Sprawling dream pop sounds, rock adjacent guitar tones all sprinkled over some bittersweet lyricism give this track an ethereal quality that might be Miley’s best argument for entering into the upper echelon of pop stardom. She’s never sounded more consistently great, both in performance and production, and so far I’m convinced that this upcoming record is going to be Miley’s best material yet.

Sultry, sexy, and quite possibly Miley’s best vocal performance of her career. Much like the artist herself, the aesthetics on display here scream feminine, sexy, with a tinge of rock and roll sprinkled on top.

Belting vocals, huge drum hits, and giant guitar passes are thrown into the mix of an otherwise James Bond-esque track, giving it a sense of duality that I’m predicting might be one of the themes present in the full record.

I honestly wasn’t hugely excited for this ... read more

What a cute little record! Very nostalgic and heavy on the whimsy, this is great! The hooks throughout are fantastic, and the beats are very reminiscent of the PS2 era electronic, with some more pastel tones thrown into the production for good measure. For what seems to be a first record from an act I’ve never heard of, color me pleasantly surprised and excited for more :)

Lady Gaga is perhaps the biggest generational talent of our lifetime. This point bears repeating as leading up to the release of “MAYHEM”, Gaga’s reputation in the pop sphere certainly waned a bit in recent years. Opting to focus more on her other creative endeavors (A Star is Born, Joker 2, etc.), Gaga’s output musically over the past decade wasn’t nearly as impactful or memorable as her debut record, with arguably the only standout being 2020’s ... read more

With the inclusion of a few bonus tracks, this “brighter days ahead” expansion to Grande’s 2024 release manages to move a bit closer to what I’d imagine was the bigger vision for the loosely conceptual first version.

Filled with stunning orchestral arrangements and soaring vocals, the bonus tracks present serve as a type of sampler of sounds Ariana explored on her first go, but done with a bit more grandeur. There’s an elevated sense to the production; songs sound ... read more

LP is certainly getting closer and closer to re-establishing a new lane to operate in, now that Emily is in the mix. “Up From The Bottom” is the continuation of that trend, sounding more akin to their days of working with the Transformers franchise, and I mean that in the most flattering way. I’m personally enjoying this seemingly sudden resurgence of Nu-Metal/Rap Rock, and no resurgence would be complete without the pioneers of Linkin Park.

That said, while it is close in ... read more

Decent! I can’t say Troye brings anything to the table that makes this version any better than the original, but I do find it funny that Dua’s label seemingly gave up on Radical Optimism’s promo and has gone back to reheat the nachos of 2020’s Future Nostalgia…or maybe it’s a nice bonus for the album’s 5th anniversary. Whatever the case, I love seeing Dua’s collab work so I consider it a win regardless!

This is fantastic!! THIS is the Evanescence people fell in love with, and I think the band finally realized the demand for their signature classic power metal sound, to the point where this track nearly plays like a relative of the “Fallen” era. Moody lyrics on top of the gothic visuals of Devil May Cry give this cut an aesthetic that feels right at home with AMV heavy hitters of years past. Solid tune, and I can’t wait to hear it paired with the show when I get around to ... read more

It’s alright. Much like others, I’m much more a fan of “Joyride” than this track. I appreciate what it’s going for, but between the say-nothing lyrics and the melody that’s mostly one-note…this feels like a track that would make more sense in 2009. It feels dated, but being how campy the sound plays out, I can’t necessarily hate it. Is this a good place to say I don’t love the album art either? This new era of Kesha is about to be a joyride ... read more

First previewed on SNL some months ago, Chappell finally drops the ever teased “The Giver”. This track takes Chappell in a brand new country direction, decked out with a main fiddle melody, belting from Chappell herself that’s in some parts akin to yodeling, as well as a danceable mid tempo arrangement that fits right at home with other artists in the genre.

However, unlike the SNL performance from last year, the studio version feels a bit polished by comparison. It certainly ... read more

Much like Taylor Swift, this is what an artist refusing to evolve looks like.

