From the Sun: Four New Albums for Soundtracking Summer Days

We’re right in the thick of summer, and I’m amazed at how fast it’s gone. As much as I’ve always thought of myself as a “fall person,” I’m finding that I love summer a lot more than I realized.

It’s the one time of year we get a (mostly) consistent break from all the endless gray here in the Northwest. The days seem to stretch on forever. There always seems to be a baseball game to catch. And it means getting even more time to spend with my kid than we get during the school year, a reminder of how precious this time is. I’m reveling in these moments—even when the heat starts to get to me.

I won’t keep you in suspense. Last week, in lieu of a “song of the summer,” I shared a few of my favorite new albums that I think perfectly soundtrack summer nights. Now it’s time to flip the script. These are four recent albums that I think are perfect for summer days. There’s a wide range here, from the quiet, peaceful moments when you get to take in the fresh air to the rowdier ones, humid and full of life.

Each of these four albums captures a different aspect of the season that’s resonating with me right now. Check them out below.

Label: Jazz Life

Release Date: February 13, 2026

Mood: Dehydrated, delirious, and delighted at the daytime punk festival.

Background

Twisted Teens are a punk duo based out of New Orleans comprised of Ramon “RJ” Santos on steel guitar and Caspian Hollwell on “everything else.” The project is the next step in a long lineage of projects for Hollwell, a serial collaborator with a penchant for blown-out punk sounds doused in sly humor and genuine Southern charm. The band has quickly become favorites in underground punk circles with their chaotic bombast and rowdy live shows. Blame the Clown is the first of two records the band has put out in 2026 so far (though I’m not ruling out another one before the year’s over).

What Makes It a Summer Album?

I’ve only been aware of Twisted Teens for a few months at the time of writing this, and yet I’m overwhelmed with nostalgic feelings listening to their music. In particular, they evoke those sweaty punk days watching bands play back to back in a field, parking lot, or basement (take your pick). Blame the Clown feels like the crunch of tall boys under your feet in the dead grass; the blistering sun pounding down on you as you realize you forgot to put on sunscreen and it’s too late.

Hollwell’s voice cracks and booms with infectious energy as he slams chunky chords. But Santos’ steel guitar might be the secret weapon behind that “summer feeling.” It’s that extra dose of Americana, paired with Hollwell’s disaffected lyrics, that ties punk back to its not-so-distant blues roots.

Key Summer Track: “Is It Real?”

Label: Stroom

Release Date: July 21, 2026

Mood: Sipping lemonade on the porch and a long exhale.

Background

Sofie Birch is an experimental composer and sound collage artist based out of Copenhagen. I’ve been a fan of Birch since coming across her masterful 2022 album, Holotropica. Birch is masterful in her blend of ambient, jazz, and naturalistic tones. Each new project and collaboration feels fresh and inviting. It’s great music for contemplation but hardly ever idle. Even in its peaceful tones, Birch’s music always has a sense of searching and wonder.

What Makes It a Summer Album?

Birch’s latest record, Bivabippabualukka, is maybe her most “upbeat” yet. I put upbeat in quotes because this record still feels in the same realm of spacious, expansive ambient that we’ve heard from her in the past. But this time, there’s a newfound brightness to her work. This album feels like sitting on the porch with music lightly playing from a tape deck as you bask in the delight of a quiet afternoon. The field recordings lying beneath much of the music sprinkle in sounds of birds chirping, wind chimes, and cars starting up in the distance. When paired with the light saxophone twirls and shimmering synthesizer drones, they evoke a powerful sense of memory. It’s instant transportation to a perfect summer day with all worries left behind.

Key Summer Track: “Azurit”

Label: Interscope

Release Date: June 19, 2026

Mood: Feeling good, feeling great. Feeling great, feeling good. How are you?

Background

Tierra Whack is a Philadelphia-based rapper who merges technical prowess with high-art ambitions. Each new project comes with a stunning presentation of colorful artwork, outfits, and videos. Since she emerged on the national scene with her 2018 mixtape Whack World, Whack has continually pushed the envelope with left-field production, rhymes, and ideas. She’s worked with everyone from Beyoncé and Lil Yachty to Jill Scott and Flying Lotus.

What Makes It a Summer Album?

I can’t imagine summer without hip-hop. After living with this album for a few weeks now, I feel confident calling Whack’s Museum my favorite rap album of the year so far. But it’s not just her genre that makes Whack’s latest masterpiece perfect for summer. Her beat selection across the album is primed with tracks that sound great in the car with the bass turned up loud. Whack raps with a furious heat that can only match the blazing August sun. Summer is a time for stepping out in both literal and figurative terms. For homebodies like myself, it’s a time to get outside. Whack’s music oozes the confidence you need to make the most of the summer months. And clocking in at under 30 minutes, the album begs to be repeated on blast with the windows down.

Key Summer Track: “BRAZILIAN WAX”

Label: High Top Mountain/Atlantic Outpost

Release Date: March 13, 2026

Mood: Cracking open a cold one with the resistance.

Background

Johnny Blue Skies is the latest moniker of Sturgill Simpson. Simpson has become a powerful force in country music over the last decade with records like 2014’s Metamodern Sounds in Country Music and 2016’s A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, among many others. While rooted in country music tradition, he’s always been inclined to twist and turn the genre to his liking, bridging influences from psych and rock while even leaning into high-octane anime imagery, as he did with 2019’s Sound & Fury. He’s since retired from putting out music under his own name and has turned his focus to Johnny Blue Skies, starting with 2024’s lovely Passage du Désir.

What Makes It a Summer Album?

There’s no denying that country music has been “having a moment” over the last few years. We’ve seen a variety of pop stars give their own twists on the genre. It feels like a prime time for Simpson to come out and “play the hits,” so to speak. Mutiny After Midnight, however, is a far weirder record. It’s a country base cooked up with dashes of disco, funk, rock and roll, and the psyche of a man who’s strung out on polarized politics and brain rot.

The album is a huge left turn from Passage du Désir, but it’s all the more thrilling for it. The grooves are funky, and the lyrics are unhinged in all the best ways. Only Simpson could pull off lines like, “I’ve got that Hunter Biden energy.” The album leans into the chaos of modern politics and feels well timed for America’s 250th anniversary. He even manages to squeeze in a cover of Eddie Murphy’s “Party All the Time” (and it rules).

Key Summer Track: “Make America Fuk Again”

Share

I appreciate you reading Another Thought, whether this is your first post or you’re a long-time reader. Another Thought is a labor of love fueled by very long deadline nights, lots of art supplies, and espresso at ungodly hours.

If you want to support the newsletter, please consider becoming a paid subscriber at $5/mo. You’ll get exclusive newsletters, early access to upcoming physical media, and a sheet of stickers featuring drawings from the newsletter and my book mailed to you!

Through text and comics, 20th Century Ambient traces the recent history of ambient music to uncover how the genre has evolved and the role it plays in our daily lives. If you dig the combination of art and essays on Another Thought, I think you’ll love this book.

“Enriched by vivid profiles of the genre’s practitioners and capped by a list of essential tracks, it’s a quirky love letter to an enigmatic sound.” - Publishers Weekly

“Dad! Your book isn’t boring! It has pictures in it! It’s hilarious. Kids can read it too!” - my child

20th Century Ambient is out now from Bloomsbury Books.