July has been an overwhelming month for music fans, as it not only saw the final ever Black Sabbath gig but the death of frontman Ozzy Osbourne.
Tributes for Ozzy, who died aged 76, have been flooding in — including from Oasis, who notably kicked off their reunion tour this month.
While the Gallagher brothers holding hands was a shocking sight, it wasn’t the only show-stopping moment, as over at Coldplay, one couple went viral for being caught red-handed having an affair.
Although ‘nothing beats a Jet 2 holiday’ may have been this month’s unavoidable earworm, there’s been new music from everyone from Renee Rapp to Alice Cooper.
The charts even saw the return of Justin Bieber with his new album Swag, which secured a UK number one with track Daisies. His first solo number one in a decade.
We’ve barely had time to process our post-Glastonbury funk with everything going on so here’s some music content you may have missed in July.
Rizzle Kicks released the song of the summer
If you’re on TikTok at the moment, it’s almost impossible to miss the latest track from recently reunited Rizzle Kicks.
With over 10,000 videos using the sound since the track was released on July 11, Follow Excitement featuring Rachel Chinouriri is infectiously catchy.
Rizzle Kicks themselves are regularly hitting the multi-million views mark whenever they post clips, cooly dancing and lip-syncing to the track on their own page.
After unveiling the song live at Glastonbury, fans have been using it on all sorts of videos from Lidl signs to gender affirming surgery countdowns (we really do mean all sorts).
The varied use of Follow Excitement away from a distinct trend hints at how much of a sleeper hit this could be, creeping into everyone’s playlists as a timeless summer classic.
It’s a triumphant return from Jordan Stephens and Harley Alexander-Sule, who took a break from music after becoming a defining feature of British summertime in the 2010s.
‘I think it’s actually cooler now than it was before to be joyful, on the basis that it’s not as readily available anymore,’ Jordan told Metro earlier this year.
‘It’s almost like a scarcity, so our currency’s gone up, our currency of joy is up.’
One thing is for certain: Rizzle Kicks are back and we’re livin’.
Madonna dropped a ‘lost’ album
On July 25, Madonna released her long-awaited album Veronica Electronica, which had existed as a myth for over 25 years.
The album is the holy grail of remix records, serving as a full-length version of 1998’s Ray of Light, which is often regarded as one of her best releases.
Named for her alter ego, Madonna has hinted and teased at this record for years, creating a cult following desperately waiting for it to be set free.
In reality, there are only two new tracks on Veronica Electronica, one of which has existed in snippets on the internet for a long time.
However, the significance of releasing this previously shelved collector’s treasure trove cannot be understated.
While it may not top charts, the time capsule of music gives a real wave of 90s nostalgia, with tracks like Skin and Gone Gone Gone serving as highlights for fans.
Metro’s July Playlist
Here’s our music picks released this month for you to dive into. Some new, some classics, all worth a listen.
- Rizzle Kicks ft Rachel Chinouriri – Follow Excitement
- Madonna – Gone, Gone, Gone
- Sam Smith – To Be Free
- Oasis – Cigarettes and Alcohol Live from Heaton Park
- Remember Monday – Happier
- Lola Young – d£aler
- CMAT – EURO-COUNTRY
- Suede – Dancing With The Europeans
- Justin Bieber – Daisies
- Alice Cooper – Black Mamba
- Renee Rapp – Why Is She Still Here
- Bob Vylan – Killing Punk
- Caity Baser – The Weight of You
- Confidence Man ft JADE – Gossip
- Divorce – O Calamity
- Black Sabbath – Changes
Justin Timberlake went viral again
No, it’s probably not going to ruin the world tour but Justin Timberlake’s performances have been getting a grilling online.
After he was called out for seemingly snapping at a crew member during Lytham Festival, JT found himself once again at the butt of the internet’s jokes.
This time, TikTok users have been teasing his Trolls hit Can’t Stop The Feeling after multiple clips of him letting audiences sing his songs went viral.
One video joking that his concert was ‘interrupting his busy day’, posted by farrelhegarty, hit almost 9million views.
Other songs, such as his hit track Mirrors, had a similar treatment with videos popping up of Justin repeatedly saying ‘come on’ and ‘let’s go’ rather than singing.
