Perfume Genius: “It’s a Mirror”
Mike Hadreas confronts memory and progress through a Southern Gothic lens.
Miley Cyrus: <em>Endless Summer Vacation</em>
Miley Cyrus’ new album promises a good time, but all it delivers is dull moody moments.
JID: <em>The Forever Story</em>
The Atlanta rapper’s third record is very ambitious, welding together many sounds and themes to create a cohesive view of his narrative.
Caroline Polachek: <em>Desire, I Want to Turn Into You</em>
Just like summer, each song on Polachek’s whimsical sophomore record goes by fast and leaves you wishing for more.
The Velvet Underground: <em>The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground’s eponymous third LP stands as the perfect example of their unbothered yet self-aware versatility.
Kendrick Lamar: <em>Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers</em>
Presenting a new version of the rapper, Kendrick Lamar’s fifth studio album is beautifully painful and terrifyingly real.
SZA: <em>SOS</em>
SZA’s sophomore record sees the singer return with main character energy throughout its 23 brilliant tracks—very Tarantino, indeed.
Arctic Monkeys: <em>The Car
With its unpredictable song structures and posh atmosphere, The Car represents the most successful venture in the band’s constant act of self-discovery.
Taylor Swift: <em>Midnights
On her tenth album, Swift shares some of her darkest thoughts over industrial, glitchy, and synth-pop tracks.
Tove Lo: <em>Dirt Femme</em>
Tove Lo’s fifth studio album is a kick in the head: blunt lyricism, ‘80s synth-pop, ‘70s glam and disco, femininity, heartbreak, and sex. Take it all in.
The 1975: <em>Being Funny In A Foreign Language’ </em>
There’s no other band or artist dissecting postmodernism and the internet era quite as well and precisely as The 1975.
Alvvays: ‘Blue Rev’ Review
The third album by the Canadian band proves their ability to grind their influences into their own blissful version of shoegaze dream pop.
Frank Ocean: ‘Channel Orange’ Review
Ocean’s atmospheric debut studio album is eclectic and diverse, and everyone can find a song on it to identify themselves with.
Shygirl: ‘Nymph’ Review
The debut studio album by the UK-based singer is a candid assemblage of self-confidence and insecurity, both at once.
Frank Ocean: ‘Nostalgia, Ultra.’ Review
Ocean’s debut mixtape shook the parameters of R&B music and gave him room to create his subsequent, much-adored records
Phoebe Bridgers: <emStranger in the Alps</em>
Melodically beautiful, lyrically poetic, thematically macabre—Phoebe Bridgers’s ghoulish debut LP sees the singer plunge into her psyche with terrorizing calm.
Rina Sawayama: ‘Hold the Girl’ Review
Sawayama’s sophomore album is a suitable soundtrack to unravel inner traumas at a party for one.
Black Country, New Road: ‘Ants From Up There’ Review
There is an overflow of talent and technique on Black Country, New Road’s impeccable sophomore record.