Introduction

June is a red month this time around. It was a month when I travelled quite a lot and had some troubling family events, so I struggled to find time to listen to music. But as always, I was still able to make a collection of songs that I thoroughly enjoyed, organised into a single playlist, as well as a top 3 of my favourite albums (and it wasn’t an easy pick!).

Albums of the Month

I think it’s fairly easy to say that 2024 is a fantastic year for music, and June is no exception. There were so many great releases this month — picking a single favourite wasn’t an easy task. Therefore, I took the decision of making a top 3 instead of having to decide to only include a single one. So without further ado, here are my top 3 albums this month :

#1 | BRAT - Charli xcx

This one is pretty much a no-brainer. I’ve never been a huge fan of Charli xcx, nor have I really listened to her music before, but the marketing around BRAT was so huge that I had to give it a listen. From the obnoxious album cover to the plethora of memes that emerged from the album’s off-putting green and low quality typography, you couldn’t ignore the album’s release (as well as its subsequent singles).

And so listen I did, and on the surface this LP was everything I expected from what I had heard about Charli’s music : club bangers. And I sat on this first thought for some time, before actually being able to dive deep into the album’s themes.

BRAT is more than a collection of cool party music — it’s a vulnerable album that doesn’t hesitate to loudly tackle subjects of girls between girls friendships (and mostly, hardships), not feeling like fitting or being deserving of success, and even broader topics such as pregnancy and wondering about starting a family.

Though, the aspect that struck out to me the most is how quickly Charli switches back and forth between them. This is especially apparent near the end of the album, when the heartfelt “I think about it all the time” (addressing the aforementioned pregnancy questioning) transitions almost immediately back into a reprise of the album’s intro, with its loud synths and lyrics about partying all night. This delivers a compelling and emotionally rich experience throughout the album.

#2 | Silence is Loud - NIA Archives

I discovered NIA Archives pretty recently with her song “F.A.M.I.L.Y” from her most recent Silence is Loud record, and the DNB instrumental combined with her vocals and the way she mixes them got me hooked almost instantly.

It’s no surprise that Silence is Loud offers a pretty smooth listen, with NIA seemingly coming up with one anthem hit track after another in a way that feels entirely effortless. It’s a relentless record full of drum & bass bangers that make you want to go run an entire marathon.

She doesn’t hesitate to tackle pretty dark subject matters while still delivering fun and glimmering tunes, like on the aforementioned “F.A.M.I.L.Y” that tackles subjects of alienation towards her own family, or “Cards On The Table” that see her wanting to be straightforward about her feelings towards her date.

This first LP is a great debut for NIA, and it only leaves me wanting more.

#3 | LA VIE RAPIDE - Rowjay

LA VIE RAPIDE is French-speaking Canadian independent rapper and songwriter Rowjay’s third album and follows Carnaval de Finesse 2: Les Chroniques d'un Jeune Entrepreneur (Carnival of Finesse 2: The Chronicles of a Young Entrepreneur), released 2 and a half years earlier. Since his “Carnaval de Finesse” debut in 2016, he has been on a great come up with sporadic singles and EP releases. In fact, the rollout for this latest project was carried out in a way I had never seen before; a year before its official release, in June 2023, he put out “LA VIE RAPIDE EARLY ACCESS”, a preview of the album that gave a first taste of what he was brewing while helping to gather attention around the project. A year later, in June 2024, the project was finally released after many, many months of teasing, which for many helped raise the album to the status of “most eagerly awaited Quebec rap album of the year”.

Rowjay wanted to make sure that listeners felt rewarded for listening to the album all throughout, and took the decision with the help of one of his closest friends and also most loyal beat maker, DoomX, to have a musical transition between all the tracks. At 21 songs and a one-hour runtime, and being an almost solo album with a single featuring from self-proclaimed “New Wave President” and prominent new artist La Fève on the second track, these transitions help you ease yourself into the record and sail almost flawlessly.

And even though the hard-hitting drums from well-established producer FREAKY and subsequent synths on the intro track set the mood for the record, the following and aforementioned track featuring La Fève boasts an awful mix, with sometimes an inability to discern what they’re rapping about. This recent resurgence of mixing the vocals slightly under the instrumental only works when it’s done well — here, it results in an overwhelming clutter of sound and gibberish of words. La Fève has recently released his sophomore album in December of last year (“24”), and it now puts into perspective how well he's managed to surround himself with talented people, because he wouldn't have had a third of the success if the whole project had been mixed this poorly.

Moving on, this project overall sees a celebratory and grateful Rowjay after years of “hustling”, and being proud to finally be able to live lavishly in the lifestyle he’s created for himself: “La Vie Rapide” (The Fast Life). Twinkling jewellery, non-stop travelling, and especially expensive clothes (particularly on track 10, dedicated to the collaboration between French luxury fashion brand Kenzo and Japanese fashion designer Nigo, conveniently named “KENZO NIGO - Sur moi” (“Kenzo Nigo - On me”))

Bientôt le cortège de Classes S aligné Tel un sapeur mes vêtements sont pas froissés À Montréal ou Paris, tu peux m'croiser Kenzo d'la tête aux pieds j'suis bien soigné

Soon the procession of Class S lined up Like a sapper my clothes are not wrinkled In Montreal or Paris, you can meet me Kenzo from head to toe I'm well groomed

KENZO NIGO - Sur Moi - Rowjay

Rowjay has always prided in himself in making “ignorant rap”, a subcategory of hip hop featuring lyrics and themes that aren’t meant to be taken too seriously and aim more at eliciting a laugh or two from the listener. Nevertheless, he has never shied away from taking a stance on taboo topics in the rap community such as taking pride in dating a sex-worker, or even going out with a non-binary person.

J’ai une bad b* qui est non binaire

“ I have b* who’s non-binary

DOUBLE F - Rowjay, La Fève

Unfortunately, those light-hearted stances sometimes fall short as they can feel as though they lack substance — rhyming that you will buy unregulated substances with a genocide that has now been ongoing for many months simply feels insensitive and out of place. The original sentiment is commendable. The way it’s said, less so.

J'check mon plug à porte de Clignancourt J'détourne le kòb jusqu'au Luxembourg J'vais l'redire, libérez les Ouïghours

I go see my plug at porte de Clignancourt I'll take the kòb all the way to Luxembourg I'll say it again, free the Uyghurs

JE PORTE LA VILLE SUR MON BACK - Rowjay

This release is undeniably his best project to date, and Rowjay feels like a very promising figure in today’s French rap scene. He’s witty, has great flows and sense of humour, and above all knows how to make a catchy hook. His come up was fuelled with the way he managed to create a beneficial entourage for himself — the production on the record are all top-notch, including the former DoomX, FREAKEY, Mike Shabb, Blasé and Platinumwav to cite some, all prominent beatmaking figures in French’s udnerground’s rap scene today. Nonetheless, some cuts on LA VIE RAPIDE don't live up to the project's constant quality, such as the underwhelming rapping on DANS CETTE MERDE (“In This Shit”) or unflattering singing on the hook of ORIGINAL FINESSEUR.

It does leave me wanting more, as even though the appeal of his songs don’t often heavily rely on his technical abilities, I’d love to see more polish on this aspect, as he’s clearly capable of delivering solid flows and hooks.

The Playlist

Here we are once again ! The June playlist is now somewhat organised according to the songs I liked best, with my favourite ones up at the top.

Looking forward to next month’s recap, until then, I’ll keep on listening !