With the warm breeze blowing in the air, and no more cold ‘til November, Summer is a great time to jam out to some new tunes from your favorite artists. From World Tours to new albums, and everything in between, the Warriors enjoyed music in various forms. So, what were the Dubs listening to this summer?
The Shaky Knees festival struck the first chord of summer, setting the season’s soundtrack in motion. Audiences from all different genres, come together at Atlanta’s Central Park and enjoy their time at Shaky Knees. Headliners included Noah Kahan, Weezer, Portugal. The Man, and Queens of the Stone Age. Shaky Knees was the place to be. Freshman Piper Redmond had been looking forward to seeing the headliners all year. “Seeing Noah Kahan on stage was so amazing,” she said. “The best part was when Noah (Kahan) played “Paul Revere” which is one of my favorite songs of all time.”
The 21-year-old singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo ‘set the date” for her second tour of her sophomore album GUTS during the summer of ‘24. With her openers such as Pink Pantheress, Chappel Roan, The Breeders, and Remi Wolf, that hue of lavender and lilac which Rodrigo is known for made each night she performed a night to remember. On July 23,some of the Dubs, including sophomore Katherine Dixion, filled State Farm Arena and sang Rodrigo’s catchy choruses. “The outfits were what I remember most from the tour,” she said. “Everyone was very unique and creative with how they dressed up for the concert.”
With a bow in her hair and a melody in her heart, 24-year-old Gracie Abrams released her latest album ‘The Secret of Us’ in mid-June. Abrams became popular when she opened for Taylor Swift on the “Era’s Tour,” back in 2023 and even collaborated with Swift on a song on her new album called ‘Us.’ North Atlanta students were no different, and thoroughly enjoyed the fresh tunes. “The lyrics and the overall energy of the album is what I enjoyed most,” said sophomore Katy Cunningham. “My favorites off of the album were definitely “Us,” “I Knew It, I Know You,” and “I Love You, I’m Sorry.’”
Known for her upbeat songs and her catchy tunes, Charli XCX released her album ‘Brat’ in early June this summer. Popular songs of hers include “Boom, Clap,” and “Speed Drive” from the 2023 Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. Made appearances on Icona Pop’s song “I Love It” as well as her collaboration with Iggy Azalea on “Fancy” back in 2014. “The album had a very girly and party aura to it,” said sophomore Ryan Rogers-Givens, a fan of Charli XCX since she opened for Taylor Swift for the ‘Reputation Tour’ in 2018. “Her new song ‘365’ was a favorite off of the album because it was one the more upbeat songs on the album.”
As the leaves slowly start to transform their green coating into bright shades of red, orange, and yellow, it means that summer is sadly coming to an end. But the memories made at concerts and the catchy new songs, everyone can’t help but sing along will always stick around.
