PMS August

Have you missed me? I've certainly missed me. Fear not, I've returned (sort of) to tell you most, if not all, of my perfect monthly sounds (PMS, get it?) of August. Last month I told you that PMS had temporarily moved home, but I'm now making it a permanent adjustment. Let's unpack the metaphorical boxes and have a cuppa whilst I tell you all my thoughts. August, how distant does August seem? To be perfectly honest it feels only weeks ago that the bells were ringing in for New Year and I was more than a little bit drunk, telling people that they haven't lived until they'd been to Glastonbury. I stand by that sentiment sober, no matter how pretentious it may sound. Register now for 2016! Or don't and give me a greater chance of getting tickets for myself.
That was a tangent and a half, wasn't it? What I meant by all of this was that the year has sped by, and we have put the sort-of-but-not-really-summery summer to bed once more, resigning ourselves to the cosy, cosy confines of September. But August wasn't a complete bust. Maybe weather-wise, but certainly not with music.

Carly Rae Jepsen / E.MO.TION

If you'd asked me a year ago how I felt about Carly Rae Jepsen, even a few months back, I wouldn't have responded too kindly. Her first and seemingly only song 'Call me Maybe' had been forced upon us and I didn't feel too fab about it. Now, I love a good pop princess as much as the next person, but it just wasn't my cuppa tea. It was too pop for me. (Someone who queued for days to see Lady Gaga.) Ask me now, however, and I can only praise the woman. She is due to release the pop album I always wanted and never knew I needed (and my word do I need it). The single 'Run Away With Me' is an absolute class follow up to that single - 'I Really Like You'. It's all the best of the cheesy 80s with modern raspy vocals and I love it. It's like 1989's fun little sister; beaut sounds without all of T-Swift's seriousness. If someone told me they listened to it and didn't want to gather all their gals and drink wine and dance then I'm not sure I could trust them. 

Halsey / Badlands

My love for this album was a complete accident. I first stumbled across Halsey when I was scrolling aimlessly through Tumbr, and rightly so as it appears she seems to rule the tumblr corner of the interwebs. Famed for her blue hair, obviously, she is the leader of the teen girl gang that resides on the internet. Intrigued by me not knowing anything about this, and worried that I was too old to be in the know about such artists, I keenly downloaded her album. Bordering annoying I wasn't too sure I'd made a good decision, maybe I was too old to enjoy it. It's the lyrics that pulled me in, in which the anger of the female youth is ever present, talking about sex and social pressures and the patriarchy. I only wish that there had been someone writing and singing similar messages when I was a hormonal teenager. However, it's a message that you're never too hold to hear. 

FKA TWIGS / M3LL155X

I will officially go on record to say that 'In Time' is Twig's catchiest song to date. I find myself singing or humming or whistling it constantly. Which makes it even more difficult to bare when I can't listen to the song as a single. I shouldn't moan, the visual mashup of songs that she released is glorious. Classic, all girl dance routines and a powerful pregnancy metaphor and girl power, the video is well worth a watch. All 16 and something minutes of the thing. Well done FKA Twigs. Well done. Please always release new music. (Also, her cover of Sia's 'Elastic heart' was phenomenal!)

Miley Cyrus / Miley Cyrus and her Dead Petz

I mean, technically, this album was a cheeky little September release, but let's just pretend for the sake of a consistent blog post that it's all August. It's also not a little release at all, with Cyrus releasing 23 songs, which is an insane amount of lyrics to pretend to remember. Surprise was definitely key with Miley dropping a Beyonce on us all during her VMA hosting gig. I, like so many of the Hannah Montana generation, hopped on the interwebs straight after the announcement to get a dose of that comfy pop I've come to expect from Cyrus. Instead, we were treated to something much more personal and in turn much more real sounding. The single 'Dooo it' was reminiscent of the Bangerz phase of Cyrus's career, but from 'Karen Don't Be Sad' on-wards, we start to hear the album I think she'd always wanted to make, and one which she would probably want to listen to after smoking something fun. This guitar-based, psychedelic sound is a far cry from the commercial pop she'd been hitting us with in the years previous. I'm torn, part of me wants the cheesy ballads and thumping pop beats to dance around to, but the new direction is also music I'd choose to listen to without labeling it as a 'guilty pleasure'. Here's hoping for her to move further and further in rock. 

So, that's my round up of my fave music released from August. What a month it was indeed. Pop music absolutely dominated the summer and I am 100% okay with that. If you happen to be curious about my absence, which I highly doubt but I plan to tell you about anyway, I am currently in the process of moving back to Southend, to renew my Essex gal status. I kid, of course, but I have moved and spent a fair amount of my time on trains. Luckily, I've had these fabulous albums to keep me company, ta very much gals! I hope the cheesiness continues and I hope you love it as much as I do, because I said so.