SOUND OF SUMMER

As my lockdown coping strategy was trifle — I even wanted to name my dog after it — I’m not quite ready for my crop tops. Thankfully, this summer’s tunes are equally as tasty (and calorie-free)…

LA-based duo TWINKIDS weave melancholic synths and nostalgic ’80s-infused pop around the tragedy of a relationship that’s just not working any more on new single, I Know. Their album, Nobody Likes Me, takes us on a familiar queer journey of self-loathing, self-esteem and self-love, serving all the relatable realness en route.

I’m OBSESSED with Shea Diamond.

The singer wrote her 2017 ballad, I Am Her, in a prison cell while serving a 10year sentence for robbing a convenience store, in an attempt to fund her genderaffirmation surgery. Amazing. Shea says nothing has changed since the days of Sylvia and Marsha’s trans activism and her latest track, Presence of a Legend, is a triumphant anthem; it’s the kind of song you need to sing in front of the mirror if you’re feeling less than yourself. It features in the film, Mama Gloria, a love letter to Gloria Allen, a fighter and fixture of the ball scene in Chicago’s South Side.

Check out fearless country queen Paisley Fields, too. His ditty, Stay Away from My Man, is queering cowboy culture in the States right now. There’s also a ridiculously camp video – directed by Slag Wars producer Topher Cusumano – lassoing the dynamics of gay relationships.