New VINCINT, Janelle Monáe, and More on This Week’s Queer Music Mixtape

Welcome back to INTO’s Queer Music Mixtape, your #1 hub for all things new LGBTQ+ music. Here, we’re covering the hottest releases of the week in one handy guide.

The heat is really starting to set in, and you can feel it throughout this week’s sun-soaked lineup. Artists like Janelle Monáe and Kaien Cruz are bringing the island vibes, while VINCINT and Baby Queen have us heating up under the collar.

We’ve got a nice range of temperatures to satisfy all climates, though! Whether you want some glamorous club heat or snowy ballads, this crop of LGBTQ+ talents has you covered.

Related:

Janelle Monáe Proves That ‘The Age of Pleasure’ Is Queer and Political

Janelle Monáe’s “The Age of Pleasure”, is a radical ode to all things that feel good and queer people need that right now. 

We’ve included Instagram links in each byline, streaming links below for your convenience, and a full Queer Music Mixtape playlist from our Spotify page to keep you rocking out for hours to come!

Get ready to groove with this week’s Queer Music Mixtape:

The Age of Pleasure by Janelle Monáe

Janelle’s had their foot on the gas since the second they dropped that unspeakably tease-y teaser last month. Now (on the incredibly convenient date of 6/9), The Age of Pleasure is finally upon us. With features by the likes of Doechii, Amaare, and Thee Grace Jones, this new age is stacked full of perfectly Black, queer, feminine energy. Janelle preceded this release with a string of invite-only, in-person preview shows that featured her and her dancers wining and grinding with fans all across the spectrum, just the way this album is meant to be enjoyed. On their Grammy-nominated 2018 album Dirty Computer, Janelle paraphrased Oscar Wilde with the line “Everything is sex, except sex, which is power”; if that’s the case, they might just be more powerful than ever.

Stream Janelle Monáe on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

“Take Me Home” by VINCINT

Pride pop mainstay VINCINT is picking up where he left off on his last catchy single with “Take Me Home”, a certified bop that he calls “the fraternal twin sister to ‘Romance’”. The heart-pounding fun of the previous track finds itself becoming a hopeful, airy flutter of feeling in this adorable follow-up. “It’s the continuation of the best night of your life,” VINCINT explains. “It’s the moment in the night when you’ve let go of reality, taken the shot you shouldn’t have, and start dreaming of a life with the person you’ve been dancing with for 10 minutes; it’s blind romanticism smothered in glitter and psychosis!” That’s the only kind of night we want to have from now on.

Stream VINCINT on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

“Dream Girl” by Baby Queen

It’s only appropriate that the artist most emblematic of Heartstopper‘s first season soundtrack drops a new single with a video that is hair-twirlingly, feet-kickingly, “spin the bottle with your crush” romantic. The awkward little “Hi”s outside the party bathroom, the pause before the confession, the glances! It’s all right. We’re hearing rumbles that Baby Queen’s debut album is coming down the pike soon, and if the rush of “Dream Girl” is any indication, the sapphics are about to be winning yet again.

Stream Baby Queen on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

“Oh The Glamour” by Aluna Feat. Pabllo Vittar & MNEK (with Eden Prince)

Oh, the glamour indeed. This bumping house track from Aluna employs a couple of LGBTQ+ heavy-hitters: Britpop star producer MNEK and the infinitely glamorous Pabllo Vittar. Aluna understands that underprivileged people can often appreciate glamour more than anyone, stating, “Glamour can uplift the worst of days and the darkest of hearts, make tears beautiful and pain graceful. My mother always worried about my expensive taste, but for me it was the taste of survival….for who can live this miserable life without a touch of glamour?”

Stream Aluna on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

Stream Pabllo Vittar on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

Stream MNEK on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

Stream Eden Prince on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

“UBU” by Jackie Lipson & Jujubee

Drag competition staple Jujubee has teamed up with Jackie Lipson to deliver a cute, comforting Pride anthem. With lines on found family, kicking down doors, and serving you life, this catchy jam is perfect for a celebration. From the kitschy sticker-covered-journal art to the text abbrev. title, “UBU” is a sugary bite of rainbowy goodness. And, of course, a “we’re here, we’re queer” chant for good measure never hurts.

Stream Jackie Lipson on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

Stream Jujubee on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

“The Returner” by Allison Russell

Grammy-nominated Americana star Allison Russell is back with a whole new era, with her album The Returner expected out in September and her lead single of the same name breaking through this week. In this soothing title track, Russell meets the current moment with an optimistic declaration of self-love and admiration. Lines like “I’m a summer dream, I’m a real light beam, I’m worthy/ Of all the goodness and the love that the world’s gonna give to me” play like daily affirmations of the sweetest kind, especially from the kind of person who the world, at times, seems hellbent on not affirming.

Stream Allison Russell on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

“Snow Angel” by Reneé Rapp

Mean Girls phenom Reneé Rapp has landed with the titular single from her upcoming debut album, and fans are shivering with anticipation (Get it? Shivering? “Snow Angel”? Thank you). While this does team with tracks like “In The Kitchen” and “Tattoos” to cement her place in the Olivia Rodrigo school of pop balladry, that’s not a bad thing — it’s an Ivy League institution at this point. The slow build of “Snow Angel” to the feedback-filled bridge is satisfying and sure to kill at her inevitable Snow Angel tour.

Stream Reneé Rapp on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

“I Lay” by Kaien Cruz

In “I Lay”, rising Afropop star Kaien Cruz takes us to Costa Rica to catch a wave and catch a vibe. The video sees Kaien connecting with their partner in gorgeous locales and taking us along for the ride. They say of their intention for the track, “I wanted to portray the feeling of total ease in love and life. ‘I Lay’ is my pure expression of what it means to be in love and connection without the toxicity of ego.” It’s a great day for this drop, as it plays like a perfect, flowing Age of Pleasure companion.

Stream Kaien Cruz on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

“Simple Life” by Abby Posner

We finish this week’s mixtape off with another bit of stunning queer Americana. In “Simple Life”, Abby Posner takes a step back from the whirling urgency of today in favor of a meditation on the gentle and familiar. “We live in such a chaotic world right now, politically and socially,” they note. “I believe that it is important to have art and music that can bring us back to earth…that can ground us in these unpredictable times.”

Stream Abby Posner on Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

Take some time to sink into the age of pleasure and meet us back here next week for another Queer Music Mixtape!

Keep the tunes going with our official Queer Music Mixtape playlist: