I still think her name is dumb but I don't think beabadoobee's music is dumb. She does a great job of mixing 90's alternative with her Billie Eilish-type voice to make a lively sophomore album in This Is How Tomorrow Moves. I'm a particularly big fan of the surf rock-esque "A Cruel Affair".

The best part of Sarah Tudzin’s music is its lyrical bite. Snarling, hilarious one-liners that pepper songs like "MMMOOOAAAAAYAYA" make them memorable, and that punch never finds its way onto Power. The subdued style Tudzin adopts here doesn't separate itself from the crowded indie rock scene like previous efforts. Songs like "Can't Be Still" are well made enough, yet they don't stick with me like her past music has. Color me underwhelmed and hopeful the ... read more

The Irish quartet’s fourth record is more Oasis and The Smiths than any of their previous albums, but it’s not fully fleshed out enough to really be great front to back. The singles like “Starburster” and “Favourite” are great though.

In a year where Ariana Grande did in fact release a new album, Sabrina Carpenter made the better Ariana Grande album. And even still, it’s a pretty middling pop release. “Espresso” was a red herring, as the album features more acoustic guitars than Italo-disco synths. I appreciate the diversity in sound, but it’s all very safe and not all that memorable. Carpenter’s lyrics about modern dating and sex are similarly forgettable, and some of the more explicit moments ... read more

The singles for Forever weren't as strong as those for the band's previous album, but after hearing them in conjunction with the full release I'm happy to say it blends together nicely. There's a brighter and simpler sound to the record, and paired with Eva Hendricks’ always spunky voice, Charly Bliss deliver another winner that’s relatable for any age group. Or maybe I’m just 30 and relate to all the existential dread offered here.

Always more of a singles band than an album band, Paradise State of Mind finally sees Foster the People embracing the long form release. They’re not slaves to the standard pop format anymore, with downright weird songs like “Glitchzig” standing out among the tracklist. They’re still damn good at the pop song though. “Lost in Space” and “See You In The Afterlife” will be stuck in your head for days, with catchy rhythms that lyrically touch on ... read more

For as much as I like Joe Goddard’s work with Hot Chip, his solo material just doesn’t have the same oomph. Harmonics is overly reliant on the guests, and while some of them are good, several of them don’t fit the tracks they’re on, and Joe himself isn’t a particularly inspiring vocalist himself. Even on “Mountains”, a song that features his Hot Chip bandmates Alexis Taylor and Al Doyle, there’s a certain magic that’s just not there. The ... read more

Well produced and easy to listen to, Charm still doesn’t leave much of an impact. I think that’s purposeful to some degree, and Clairo’s clearly playing to her audience that loves her lovelorn bedroom pop, but personally I don’t think she’s progressed much beyond where she started a few years ago. She’s fine sitting in the background while I yearn for something in the foreground.

These guys don’t have time for a bad time. For their first album in 8 years the Australian duo wants to party, and Ask That God has a high-energy first half that’ll make sure you’re moving. It disappointingly tails off on the second half though, and it could’ve been better as an EP than a full length album IMO.

I feel like a broken record when talking about new King Gizz albums, because they’re always unique and they’re always crafted with an incredible amount of detail and love. Flight b741 is a rambling, country-tinged rock affair that never slows down its boogie and bluesy stylings after it takes off. This album made me appreciate their mastery of flow in both song and overall album, as songs are always taking interesting turns that never seem out of place. The heart of Flight b741 is ... read more

Limitlessly creative and expertly weaved together, Magdalena Bay’s sophomore LP is 15 wholly different rhythms that’ll all suck you into their world. It's the sonic equivalent of ramming your head through a computer screen and ending up in a 90’s toy commercial, where imaginations run wild and no idea is too big or too bold. The duo retains their excellent sense of pop music on earworms like "Killing Time" and its synths that fly by like a meteor shower, or the ... read more

It’s become a Steely Dan summer for me. The Royal Scam isn’t talked about among their best, but it’s one of my personal favorites of theirs. From “Kid Charlemagne” to “The Caves of Altamira” to “Haitian Divorce”, this is the renegade rockers at their weirdest and their most cryptic, which I find the most interesting.

If you listen to English pop music from the late 70’s to early 80’s, you've heard Ranking Roger’s influence even if you haven’t listened to any of his bands. The English Beat’s Special Beat Service might be his best combination of pop, ska, reggae and more, a consistently jumpy and catchy record that deserves more love.

Years of being called “the next big thing” have left Porter Robinson asking “Why?”. It’s something he openly ponders throughout SMILE! :D, a candy coated synthpop smash that hides feelings of anxiety and self-doubt under its sheen. Robinson questions his own popularity, his relationship with his fans, and his relationship with himself with some of his best songwriting to date, with the lyrics acting as the perfect anthesis to the sugary sweet synthetic beats. ... read more

I’ve long felt that Glass Animals’ global popularity is a bit unearned when there are plenty of indie bands with a much more interesting sound out there, but to their credit they’ve improved on the follow up to their breakout album. You wont’ find much on I Love You So F**king Much you haven’t heard before but it’s a decent indie pop listen, albeit one likely to end up in more Targets than End Of Year lists.

Carol City’s finest continues to show why he’s such a celebrated voice in modern rap. KOTMS runs at a brisk pace, only stopping to take a quick breath before launching right back into southern hip hop goodness. It’s not as inventive as some of his other albums, but it makes up for it with a level of consistency and pacing so many other rappers fail to have these days.

This new album by the longtime Welsh group has been called the most Los Campesinos! album yet, and I’d have to agree. The level of goofy anxiety about being young from their earlier releases has transitioned to goofy anxiety about being old, but their age has only sharpened the finer edges of their indie pop sound. All Hell is extremely polished and never boring, and a testament to the staying power of a group that saw their heyday in George Bush’s second term.

By killing his alter ego, what do we get left with? An Eminem album that’s still bloated and forgettable. It’s no Revival and there’s a handful of memorable callbacks to his past self, but those callbacks only make me want to go listen to old Eminem. The attempt is admirable but misunderstands the assignment.

It took me a couple of listens but I’ve definitely come around to Remi Wolf’s sophomore LP. I was turned off by the heavier uses of synths at first, but they don’t detract from the zany performances and memorable lyricism I’ve come to enjoy from Ms. Wolf.

I must admit, I got The Decemberists confused with another band. For whatever reason them and AFI were the same band in my mind, so I was not expecting mild folk music about American history as opposed to post-hardcore alt rock. This isn’t my thing but it’s not bad at all.