The Best Songs Released in June 2023

Happy July and happy almost mid-2023, y’all! Our Best of 2023 (So Far) is coming soon…stay tuned!

Noteworthy album & EP releases:

I’ve Loved You For So Long, The Aces
Fountain Baby, Amaraee
Hey Anna, Anna Shoemaker
Bunny, Beach Fossils
When Everything Went Dark, Bishop Briggs
Comedy & Tragedy, Pt. 1, Catie Turner
Paranoïa, Angels, True Love, Christine & The Queens
serious person (pt. 1), Corook
The Girl Has a Dream, Delacey
Revel, Donna Missal
Social Lubrication, Dream Wife
Girl with Fish, Feeble Little Horse
Everything Was Green, Forest Claudette
When We Were Younger, grantperez
Feed The Beast, Kim Petras
Space Heavy, King Krule
The Age of Pleasure, Janelle Monae
In The End It Always Does, The Japanese House
Guy, Jayda G
Joy’All, Jenny Lewis
to love in the 21st century, Lyn Lapid
The Good Witch, Maisie Peters
Someday, Max Drazen
Gravity, Maris
Twin Flame, Maude Latour
Empress of Mars, Morgan Reese
The Show, Niall Horan
un millón de besos, Niko Rubio
Dead Club City, Nothing But Thieves
Messy, Olivia Dean
Chris Black Changed My Life, Portugal. The Man
222, Ralph
Ascension, Sarah Kinsley
Boy Toy, Sam Austins
Campanita, Summer Salt
Lost in Translation, Valley
Mr. Big Shot, Wallice

In chronological order:

“Mona Lisa” – Dominic Fike
Release date – June 2

Even though the new Spider-Verse movie soundtrack doesn’t have anything near as legendary and perfect as Sunflower by Post Malone and Swae Lee was, the track that plays behind a stunningly beautiful montage of the two main Spiderpeople jumping through iconic New York city landscapes is still something that stuck with me.

I do love Dominic Fike and have naturally loved his recent releases, but I especially appreciate that he could step back from his current album project to create a song that fits the movie’s style and flow. Every time the song comes on I can’t help but imagine myself in that universe, I think of how nice it would be to exist in that world of blazing colors and flawless, iconic views, to fall in love with your best friend in that reality like they do in the movie. It’s like the song can almost temporarily transport me to that state and the thought is very comforting for at least three minutes. – Javi

“Starting To Scare Me” – Katelyn Tarver
Release date – June 2

It’s a dangerous game to get comfortable with being aimless, to avoid addressing the feelings that you don’t want to face. Singer-songwriter Katelyn Tarver knows exactly how that feels in her new single “Starting To Scare Me,” a song that feels very poignant to the growing pains that come with becoming an adult and having to make real, life-altering decisions.

I’d venture to assume that Tarver, who has been in the industry for several years, is singing from the perspective of her time trying to make it big (“I live in a city where everybody’s a critic / I guess that it’s made me a little too analytical / I’m picking apart things I actually like / Cause I wish they were mine”), but despite these incredibly specific scenarios that aren’t too relatable to the universal experience, Tarver makes the song feel incredibly relevant for many. – Kristin

“Twin Flame” – Maude Latour
Release date – June 9

While I for one need to be reminded often that Twin Flame is NOT a phrase meant to be taken negatively (Listen to the “Twin Flame” podcast and thank me later), the phrase, at least to me, has taken on a new life in popular culture as the new version of being someone’s “bestie” or “ride or die.” Maude Latour’s “Twin Flame” takes that to a new level, discussing the romantic feelings that (can) come with finding your other half.

I don’t necessarily think that “Twin Flame” should always be used in regards to a romantic feeling, but I think that’s the point, considering a lot of Maude’s lyrics draw from the feeling of the lines blurring between friendship and romantic love. – Kristin

“Snow Angel” – Reneé Rapp
Release date – June 9

Renée Rapp’s album has been a long time coming, I wasn’t sure what we were supposed to expect however. I do love her EP Everything To Everyone as much as the next person, but it did feel just like that, an album that was just made to be easy enough on the ear for almost everyone. Snow Angel on the other hand feels a lot more bold and risky, in the way that it’s a deeply vulnerable and painful song, which starts very slow and soft and turns into a loud, chaotic song near the end.

