Listen "Out" music reviews for July 2026
- by Jason Drewry
Music Critic
Madonna - Confessions II
Following 2019’s artistic, experimental (and divisive) concept album Madame X, Madonna remained as busy as ever, releasing remix compilations and the odd collab single while embarking on writing a biopic about her life. When that project was shelved, she began thinking about making a spiritual successor to her 2005 monster masterpiece, Confessions On A Dancefloor.
Working again with producer Stuart Price, Confessions II finds Madonna fully embracing the dancefloor again, and sounding better than she has in a decade and a half. Standouts include the exhilarating Good For the Soul, meditative I Feel So Free, boppy Sabrina Carpenter collab Bring Your Love, the Erotica-era sounding house of One Step Away.
Already a fan favorite, Danceteria is named after the famed nightclub she frequented in her pre-fame days. The track is an easter egg-filled love letter to her own history, name-dropping key figures like Mark Kamins (the DJ who played what would become her first single, Everybody) and artist Martin Burgoyne (her best friend who sadly passed away from AIDS in 1986, cementing her lifelong commitment to the LGBT community and AIDS activism). Major comeback moment: the Summer of M is upon us!
Kevin Atwater – Blush Red
Illinois indie-pop artist Kevin Atwater returns with a sophomore album that follows on the heels of his critically acclaimed 2025 release Achilles.
Described by the artist as part of a “summer of gay longing and despair,” Blush Red continues Atwater’s signature blend of narrative storytelling and pop sensibilities. Atwater’s songcraft here is emotionally resonant, vulnerable, and typically atmospheric, as evidenced on the lead single I’m not where you’re at, a gorgeous, yearning account of generational relationship insecurities that finds Atwater crooning, “Baby, I use a different name when we go to the bar and order a drink and baby, I’m nervous that you might like it more than mine.”
As on previous releases, Achilles and Downers Grove, Atwater bares all via confessional lyrics and lush production, with themes revolving around LGBTQ issues. Listeners will find easy comparisons to similarly beset queer troubadours Sufjan Stevens and Sacha Sacket.
Bebe Rexha – Dirty Blonde
The genre-bending pop star goes fully independent on a sonic “rebirth” that also serves as her first-ever visual album.
Her first release since 2023’s Bebe, fourth album Dirty Blonde ushers in a new era for the singer. After Warner Brothers told her they were parting ways, she leaped into indie territory, and it seems to be paying off handily for her. The album is riskier, bolder, and far more personal than some of her previous affairs. The statement is undeniable: she’s calling the shots now. This album is a stark, visceral banger that makes Bebe, while good, sound like dance-music-by-the-numbers in comparison.
Çike Çike (Albanian for “hey girl, hey girl”) is the cultural centerpiece of the album and moves with the same tension-boiling-just-under-the-surface energy as the best Sofi Tukker. I Like You Better Than Me finds Rexha bemoaning a litany of insecurities over a pulsing beat. The project’s lead single, New Religion, is built on a sample from the 1995 clubland classic Insomnia by British dance band Faithless.
Pussy Riot – CYKA
Russian feminist protest art collective release their long-awaited debut album, tackling societal issues and taking on Vladimir Putin directly.
The 14-track album (whose title translates to “bitch” in Russian) distills 14 years of the group’s activism, including imprisonment and exile – most notably their unauthorized 2012 performance inside Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior, an action condemned as sacrilegious by the Russian Orthodox Church.
In a particularly cheeky (and provocative) moment on CYKA, the album’s self-titled track features an uncredited, sampled vocal cameo from the Russian President (who the group famously mocks, without paying him royalties). The album features guest appearances from artists like B-Real and TikTok star Salem Ilese. Frontwoman Nadya Tolokonnikova tackles themes like radical hope, state-sponsored systemic violence, and prescription drug culture. The project’s lead single is the high-energy pop/alt-rock Avenged Sevenfold collaboration Candy Dopamine.
The Gayly online. 7/15/26 @ 5:21 p.m. CST.