"Sex Hysteria" is indeed hysterical, both in its confused songwriting and captivating, genre blending production.

Review: I was mostly joking when I called Jessie Murph a less insufferable and more vocally dynamic Meghan Trainor (in my review for "Touch Me Like A Gangster"), but I didn't realize just how hard this album would lean into similar pop influences that Trainor herself had indulged in a decade prior. There's some interesting genre bouncing going on in ... read more

Hey, at least it's the best single so far. I'm still not really sold on this pop direction The Kid LAROI seems to be going in, and those concerns weren't exactly alleviated with the below average vocal performance he gives on this track. But I do think the vocal mixing and instrumentation on this track are certainly a step up from the previous two singles, and I even found the writing to be pretty decent, especially on the second verse. 6.5/10, squarely.

Don't know why we've been looking for the next male pop star in America, when Australia answers that question clear as day with Ruel. Wasn't entirely sure what to expect going in, but I really, REALLY enjoyed this track. Top notch production, moody lyrics that never become too overbearing on the emotional beats, and a stronger than expected chorus. My only gripe is that the vocal mixing gets a little muddy at certain points, especially around the beginning, but that mostly gets ... read more

I mean, I like Taylor Swift too, I'm just not sure why you would express that love in an underbaked track like this. Despite people constantly attributing her musical success to being solely a byproduct of her family name, I don't buy the argument that Gracie Abrams is a nepo baby. For one, anyone with industry connections would work hard to ensure their song doesn't sound like an unreleased karaoke demo. There's some really poor mixing on this track, mainly due to the ... read more

Patiently waiting for this TikTok faux nostalgia era we're in to finally die down, and for artists to remember the power of good vocal mixing. I can't say I dislike this track, as the production (well, mostly the instrumentation) is above average and the songwriting is surprisingly good (well, mostly the chorus), especially compared to other newer artists in this genre. But the impact it could have had is lost in the mix (well, mostly the vocal mixing), which I can only describe as ... read more

It's clearly trying to go viral on TikTok, but I'd easily take this over "Stupid In Love". MAX's adventures in the world of K-Pop idols might seem strange on the outside, but make perfect sense given his writing contributions to BTS and other groups. I've been fairly mixed on his collab side of things; "Blueberry Eyes" was a wonderful track, with "Stupid In Love" lacking in wonder. This track falls squarely in the middle for me; MAX and Jay (of ... read more

"Blush" paints too faint of an emotional picture of Kevin Abstract, but is wrapped in enough colorful sonics and punchy songwriting to stand on its own two feet as a cohesive project.

Review: I've never been too crazy about BROCKHAMPTON and their discography, and didn't even find out that Mr. Abstract was a member until I was halfway done listening to this album. So speaking as a fairly unbiased party who went in with practically zero expectations, I was somewhat surprised ... read more

"The Crux" feels aptly named, as this sonically charming album from Djo understands that less is indeed more.

Review: Didn't know that Steve Harrington was doing music on the side, and I especially wasn't expecting it to be anywhere near as well-rounded as this. Seriously, who even started the myth that actors can't do music? I won't take up too much of your time with wry sarcasm though, as this project is solid and straight to the point. The acoustic-style ... read more

"C,XOXO" is a perplexing amalgamation of genres, blending half-baked hyperpop instrumentals and flagrantly insecure songwriting with the worst vocal mixing of any mainstream pop album.

Review: I distinctly remember a time when Camilla Cabello was simply just another member of Fifth Harmony, blessing grocery stores nationwide with (surprisingly) strong vocals in some above average pop songs. I'm not entirely sure why she left that to make projects like these, as there really was ... read more

A rotting corpse picked apart by the negative charisma of Ye and Ty Dolla $ign, Vultures is dead on arrival thanks to its bare-bones mixing and horrid songwriting.