“The magic of Reneé is physically palpable, you can feel her presence from a mile away. Snow Angel is the closest you could possibly get to feeling that very energy,” the producer’s song (and one of my favorite artists of all time!) Alexander 23 said once the song came out, and it makes sense considering Reneé’s Broadway background and her insane vocal skills. I think Snow Angel, which is also the album title, was a perfect way for Reneé to show all her potential at once, bringing us down to our knees metaphorically and literally as we wait and beg for more of her music to come out.

“You Wish” – Flyana Boss
Release date – June 16

Despite how many of us cynics view at TikTok being more of a nuisance to those trying to build their careers in the music industry, newcomers Flyana Boss have completely restored my faith in the app and the power it holds. Flyana Boss, comprised of Bobbi Lanea and Folayan Kunerede of Dallas, have been making music together since 2019, but only recently were signed to Atlantic within the last couple of years. “You Wish” is the duo’s big break into the mainstream: thanks to their marketing efforts online. “You Wish” has been the feature track in over 20 of their TikToks, and the views add up to over 75 million (I’m not joking).

With that being said, the news is still out on whether or not this viral success can give Flyana Boss any longevity. The song is sitting at around 4 million plays on Spotify since its original release, so time will tell. – Kristin

“Kill Your Pain” – Boyish, King Princess
Release date – June 21

Boyish’s music has been heavily rotated in my library for about a year and a half at this point, so you can imagine my anticipation when the duo announced a collaboration with the one and only King Princess earlier this year. It was even more exciting when I attended Boyish’ first show of their newly concluded headlining tour mid-June and seeing King Princess surprising the audience with a performance of the song before it was officially released.

“We wrote ‘Kill Your Pain’ about being so enmeshed with someone else that you lose your own identity, and in the end sort of succumbing to it and giving into it,” Boyish said. “We wanted it to feel like someone finally realizing they’re in someone else’s hell, accepting it, and giving into some of your darker instincts.”
– Kristin

“All We Ever Do Is Talk” – Del Water Gap
Release date – June 29

To say that I was hoping and praying for new Del Water Gap music would be an understatement (I do have a tattoo in honor of this man’s music, oops). The songs from Holden’s self-titled album have ruled my world for over two years now, and he had given us nothing else since then. But now All We Ever Do Is Talk came out of nowhere this week, without much previous promo and only some teasing about a sophomore album, the single just showed up on our lives.

The track was co-written by Sammy Witte (who’s worked with literally everybody and anybody including Harry Styles, Luke Hemmings, and SZA,) and Grammy-nominee Scott Harris, (the man behind almost any Shawn Mendes song you can think of.) It’s honestly like this song was meant for me, which is something I always say about Del Water Gap’s music and that I hope will continue to be true with the new album coming. And although the song feels less sophisticated on the lyrics than his older ones, the production is immaculate and it’s just so fun that it got me even more excited for what’s to come, if that was even possible.

“Garment Bag” – Adam Melchor
Release date – June 30

My first thought when thinking of a collab between acoustic guitar soft boy Adam Melchor and the funky, messy and extravagant producer Solomonophonic is, is that I don’t think it’s going to work. But wow am I super wrong sometimes, who would’ve thought. Garment bag is a sweet track that holds Adam’s candid and earnest essence close but also invites in some flavor of subtle quirks and sounds.

The music video, directed by two of Adam’s best friends, Matt King and Mike Sheffer, also adds on to the magic around the song and Adam’s artistry in general. It’s intimate and genuine, it’s like you know the man just wants to make pretty music because it makes him happy. I feel like he’s finally found himself in the midst of the oversaturated music scene of today and he’s ready to navigate it flawlessly.