music

We’ve reached the point in the year where art begins to imitate life and songs about beaches, islands, and sunshine start to make their way onto our playlists. Though B.I’s “Illa Illa” does just that — it is definitely not your classic Song of the Summer. Accompanied by a more poetic, arthouse-esque visual, “Illa Illa” balances melancholy, emotional lyrics with an upbeat melody bound to get stuck in your head. B.I’s comeback shows a clear distinction between old and new, displaying a sort of rebirth both sonically and visually. On this new track, B.I lets the tears fall like waves but also finds strength and hope for brighter days, singing, “Though I know it will crumble, I’ll probably build a sandcastle again.” —Sarina Bhutani You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates ...

Rostam Batmanglij is working on some Lucinda Williams covers. In April, he shared a teaser of his progress so far, including with pal and in-demand horn blower Henry Solomon laying down a baritone saxophone part over a shuffling beat. His fandom of the country-music legend is well documented — “hey siri, google why is Lucinda Williams’ music queer even though she is not,” he tweeted in March — but on a recent Zoom call from Los Angeles, he can’t say what these latest tracks will amount to, not yet. “I have an idea that’s a little bit of a secret,” he says, standing before a bright wall of windows. “I have this idea to do something that in the last few months has become the standard way that pop albums are released, which is…,” he trails off. “I don’t want to ruin the surprise, ...