SAMANTHA ROSENTHAL

The amount of wonderful things that summertime brings us is often obvious. Including the weather, the vacations, the free time, the list can go on and on. One aspect that is not so obvious is music. Every summer we get flooded with musicians releasing their newest masterpieces. Personally, this is my favorite part of the summer.

I am not a fan of hot weather or sand all over my body. I look forward to the new stories and secrets that artists share with their audience through a piece of music. Badlands by Halsey, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful by Florence + The Machine and Beauty Behind The Madness by The Weeknd, were the three albums that had the biggest impact on me this summer.

I may be a little biased speaking so highly of Halsey because she is one of my favorite artists, but album sales do not lie! Her first ever full length album, Badlands, released on August 28, debuted with 141,000 copies sold and a No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. She made No. 2 on iTunes and has continued to stay in the top ten to this day. Badlands is a concept album, as Halsey has stated a number of times. After listening to Badlands, you have an entire story. Each song tells a different tale of a crazy lust-filled adventure that Halsey has been on. She brings you through her experiences in the music industry, in love, and in being a female artist trying to make it in this world, all at the young age of 20. Her single “New Americana” is being played on radios throughout America including New York’s number one station, Z100. Halsey is about to hit the road on her Badlands Tour at the end of this month. If you have not given her a listen yet for some invalid reason, you should get on it very soon.

Florence + The Machine has never put out a bad album, and they just keep getting better. If you look at a handful of artists, a lot of them become sell-outs. They change their original music route to fit into what is popular and radio friendly. Florence + The Machine is one of the musical acts that has not fallen into the general sound of music. When you hear a song by them, you know right away who it is. When How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful was released on June 2, it sold 128,000 copies within in the first week and for the first time ever they debuted No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Their first single off the album, “Ship To Wreck,” has been staying at the top of the rock charts all summer and continues to do so. The band is currently on tour in the UK, promoting their No.1 album. I guarantee you will be hearing about this band for many years to come.
The most anticipated album of the summer was Beauty Behind The Madness by The Weeknd, which was released on August 28. After his smash hits, “Often” and “Can’t Feel My Face,” he was destined for stardom. Selling 326,000 copies in the album’s first week alone and debuting at No.1 on the Billboard 200 chart, he is unstoppable at this point. His album is still the talk of the town and his singles are still at the top of the charts. Three weeks later, his album is still No. 1 on iTunes and continues to dominate. With his unique voice and addicting lyrics, it is hard skip any song on this album. He even had a duet with the incredibly talented Lana Del Rey, who just released a new album on September 18. The Weeknd is heading out on a huge tour starting this month, and he even has Halsey opening up for him on a few dates. I will definitely be attending one of the shows in my area, and you should also.