Paste’s list of the 20 best albums of the year so far may have yielded some pretty impressive results, but 2018 is far from over. As we look ahead to the next six months, there are still plenty of great releases on the horizon. Below, check out our roundup of July albums, featuring a diverse array of genres like black metal, indie rock, noise, and electronic. They’re the new albums we’re most excited about this month.
JULY 13
Body/Head: The Switch
Body/Head is the experimental noise project of Kim Gordon and Bill Nace, who make eerie and satisfying sounds together. The duo’s new album, The Switch, is out July 13 via Matador. “You Don’t Need,” the record’s first single, is a hint at the dissonance to come. Clocking in at five minutes, “You Don’t Need” is dark and expansive, featuring pulsing synths, battling guitars and Gordon’s wailing, buried vocals. The track is an unsettling, yet oddly soothing experience. —Loren DiBlasi
Cornelia Murr – Lake Tear of the Clouds
Murr’s debut is produced by My Morning Jacket’s Jim James and everything we’ve heard from it thus far is downright exquisite. From the Beach House-esque melodrama of “Tokyo Kyoto” to the 70’s pop dreaminness of “Who Am I To Tell You,” Murr’s elegant voice towers high. Out on Autumn Tone Records, the album was largely written in New York’s Hudson Valley and Murr’s talent as an artist is palpable. —Adrian Spinelli
Deafheaven: Ordinary Corrupt Human Love
For a black metal band, Deafheaven’s sounds often feel light and effortless. The San Francisco rockers’ impressive blend of post-hardcore, screamo, and heavy metal achieves a surprisingly transcendent, almost revelatory quality, fueled by tight and aggressive rhythms and frontman George Clarke’s raw, guttural shrieks. Ordinary Corrupt Human Love, which follows 2015’s New Bermuda and 2013’s crossover hit Sunbather, is out July 13 via Anti-. Check out “Canary Yellow” below, which clocks in at over 12 minutes long. Opening with an airy and melodic vibe, the track soon explodes into perfectly controlled hard rock chaos. —Loren DiBlasi
The Internet: Hive Mind
The Internet’s 2015 release, Ego Death, vaulted a lot of careers. From frontwoman Syd and her fantastic solo project, to revelatory guitarist and producer Steve Lacy, to Odd Future beatminder Matt Martians, the album proved a pivotal moment in the return of instrumental Soul & R&B’s accessibility to a young audience. Three years later, the most ubiquitous work of The Internet’s many talented players remains that of the group and Hive Mind (out on Columbia) will stand as their first complete work together since many of them were thrust into individual stardom. —Adrian Spinelli
The Ophelias – Almost
The Cincinnati quartet refer to themselves as “all-girl moth music” and whatever it is, we’ll take it and then some. Following up their stellar first effort, Creature Nature, comes The Ophelias’ Joyful Noise Recordings debut, Almost, filled with Spencer Peppet’s quaint and comforting vocals and Andrea Gutmann Fuentes amazing violin. Every track is brimming with youthful nostalgia and the presence of Fuentes’ strings — written into just about every track — really sets The Ophelias apart as one of our most delightful recent discoveries. —Adrian Spinelli
Sean Henry: Fink
In 2015, New York musician Sean Henry released his acclaimed 16-track demo tape, It’s All About Me. A fittingly personal collection of songs about friendship, love, life and death, it’s the perfect setup for Fink, the artist’s debut studio album, out July 13 via Double Double Whammy. Henry expands and matures on Fink, but on new single “Imperfection,” he’s consumed by anxiety. “Lately, maybe, it’s like you hate me,” he sings. “Why?” The song’s warm, poppy melody and cushy beat is the ideal backdrop for Henry’s insecure and wholly relatable musings. —Loren DiBlasi
Wilder Maker: Zion
Self-proclaimed “cosmic American” band Wilder Maker are set to release their new record, Zion, July 13 via Northern Spy Records. Latest single “Impossible Summer” is swirling and soothing, like the cool breeze that cuts the oppressive feeling of an August afternoon in New York City. Frontman Gabriel Birnbaum wrote the song about a time when he was losing touch with reality. Though written by Birnbaum, “Impossible Summer” is sung by longtime collaborator Katie Von Schleicher, who breathes a poignant softness into the track. “I cannot explain that summer,” she sings. —Loren DiBlasi
JULY 20
Ovlov: Tru
It’s been five years since Ovlov released their debut record, am, but they haven’t gone far from our radar; amidst lineup changes, breakups, and side projects, the band have maintained a cult following in their native Connecticut, the Brooklyn DIY scene, and beyond. First Tru single “Spright,” shrouded in the band’s signature fuzz, will be familiar to any fan’s ears, but the song represents newfound maturity. Bandleader Steve Hartlett is steadfast and introspective as he sings of lost time while trying to find “a different way home.” Warm, endearing, and enveloping, “Spright” is a welcome homecoming for a band who have endured an entire decade. —Loren DiBlasi
JULY 27
astronauts etc.: Living in Symbol
We absolutely adored the debut astronauts, etc. LP, Mind Out Wandering, back in 2015. It showed that Toro y Moi keyboardist Anthony Ferraro was a singular songwriting force to be reckoned with alongside Toro’s Chaz Bundick. Ferraro’s high pitched delivery called to mind Barry Gibb, but now, on “The Border,” the first single from the Bundick co-produced sophomore release, there’s a refined nature to Ferraro’s delivery, alongside 70’s soul and 60’s tropicalia vibes. The album comes out on Bundick’s Company Records (a Carpark imprint) and Ferraro is a valiant star of this show. —Adrian Spinelli
Ross From Friends: Family Portrait
British producer Ross From Friends (aka Felix Clary Weatherall) sorta looks like Steve Nash with a bowl cut, which just adds to the whimsy of the intellitronic escapades his music takes you on. Weatherall’s music sounds like if Aphex Twin met up with Gui Boratto at Meat Beat Manifesto’s studio. Out on Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder label, Family Portraits features tracks like the bombastically Boiler Room-ready “Project Cybersyn” and the 80’s waves of “Don’t Wake Dad.” And rumor has it, that listening to Ross From Friends (no relation to the Schwimm) might actually make you smarter. —Adrian Spinelli