Now that it’s July 1st, you may be wondering how Pride month already flew by. You may be hungover from the humidity, or from the three margaritas your near 30 year-old body can no longer handle, or from attending a function out of FOMO and then promptly regretting it. You may be reluctantly tucking away your rainbow Speedo with a gentle kiss, whispering, See you next June.
If any of this represents you, I have incredible news. This month’s albums featured huge wins for the LGBTQ+ community, and you can listen to them ANY time you like!
If mesh tops are not just a June-only thing, but a year-round lifestyle for you…
Thank God for a new set of Club Classics this summer/year. Obvious thank you to Charli XCX, Brat (2024) for the album, the deluxe edition, the recipe for solving all girl-on-girl feuds from now on, and the color green. KAYTRANADA, TIMELESS (2024) was the soundtrack to my Prospect Park picnicking, to which we say thank you KAYTRANADA in unison. Also Slayyyter, STARFUCKER (2024) for the self-identified heaux; Peggy Gou, I Hear You (2024) for the electro-lovers; and L'Impératrice, Pulsar (2024) for the French (kissers).
If you had a crush on Robin in Stranger Things…
Maya Hawke, Chaos Angel (2024), not only stars as queer-coded Netflix characters, but she also makes raspy little gay tunes.
If you go to The Woods on Wednesdays…
Kehlani, Crash (2024). If you manifest it, they will come.
If you’ve ever cried over the song “Elise”...
I would never know what that feels like ha ha. But if you do, Greeting Committee, Everyone's Gone and I Know I'm the Cause (2024).
If you’re sick of “queerbaiting” allegations…
Booooooo let people have privacy. But also Megan Thee Stallion said “I like girls and I like [men, essentially], both of ‘em gettin’ ate (ah)” loud and clear on MEGAN (2024). A win is a win.
If you are still conspiring about Gaylor…
Then perhaps you may enjoy former TSwift opener and current collaborator Gracie Abrams, The Secret of Us (2024). What’s the big secret, Gracie??
If you love Rufus Wainwright (famously gay)…
He & Martha make lovely appearances on Linda Thompson’s Proxy Music (2024). As someone who brought up Julie Andrews in therapy the other day, I clearly have chronic concern about losing my voice. But Linda, who no longer sings due to a condition called spasmodic dysphonia, has allowed her music to live on through the voices of her friends. Touching!
Speaking of Thompsons, y’all know Tessa (also gay)?
Her younger half-sister, Zsela (potentially additionally gay), hit us with Big For You (2024), and it is luuuuush.
If Pedro Pascal is your phone background…
Omar Apollo, God Said No (2024), wherein Pedro gets a whole interlude. And in case you need a new phone background, peruse these.
If your fave song on Brat was “Everything Is Romantic”…
Raveena, Where the Butterflies Go in the Rain (2024) for the bisexuals in your life. I can neither confirm or deny the queerness of the following artists, but they also feel like kissing your friends: Normani, Dopamine (2024); Fana Hues, Moth (2024); Hiatus Kiayote, Love Heart Cheat Code (2024); and Jelani Aryeh, The Sweater Club (2024).
If your personality in the 2010s was based around being obsessed with British indie gals (a canonically queer experience)...
Kate Nash, 9 Sad Symphonies (2024). Also she tweeted this once. Huge.
If you want a new obsession…
For me it is Margaux, Inside the Marble (2024). Get in on this debut album while it’s FRESH, and join me in seeing her live at Union Hall on July 23rd!