Teezo Touchdown interpolates the “Tricky” flow on “Rock Paper Strippers” to entertaining, catchy success. With a minimal beat utilized to maximal effect, the Texas emcee’s personality shines through as blindingly as ever; the fun is irresistible. The video game announcer here may fluctuate between “winners” and “losers,” but everyone should feel like a winner listening to Teezo’s newest single.
Home Is Where’s surprise second single for the upcoming ‘the whaler’ is perhaps the first song to ever compare a harmful relationship to the act of whaling.
Our narrator in “floral organs” is both the whaler and the whales. “I am the whaler; I’ve outgrown these innards.” Tethered to their partner in such a way that it’s deadly, the couple have their “vertebrae tethered” and “braid [their] intestines together.” They ... read more
Alien Nerves’ ‘The Connection to Your Subspace’ might be the best project Bandcamp has ever thrown my way. Not only is this EP and its corresponding new single the best example of fifth wave emo digging its claws into the Japanese underground scene I’ve found yet, it’s also the best project period. It does seem a bit unfair to bestow such an honor on a three-track EP compared to all the full-lengths I’ve listened to, though these three songs are near ... read more
I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of attempting to decipher Brandon MacDonald’s esoteric lyrics. Even when you can’t fully dissect and translate a Home Is Where song, as long as you pull out the key themes and get the gist of it, the lyrics are open-ended enough to allow for unique interpretations. That’s the hallmark of a fantastic songwriter.
“yes! yes! a thousand times yes!” reads as the story of a wedding built on lies. From the beginning, ... read more
Brian Eno did not need Fred again.. for ‘Secret Life.’ With the exception of Fred singing monotonously and drearily on a few tracks, this sounds like any other album Eno has rushed out into the world half-baked this past decade. It’s a missed opportunity and painfully disappointing because had the master and pupil leaned more into the younger’s strengths, this could have been much more exciting. I’m not saying Eno needed to make a house album (though that would be ... read more
The best Japanese fifth-wave record I’ve found yet, Injury Tape’s ‘Songs I Mailed to Myself’ is a sadcore triumph. The slow and hardcore builds and explosions make you feel like your heart is about to beat out of your chest. The adrenaline an emo project like this induces leaves you both anxious and relieved. It’s the epitome of catharsis.
The slower, more intimate deep cuts (“Art Song,” “Slow Dance in Hell”) add atmosphere and character ... read more
Jessie Ware is the disco queen of today’s roaring twenties and has solidified this status with the release of ‘That! Feels Good!’ The artist’s groovy fifth studio album is compact, comprised of ten airtight dance pop anthems worthy of both the classiest dinner halls and the gayest bars. Ware’s newest effort is not only her best yet, it transcends her own discography and will likely be considered a staple of nu-disco—one of the best projects the genre has ... read more
While digging into the underground Japanese emo scene this decade, the one group that keeps being recommended to me underneath other artists is ANORAK! Now I understand why.
The mathy, fifth-wave band borrows a lot from midwest emo. Many J-Emo bands do. Though ANORAK! does it convincingly well while still maintaining a relatively unique sound. There’s plenty of melancholic slow burns with gorgeous, intricate guitar work and impassioned, pitchy belting, sure. But there’s also this ... read more
Kaizo Slumber makes hardcore for people with anime profile pictures. They make IDM true to its name because it melds so many genres of electronic that it can only be considered intelligent, impossible to pigeon hole. It’s rave music to scare tripping trust-fund rave kids. ’How Are We Feeling Today?’ is one of the best punk albums I’ve ever heard.
Fallsheeps’ ‘Cue’ quickly goes from unassuming indie emo EP to one of the best projects you could sink half-an-hour into this year. Catchy, low key, and only willing to erupt when needed, this Japanese gem is a must listen.
It’s amazing how one bad percussive choice can completely tarnish an otherwise solid track. Though when the chorus hits, the clap snare thing gets buried a bit more and it sounds lovely. ”Love Goes On” is a fine single that could’ve been workshopped.
