hi friends! welcome back! if you’re new here or you haven’t already, feel free to follow my blog so you get email updates full of new music whenever i drop a new volume! now let’s get to it.

holy cow. so much new music was dropped today/ this week. whether it was a new beyonce song to hype up the new lion king movie, a whole album full of features by ed sheeran, a new version of bad guy with billie’s idol, or another fire remix of old town road by the icon lil nas x, we’ve been #blessed with all of these new bops. BUT we can’t forget about the smaller artists that also dropped incredible songs or the songs that aren’t getting as much attention this week and totally deserve it.

so once again i’ve compiled a list of my favorite songs that were dropped this week with an accompanying playlist so you can listen along or on your own to the songs of this week that deserve more credit. here are my top picks from this week of friday july 12th.

in search of an exit: guytano – please say no, hold onto something (radio edit)

i actually came across these dudes when they followed me on instagram (@kasual_kook shameless plug). they dropped a whole amazing ep today but my favorites are “please say no” and “hold onto something.” “please say no” is definitely more electronic pop rock and i just love the guitar in that song. “hold onto something” is more electronic pop sounding and something you can easily dance to. love them both.

demos ii: hippo campus – pin, elephant boys, ease up kid, champion, no poms

i just recently saw hippo campus in concert with my sister after not really knowing their music too well and became hooked. demos ii is the second part of a group of early/ alternate versions of their songs. even though i’m a huge fan of every song on the new album, i couldn’t include them all so i picked my faves and put them on the playlist. i love their vocals, use of instruments, and lyrics and i hope you do too. and infamously known for playing the song “no poms” (and “chapstick”) at many of their concerts but never releasing the song, they FINALLY dropped it in demos ii so it had to make the playlist even though i’ve heard it before. keep an eye on them cuz they’re on the come up.

faith: bon iver

i’ve been obsessed with bon iver for a while now as i think some of their songs are PERFECT for that fall chill weather feeling. so when i saw they dropped a new song i couldn’t be more excited. in “faith” their lyrics describe faith in a spiritual sense but also a relationship sense on a personal level. bon iver’s songs are just straight up beautiful indie folk with a simple guitar and synth that are perfect for any fall feels playlist to a chill reading one too.

weather: tycho – easy, pink and blue, japan, into the woods, skate, no stress

dropping a whole album today, tycho has collaborated quite a bit with saint sinner to create wonderfully chill songs that would be a perfect addition to your studying, reading, or even deep thinking playlist. the transition from the instrumental track “easy” straight into “pink and blue” with vocals was so awesome to experience that i just had to keep it in the playlist. both “pink and blue” and “japan” feature saint sinner’s amazing vocals that really up the songs to another level. “into the woods” can be described as typical tycho with pure instrumental music that honestly gives me the feeling and vibes of entering the woods alone with sunlight filtering through the leaves on the overlapping branches of tall trees… “skate” is a simple, beautiful song with just saint sinner’s voice and a guitar. “no stress” is the perfect collab between saint sinner’s vocals and tycho’s instrumentals. and finally the title track “weather” is more of an intense emotive instrumental to finish the album off but i’m a huge fan of it. i honestly wanted to add the whole album into the playlist but i figured no one wanted to listen to a playlist THAT long so i took one song out lol, but i love them all and will be listening to this album forever.

around your sun: surfer blood

as y’all can probably tell by the artist name, i’m throwing this song on my surf n skate playlist immediately. a lil surf rock. a lil indie rock. a very up-beat love song. i’d never heard of surfer blood before i found them but after this song, i’ll be listening to more and awaiting their new ep in august.

wild roses: of monsters and men

with this more upbeat sounding song, of monsters and men focus more on pop with this song but come out on top per usual. with kinda edgy and sad lyrics about pain yet happy dance beat, they continue to build more hype and anticipation around their new album.

solutions: k.flay – i like myself (most of the time), this baby don’t cry, sister, good news

with the album solutions, k.flay speaks about a variety of topics to a mix of alternative, pop, electronic, and indie songs. in “i like myself (most of the time),” k.flay speaks about self love and in “this baby don’t cry,” she exudes confidence and self acceptance. “sister” is the perfect dance beat about…well sisterhood lol and “good news” will get you up and out of your seat from the beginning. the whole album is a super positive masterpiece that i hope you will enjoy as much as me.

miss me?: dvsn

r&b with a side of all the chill vibes, dvsn’s new song “miss me” talks about the unknown when it comes to someone still reciprocating feelings for you. throwing this on the late night feels playlist.

how this feels: r.lum.r

all the falsetto. all the chill vibes. in this new song, r.lum.r describes the need for transparency when it comes to feelings with amazing vocals and very chill instrumentals. definitely will be adding this song to my late night playlist as well.

