Happy July 24 Release Day!

Happy Friday, and happy release day for two artists that are not usually considered indie these days, but I am going to allow given the circumstances: Taylor Swift's folklore and MisterWives' SUPERBLOOM. Both dropped albums at midnight (this morning), and while the MisterWives album was expected this week with singles already announced, both were a surprise midnight release today, day-of. AND, both albums have every song title listed without any capital letters (except SUPERBLOOM's last track, SUPERBLOOM).  I have been lucky enough to see both acts live before, so this is a true quarantine treat.

Taylor Swift's folklore had zero singles before the release, and there are a lot of celebrity guests involved behind-the-scenes, including Aaron Dessner from The National, my fave Jack Antonoff (Bleachers), and Bon Iver, who features on track 4 of the album, exile (the best song): 
She also had official videos ready for every song...her mind. 
  • seven is also up there for the ranking: 
  • And invisible string: 
  • And betty, which may be Taylor Swift's first gay love song. What a time to be alive: 
  • And peace, which has strong Dirty Projectors vibes: 
I was never even a huge Taylor Swift fan, so I am all in all very satisfied. Listen to the full album here: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fenSS68JI1h4Fo296JfGr?si=rTqcDP7fQGO6N38e3jpTUw. Also, her merch store was instantly ready for this freaking insane drop: https://store.taylorswift.com/?utm_campaign=nav&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=taylorswift.com. I myself wore my 1989 t-shirt (and Bleachers pin) for the occasion.

But here's the thing: I could have worn one of my MisterWives shirts instead, because you should also be talking about how SUPERBLOOM, by MisterWives, also came out at midnight!!!! My bandmates and I had already entered their giveaway for their custom Fender make, so we were ready.
  • In my humble opinion, the first six tracks are perfect. ghost has Catfish and the Bottlemen vibes: 
  • I like every song in a row until over the rainbow, which sounds too much like a Billie Eilish ripoff in music AND lyrics but combined with Fall Out Boy...
  • I start liking the songs again with Rock Bottom, which has strong Selena Gomez vibes: 
  • This liking of mine lasts for the next three tracks, and then comes back with the final track, SUPERBLOOM: 
     The song has an old-timey feel that honestly is reminiscent of Chance the Rapper, whom MisterWives has covered before: 
  • Mandy Lee's voice on the entire album is the strongest it has ever been, and the production quality of the entire record is also off the charts. Listen to the full album here: https://open.spotify.com/album/59f3BAKRdlWeaGTetnUPob?si=O-_lhRwoRaSGNbLNVDp6vg.

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