August Release Rundown

Written by Kristin Corry and Sydney Salk of Third Bridge Creative

This is the latest installment of our monthly column that looks back at key new releases from artists across the spectrum, from superstars to upstarts. We’ll break down what happened and why it mattered. In this edition, we look into the commercialization of a post-punk band, the YouTube growth of rap’s “Georgia Peach,” nostalgic bedroom pop, and R&B darlings—some sweet, some sour.

Tinashe’s “Nasty” era

A decade after her breakthrough single “2 On,” Tinashe has finally returned with another ubiquitous earworm that has everyone looking for someone to “match their freak.” “Nasty” takes the charge as Quantum Baby’s defiant lead single boosting the pop singer on just about every platform. In the past month, she’s gained 6 million new streams on SoundCloud and 21 million new YouTube views. The song’s popularity on social media, thanks to the intersection of meme and dance culture, has allowed Tinashe to cash in on the engagement. She’s accrued over 7.2 million likes and 400k new followers on TikTok in the past three months. Quantum Baby is the second installment of the trilogy launched with 2023’s BB/ANG3L, which sounds like a successor to Brandy’s Full Moon era. Yet, although things are certainly looking up for Tinashe, fans can’t help but revisit why they fell in love with her. “2 On” has seen an uptick in popularity: In the past month, the 2014 track has seen a 15 million increase in Spotify streams, and a boost of 112k Shazams.

Fontaines D.C. unveil their stylish new Romance

Irish post-punk group Fontaines D.C. are shaking up their image with the arrival of their fourth studio album, Romance. Out are the somber pouts and dark garb most associated with the genre, and in come wraparound shades, neon-dyed hair, and Brat summer green. They may look like Heaven by Marc Jacobs models, but their new style is derived from the music, with tracks like the sweeping “In The Modern World” inspired by the 80’s anime film Akira. The punchy lead single “Starburster” brought the band to new heights following its release in May, when a performance on The Tonight Show saw their Spotify monthly listenership peak at 2.9 million. Now that the album is out, they’re primed to continue that growth, pushing their Chartmetric Rank into the 2,000 range and the top 10 acts from their home country. They are currently at 3.65 million Spotify monthly listeners.

Latto gets cinematic on Sugar Honey Iced Tea

Latto’s breakthrough moment in 2020 was steeped in the self-proclamation that she was the “Queen of Da Souf.” With a bit more skin in the game, and the record-breaking “Big Energy” that catapulted her to the mainstream in 2021, her third album doubles down on that manifestation. With a star-studded tracklist, featuring Coco Jones, Ciara, Megan Thee Stallion, Mariah The Scientist, and others, Sugar Honey Iced Tea is an ode to the region that raised her. Despite its lead single “Big Mama,” which has seen upward growth on platforms outside of traditional DSPs (968k streams on SoundCloud and 2.9 million streams on Pandora), the most interesting part of Sugar Honey Iced Tea is its rollout, predominantly housed on her YouTube channel.

Inspired by the 2006 film ATL starring T.I., the album’s trailer pays tribute to the film and even features a voiceover from Big Rube—whose poetry is featured in ATL. “Georgia Peach,” her triumphant opener has garnered 2.2 million views since its August 9 release, is the first visual release since the album dropped. Unlike 2022’s 777 rollout which featured the same static photo for each lyric video, Sugar Honey Iced Tea’s lyric visuals are all different—adding texture to the southern aesthetic she is building. This new strategy and rich, cultural visuals are only helping her cause: In the past month, she has received an increase of 33.9 million YouTube video views.

beabadoobee and Rick Rubin team up to bring back the '90s

Beatrice Laus, best known to the public as beabadoobee, first broke onto the scene at age 17 when a self-released YouTube video of her song “Coffee” put her on the path to pop stardom. Now at 24, she’s grown her brand and collaborative circle to include DefJam co-founder Rick Rubin, who produced her new album This Is How Tomorrow Moves. The pair is unlikely but has shared interests, resulting in 14 songs that present like the soundtrack to a lost '90s rom-com. The album uses a unique methodology where Laus stripped back each demo to only voice and acoustic guitar before building it up again in the studio. This minimalist take shines on songs like “Ever Seen,” which has a hazy film music video and over 1.4 million views on YouTube. The nostalgic opener “Take a Bite” boasts the biggest engagement of all, with 39.3 million streams on Spotify and placement on nearly 9k playlists.

FLO is bringing girl groups back

While other artists are relying on their style choices to channel their inner Y2K, FLO’s entire being feels rooted in 2000s R&B. Formed in 2019, FLO, consisting of Reneé Downer, Stella Quaresma, and Jorja Douglas, is easily drawing comparisons to the infamous Destiny’s Child (“Check’s” video also pays homage to Beyoncé’s “Check On It”). Released on August 2, “Check” has helped the group’s YouTube channel amass 5.8 million video views in the past month. This spring, FLO has led with a string of singles like “Walk Like This” (14 million Spotify streams) and “Caught Up” (3.6 million Spotify streams), building upon the momentum for a highly-anticipated debut album that has remained relatively tight-lipped until late August. In a May interview with Teen Vogue, the group revealed that despite the songs being new to fans, these singles were some of their earlier work—and that their debut will be a space where they experiment with infusing their signature R&B harmonies into different genres. Their debut album Access All Areas is due this November.