Summer 25’ is coming to an end, and the air is beginning to turn cooler, but the music of summer is still here. This summer was full of new album drops, new rising star artists, and new hit songs such as Manchild, The Subway, Golden, and Gnarly. Many new albums and singles came out over the summer months, along with new debut albums from new artists. Even songs from a children’s movie broke records on the billboard charts, making the movie the most watched movie on Netflix of all time. Every summer comes with unforgettable tunes and new hits, and this summer did all of that and more.
In the month of June, Lorde released her fourth album, Virgin, featuring singles What Was That and Man of the Year. This album was ,as Lorde says, “full transparency”. She spilled her emotions and feelings about love, her own identity, and fear into this record, allowing the world to look into her mind. The raw, honest lyrics, the instrumentals, and her comeback after her last album Solar Power made this album stand out among the rest. All of her albums sound different, and they can all tell their own stories. From her first hit song that she wrote at fifteen, and released at sixteen to this new album, and she will forever leave an impact on people’s lives.
Many new artists debuted and grew over the summer, such as Sombr, Audrey Hobert, and the Hype group, Katseye, all having their hits. Sombr released his debut album, I Barely Know Her, with the songs Back to Friends and 12 to 12. Sombr debuted his first song this year, and has already performed at the VMAS and has won awards for his first ever record. Another rising star has been known for a short while, by being best friends with indie pop icon, Gracie Abrams. Audrey Hobert released her first ever song Sue Me in May, and it gained much traction over tiktok. She then released a second single called Bowling Alley which received some backlash because people believed that her vocals weren’t good enough. In August, she released her debut album Whose the Clown?, which came with the singles and many more songs that people can relate to.
Katseye debuted in 2024, with their single Debut, but they finally grew to the top with their new EP, Beautiful Chaos, along with their huge hit Gnarly. Katseye’s Gabriella and Gameboy can also be considered summer hits, as they were found everywhere on social media. Conan Gray also released his fourth studio album, Wishbone, in the month of August. Wishbone is his most personal and introspective album yet. He describes it as his “jump” into life after hiding away parts of himself for his whole life. Lead singles This Song, Vodka Cranberry, and Caramel all featured music videos, making them a trilogy. They starred actor Corey Fogelmanis and Conan in a storyline of events that connected throughout all three videos. Wishbone has allowed him to step into a new chapter of his life, and some people are even saying this is the peak of his career. Laufey also released her new album in August, called A Matter of Time. This album came with the new songs Silver Lining, Tough Luck, and Snow White. This album has been long awaited from many fans for the past year, and it includes fourteen jazzy songs about love, feelings, insecurity, and sadness. Laufey’s appreciation for jazz and classical music have a huge influence on this album, making it one of her best. Chappell Roan hasn’t released a new album, but she released her long awaited song The Subway. Fans have been waiting for the studio version of this song to release for over a year, and it finally did.
Summer led many other unexpected songs to climb the charts, such as Golden from the children’s movie K-Pop Demon Hunters. This song broke records, and it passed popular artists and songs on the Billboard 100 and stayed there for weeks, surpassing real k-pop groups such as Blackpink and BTS. Other albums that were released over this summer are Man’s Best Friend by Sabrina Carpenter, Princess of Power by Marina, Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You by Ethel Cain, and Double Infinity by Big Thief. These albums are all unique to their own sounds and aesthetics, and they all made a mark on this summer.
