Now that we’re into September, two things are true when it comes to music: First, the eligibility window for the 2027 Grammy Awards is now closed, and second, we can officially reflect on the question of what was the ‘Song of the Summer’. So I thought it would be fun to check in on both of these questions this week. But first, the roundup.
Roundup
Music
Of the albums released last week, I was most excited for Good Grief, an exploration of grief and loss from one of the greatest songwriters of the 2010s, Sara Bareilles. It more than lived up to expectations. Between her album and Phoebe Bridgers’, August was been a month full of powerful sad music. On a different but no less serious note, Olivia Rodrigo released a politically-charged non-album single “serena joy,” named for a character in The Handmaid’s Tale. It’s as good as it is poignant. Yesterday was quiet in terms of big-name releases, but the absence of big names opens up space for lesser known artists. Medium Build, who was one of my favourite 2024 discoveries, released an excellent album, King of Having Fun. Honestly, when he’s on his game, he’s as good as any songwriter out there. Slovakian artist Adéla released a really fun debut album, PRIMA. And one of my favourite 2010s pop girls, Ellie Goulding, also released new music, I Know Too Much, which is a solid pop album but probably unlikely to break out.
Albums
- Good Grief (Sara Bareilles)
- King of Having Fun (Medium Build)
- PRIMA (Adéla)
- I Know Too Much (Ellie Goulding)
- The Fatal Flaw (Paris Paloma)
Songs
- “Idiot Heart” (Sara Bareilles)
- “serena joy” (Olivia Rodrigo)
- “Jealousy” (Ellie Goulding)
- “Ain’t in LA” (Adéla)
- “Beginner Boys” (Simple Minds)
Reading
- The End of Everything (M. John Harrison, 2026)
- The Eye of the Bedlam Bride (Matt Dinniman, 2023)
- May We Feed the King (Rebecca Perry, 2026)
- Stones (Timothy Findley, 1988)
- The Boy from the Mish (Gary Lonesborough, 2021)
- When Religion Hurts You (Laura E. Anderson, 2023)
- Julian the Magician (Gwendolyn MacEwen, 1963)
- The Hill in the Dark Grove (Liam Higginson, 2025)
- King of Egypt, King of Dreams (Gwendolyn MacEwen, 1971)
- 25 Days in Athens (Jack Strange, 2026)
- The Disappearers (Marlon James, 2026)
- The Clarion (Ninan Dunic, 2023)
Focus on: 2026 Music Check-in: Album of the Year and Song of the Summer
When it comes to Album of the Year at the Grammys, we have to look back at albums released since last September. While there is always an outlier or two, here are what I think the major contenders will be:
- LUX, by Rosalía: This is a hugely ambitious album that continues to resonate for me even though it was released in October last year. If the Grammys want to reward a big swing by a globally-relevant artist, this is one to watch.
- The Art of Loving, by Olivia Dean: I’m including this mostly because it’s getting quite a bit of buzz in this conversation. To me, “Man I Need” has a much better shot at taking a major prize (either Record or Song) than the album as a whole, because if they want to reward an album by a young, soulful British woman, I think there’s a much better option.
- This Music May Contain Hope, by Raye: This is that ‘better’ option. For my money, this is a more compelling and cohesive album than Olivia Dean’s, and, with its mixture of R&B, blues, jazz, rap, and pop sounds, has almost as much ambition as the Rosalía album while being more accessible.
- The Great Divide, by Noah Kahan: This is the only album by a male artist I can see having a shot. It has solid singer-songwriter bona fides, and works really well overall, even if it lacks the creativity of what Raye or Rosalía did.
- You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, by Olivia Rodrigo: This is pretty much a perfect pop album. Not only does it represent a creative departure from the artist’s previous work, but it manages to offer banger after banger without sacrificing lyricism. For me, it’s right up there with Taylor Swift’s 1989 in terms of pop perfection, which is the highest possible praise. But, with albums that take bigger creative risks also in the running, it could get squeezed out.
- Lost Weekend, by Phoebe Bridgers: This was just released a couple weeks before the end of the eligibility window. While it’s hard to know for sure how its reputation will fare over the coming months, if early feedback is any indication, this masterpiece of songwriting will be a big contender.
- Dandelion, by Ella Langley: This wasn’t on my radar as an album-of-the-year contender, but with the literally unprecedented success of the album’s singles it has to be at least part of the conversation. Especially with the Grammys’ contentious relationship with Country music, I could see it happening.
Speaking of Ella Langley, we have to consider “Choosing Texas” as the world’s actual “Song of the Summer.” It’s just been everywhere. While I think the song is fine, its popularity has taken me by surprise. It sort of came and went for me in the span of a few weeks many months ago; it’s a solid country song but to me it doesn’t offer much to separate it from the pack of country songs by female artists in the first half of the year. But here we are. There’s also a lack of other viable options for the unofficial ‘Song of the Summer’ title. “Man I Need” is still going strong, and it’s awesome, but it’s a year old at this point. People are still loving the Olivia Rodrigo album, but it doesn’t have an omnipresent single. So I think we have to give it to “Choosing Texas.” (See here for last year’s Song of the Summer discussion.)
Matthew Root 