I might be the only person who doesn’t like this new direction HMLTD has been headed during their rollout for ‘The Worm.’ I tried giving the band the benefit of the doubt as I love their older stuff and am happy to see artists attempt new things, but I’ve given up at this point and likely won’t be listening to the album. I’m certain I would get nothing but negativity out of it as I’ve actively disliked every single. Attempting something new as a band ... read more
Screaming Females’ ‘Desire Pathway’ lacks the punch that makes the band’s past work so infectious, opting instead to kick consistency and the catchy riffs and hooks the band’s known for to the curb.
Though the guitar heavy indie rock darlings still bring ideas to the table that peers wish they could conjure up, they mostly fail to craft compelling tracks upon these concepts. “Titan,” “Let Me into Your Heart” and “Ornament” are ... read more
While Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s fifth record is worth admiring for picking a sound and sticking with it, that sound isn’t all that compelling.
I’ve been following UMO’s ‘V’ album cycle since before it was an album cycle—when the group dropped “That Life” as a single in 2021. At the time, I couldn’t have been more excited for a new album. The single was groovy, catchy and surprisingly upbeat for harboring such a serious critique of ... read more
10000 gecs finds Dylan Brady and Laura Les going as strong as ever four years since the duo’s divisive debut.
While the weirdness does wear thin at points like with the cartoony sound effects sprinkled throughout “The Most Wanted Person in the United States,” the oddball, versatile style 100 gecs have become known for is still fascinating and fun as it was prior to the pandemic. Sure, it doesn’t all work; the nu-metal on “Billy Knows Jamie” feels so out of ... read more
Did you guys know that Tame Impala’s DND campaigns consist of just one party member?
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Recent Review Comments
On Home Is Where - floral organs
"@Ashxarya <3"
On RiaXOXO's review of Alien Nerves - The Connection to Your Subspace
"“midwest japanese shoegaze” is surprisingly more popular than you’d think lol. glad you liked iy"
On UltimateLifeFrm's review of Alien Nerves - The Connection to Your Subspace
"Shadow approval is huge"
On Fred Again.. & Brian Eno - Secret Life
"@mrgordon604 Ok maybe great*. I won’t act like Reflections isn’t good"
On Fred Again.. & Brian Eno - Secret Life
"@mrgordon604 Brian Eno has. Because he hasn’t dropped a good ambient album since 2014 with Karl Hyde"
On 𝔻𝕒𝕧𝕖𝕪's review of Kaizo Slumber - How Are We Feeling Today?
"@DaveyTheDummy review an electronic punk album without using a mental health diagnosis as the punchline challenge"
On Screaming Females - Desire Pathway
"@Kaunt Loved All At Once. This though? Not so much"
On Kitri's review of Unknown Mortal Orchestra - That Life
"Hi friend, I think you should consider revisiting this. <3"
On Jax - Cinderella Snapped
"@R_TheMan_J hmmm 🤔"
On Owl City - Vitamin Sea
"@NateAnimates I wish it were"
On SkeletorovSin's review of Šarlo Akrobata / Idoli / Električni Orgazam - Paket aranžman
"great review"
On Bimby's review of MF DOOM - MM..FOOD
"Ok, *fart* wait *fart* wait *fart* WAIT *fart* WAIT. *fart* MF *fart* DOOM *fart* is *fart* a *fart* great *fart* rapper *fart* and *fart* deserves *fart* all *fart* the *fart* praise *fart* he *fart* gets. *fart* HOWEVER, *fart* the *fart* songs *fart* came *fart* *fart* off *fart* a *fart* bit *fart* samey, *fart* and *fart* I *fart* wasn't *fart* a *fart* fan *fart* of *fart* how *fart* many *fart* interludes *fart* and *fart* supervillain *fart* samples *fart* there *fart* were. *fart* I *fart* know *fart* many *fart* people *fart* love *fart* them, *fart* but *fart* personally *fart* they *fart* kinda *fart* knocked *fart* the *fart* experience *fart* down *fart* for *fart* me *shits self*"
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