Hi there! Welcome back to another episode of The Summer Jam 3: Electric Boogaloo – it sure is nice to see y’all! This week, we have Kat Hunter, the mastermind behind Australian art pop act Lack The Low with us, and she’s going to walk you through a list of the records that make her summer. Please enjoy!
Kat Hunter
‘Because summer is the end/start of the year here in Australia, when I think of summer I think of barbecue Christmas lunch outdoors with family, balmy nights and New Years Eve. Every Boxing Day my family and I drive all the way to rural South Australia (a ten-hour drive), so when I think about summer I also think about long drives through endless dry-looking wheat and barley fields. In honour of this, the collection of albums I’ve compiled comprises what I consider to be my favourite driving albums.‘
Mogwai – Hardcore Will Never Die, but You Will
Although I’m not sure if this is my favourite Mogwai album (I have a very soft spot for Mr. Beast), I think this is the perfect album for driving. In particular, “Mexican Grand Prix” and “Rano Pano” have made it onto many a roadtrip mixtape, and “You’re Lionel Richie” reminds me of many night-time drives down the coast.
Male Bonding – Endless Now
Despite them being from rainy old England, when I’m thinking about summer music, Male Bonding are basically a no brainer. I’ll happily yell along with just about every track on this record, and the slow-burner “Bones” is perfect.
Tera Melos – Trash Generator
I feel like I can’t talk about summery music without mentioning Tera Melos. X’ed Out is probably their most summery-sounding album, and definitely their most accessible, but there’s something about this new album of theirs that just hooks into my brain and makes me listen over and over. It’s a flipping masterpiece.
The Shins – Nature Bears a Vacuum
In summer there’s nothing quite like a good picnic and the sound of indie pop so lo-fi it almost makes your ears cry. ‘And every American has the mouth of a pelican‘.
Art Brut – Bang Bang Rock & Roll
Just a stupid, stupid, fun, glorious album.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=755R0lGRW-I
Death Cab for Cutie – We Have the Facts and We’re Voting Yes
Although this album is a little inconsistent, and is more a concept album about struggling to move on from a relationship and becoming an unhinged borderline stalker than anything summery, this album has been included for playing an important part in a particularly long solo drive to the Yorke Pensinsula one summer when I’d just been fired and was feeling pretty hopeless and directionless. I remember listening to this album on repeat before stopping in Bordertown to sit and watch the albino kangaroos in a large enclosure they have there.
I’m afraid that’s all for this week; massive thanks go to Kat for providing this fantastic list! Be sure to give Lack The Low‘s latest album One Eye Closed a spin, it’s one of the year’s best albums in the genre so far. You can find it by following this link. See you back here for next week’s episode of The Summer Jam 3: Electric Boogaloo, and until then, have an awesome week!
