Some downtempo(ish) jams for late summer. Don't want to break a sweat.

August as a month was a little bit all over the place for me.

It was our first full month in Seattle, and in that time span Lia and I moved into an apartment, bought loads of stuff for it, began to learn our new neighborhood, ate way too many bbq sandwiches from a local restaurant, we adventured to Diablo Lake, Lia got a job, and I dealt with the daily ups and downs of the beginning of the rest of my life — searching for a job, being a post-grad, and starting a quarter-life crisis. 

Mostly though, it's been very hot. We were promised drizzle and grey, and yet in the same year that Seattle breaks rainfall records during the winter, it also breaks a drought record. Jeez. It's almost like the climate is changing.

Because it's traditionally so not unbearably hot here, most buildings are not outfitted with A/C, even swanky newer ones like our own. Which means that a nice, temperature-controlled homecoming isn't on the horizon. Building IKEA furniture in a 90+ degree apartment isn't very fun.

As such, this month's playlist got a name: Help it's hot all the time. The music is a little bit all over the place. There were a bunch of new albums out I liked excerpts from, some genres I dug as they sounded sweaty-hot-summer appropriate, and one band I was super excited to discover.

Highlights:

— It's late summer, which means it's a bit hot for concentrating on an album. I was really digging an Apple Music playlist, Loud Places, which captured the perfect kind of sound you want for background music. I imported some of my favorite bits — Lana Del Ray, Lorde, HAIM, and London Grammar. Subsequently, more pop from Due Lipa and Carly Rae Jepsen. Genuinely good pop, from contemporary artists, that has just enough of a melancholy tint to be enjoyable in a laid back mood. Can't get too excited in a heatwave. It's dangerous.

— Lil Yachty's single was just on the cusp. I'll take it as my one guilty summer bop.

— There's some funky stuff from Father John Misty and Kevin Morby that have awesome riffs or choruses. I threw young Harry Styles back on as it fit with that sound, and I'll take any opportunity to hear "Meet Me in the Hallway".

— Rhodes' "Close Your Eyes" is a bit of a bummer Ballard, but I was excited to have found the live version of this song. I was blown away watching the YouTube video of him performing at a Burberry fashion show, and had long wanted an easily accessible version. Found it. 

— I was excited to learn Whitney has released more music. I was underwhelmed when I saw them live at Boston Calling earlier this year, but that doesn't mean that the band's music is any less indulgent when being listened to prerecorded.

— Saving the best for last, Sheer Mag sounded to me like a puncher, grungier version of Alabama Shakes. Perfect for these angsty times. Consider me a fan.

Here's the full playlist: 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/playlist/help-its-hot-all-the-time/idpl.u-NpXm6p3Cmlx2erW

I actually had every intention of posting this one while we were still in August. But then I... just didn't. I guess I'm allergic to it or something.