Winter is a funny thing. When it comes to music, there are really only two approaches; those who submit to the subdued mood of our external surrounds and those who rally against it. Whichever camp you sit in, we've curated a list of songs to cater to both. Below, the best new music releases to drop in June 2023.

 

I Inside the Old I Dying, PJ Harvey

Release date: June 8

Folkloric and enigmatic, PJ Harvey has released the second single from her impending album, I Inside the Old Year Dying. The song manages to wade into new territory while still feeling quintessentially Polly Jean. For those in the deep slumber of winter, the atmospheric track is well-timed for our own fallow period.

 

Space Heavy, King Krule

Release date: June 9

Through warbling chords and meandering reverb, the familiar, girthy voice of Archy Marshall surfaces, compressing all the sonic layers into form. Now 28-years-old and a father, the lyrics seem to offer judgements on fatherhood, domesticity and the murky in-between, the latter which makes more sense when you learn the album was written over two years between London and Liverpool.

 

Heaven is a Junkyard, Youth Lagoon

Release date: June 9

Sewed with religious allusions and a sound that resembles a long and desolate hymn, Trevor Powers returns with his first album in eight years under the banner of Youth Lagoon. In the past Powers has played with Americana and imagery of the craggy landscape from which he hails, it makes sense that the artist would toy with the rise of Christian metaphor we've witnessed from The Idol to Ethel Cain.

 

Fountain Baby, Amaarae

Release date: June 9

Amaarae's second album storms the ear drums. It's a hold up and she's experienced both sides of cornucopia and consequences to know not to flinch first. Naturally, we're fans. It's pop music that's globe-trotting instrumentation-wise, with an assortment of harps, a koto and Yoruba dunun drum. Is your heart racing, or just me?

 

Shivers, Julia Jacklin

Release date: June 14

You'll recognise the lyrics and that voice, yet together they evoke an entirely new feeling. Julia Jacklin's rendition of The Boys Next Door track Shivers – written by Rowland S Howard at just 16 years old – loses nothing in its reimagining. Strapped with youthful yearning, Jacklin says it was one of the first song she learnt to play. Shivers indeed. If you've been keeping up with our new book releases, you'll know the song is part of a tribute compilation to the late producer Tony Cohen and the recent biography, Half Deaf, Completely Mad, written on his behalf.

 

Everything Was Green, Forest Claudette

Release date: June 16

Lavish and lush like the artist's namesake, Everything Was Green represents "everything I’ve known, everything that is safe and familiar," says Forest Claudette. Their vocals drift between forthright bars and oozy singsong, once again, it's a pleasure.

 

Hard 4 You, Chela

Release date: June 19

Filipino-Australian musician Chela pens a heady queer love song with newly released Hard 4 You. Joyous and vibrant, step behind the scenes of the making of the music video, as Chela takes us onset for the Hard 4 You shoot.

 

Melodies on Hiatus, Albert Hammond Jr

Release date: June 23

Known first and foremost as the lead guitarist and founder of The Strokes, Albert Hammond Jr drops an expansive double album, brighter and more playful than how we've heard him before. Perhaps it's the seachange from New York City to Los Angeles that sparked this, but his signature rapidfire and dextrous guitar is recognisable, layered with lyrics laid down by Canadian writer and poet Simon Wilcox.

 

Hurts, Jewel Owusu ft. Sophie DeMasi

Release date: June 23

Jewel Owusu's shimmering sound is wrangled into this new single that spans dance, alt pop and R&B. For lovers of Lolahol and Remi Wolf.

 

Coffee Shop, flowerovlove

Release date: June 27

Age is not a barrier to the 17-year-old south London artist, Joyce Cisse, who is determinedly prolific, even for an industry such as music. Her new single Coffee Shop is perky and upbeat, with its signature airy vocals and clever visuals. Late last year RUSSH caught up with Cisse to discuss beauty and self-expression, read our chat here.

 

Chaos for the Fly, Grian Chatten

Release date: June 30

It's clear Chatten's man is Elliott Smith. The Irish frontman has stepped away from Fontaines DC, just for the moment at least, and traded in post-punk for a sparer, if not equally sombre, sound. I don't know, we're suckers for brooding musicians.

 

Vampire, Olivia Rodrigo

Release date: June 30

And one high profile pop addition! How could we ignore the latest from Olivia Rodrigo? Especially, when the chat around it is roiling and juicy. Will we ever know who the real "bloodsucker, fame fucker" is? Maybe if we wait it out a few years. For now, we're just excited to hear Rodrigo's follow-up to an album as ubiquitous as Sour.