It constantly baffles me how artists of this size continue to churn out what basically equates to playlist bait by making the most same-sounding, far too bloated albums. This record in particular is okay at best, even as someone who enjoyed some of Drake’s earlier work that’s more akin to this sound. However where “$$$4U” falls flat is its juvenile obsession with strippers and money. Maybe ... read more

Like a mixture of his original trilogy and recent After Hours arc, “Hurry Up Tomorrow” provides a dazzlingly bold bookend to The Weeknd’s legacy.

Operating like an end to a film, this latest project sees The Weeknd at his most musically diverse, painting the final portrait of this album with varying shades of electronic, dance, jazz, to even some droning siren singing on songs like “The Abyss”, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

There’s no mistaking ... read more

It’s alright. Both sonically and lyrically this track shares a lot of DNA with the first single “DAMAGE”, with a chorus that feels lackluster by comparison. I don’t feel this style of music necessarily works for Light’s strengths but it’s not bad.

The production feels a lot more in line with the “dark pop” vision Lights clearly has for this project, complimenting the bright guitar tones and sweeping vocal harmonies in its chorus. Song’s ... read more

Holy SHIT this bangs!!

It’s been amazing to watch this woman grow into the once in a lifetime artist she is today. As someone who’s been following her career since the beginning, I find so much joy in hearing Gaga return to her experimental euro dance bag with this second single. It’s hard not to take her own words of “get ready to dance” seriously when she serves us THIS.

Instrumentally, this song shares a lot of the DNA from her ARTPOP era, haunting choir ... read more

Pretty good! Feels like it’d be more fitting to be included in the GRAMMYs performance she gave rather than a single, but decent enough in its own regard.

Lyrically, not much to write home about other than the obvious GRAMMY win she’s celebrating. Throw in a bit of her signature hard hitting, breathy raps and you’ve got something that could be at home as a bonus track to a deluxe album someday? Otherwise pretty neat way to celebrate what was clearly her moment. Congrats on ... read more

After coming off a project like “UTOPIA”, which was one of the best-sounding records of 2023 (in my opinion), this feels like a downgrade in some ways, almost like a leftover.

Travis has a few decent bars here, but a lot of the potential of this track is sullied by its overall muddy production. I’m not sure what’s going on behind the boards this time around, but this whole track feels almost like a demo. I’m hoping it’s not indicative of what’s coming ... read more

When Bruno said he wanted to make a “stripper anthem”, this is not what I was expecting…

Hot off the heels of 2 huge hits in the past year, and a MASSIVE gambling debt, 2025 sees Bruno striving to continue his chart dominance by linking up with raunchy rap starlet; Sexyy Red. The song itself isn’t really saying much in terms of sensuality, mostly filled with Sexyy’s signature provocative bars like “milk mustache on your face when I cum”. It’s a ... read more

Where the HELL did this album come from?!

I’ve had this record in my backlog for a while after seeing lots of others talking about it, and figured I’d get around to it at some point before 2025 and never did. What a mistake!!

This album is far and above what I was expecting, and is a great introduction to The Marías’ discography. In many ways, “Submarine” further solidifies dream pop’s place in the broader musical landscape. Much like Magdalena ... read more

This record might be the most dark, brooding, and moody album we’ll hear all year, and 2025 just started.

“Perverts”, plays almost as striking as the title itself. It’s heavy on the low end/lofi sonically speaking, with layers of haunting vocals as well as some really macabre lyricism layered on top that give the whole project a feeling of dread in the best way possible. Spacious, yet suffocating with its production, this record is certainly not one for everybody. ... read more

As unique as ever, Japanese Breakfast returns with a track that’s perfectly autumnal in sound. Featuring dreamy melodies over an instrumental that acts as more of a soundscape, giving the song a lot more of a moody vibe, something that longtime fans may come to expect from a Japanese Breakfast project.

As much as I like the track itself, the general structure and sound feel a little safe considering JB’s past work. It’s not bad, it’s just more of what we already love ... read more