Fans also rushed to defend the star, posting responses which showed him belting out his tunes too.
‘POV: Justin saw all the hate TikToks and understood the assignment,’ posted kkamarinaa, racking up over 2.5million views.
Denise Welch shaded Taylor Swift
Remember that brief period in early 2023 when Taylor Swift and Matty Healy appeared to be dating? Denise Welch does.
‘Not being her mother-in-law is a role that I’m glad that I lost,’ the former Coronation Street star said on Watch What Happens Live after host Andy Cohen asked about the Cruel Summer hitmaker.
The gasps from the audience prompted a little softening from Denise, who is Matty’s mum, as she added: ‘Not that I have anything against [Taylor] at all! It was just – it was tricky.’
‘Listen, you’re not allowed to say anything,’ she explained, ‘and then she writes a whole album about it.’
Denise was referring to The Tortured Poets Department, which featured some songs that fans speculated were about Matty.
The ‘whole’ 32-track double album also had songs about her experiences with fans’ parasocial relationships and her own struggles in the spotlight.
Other songs like So High School seemed to point to new man Travis Kelce, who has been dating the Eras Tour icon since the summer of 2023 (after her split Matty).
All’s fair in love and poetry, though, as Matty is rumoured to have also written songs about the fleeting romance on The 1975’s upcoming sixth album.
According to The Sun, ‘fans will want to listen to the lyrics very carefully’.
Bob Vylan feel like they’ve ‘truly gone crazy’
After their explosive Glastonbury set, Bob Vylan dominated headlines along with Kneecap for their vocal pro-Palestine stances.
The band has been dropped from various festivals after their ‘death to the IDF chant’, as well as an ongoing criminal investigation into their statements.
However, Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently said the government was ‘urgently accelerating efforts’ to get aid into Gaza.
This came after the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) stated ‘the worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip’.
In response to the government’s statements, on X, Bob Vylan posted: ‘Watching politicians and mainstream media suddenly change their rhetoric on the genocide makes me feel like I’ve truly gone crazy.
‘Can someone please confirm that a few weeks ago they villainized us on the front pages for being against this while they were very much pro-genocide.’
The band, fronted by Bobby Vylan, added: ‘I beg, we must never let them forget the stance they took and the damage they could have prevented, the lives they could have saved. We have to remind them every time they cross our path.’
Sam Smith shared surprise new single
We’ve not had new music from Sam Smith for almost two years, but the Unholy hitmaker is back with a huge announcement.
Sam, 33, dropped track ‘To Be Free’ along with a 12-night residency in New York City later this year.
Speaking about the new single, they said: ‘I wrote this song with my dear friend Simon Aldred. It’s one vocal and guitar take from start to finish, made complete by the beautiful injection of the incredible choir we’ve been working with across this new project.
‘To Be Free was written 5 years ago. It’s more than special to me.’
This era feels like a rebirth for Sam, who added they have ‘been waiting for the right time to release this song’.
‘I wrote it five years ago while writing my last album Gloria and then parked it because I knew it was not a song for that album. It was created during a time in my life where I became free within myself.’
Sam continued: ‘This residency is something I’ve been thinking about and planning in my head for a long time. It’s such a different experience to play intimate shows, and I’m so excited to host this in a city that I adore.’
Tickets will be on sale on August 1, 10am local time, for anyone wanting to go.
Billie Eilish announced James Cameron collab
Billie Eilish brought something a bit extra to her gigs in Manchester while on the Hit Me Hard and Soft tour.
Turns out she’s doing something in 3D with Avatar director James Cameron. It’s all very mysterious.
‘So you may have noticed that there are more cameras than usual in here,’ Billie told the Co-op Live Arena crowd — which included the Titanic legend.
‘Basically, I can’t say much about it but what I can say is that I’m working on something very, very special with somebody named James Cameron and it’s going to be in 3D. So, take that as you will and these four shows here in Manchester, you and me are part of a thing that I am making with him.
‘He’s in this audience somewhere, just saying. So don’t mind that, and also I’ll probably be wearing this exact outfit for like four days in a row.’
That’s all we know for now, so watch this space!
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