When I sat down to reflect on the music that defined my July, I noticed a loose theme of reflection and a longing for better times. From Madonna reminiscing on her younger self to Charli xcx using art to escape the modern human condition, despite coming from vastly different artists my musical discoveries last month feel strangely united.
"Puberty 2 (10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)" by Mitski
Mitski's "Puberty 2 (10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)" added two covers to the original album that felt specifically tailored to the diversity of my music taste: "Fireproof," a 12-year-old One Direction song, and a rendition of "I'm a Fool to Want You," a Sinatra classic. Although it was released June 9, these two additions to one of my favorite Mitski albums gave me something interesting to digest this July.
A "Puberty 2"-era Mitski cover of a One Direction power ballad? Say less. This is one of those covers that felt like it was cooked in a lab for my personal enjoyment. My childhood nostalgia collided with one of the most formative artists of my teenage and young adult years. The song is adapted so seamlessly to the grungy, unfiltered sound of "Puberty 2." I especially loved the song’s chorus: "Nobody sees me, baby, the way you do;" she delivers it in her emotive voice that makes it sound like a Mitski original. My only complaint with this cover is that at only a minute and 48 seconds, I wish it was longer.
"I'm a Fool to Want You" adds a melancholic, modern edge to a beloved jazz standard, previously covered by greats such as Billie Holiday and Chet Baker. Mitski's voice is perfectly suited to this song, and this cover is produced in such a way that makes the vocals sound haunting.
"Music, Fashion, Film" by Charli xcx
Following the all-time career high of 2024's "BRAT," Charli xcx's "Music, Fashion, Film" deliberately rejects any attempt to pursue mainstream success through its abrasive sound and often unflattering honesty. Released July 26, the record offers brutal commentaries on artistic expression, existentialism and the isolating predicament of working as a female pop star in 2026.
One of the most prominent narrative threads woven throughout this album is Charli's intrinsic need to create, and the essential role art plays not only in her identity and purpose but in her survival.
She is utterly beholden to her artistic impulses on "Camera," where she says simply, "All I know is how it makes me feel" on the song's chorus. Following a similar idea is "I'm Afraid," which sees Charli submitting to her artistic urges as she wrestles with her status as a wife, woman and artist: "It's complicated how I feel / Know I'm not supposed to say / But I have to get it out / So my insides don't turn black."
Several tracks on the album lean heavily into a sense of existential dread, including the record's second single "SS26," which proclaims nihilistically, "We're walking on a runway that goes straight to hell / Nothing's gonna save us / Not music, fashion or film." Another song, "Card Declined," describes a similar hopelessness, commenting on escaping the horrors of the world through consumerism only to be faced with emptiness. The production on this song is gritty, metallic and almost unpleasant, reminiscent of early Velvet Underground tracks. The album ends with "No One Lasts Forever” featuring David Cronenberg, which concludes with a monologue from the director about how art cannot be eternal because death is inevitable. "Oblivion is freedom," he remarks, ending the album with a sense of surrender and acceptance.
"CONFESSIONS II" by Madonna
Released July 3, Madonna's "CONFESSIONS II" is a nostalgic return to the cathartic, sweat-soaked world of nightlife described in the album's 2005 predecessor "Confessions on a Dance Floor," one of the most defining records in her canon. Sonically, this record picks up where the original album left off, adding two decades of new experiences and reflections to create Madonna's clearest and most fully realized work in years.
Like its predecessor, "CONFESSIONS II" follows the central thesis that dance music can be both euphoric and emotionally revealing.
"Fragile" reflects on her bond with her late brother with a touching amount of empathy for him despite their tumultuous relationship. While "The Test," featuring vocals from her daughter Lola Leon, explores the guilt Madonna carries over raising a child in the spotlight. The latter track unfolds as an honest conversation between mother and daughter, with Madonna confessing her regrets and Leon responding with forgiveness and understanding.
"Danceteria," whose title references a 1980s New York City nightclub, is a flawless club anthem that calls back to Madonna's early years of chasing her dreams of stardom while indulging in the freedom of the city's nightlife. Name-dropping several fixtures of the 1980s New York City club scene like Nile Rodgers and David Byrne, the song serves as a tribute to Madonna's beginnings as well as the culture and people that shaped her as an artist. One of the album's most emotionally affecting tracks is the closer "L.E.S. Girl," which has Madonna reflecting fondly on her younger self and the earliest years of her career with a sense of knowing tenderness. Dreamy and ethereal in sound, this song concludes a much-needed artistic statement from one of pop music's most important pioneers.
