MIC/LINE is HYPEBEAST Radio‘s music-centric show that looks to deliver in-depth conversations with your favorite artists, digging into their origin stories and asking the questions you want answered. For our season four opener, we have Brian Josephs, Regina Cho and Cole Cuchna.

Brian Josephs is currently the weekend editor at Complex whose work has also been seen in Pitchfork, Stereogum, and more. Regina Cho is a freelance music journalist whose worked for Billboard, Genius, and more. Cole Cuchna is the host of the wildly popular Spotify original podcast, Dissect.

For Vol. 2 of our Roundtable Talk segment, HYPEBEAST wanted to sit down and look back at the year so far to discuss possible contenders for the “songs of the summer” and our favorite albums of the year, so far. Last year was taken over by artists like Drake, Cardi B, and Sheck Wes, but this year holds a completely different scene. The editors discuss the criteria for what makes a summer hit, the effects of streaming on album rollouts and why people hate on positive music. While it may be too early for this predicament, the editors agree that a summer anthem requires a movement, whether it be a slogan or a dance move that is impossible to avoid on social media.

I think you need that ten seconds worth of magic. With “Mo Bamba” you have that production cutting out and it’s Sheck Wes cursing out, and it becomes a hit. Bobby Shmurda, the hat. You just need that couple seconds of magic. It’s not enough to make a good song enough anymore. It just needs to hit the right way at the right time and just set some time in. 

From Lizzo to Ari Lennox to Jim Jones and much more, the editors mention new albums under the radar and also artists that are on the rise such as Young Nudy and Slowthai and some sleeper hits such as YG’s “Do Your Dance.” The editor’s agree that while there may be no summer anthem just yet, Megan Thee Stallion’s Fever and her “Hot Girl Summer” movement and Tyler the Creator’s IGOR have had lasting impressions. 

Keep up with everything HYPEBEAST Radio and subscribe to MIC/LINE on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast or wherever else you enjoy your podcasts. Feel free to reach out to our host, Manny, on Twitter at @ECM_LP and follow HYPEBEAST Music for more original content and music news.