dream dream dream: madeon

this song is just…beautiful. there aren’t many words to describe it. the lyrics. the sounds. more than your typical electronic song.

balloons don’t float here: isaac dunbar – ferrari, blueberry brows

with his indie pop rock style and amazing vocals, isaac dunbar dropped a masterpiece of an album. in my two favorites, he passionately sings about friends spreading stuff about you after the friendship ends in “ferrari” and shows off his vocals in the slower song “blueberry brows.”

sad: alexander 23

while this song sounds like a bop on the surface, it’s when we dive deeper when we truly relate and hear the message alexander 23 is really getting across. as much as we want to help those we love and get them out of their sadness by making them laugh or momentarily cheering them up, sometimes their sadness is just out of our control and the most we can do is be there for them and empathize with them. this song is definitely worth giving it a listen.

using (with emily warren): ritual

ritual and emily warren come together to create quite the banger about the realization of being used by someone else after a relationship has ended and that person going on to continue to use other people after the break up.

i’m not alright: loud luxury, bryce vine

i’m not alright after hearing this song. “i’m not alright” is a huge summer vibe song that you’ll probably have on repeat for the rest of the summer months without being upset about it.

get up: yellow claw, kiddo

add this song to your workout playlist immediately because it will have you doing that extra burpee or take on that extra mile without hesitation. the perfect bop to dance to, party to, or workout to, yellow claw and kiddo have come together to create a song perfect for summer days spent at parties by the pool.

costa rica: benjamin ingrosso

this song is perfect for lounging by the pool with an upbeat vibe here and there. his rhymes and vocals really popped off on this song and the accent just makes it thaaaat much better. another great song for summer.

heart beating: nora en pure

i could TOTALLY see myself jumping up and down and losing my mind to this song at a music festival straight up. throw me in the mosh pit im ready after one listen with my heart beating along. love it.

death of me: pvris

with honest and extremely catchy lyrics, “death of me” is an absolute banger and that’s all you need to know. go listen to it and you won’t regret it.

move on: aj mitchell

maybe i’m hella late to this aj mitchell party but nonetheless i have still arrived. what seems like a upbeat pop song is accompanied with some sad lyrics that describe someone who is heartbroken and unable to move on because they don’t understand how it could’ve gone wrong. it’s catchy and relatable but also honest and i’m a big fan. fun fact this song was also produced by alexander 23 who also dropped a song this week with some sad lyrics as well as you read above.

talk it out: matt corby, tash sultana

it’s catchy. it’s chill. it’s groovy. it’s mellow. it’s your new favorite song of the summer. it makes me want to have a discussion with anyone about anything from two different view points. this collaboration between matt corby and tash sultana might be one of my faves on the playlist.

crimes: gallant – crimes, sharpest edges

with beautiful vocals entwined electronic atmospheric soul, gallant dropped two songs this week. both are just masterpieces for your ears. i can’t describe them they’re just that good.

hungover sunday: christian french

hold on while i throw this on my sunday brunch playlist. ok i’m back. i LOVE this song so much. it’s adorable. it’s relatable. the guitar. the vocals. it’s simply beautiful and i’m obsessed.

say it: phantoms, anna clendening

a lil pop. a lil electronic. a lotta dance. throw this on your pool party playlist and thrive with these amazing vocals and a pop/electronic beat as the soundtrack to your summer.

hurt for long: in real life

this song freaking slaps. their voices work perfectly together and this song is so catchy and underrated it’s unbelievable. another one of my faves from this week.

drop of us: levi hummon

this. song. it’s so country and so cute wow. a simple straightforward love song that’s just irresistible and so catchy. i don’t want to waste a second of this song.

hollywood: clews

these two sister’s voices harmonize together PERFECTLY. i love the guitar in this song and with their vocals it makes one heck of a combination. go listen, you won’t regret it.

tenderness: jay som –

with a very mellow yet beautiful voice, jay som creates the next addition to your chill vibes playlist. this song leads up to her next album coming towards the end of august and i can hardly contain my excitement if it’s anything like her already released singles “tenderness” and “superbike.”

and that’s it! this post is going up way later than usual because i was out all day and then had to come home and find and listen to 8 hours of music. but i managed to condense it and put all my faves into a playlist that you can find here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2vwduiXG8QaYgJHCPHb1BV?si=78m_xQ_sQC-SbZ0u4OYc0w

see you next friday!!! 🙂

kasual kook x

ps. want me to check out your music? find me on social media @kasual_kook or email me @ kasualkook@gmail.com

pps. don’t forget to follow the playlist and share it with others! let me know what your favorite songs are! if you think i’m missing a genre of music you’d like to hear, let me know! i’d love to broaden my horizons

find other volumes and their playlists HERE