Review: At first, Kanye's antisemitic turn made very little sense. But that's only if you look at it from a moral lens. From a logistical standpoint, his recent behavior makes perfect sense; the only people dumb enough to pretend this album has any redeeming qualities would be antisemites, so Ye courting their audience was ... read more

A surprising duo, but a welcome one nonetheless. There hasn't been a ton of crazy drops so far in 2025, so hopefully this changes up the pace and really gets things going. JID sounds great (as usual), both in his delivery and rhyme schemes. I even thought Offset had a fairly strong performance here, despite me still not having gotten into most of his discography. The chorus is a little too monotonous for a track like this, though that mostly has to do with the sample being interpolated in ... read more

We'll have to see what the album is like, but I'm just about ready to add Lola Young to the category of pop stardom. Unlike a certain other singer who descends from wood makers, Young really has the juvenile approach to songwriting down pat, and is really able to conjure up some raunchy lyrics with just enough camp to really grab the listener's attention with the earnest of sincerity. I also really enjoyed some of the melodic runs here (especially in that bizarre yet ... read more

At this point I'm contemplating just waiting for the album, since the singles have completely won me over. I thought I knew what to expect, given Lorde's previous singles ("What Was That", "Man Of The Year") have done a great job at painting a vivid picture with emotionally compelling lyrical content and stellar production. It turns out this one also has those qualities in abundance, but with even better snares and some percussion with a strong (but fairly ... read more

Just saying, had this been a lead single over "Mystical Magical", his hate campaign would've quickly lost steam. That's not to say this track is great; as I mentioned in my album review, the writing is completely unpolished and doesn't punch at the listener with any meaningful sentiments. But the above average production and genuinely impressive vocal runs from Boone do wonders in (mostly) patching up the rough lyrical structure. 8/10, a far more tolerable outing from ... read more

Can I have whatever the beginning snippet was instead? No seriously, what is the aesthetic here? It sounds so eerily similar to Justin Timberlake, I'm almost convinced it's a direct sample and not an interpolation. Except Timberlake was comfortable on these Y2K era beats, whereas Kid LAROI has next to no presence here and has to be carried by some genuinely good production (though not in the vocal mixing). Don't get me wrong, LAROI has some stellar tracks in his discography, but ... read more

Benson Boone sonically reheats 80s leftovers, leading to an album with a steady yet monotonous pulse.

Review: I've never bought into the searing hatred some online spaces have towards Boone, finding his previous musical entries to be fairly innocuous as far as radio pop goes. So going into this project, I had little to no strong expectations. And that might have been for the better, since this is a pretty standard 80s love affair. The highs of this project break through when Boone ... read more

I mean...I can't think of a song like this, for sure. Actually, if you've browsed enough TikTok, you've probably heard songs exactly like this, some of which with far better style and execution. That's not to say I had zero enjoyment with this track; JENNIE gives a pretty ambitious, energetic performance that can be tangibly felt by the listener, and I thought some of the production choices and vocal chops were interesting in certain pockets. That being said, the bulk of ... read more

80s quality mixing + 60s disco production? What is this, Dua Lipa? Okay, I'm (mostly) joking here, as I actually think this is an above average pop collab. The instrumentation really works here and has a very solid groove, which is further complimented by some genuinely great vocal processing and...yeah, this is where my enjoyment of the track starts to taper off. Some of the performances here are really strange; I thought Lisa sounded fine (aside from her squirrely delivery in the ... read more

Mom, we have Meagan Trainor at home...except she's good, and has a much more tolerable accent! I did not expect to like this track as much as I did, but this is a fairly strong pop-influenced Country song that almost plays like an old-timey ballad. Murph has some really great vocals here, and the songwriting actually catches your attention instead of fading into the background, like most other tracks in this genre. I do think the production could've indulged in a bit more momentum, ... read more

I know it sounds unbelievable, but the moment I saw "Imogen Heap" I could predict what the sample would be. Anyways, this is mostly fine. I think the "Headlock" interpolation is well utilized here, with just enough variation to really make it stand out from the original (unlike a certain TikTok hit with a distractingly famous sample recently). Kid LAROI gives a surprisingly strong performance, especially at the start and its transition. ONEFOUR also comes in with some above ... read more