Ryan Meyer

Cousin shouldn’t fade away as an obligatory release by a legacy act. It should stand as one of the best records of the year, and a testament to the skill it takes a band to continue reinventing themselves.

Now, in an attempt to avoid the pigeonhole they seem to believe they created with that album, they’ve emerged with two records in six months, the latest one is very different from the exciting directions they’ve gone previously.

The sign of a great album is when one genre label doesn’t quite do it justice.

Perfect Saviors, whatever it is, is incredible. It’s the type of work of art that upon suggestion could warrant scoffs of derision, but upon execution warrants gasps of awe. You have to hear it to believe it. It’s a masterclass in singularity and creativity.

Be Your Own Let’s newest, Mommy, offers a little bit of everything to listeners, be it garage rock, post punk or dream pop. A brief listen that can take listeners across eras and styles, all the while with emphatic energy.

Volcano arrives at a perfect time, soundtracking the end of summer in such a way that you could hear it on long vacation drives, or at barbecues, bonfires and the like.

I Am Not There Anymore is a long and winding sonic journey, interspersed with sweet and tender interludes that only contribute to the authentic human touch of the record. A solid listening choice for music fans of all kinds.

With TWWFNO, Local Natives have released a delightful pop record artistic enough in its songwriting and instrumentation that the indiest of indieheads can enjoy it and the most pop-leaning of pop aficionados can appreciate it as well.

With their new second record, Sweeping Promises offer a colorful look into a branch of post- punk not typically observed by those with more affection for the greyness of Joy Division and the like.

Grian Chatten’s Chaos For The Fly is the first in hopefully a long, long line of him and his bandmates continuing to create great music. There’s not many lead singers I would’ve rather heard a solo album from than him.

Life Under The Gun is a breezy, quick listen that never quite gives the listener a chance to recover from the song that just finished.

One of the best things about Melodies on Hiatus is how delightfully bright Hammond Jr’s guitar playing often is.

Perhaps it’s backyard music, to enjoy a long look at a domain you’ve made your own, however big or small it might be. Music to appreciate what’s been overcome rather than the beauty that lies out of reach.

Girl with Fish is music that sounds as though it comes incredibly easily to the band, written in short bursts of creativity and met with such satisfaction that no member feels a need to revisit them. It’s music as spontaneity and it’s a pleasure as a listener to be able to hear a young band explore the limits of their songwriting and run with what they like.

O Monolith is simply the result of giving a young, creative band too much time together on the road. It’s fresh, it’s left-of-center and incredibly energetic.

Space Heavy’s lighter atmospheres and breezier textures make it one of the strongest records in King Krule’s discography and among the best albums released so far in 2023.

The sadness that permeates so much of Protomartyr’s music isn’t quite in the rearview mirror, but Formal Growth In The Desert shows them learning how to coexist with it.