sparse piano.
In another hooray of his last Childish Gambino venture, Donald Glover has tapped singers Jorja Smith and Amaarae for the song “In the Night," mixing low-fi elements with distortion galore and multi-layered vocals.
Madison Beer's new song “15 Minutes,” a slow-burn disco banger that follows up her viral track “Make You Mine” from a couple of months ago and her sophomore studio album Silence Between Songs, which earned her her first Grammy nomination.
Week of July 12
After much anticipation, ENHYPEN's second studio album is here in the form of ROMANCE: UNTOLD. Shifting away from the dark motifs that have led their repertoire for a sweeter, more romantic avenue, as the members themselves described it during a media showcase ahead of the project's release, ROMANCE: UNTOLD is led by title track “XO (Only If You Say Yes)." Produced by Jvke, the bubbly track is rife with vocal chops and groovy synths that will surely have TikTok in a chokehold and unlike anything the septet have put out in the past. (That said, not all dark motifs are gone, as the latter half of the “XO” music video proves.)
The album also includes ENHYPEN's first-ever fan song, “Highway 1009,” composed by Heeseung. The group has also joined forces with Grammy winner Cirkut to produce the “Cake By The Ocean”-esque funky B-side “Brought The Heat Back.” (You might recognize Cirkut's name from Jungkook's “Seven,” Sam Smith's “Unholy," and ENHYPEN’s own “Bite Me.”)
Remi Wolf might have spent most of her time on the road with Olivia Rodrigo's GUTS world tour, but she's also been gearing up for a big release of her own in the meantime: her second full-length studio album, Big Ideas, which arrives via Island Records with 13 songs, including the previously released "Cinderella," “Motorcycle,” “Toro," and “Alone in Miami” as well as new tracks “Soup,” “Cherries & Cream,” and bonus track “Slay B*tch,” among others.
“Essentially, the album was written in four different chunks [between tour stops]. Within sessions, I probably wrote 40+ songs which was narrowed down to 13,” Remi Wolf tells Teen Vogue in a new interview about the album. “[There] was no overthinking. I was just in the throes of chaos at all times. I was totally destabilized, honestly, and I think the writing was able to focus and center me on my time off. That's how I was able to return to myself after these tours. The story of the record is this two-year journey of me being on tour and learning about myself, learning about the people in my life, my relationships, and how I relate to them all.”
Spanish singer Judeline is back with her new single, “INRI." The song mixes influences of her native Andalusia with religious references galore. The singer's honeyed vocals, paired with romantic repetitive lyrics and softly muted percussion, make for the smoothest of listens.
P-pop girl group BINI — who Teen Vogue named as one of the 12 girl groups to watch in 2024 — has released their new all-English single “Cherry on Top.” The eight-member group's music video for the track amassed a million views in just 3 hours after its premiere. Looks like everyone is hungry for a new summer banger, and BINI's pastel-imbued bop is exactly the weekend vibe you need.
Moses Sumney might be busy with the MaXXXine press tour, but he's also making sure to keep his music fans fed with new single “Gold Coast." Much like Judeline, Sumney also relies on his velvety chords and bottled percussion for his summer single, adding in acoustic guitars half way in for an extra twinkling touch. The song is the first offering off his upcoming EP Sophcore, slated for an early August release.
Following May's release of “Sexy to Someone,” Clairo's third studio album, Charm, has arrived. Scoring a 7.5 from Pitchfork, who praised the “lush, rich production, sinking deeper into a soft rock sound that is at once smoldering and whimsical,” Charm is actually Clairo's first self-released album, marking a whole new era for the artist. However, it is intended to be a continuation to 2021’s Sling — and sonically it feels that way.
Following the release of her fifth Korean EP To. X last November, Taeyeon is back with a new standalone single named “Heaven.” Touted as an “upbeat dance-pop track,” Heaven blends elements of '70s disco with an unmistakeable K-pop flair relying heavily on groovy guitar riffs and twinkling synths.
TWICE stay booked and busy this summer. The Teen Vogue cover stars have released a new Japanese album called Dive, which arrives with a title track of the same also anchored by disco elements. While the opening almost immediately evokes 2021's “Alcohol-Free," “Dive” is a little less playful but equally infectious.
Week of July 5
After teasing it for a while, Lana Del Rey has released her country-trap collaboration with Quavo in the form of “Tough" — two genres that, on paper, shouldn't go together but that the two have smoothly woven together. The song is believed to be the first offering of her forthcoming album, Lasso, and arrives with a very country video to boot.
After unveiling the first taste of her upcoming album, This Is How Tomorrow Moves, back in May with “Take A Bite,” beabadoobee has now unveiled “Ever Seen” with a P.O.V. video filmed in Japan by Jake Erland. According to press notes, beabadoobee wrote “Ever Seen” while on the road while supporting Taylor Swift on her Eras tour and was originally intended to be a country song.
Following the release of debut full-length album Armageddon in May, aespa are now back with their first Japanese single, "Hot Mess," and a Y2K-inspired video to boot. Is there anything better than a fun, high-budget video to usher in the summer?
Kesha's first independent single has arrived in the form of “Joyride,” and it's precisely what it sounds like: an independence anthem with synths galore. Kesha worked on the track with Zhone and Madison Love, and it serves a a reintroduction for the star.
Fans of country music would be pleased to know Zach Bryan has released his fifth studio album, The Great American Bar Scene, featuring 18 songs and an introductory poem and including collaborations with the likes of Bruce Springsteen and John Mayer.
BABYMONSTER might have just put out their debut EP in April, but they are back with their first single “FOREVER,” mixing elements of disco, pop, and rap for the bid on the next viral song.
Donald Glover is back as Childish Gambino and teasing what will reportedly be his last album under the moniker with “Lithonia.” Featuring guitars aplenty, the song is co-produced by Glover, Ludwig Göransson, Max Martin, and Michael Uzowuru and will be part of his next album, Bando Stone & the New World, which will be out on July 19.
OneRepublic are back and teasing their sixth studio album, Artificial Paradise, which will be released on July 12, with single “Hurt" produced by members Ryan Tedder and Tyler Spry.
