The Pulse is the Uproxx Music guide to the best new albums, mixtapes, and other music releases that matter this week. Find our complete list of the records coming out in June here.
Kanye West promised a new album on June 1 (aka today), and after playing the record for a select group of people at a listening party last night, it’s finally here, complete with a dad joke on the album cover: “I hate being bi-polar, it’s awesome.” Meanwhile, Father John Misty’s lush new record is here, along with fresh releases from Natalie Prass, Black Thought, and others.
Kanye West — Ye
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Hours after the livestream last night, the latest from Kanye has dropped this morning. On the seven-track EP — which features Ty Dolla Sign, Jeremih, Kid Cudi, and 070 Shake — Kanye raps about a variety of topics, including Kim Kardashian leaving him, Stormy Daniels, bipolar disorder, Russell Simmons, Tristan Thompson, and #MeToo.
Father John Misty — God’s Favorite Customer
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Father John Misty is as existential and self-aware as ever on his latest, especially on “Mr. Tillman,” which is about his stay at a hotel. That sardonic energy permeates much of the album, which is also lush, lovelorn, and other adjectives people attach to Father John Misty to express that he’s ambitious and talented.
Read our review of the album here.
Natalie Prass — The Future And The Past
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“Short Court Style” was a fantastic lead single, like the airy optimism and vibe of spring in a bottle. Prass maintains an engaging energy throughout the rest of the album as well, such as on the soulful and bluesy album opener “Oh My,” and “Ship Go Down,” a piano ballad with an extended psychedelic outro.
Black Thought x 9th Wonder & The Soul Council — Streams of Thought Vol. 1.
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It’s interesting to hear Black Thought away from the comfort of the rest of The Roots, although the instrumental style isn’t wildly different on this collaboration with 9th Wonder & The Soul Council. The beats still sound organic and like they came from real instruments, and Black Thought still sounds as fiery and conscious as ever.
Oneohtrix Point Never — Age Of
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This producer is always trying to push boundaries, and he does so again on his latest effort, working everything from baroque to electronic to Indian influences under the same umbrella. There’s not really one or two words that can generalize the entire album effectively, although there are some Bon Iver vibes here now and again, such as on “Black Snow” and “Babylon.”
Roger Daltrey — As Long As I Have You
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Wear your earplugs so you’ll be able to hear the latest from The Who’s frontman. As you’d expect, it’s a batch of classic-leaning rock, and considering it’s coming from one of the best to have ever done it, it’s worth a listen, especially if the rambunctious and soulful title track and album opener is any indication.
LUMP — LUMP
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A collaboration between Laura Marling and Mike Lindsay is a harmonious melding of the organic and the electronic. It’s an experimental effort, although it’s very much rooted in Marling’s more grounded style, which results in appropriately ambitious tracks like the blooming album opener “Late To The Flight.”
Juliana Daugherty — Light
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Daugherty is a master at keeping energy bubbling just under the surface, in a good way, like tension that you’re just waiting to watch explode. That’s prevalent throughout the record, but it all starts with “Player,” which is carried by a gentle guitar riff that eventually opens up into soft atmospherics that’s a gratifying and reserved climax.
