On Repeat: 8 Albums I'm Loving Right Now

Genre: Indie Pop

Despite coming from Norway, La Vacanza have made one of the most Mediterranean-sounding records of the summer. Sunny basslines, breezy grooves and dreamy vocals make this 20 minute EP perfect for warm afternoons when you've got nowhere to be.

Genre: Jazz-Funk / Fusion

Kenny Beats, Kiefer, CARRTOONS and Nate Smith originally got together for what was supposed to be a routine studio sound test, but 48 hours later they had recorded a full album. FATHERS sits in a sweet spot between improvised jazz-funk and instrumental hip-hop, with tight grooves and the kind of melodies that get stuck in your head for days.

Genre: Psych / Indie Rock

Barrie Cadogan has quietly become one of Britain's great guitarists, spending the last two decades playing with everyone from Primal Scream to The The and Paul Weller. His own band, Little Barrie, might actually be where he's doing his best work, and Gravity Freeze is packed with hypnotic psych grooves, wiry guitar lines, and the sort of understated playing that says more by doing less.

Genre: Spiritual Jazz

Recorded almost entirely live onto a 1973 four-track tape machine, Volume 3 sounds both meticulously arranged and completely spontaneous. If you’re into artists like SML, Work Money Death, or grand, cinematic spiritual jazz, you’re sure to dig this one.

Genre: Hip-Hop

Few rappers capture the feeling of a city quite like Wiki. Ancient History is funny, brutally honest and full of sharp observations about New York, gentrification, sobriety, getting older, and the strange feeling of watching your hometown slowly stop feeling like home.

Genre: Psychedelic Cumbia / Surf Guitar

If Khruangbin and Ennio Morricone recorded an album together somewhere in the Louisiana bayou, it would probably sound something like this. New Orleans guitarist Gitkin’s latest album is a super fun mix of surf guitar, swampy funk, psychedelic cumbia and spaghetti western soundtrack music. One of the best instrumental records I’ve heard this year.

Genre: Soul / Funk

Indonesian trio Thee Marloes keep putting a fresh spin on classic soul music, and Di Hotel Malibu might be their best album yet. Sung in three languages and packed with gorgeous arrangements, it’s timeless soul music that never sounds like a throwback.

Genre: Spiritual Jazz / Experimental Jazz

At 85 years old, Gary Bartz is still making adventurous music, and this collaboration with London’s Your Brother’s Keeper is proof. Spiritual jazz, cosmic electronics and fearless improvisation come together on a record that bridges generations without ever sounding forced.