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 August here.
The past year hasn’t been the easiest one to handle for Ariana Grande, considering she endured the Manchester bombing and the dissolution of her relationship with Mac Miller. Things are looking up, though: She’s engaged to Pete Davidson and her new album is out today. She’s not the only one celebrating: Indie favorites Death Cab For Cutie, Mitski, and Animal Collective are also back with fresh new releases. Meanwhile, Aminé shows growth and a change of direction from his first album to his second, and up-and-comers Conner Youngblood and Dizzy show off abilities beyond their years on their latest.
Ariana Grande — Sweetener
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It’s Grande day! After sharing singles like the bouncy “The Light Is Coming” and “No Tears Left To Cry,” the entirety of Sweetener is here, which contains songwriting that Grande says matured since the Manchester bombing.
Death Cab For Cutie — Thank You For Today
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Ben Gibbard and his band of merry men have been one of the most consistent forces in indie rock for years now, and their latest continues the trend of sustained excellence. For example, single “I Dreamt We Spoke Again” has the songwriting and atmospherics you’ve come to expect, led by the lighthouse that is Gibbard’s idiosyncratic vocals.
Mitski — Be The Cowboy
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Mitski is an esteemed indie innovator, and on her new record, she continues to demonstrate her unwillingness to creatively stand still. There are a lot of different things going on here, such as in the intense and dramatic “Geyser,” the funky “Nobody,” and the string-laden ballad “Two Slow Dancers.”
Aminé — OnePointFive
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Surprise releases are all the rage, so it wasn’t a huge shock when Aminé dropped his sophomore album out of nowhere this week. While his debut was happy-sounding fare, his second album is a bit more aggressive and a lot more boastful.
Animal Collective — Tangerine Reef
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For better or worse, this is Animal Collective’s first record without Panda Bear, a hole they’ve tried filling by collaborating with Coral Morphologic. Tangerine Reef sees the eclectic band as experimental as ever, even with the format, as there’s a film that accompanies the album.
Dizzy — Baby Teeth
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Dizzy emerged towards the end of last year with some promising singles like “Swim,” and now they’ve arrived with their debut album, a collection of ethereal and languid dream pop that’s often attempted but rarely pulled off this well, especially by a band so young.
Conner Youngblood — Cheyenne
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Youngblood is ready to follow up his 2012 debut album, and Cheyenne has some impressive highlights, like “Pizza Body” with its old-school folk with modern production embellishments, and lo-fi beats of “Los Angeles.”
