New month, new playlist. Summer flew by dangerously fast this year, but it didn’t come shy of great music releases. 

August saw a host of musicians squeezing out the last few moments of summer. DJ Khaled dropped his long awaited album ‘GOD DID’ – from Drake to Kanye (two names we never thought we’d see on an album together again) the album came heavy with iconic features. Arctic Monkeys returned with ‘There’d better be a mirrorball’ just in time for reading fest, while BLACKPINK dropped ‘’Pink Venom’, which had great reception at the MTV VMA’S. 

Once again, this month the team didn’t disappoint, curating a wide range of genres to get you through the summer blues. Put your headphones on, relax, and scroll to tune in. 

PAVEL

PUPPETS (SUCCESSION REMIX) – PUSHA T, NICHOLAS BRITELL

This is one you don’t want to miss. My taste in music over August was random, thanks to holiday and work mood swings. But one track I have listened to over and over for the past few months is Succession’s theme music by Nicholas Britell, remixed by Pusha T. 

The soundtrack to the HBO Succession TV show quickly became iconic when it debuted back in 2018 thanks to a number of random accidentals which go sharp and flat quickly, making the melody unusual and hypnotic and somewhat uncomfortable. The piano theme even has an Emmy win for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music. The show itself is addictive too. It captures you like nothing you’ve seen before, as you get immersed into this cutthroat world of major media corporations, where morals don’t exist and wealth and power are everything.

Add Pusha T’s twist to it all and you get this bold and hypnotising creation, perfectly putting the show and reality of our world into one soundtrack. It’s full of depth and bass, the track’s lyrics describe the 1% of the world, “Family, fortune, envy, jealousy, privilege, passed-on legacy”. But it’s not the lyrics that makes this track so opulent, the melody is the central force. 

DEVINA

LOUIE BAG – YEBBA, SMINO

Drake‘s “Take Care” was the first hip-hop album I ever heard, and (unfortunately) I’ll always be one of his “I liked your older stuff better” fans. I give all of his new releases a chance despite knowing I’ll only listen to them once and never again, and sometimes this results in me discovering absolute gold. Yebba‘s ‘Louie Bag,’ which I found through “Yebba’s Heartbreak” on Drake’s Certified Lover Boy album, is my current obsession; what’s also really cool about this song is that she has a live version recorded at THE Eletric Lady. Her silky smooth voice contrasted with the hard beats at the back makes this the song of (whatever’s left of) summer for me. It’s my brush my teeth song, focus while working song, stuck in traffic song, and I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of it – or at least I hope so.

SAM

GRAVITY – JOHN MAYER
My music taste has varied over the past two years. I used to listed to solely hip hop until I delved into the world of the Beatles. Since then, I’ve thrown myself into music and really pushed myself to better myself as a musician. This in turn helped me to better appreciate music: how it works, the composition etc.

I can quite honestly say I’m a sucker for a talented guitarist. Prince‘s solo on the ‘while my guitar gently weeps’ tribute for George Harrison makes the hairs stand up not he back of my neck. I’d never actually listed to John Mayer until recently, I was working from home and my flatmate was cooking in the kitchen listening to music – enter John Mayer. As soon as the guitar came in I was hooked – and I’ve had the song on repeat since. Just… beautiful.

MARCUS

SCARRED – GIVEON 

When Giveon releases an album, we all need to just shut the fuck up, sit down and listen to it front to back. Scarred describes Giveon’s beautiful dichotomy of wanting to continue a torrid love affair while understanding that he is incapable of loving properly. Pair these emotional lyrics with a catchy beat and you have the perfect sad boy track. Maybe you resonate with it, maybe you don’t. Regardless, Scarred should be the first song you play after turning on your Spotify. 

CHIOMA

HOT GIRL (BODIES BODIES BODIES) – CHARLI XCX

In anticipation of A24‘s new film “Bodies Bodies Bodies”, Charli XCX’s new song ‘Hot Girl’, is the perfect anthem to close out Feral Girl Summer. The cyber-pop-esque song will have you revving up for one last hurrah. Charli’s signature fast-paced beat which features actual car engines and echoing vocals, imitates all of the exact feelings mid night out.  Dancing the night away where you feel like the night will never end. Just hot people enjoying good vibes. Manifesting being a “hot girl, pop girl, rich girl”.

ROBYN

NIKES ON MY FEET – MAC MILLER

Summer’s winding down and I’m here for it. The sweltering heat’s become a comfortable haze, intense nights of partying turn into days of cosy R&R, and we’re finally catch a break. In my opinion, the perfect soundtrack to this slow phase out is Mac Miller’s ‘Nike’s On My Feet’, a chilled out song dedicated to that euphoric feeling of buying a new pair of shoes. Catch me kicking back on the sunburnt grass and soaking up the last of the summer rays to the sound of Mac Miller’s easy rhythm.

More on CULTED

See also: CULTED SOUNDS: WHAT THE TEAM LISTENED TO IN OCTOBER

See also: CULTED SOUNDS: WHAT THE TEAM LISTENED TO IN SEPTEMBER