This is quickly and easily becoming one of the best abstract hip hop releases of all time. Armand Hammer's writing and performances are otherworldly, and the production carries a consistent level of freshness and oddness throughout.

This is genuinely a next-level classic. The blueprint for the Art Pop soundscapes I love in the modern era. Kate's performances and self-production are iconic.

Zach Bryan still holds true to be the most refreshing, genuine voice in country music today. However, I fear that his instantly classic style is beginning to become a parody of himself. While no song is bad, the lengthy tracklist leaves With Heaven On Top feeling as though Zach Bryan sat down to make 25 Zach Bryan songs, rather than something fresh. It would be such a shame to see Zach's songwriting go stale in a short amount of time. I hope he's got a masterpiece up his sleeve ... read more

A promising opening continues into an album that really doesn't have much footing at all. Sombr's brings Black Keys vocals and Tears for Fears instrumentals without any expansion on those original ideas. The album feels wholly derivative, without enough fresh ideas to warrant an album even at this moderate length.

Jesse doesn't seem too fit for the album format. At the rate he writes to keep up with the fast-paced political climate, it's difficult for an artist like him to land a hefty album. His writing is consistently good, but the production always feels a bit too derivative.

Quadeca has always been an auteur.

While many journalists highlight the disparity between Ben “Quadeca” Lasky’s career as a YouTuber rapper and his career as an indie pop darling, I think what’s more interesting is that his senior album is a culmination of who Ben has always been. I’ve been a fan of Quadeca since our respective teenage years. It was inspirational to see another awkward white boy like myself chase his passions and grow into a more earnest ... read more

I'm glad I came back around to pick this up before the end of the year. What a bleak but hopefully tight tracklist.

This is pretty freaking epic, especially "Struggle with the Beast".

This record has so much energy and brilliant momentum, with moments of writing that feel just as silly and surreal as they are genuine and personable

Awash in a cold, wintry tape aesthetic, Land of Pine delivers a somewhat novel experience, reminding me of early avant-garde works by the likes of Qaudeca and The Microphones, but without much strength in its structure to make the experience stick after the first listen.

Annahstasia's performance is chilling.

What a great combination of sounds! That last track really hooks you.

I assume this is mostly taking off with the kids for the Godspeed cover, which in some ways is pretty cool. Otherwise, this record is mostly just light soul and gospel renditions of other songs with a middling performances from Staples.

Not a standout rap album of the year, but redveil's performances are consistently the most energetic and charismatic parts of this record, even if the overall cohesion feels lacklustre.

I think this barely hits the finish line of being a great album for me. It's pretty refreshing for the abstract hip-hop world. Preservation brings a new take to the kind of classic sonic worldbuilding I love about this genre. Gabe is an intriguing character, and some of his performances have a lot of bite. I can tell, though, he's got a lot more sauce in him that he's holding back on.

There are some really solid tracks on here, but overall, I'm not that into the production to let this carry me through 78 minutes of it without it feeling like a chore.

This album is so baffling. How in the world does it sound like this? This is the most confusing dichotomy between parody and talent I've seen in an album. I just can't pin down what it's supposed to be.

An incredible package of b-sides from the Revengeseekerz era. Jane is simply at the top of her game. Every song here is so fresh, as Jane tackles new sounds with such depth and thought. It could be a pop song, it could be an R&B song, it could be something energetic like a track from Revengeseekerz, or a slower, thicker track like from Census Designated. I know a lot of these songs have already come out, but to hear all of it in a package like this makes me appreciate Jane's talent so ... read more

There's some great rage production here, but still, it feels like a project that doesn't have much ground. It starts strong, and then trails off into mixtape demo territory using a funny, but ultimately unfulfilling, tracklist gimmick.

This is so lovely, need more artists like this popping up in the pop scene. There's great instrumentation and vocal and melodic performances here, but so many of the tracks feel plagued by a label saying "these songs won't go TikTok viral if it's over 3 minutes." I wish Olivia to be able to really flesh out her sound with some grander songs. This album feels a bit underbaked.