This was another fun EP for fans of the grunge and shoegaze revival sound. They bring a slightly experimental edge, with heavy distortion and a dreamy, hazy atmosphere that pulls you in. The vocals and melodies are soft and subdued, buried beneath a wall of noise, sludgy guitars, and a drowned out mix. The production really plays into the overall vibe, using effects like delay, saturation, and feedback to heighten the fog. It’s messy but in a good way possible.

Considering Willow made a song back in 2010 called “Whip My Hair”, which is literally just about whipping her hair back and forth, I figured she was destined to be another washed up pop star coasting on her dad’s legacy. But about five years ago, I came across one of her tracks called “t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l,” and I was surprised by how much I actually enjoyed it.

Moving forward to now, after hearing , I genuinely think she’s become something special. ... read more

The first thing I have to say about this album is that the music definitely doesn’t match the cover art. Based on the sound alone, the cover should be something more like sunny, rolling green hills with a slight melancholic tint. Definitely not a race car in a pit lane. That said, this is a pretty solid album for 90s alternative and Britpop. It leans heavily into power pop, with lots of jangly guitars and warm melodies. The entire time I was listening, I couldn’t stop thinking about ... read more

It looks like the band has been around for at least five years or so, but aside from this EP, they’ve only released a few singles. Hopefully there’s more to come, because if you’re looking for some grungy shoegaze, these guys absolutely rock. The guitars are sludgy, thick, and soaked in reverb, while the vocals are mellow, slightly buried, and hover just below the surface, really enhancing that shoegaze vibe. The production is gritty, but still manages to keep enough clarity ... read more

This album feels like a bridge between their early punk driven sound and the post punk/goth direction they’d explore more deeply in the 80s. What really makes it fun is the garage rock influence. It’s gritty, energetic, and melodic. I’m not super familiar with their full albums since I’ve mostly stuck to their bigger tracks over the years, but this definitely makes me want to dig deeper into their discography.

This is definitely a fun album to listen to, especially if you’re into ska, reggae, or punk. One thing I found really interesting is that it was produced by Elvis Costello, which adds a cool crossover appeal to the whole thing.

This was my first time listening to a full album from Soul Blind, even though I’ve been adding their tracks to playlists over the last few years. They’re a grunge revival band that blends post hardcore and shoegaze, and their sound is sludgy and drenched in murky reverb. What I really enjoy is how they strike a balance between dreamy, melancholic atmosphere and hazy heaviness, but without sacrificing either side of their sound.

This was a pretty cool post punk and goth rock album for the ’80s. I remember their first album vaguely, but I do recall it being much hazier and drenched in feedback, almost bordering on shoegaze. This one feels a lot less chaotic in comparison, with more focus on atmosphere and melody. It’s definitely darker, with a more accessible sound overall. I think I probably still prefer their debut for its rawness, but this one is still good especially if you’re in the mood for ... read more

At first, I thought this was going to be a pretty middle of the road, mediocre album, but as it went on, it actually sucked me in. It had that early 2000s indie pop sound, but with a heavy influence of 60s pop nostalgia. You get all the fun Mellotron style keyboards and jangly guitars, plus a nice element of that 60s surf rock twang that really added some extra color and texture to the album. It ended up being better than I expected.

Overall, I thought this was a solid album, but I have to admit I was hoping for more of the upbeat, club driven tracks they’ve pulled off in the past. Instead, this record leans much more into the chillwave side of synth pop. It’s a smoother, more laid back listen, and while it works on that level, I did miss some of the energy and immediacy that made their music so much fun in the past.

BJM is really becoming one of my favorite bands when it comes to modern psychedelia. What I enjoy most is the production paired with its hazy, shoegaze inflected atmosphere. The production has this warm, analog quality, that’s immersive and richly saturated, which adds texture throughout the album. It captures that classic retro psychedelic feel but presents it in a way that still feels fresh and modern.

I think Ty Segall did a great job crafting a neo psychedelia album that nods heavily to 60s psychedelic and baroque pop, as well as 70s glam rock, while still giving it a modern edge. It manages to feel nostalgic without being derivative.

This is one of the handful of hip hop albums from the late 80s and early 90s that’s aged pretty well. It’s really more of a hybrid between West Coast and East Coast hip hop. Lyrically, it’s rooted in Ice Cube’s gangster narrative style, but what makes it stand out is the production.

For this album, Ice Cube went out to New York and teamed up with The Bomb Squad, the same production team behind Public Enemy. As a result, the beats have that dense, sample heavy style that ... read more

This is a really strong singer/songwriter indie pop album, and honestly, I’d go as far as to call it a modern indie classic. Some tracks lean more into a raw, grungy vibe, while others are groovier and even verge on synthwave at times.

If it were up to me, this is what modern pop music would sound like by default. It still has those catchy pop hooks, but there’s a level of rawness and emotional honesty that makes it feel unique and genuine. It’s something that easily stands ... read more

I came across this album on the AOTY website and decided to give it a try. It’s entirely in Spanish, so I have no idea what they’re singing about, but the music itself was more than enough to keep me hooked.

It’s essentially an avant garde and experimental art pop album, with traces of chamber pop and post rock woven throughout. Even though it leans into experimental territory, it stays melodic and engaging, with a strong sense of pop sensibility.

For a Britpop band that came up in the early ’90s, I thought this was a pretty solid album, especially for 2025. I really like how it leans into a darker post punk atmosphere, but still holds onto a glam element that ties in very well. That combination gives the album a nice edge without feeling forced. It’s cool to see a band like Suede still evolving and putting out relevant material this far into their career.

I’m new to La Dispute, but I actually discovered them not too long ago through a friend who’s a big fan, and based on this album, I can definitely say I’m on board. The vocals are a mix of half sung, half spoken word, and it all comes across as really poetic and emotionally raw. The music blends post hardcore, emo, and screamo, but with an experimental edge that makes it feel fresh and unpredictable.

I wish I could say I enjoy this band more than I actually do. While they do have a few solid tracks, most of the music just feels overly polished and repetitive. It ends up sounding pretty bland to me. It’s clear that this album was made with radio and Top 40 appeal in mind, which is fine, but I’m just not part of that crowd. It doesn’t really connect with me.

This is one of those cult albums I’ve known about for years, and I’m just now finally getting around to it. It’s mostly a mix of sludge and doom metal, but there are definitely some gothic and southern undertones woven in as well. It doesn’t fit neatly into any one genre, which is part of what makes it so interesting.

It’s also one of those albums you need to be a little patient with at first, because it really takes you on a journey. Some parts are upbeat, with ... read more

This is one of those albums that really alienated longtime Genesis fans who loved their 70s output. By this point in their career, there’s pretty much no trace of that warm, analog, symphonic sound. Instead, this album marks the moment they fully embraced their new direction for the 80s, and they went all in.

The production and electronic elements give the album a much more mechanical feel, with a darker, colder atmosphere overall. Personally, I love this sound, but I can definitely see ... read more