Cavespider386

This is the first album I’ve listened to by half•alive, and I’ll say I’m simultaneously impressed and left wanting more.

For one, the buttery smooth vocals on most of these songs are just not for me. They sound straight out of late-stage Maroon 5, but with more indie-sounding melodies that make them somewhat tolerable.

HOWEVER, the punchy pop production on this album is quite great. The instrumentals are hooky and engaging. Plus, the hook writing is all-around good as ... read more

On So Close to What, Tate McRae delivers more low-quality pop music with little distinguishing herself from her contemporaries. Continuously, she sings over the same boring sounding instrumentals. Before I get into all of the negatives on the album, however, let me get into the positives:

Like any good pop album, the album has catchy melodies and hooks. Nothing on here is as hooky as an espresso, but the album's best tracks have earworms for sure. Sports Car, easily my favorite on the ... read more

Where Forever is a Feeling soars is in its detailed lyricism, something we already got a taste of with Dacus' last record, Home Video. That record delighted in telling stories of Dacus' childhood in excruciating detail, with incredibly relatable storytelling, and what I could only describe as a generally typical indie rock soundscape. Don't get me wrong, I like Home Video, but its production is undoubtedly inferior to Historian, and it's not doing anything all that different ... read more