Well folks, we’re halfway done with 2021 and let me tell you: June had some true haymakers packed in for the end of the month. I’m sure people who are plugged in to the weekly release schedule is already aware, but seven of the eleven albums listed here all came out on 6/25. And there are still more out on that day that I enjoyed like Pom Pom Squad, Tyler The Creator and SAULT. The fact that I caved and listed 11 albums here instead of the usual ten should tell you all you need to know. Lots of big indie releases, not too many things that people who read my blog will be surprised to see listed here.

Dean Blunt – Black Metal 2 [Rough Trade]
Sitting in an empty, fenced-in lot, bathed in the warm glow of TV static and looking up to watch quickly rotating stars between two old walk-up buildings.

Hiatus Kaiyote – Mood Valiant [Brainfeeder]
An overgrown flower garden comes to life, a raging party rocks an isolated jungle grove.

Hildegard – Hildegard [section1]
A massive room in an abandoned castle holding a single ornate mirror that reveals a hidden world, complete with an alternate version of you that’s been waiting for your arrival.

Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee [Dead Oceans]
A cloud of birds carrying you over a botanical garden full of your friends and loved ones cheering below you.

John Carroll Kirby – Septet [Stones Throw]
A robed wizard with a long stocking cap sits in a California laundromat, flips a quarter in the air and casts spells thru the slanted mirror ceiling while waiting for their laundry to be done.

Lightning Bug – A Color of the Sky [Fat Possum]
A massive, orange-pink cloud is your best friend.

LoneLady – Former Things [Warp]
Miniature skateboarders execute cool tricks on computer processors and microchips.

L’Rain – Fatigue [Mexican Summer]
You’re granted one vision of your past on your deathbed and you choose to watch a post-storm sunset reflected on a small tide pool full of luminescent crystals.

Maple Glider – To Enjoy Is The Only Thing [Partisan]
A sleeping cat and smiling scarecrow pose inside a recently-shaken snow globe.

SPELLLING – The Turning Wheel [Sacred Bones]
A cliffside greenhouse obscured by massive clouds holds the key to eternal life via a rare strain of herbs, as an ageless witch guards it with deceptive magic.

Ulla Straus – Limitless Frame [Motion Ward]
Sitting in a nearly empty room with the windows wide open on a balmy summer night, watching the lights of a convenience store across the road occasionally flicker.

GR8 SONGS OF JUNE 2021::

• Cola Boyy – “Roses (feat. Myd)”
• Dean Blunt – “the rot”
• Exum – “Bad Chick Bad Dude”
• Good Morning TV – “Human Comedy”
• Greentea Peng – “Dingaling”
• Hiatus Kaiyote – “And We Go Gentle”
• Hiatus Kaiyote – “Chivalry Is Not Dead”
• Hiatus Kaiyote – “Red Room”
• Hildegard – “Jour 1”
• Hildegard – “Jour 2”
• Hildegard – “Jour 4”
• Hildegard – “Jour 8”
• Japanese Breakfast – “Be Sweet”
• Japanese Breakfast – “Paprika”
• Japanese Breakfast – “Slide Tackle”
• John Carroll Kirby – “P64 By My Side”
• John Carroll Kirby – “Rainmaker”
• Lightning Bug – “Lie Awake”
• Lightning Bug – “Wings of Desire”
• LoneLady – “The Catcher”
• L’Rain – “Blame Me”
• L’Rain – “Kill Self”
• Maple Glider – “Good Thing”
• Maple Glider – “Mama It’s Christmas”
• Moonshine – “BB CRY (feat. AWWZ)
• Moonshine – “Peter Pan (feat. Andy S & Banga)”
• Pom Pom Squad – “Head Cheerleader”
• SAULT – “Bitter Streets”
• SPELLLING – “Boys At School”
• SPELLLING – “The Future”
• SPELLLING – “Legacy”
• SPELLLING – “Turning Wheel”
• Tyler, The Creator – “WUSYANAME”
• Ulla – “Something Inside My Body”