Welcome to the August edition of Beats Per Minute’s monthly playlist BPM Curates.
We’re heading into autumn – but not before we gather every last drop of summer that we can. Music is the perfect way to stay tuned into the good times and we’ve got a set here that’s going to keep you locked into that sunshiney feeling for as long as possible.
Below is the track list and some notes from our team about why they’ve selected them for this month’s playlist.
Big Thief – “Grandmother” (feat. Laraaji)
Big Thief return to the well on “Grandmother”, drawing from the source: family and the love thereof that passes down through generations. The 2025 version of the band sees them imbuing their dusty jam approach with subtle atmospherics that give a more interdimensional feeling, while the vocals from guest Laraaji add an aged quality to the writing. When Adrianne Lenker sings the song’s simply euphoric chorus to her titular grandmother, vowing to “turn it all into rock and roll”, it feels like a mission statement of everything she has done and will do and a promise to her forebears to live her life to the fullest. – Rob Hakimian
Cate Selna – “sheesh”
Clocking in under two minutes, “sheesh” is like a musical geyser – powerful and primal. Cate Selna is one of LA’s premier singers and when this song washes over you, you’ll know without a doubt that a star is born. – Larry McClain
Chaeyoung – “Avocado”
Leave it Chaeyoung to do something different. TWICE’s most idiosyncratic member is much more keen on bedroom pop and doing her own thing than sticking to her larger group’s sound. Seeing as she composed and wrote on every track for her debut album, we’re about to get a healthy dose of her singular style. She would kick the whole thing off by being devoured by a violent, anthropomorphic fruit. New single “Avocado” is a laidback, emotive groove, aided by undersung Japanese indie trio Gliiico. The lyrics are all scrawled-on-a-napkin simple poignancy; when she sings, “Leave me / Deceive me / See me as yours”: see me, not an actual mutual reality, it could be as easily pointed at a possessive lover as her more obsessive fans. It’s the perfect introduction to her LIL FANTASY. – Chase McMullen
Curren$y – “Rich Uncle Intro”
In which Curren$y deftly responds to recent criticism from Freddie Gibbs in the most Curren$y way possible: “Woke up to animosity I ain’t even know bout / I turned some Office reruns on and then I zoned out”. Of course Curren$y’s response to a perceived diss would be to get high and chill. It works so well on record because he can follow it up with a tight flow over a smooth beat, the same thing he’s been delivering consistently for over 15 years now. On the intro to his newest project 8/30, he’s sounding like vintage Spitta. – Ethan Reis
foamboy – “Phone”
Back with a new single after the release of their neat lime, knife, time, hand EP earlier this year, “Phone” is full workout for Portland band foamboy. Brimming with sizzling and danceable guitar riffs and nimble drumwork, it veers into a instrumental workout in its second half that lands somewhere between original Sonic the Hedgehog music and a funk band jamming out a groove. Four minutes of good stuff from a band that keeps dishing it out. – Ray Finlayson
Gunna – “club house”
On his sixth studio album, The Last Wun, Gunna stretches himself across 25 tracks, navigating between moody reflection and the euphoria of excess. By the time listeners reach track 15, “Club House”, the record seems to catch its second wind. Produced by his long-time confidant Turbo, the song is deceptively simple on the surface: a sticky bassline, crisp percussion, and Gunna’s ever-slippery flow circling the beat with surgical ease. The track recreates the vibe of a packed room after midnight as Gunna’s verses blur bravado and boredom, flex and fatigue, and the endless cycle of parties he both thrives in and critiques. – Mary Chiney
Jens Lekman – “Wedding in Liepzig”
What’s better than a new Jens Lekman song? A long-ass Jens Lekman song, of course! “Wedding in Liepzig” is a full 10 and half minutes of the Swedish musician weaving a heartfelt but wryly funny story of performing at a wedding in titular city. Adorned with interesting characters, an irresistibly light-footed riff, and a bustling dance-leaning percussive edge that carries it along. After the first time it feels shorter and shorter with each subsequent listen; the reflective middle section hits harder and emotional core of the song spills out that bit more. It’s Lekman indulging without feeling indulgent, and like cake at a wedding, it’s so easy to gobble right up. – Ray Finlayson
Juicy J & Endea Owens – “Can’t Take That Away From Me”
Juicy J turned 50 this year, and in the spirit of aging gracefully released an album that sounds more like Norah Jones than Three 6 Mafia. Not that he can’t still go full 90s Memphis rap, but his full-length collaboration with stand-up bassist Endea Owens, Caught Up in This Illusion, features less rapping and more live instrumentation than anything he’s released, and it works. Highlight “Can’t Take That Away From Me” is a Gershwin cover (you read that right) that finds the Juice Mane singing about his love’s simple pleasures. Joined by singer Nia Drummond and pianist Cory Henry, Juicy sounds at home trying on the vocal jazz hat. Delightful. – Ethan Reis
Kennedy Wilde – “Homesick”
This Nashville artist is truly versatile. While “Homesick” is peppy pop, Kennedy Wilde also tackles serious topics (like on “When You’re High”). Her vocals and piano chops are impressive, and this record feels like the start of something big. – Larry McClain
Liv DeToma and Nora Banks – “slowburn”
This is without question the best collab of the summer. Both artists (one in LA, one in NY) are extraordinary vocalists, and the songwriting and production on “slowburn” perfectly complement their emotive strengths. – Larry McClain
NandoSTL – “HoodBaby”
A late-summer Summer Jam, St. Louis-based rapper NandoSTL wonders if his deprived childhood really was the best time of his life. The track’s mood is that of Chance The Rapper’s Coloring Book or Lupe Fiasco’s “Kick/Push” and is an ode to sweltering Midwest summers and icy popsicles. The rose-coloured nostalgia almost overwhelms him to the point of psychedelic hallucination. Though a low-income upbringing was full of graft, it now seems better than the current hustle – even if he’s starting to see a little money. – Steve Forstneger
Sam Barber & Chance Peña – “Better than the floor”
On his double-album debut, Sam Barber banked on a “better year” with less heartache for everyone involved in his life: well, now he’s back in a doomed embrace. Teaming with the equally ascendant Chance Peña, Barber tinkers very little with the sound that has made him a quick success and puts the focus squarely on his warbly voice and even less-certain morals. Preferring a wayward lover’s bed to solitude, it’s rather ironic for a duo of loners to craft a strummable anthem like so. – Steve Forstneger
Shallowater – “Sadie”
West Texas band Shallowater are clearly students of alternative American rock; particularly the kind that describes the vastness and loneliness of the country’s plains. They’re now bidding to join the resurgence in this kind of material alongside the likes of MJ Lenderman and Ryan Davis, and “Sadie” from their upcoming second album puts them firmly at the table. A drawn-out seven minute lament with its eyes fixed on the horizon that bucks from contemplation to catclysm, it’s a dust storm and a hell of a ride. – Rob Hakimian
Titanic – “Escarbo dimensiones”
A lazy Google translate tells me that “Escarbo dimensiones” translates to “I dig dimensions” and whther or not that’s correct, it kind of perfectly fits Titanic’s music – and this song in particular – very well. The modern experimental act starring Mabe Fratti and I La Catolica shift through different modes in this prog rock mini epic; grandiose drama one moment, groove-based exploration the next, all the while Fratti’s crystalline voice guiding the way deeper into their musical maelstrom. – Rob Hakimian
Listen to our BPM Curates: August 2025 playlist here.
