What if instead of minor chords and aching vocals sad songs incorporated raw lyrics and high-energy pop melodies? In their latest album, Saves The World, pop-trio MUNA counters genre norms by exploring topics of heartbreak and depression through bright synths and house beats. Without taking itself too seriously, the Saves The World is a comforting, innovative collection of instant radio hits, with each song carrying its own impressive emotional intelligence.
Read MoreWesterman’s debut album Your Hero Is Not Dead (June 5, 2020) is a cohesive portrait of the artist’s fine-tuned style. With synthesizer melodies, reverberating instrumentals, and smooth and soaring vocals, London musician Will Westerman tackles issues ranging from chronic pain and the difficulties of being alive (“Think I’ll Stay”) to climate change and his desire to turn back time (“Blue Comanche”).
Read MoreThe 1975’s newest album, Notes on a Conditional Form (released May 22, 2020) is an amalgam of musical genres, existential questions, and stories from front man Matty Healy’s life. As on their other three albums, NOACF’s opening track is titled “The 1975.” This rendition features an eloquent speech from climate activist Greta Thunberg over an instrumental track that builds in intensity and yet retains a sense of hopefulness thanks to a repetitive, twinkling piano melody.
Read MoreOriginally created as a bedroom pop project back in 2014, Robin Skinner, the artist behind Cavetown, demonstrates an evolution and distancing from his childish origins in his latest release, “Sleepyhead.” While his music has since evolved into an influential hybridization between Indie Rock and Bedroom Pop, I have found his past work to fall short of this claim, obscuring value within repetitive tracks and teenage emotions. So in turn, I approached his latest album with caution.
Read MoreIn December of 2019, while on a hunt for new music I came across Ginger Taylor’s latest EP, a collection of songs titled Yuppie. Upon listening, the introduction to and self released set of four dreamy indie pop songs caught me off guard by its incredible sound quality. Yet even more surprisingly, at the time of writing, her top song only had ~40,000 streams. This just seemed shocking unreflective of how good her music is. So here I am, trying to fix that.
Read MoreAfter four years on hiatus, The Strokes came out with a full-length album dripping in 80s influence and heart-wrenching poetics. Despite past tensions between the band and their record label, RCA, they remained signed to the label and took their sweet time on these nine tracks. The New Abnormal was much anticipated by their cult following, and with good reason.
Read MoreAfter releasing three charting singles on a careful schedule in November of 2019, The Weeknd dropped After Hours, his latest album, to kick off 2020. Sometimes meditative, sometimes bleak, sometimes brilliant, The Weekend slips between the paradox of fame and loneliness that is LA, and the self-indulgent hellscape of Vegas.
Read MoreBeach Bunny’s front-woman Lili Trifilio returns with a series of more nostalgia-inducing heartbreak anthems on the band’s debut album, Honeymoon. The record displays a significant progression from their previously self-released EPs, including “Prom Queen” whose titular hit rose to viral fame on the youth-crazed Tik Tok app.
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