Our favorite local music from August
WBUR | August 28, 2025
As we bid farewell to summer, our music critics share their favorite local songs and albums that came out this month. A new album from The WAITIKI 7 bringing an elevated take on the Hawaiian, lounge, jazz-infused genre exotica. A playful, warm rap album from Roxbury rapper Najee Janey. An exclusive song premiere from Somerville alt-rock band Otis Shanty.
Otis Shanty, ‘Lowballer‘
Somerville-based Otis Shanty released an album titled “Up on the Hill” last fall. The record explores maintaining balance in adulthood while dealing with the turmoil of being in your 20s. Now, the alt-rock band is back with the forthcoming single “Lowballer” (out Sept. 3), which you can listen to exclusively here. The quartet described the track as “a duet for the disenchanted dreamer.” The song traverses the difficulty of searching for alternative means of fulfillment and the music industry being a volatile space.
The track starts bright and fuzzy with vibrating synths and a dreamy bassline. Guitarist Ryan DiLello and vocalist Sadye Bobbette take turns singing lines about people in constant search of something. “Well they dress you up and then they try to set you free/ You’re a well-read sailor just floating around at sea/ Lookin’ for a white whale and a sense of meaning/ Just a lowballer, running down a dream.” The track is rapid and dizzying with bursting peaks and rolling rhythm, reflecting the confusing emotions of tracking down a feeling you can’t name. “Lowballer” releases the same night Otis Shanty opens for psychedelic rock artist Liz Cooper at The Rockwell in Somerville. — Maddie Browning
The WAITIKI 7, ‘Exotica Reborn‘
Boston might be 5,000 miles away from Hawaii, but it’s had an unusually outsized role in the preservation of exotica, the mid-century sound that brings together Hawaiian, lounge and jazz music. The late DJ and mixologist Brother Cleve and his Boston band Combustible Edison helped usher in both the cocktail and lounge music revivals. And two of the groups that are at the forefront of exotica today were started here: Mr. Ho’s Orchestrotica (which is still Boston-based) and The WAITIKI 7.
The WAITIKI 7 was co-founded by two Hawaiian musicians who were at Boston music schools: bassist Randy Wong and drummer Abe Lagrimas Jr. On “Exotica Reborn,” they bring a musically elevated take on exotica back to one of the places where it began: The Halekulani Hotel in the Waikiki neighborhood of Honolulu.
There may be bird calls and nature sounds, but this is no retro kitsch affair. It’s instead a serious and adventurous jazz session thanks to members like Boston saxophonist Tim Mayer and Hartford pianist Zaccai Curtis. The Galliard String Quartet brings to life the intoxicating orchestrations, and the calypso standard “Yellow Bird” features 97-year-old drummer Harold Chang, who recorded a classic exotica version of the song with Arthur Lyman in the 1960s. “Exotica Reborn” proves that the genre isn’t just a fun slice of musical history, but a sound that can still be made in a fresh and vibrant way. — Noah Schaffer
Najee Janey, ‘Royalty‘
The new album from Roxbury rapper Najee Janey kicks off with a clip from a 1964 speech by Malcolm X: “We want freedom, by any means necessary.” The subsequent 11 tracks that make up “Royalty” are far more playful and warm than their defiant introduction might suggest. The album shows off Janey’s range, from rapid, tongue-twisting bars to dreamy, expressive melodies. He shines in songs like “Lovin You,” a woozy R&B number built around a sensual hook and murmuring falsettos. Other standouts include “Don’t Stop,” an upbeat summer bop with a reggae-inflected beat, and “Ole Spice,” a deceptively straightforward hip-hop track that culminates in one effortlessly virtuosic verse. The final song, “Peace,” draws on the political fire of the album’s opening, this time with a celebratory mood and an ebullient gospel sample. “Brother, we want power/ ‘Cause we got soul,” Janey declares. He rails against the system, but the music urges him toward elation. There’s more than one way to break free. — Amelia Mason
Overserved Again, ‘Songs of Our Youth Pt. 1‘
I am fascinated by up-and-coming Boston band Overserved Again. Even though I am not a country music wiz, good music will draw you in no matter the source. The band — vocalist and guitarist Luke Papich, Garrett Moloney on backing vocals and guitar, drummer Leandro Moro, Braeden MacNeil on vocals and bass, and Drew Waldron on keys and backing vocals — recently dropped its second album, “Songs of Our Youth Pt. 1,” 11 songs that soothe your ears, have great humor and make your feet do jumping jacks. “The two things that held me on/ A pretty girl and a country song/ And sometimes a beer or five.” Classic country lyrics on “Ain’t Saying Sorry.” The breaths draw you in as the song goes on. From light-hearted, upbeat tunes about life to laid-back, introspective cuts, I enjoyed this project in its entirety. And the rollout has been fascinating to watch: The band has been selling merch to go along with the release. I’ve witnessed their active supporters buy up hundreds of the hats they offer. And they’ve played 49 shows between May 30 and Aug. 30. They are cooking. — Noble
Ethan Setiawan, ‘Encyclopedia Mandolinnica‘
The mandolin might not be the loudest or the flashiest instrument, but it’s been a steady provider of melodies and rhythm for the better part of 300 years. Now Ethan Setiawan, a Portland, Maine-based mandolinist often heard with his own Fine Ground and Boston’s Acoustic Nomads, has penned a musical love letter to the instrument.
This album features 10 mandolin duets — with one trio for extra measure. Fellow Portland picker Joe K. Walsh, newgrass pioneers Mike Marshall and Don Stiernberg, classical virtuoso Caterina Lichtenberg, and Boston mandolin great Moriah Ozberkmen are among those trading licks with Setiawan on mostly original compositions that explore the seemingly endless tonal possibilities of the instrument. Also heard are the mandola, octave mandolin, and both acoustic and electric mandocellos.
The pieces range from the rapid-fire bluegrass picking of “Blazing Star” with Jacob Jolliff to the Celtic-inspired beauty of “Gäddan/Shenk’s” with Laura-Beth Salter. The record shows the incredible range and power of Setiawan and his mandolin peers. — Noah Schaffer