I suppose CLB is fine by Drake standards, but his standards have fallen considerably since his early 2010's breakout. His sixth record is long and bloated for those sweet sweet streams, as all of his last few projects have been. But when compared to rival Kanye West's Donda, where most every song felt like it had some intention or meaning to it, CLB meanders through light killer and heavy filler. It starts out strong enough with "Champagne Poetry" and "Papi's Home", two well ... read more

A very fun slice of boisterous noise pop that we've come to expect from Sleigh Bells. The additional synth elements are a nice touch.

Standouts: SWEET75, An Acre Lost, Locust Laced, Knowing, Justine Go Genesis, Tennessee Tips, Rosary, Red Flag Flies, True Seekers, Hummingbird Bomb

Screen Violence is probably CHVRCHES' best record since their debut, though the dynamic nature of their early work is still missing. It's merely acceptable synthpop that never elevates above the supermarkets you'll inevitably hear it in.

Standouts: Asking for a Friend, California, Final Girl, Good Girls, Lullabies

Perhaps the only way to follow up an underproduced, rushed album like Jesus is King is to make its antithesis. Donda is overproduced, overhyped, overlong and overflowing with great ideas and garbage ideas. It's both an incredibly clear and incredibly muddled look into Kanye's world in 2021. Think of a call back to Yeezus and 808's and Heartbreaks while continuing to explore Gospel and Christian music. Yes, it's a complete mess, but a mess I'd call a beautiful one at times.

The album has been ... read more

Whereas Imploding the Mirage soared over Western American landscapes, Pressure Machine is located directly beneath where ItM flies. It's full of tales of a hole-in-the-wall town where opioid addiction, accidental deaths and late-night crime is common. But while the previous record applied Springsteen-ian storytelling to massively fun pop rock anthems, the Springsteen influence is much heavier and clunkier this go round. Brandon Flowers is much better at a general form of songwriting, and his ... read more

I always thought I'd enjoy a Deafheaven record more without the screaming vocals, but after hearing Infinite Granite, I kind of miss them. The shrill screams pop up here and there, but the newly sung vocals have as much flavor as an unsalted chicken breast. It's instrumentally solid as every Deafheaven album is, but the heart just isn't there like it used to.

Standouts: In Blur, The Gnashing, Mombasa

She's conquered hyper pop and is now back to her early Sucker & True Romance-era commercial pop. Based on "Good Ones", she's well on her way to conquering that too

When you start your career with the universally praised "Royals", you're going to turn heads. Follow that up with a generation-defining album about the trials and tribulations of young adulthood (Melodrama), you're rightfully going to be called a young luminary. But Lorde doesn't want that title. Listening to Solar Power, you can hear her rejection of being anyone's savior right on the opening track. She's just like us, with complex feelings about her adulthood and her past & ... read more

GFOTY's music attempts to straddle a fine line between purposeful trash and actual music, but it usually falls more towards the former. FEMMEDORM continues her tradition of hypersexualized hyperpop "bangers" that don't bang all that much. These songs are clearly more formed than whatever the hell GFOTV was, but the majority are clunky attempts at what we look for in future pop circles. Both the vocals and the instrumentals end up grating rather than entertaining, and the few ... read more

Spellling album great call that spelll-binding.

Standouts: Little Deer, Always, Turning Wheel, The Future, Awaken, Emperor with an Egg, Boys at School, Legacy, Queen of Wands, Revolution

Jarvis is all too horny but even his immense lust can't hold back many of these tracks from being Britpop classics.

Standouts: Mis-Shapes, Common People, I Spy, Discco 2000, Something Changed, F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E., Monday Morning, Bar Italia

Animal is an album that pulses with life. It's constantly breathing, moving, shuddering and begging to be unleashed. Every carefully plucked guitar chord and tapped drum creates a sense of motion from start to finish, as if this album is alive. There's an overall foreboding sense to Animal, as if this predicates a supernatural horror we mere humans can't truly comprehend. But this sense never keeps the record from being extremely catchy and supremely memorable. The singles remain the ... read more

Sling is an impressive step forward for Clairo. It's much fuller sonically than her first record, and her songwriting has only gotten stronger too. Is her voice still a little boring? Sure, but it's rarely a detractor from the lush indie folk she's crafted here. You'll feel as cradled by the music here as that puppy does in the album's cover.

Standouts: Bambi, Amoeba, Partridge, Blouse, Harbor, Joanie, Management

Another strong set of scuzzy neo-psychedelia tunes from Yves, who is on a roll unlike many others in music right now.

Standouts: Jackie, Crushed Velvet, Secrecy Is Incredibly Important To The Both Of Them, ...And Loyalty Is A Nuisance Child

Hideaway is certainly one of the albums of all time. Being as nondescript as it is when it comes to garage-tinged indie rock, that's about all I can say about it.

Standouts: Thru Hell, Help Is On The Way, Sinking Feeling

Twin Shadow knows pop, and his self-titled record is a clear sign of that. These songs are ready-made hits, summer jams that don't really delve beneath the surface of their respective genres but nonetheless infect your mind with catchy hooks and catchier instrumentals.

Standouts: Alemania, Sugarcane, Johnny & Johnnie, Get Closer, Is There Any Love, Lonestar, Brown Sugar, I Wanna Be Here (Shotgun)

Caroline XCX aka a great new track

AJR aim for OK yet still fail to consistently hit that low bar on their latest effort. The trio can be commended for sticking to their guns, no matter how rusty and jammed those guns are. There's still plenty of clunky instrumentals alternate between being loud for the sake of being loud, and stuffing as many misguided ideas into one three minute track. The opener is a perfect example of both, never settling on any idea for more than 15 seconds before completely switching gears into another ... read more

An instantly forgettable one from Vince, especially disappointing after the equally short but much more fun FM!. The beats are mild, the performance is bland, too mumbly and beneath what Vince is capable of, and Vince's usual liners are just ok this time around. It's music that's destined to appear on playlists like Rap Caviar and be slightly better than the usual garbage that fills it.

Standouts: Are You With That?, Taking Trips, Take Me Home

Please, Tyler, I'm begging you, just miss once!

CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST is such an amazing amalgam of everything Tyler has tried before. The bangers of Wolf and Goblin, the beautiful soul-inspired sound of Flower Boy and IGOR, and the awkward transitions of Cherry Bomb. It's all produced immaculately, and Tyler continues to prove himself as having one of the best ears for sound and tunes in the business. His performances always match the beats he makes, be it the flexes of ... read more