A couple of less-than-memorable tracks just about stop Beach Bunny's second album from reaching the same highs as their debut album. Still, there are plenty of great tracks here.

Some of the best moments on Night Time, My Time are straight-up some of the best synthpop and pop rock the 2010s had to offer. “Ain’t Your Right,” “24 Hours,” “Omanko,” and “Heavy Metal Heart” are all bangers—tracks I still frequently vibe to years later. Even the weaker cuts are fine; nothing offensively bad, just not as memorable. For an album that’s now 12 years old, the production still slaps, and a lot of the sonic choices ... read more

An absolutely frenetic mixture of jazz rock and post-hardcore that absolutely fucks. I love the combination of big, open guitar chords and keys. The vocals are mostly outstanding, but I don't like the sections where she's very obviously out of key. I get that it's meant to sound raw and unfiltered, but with the quality of instrumentation around her, it just comes across as a bit annoying. Still, I won't take that much away from an album that, at its best moments, delivers ... read more

🪐🎛️🫠🎶🧬🌈👾

"Ace" is very different from what I expected to hear from Cunningham on her most recent album. Where I anticipated a continuation of the absolutely exceptional folk-rock showcased on her previous LP, "Revealer", "Ace" all but ditches the rock elements entirely in favour of a chamber folk vibe that, whilst unexpected, is equally—if not more—grandiose in scale.

At this point, it's expected that any Madison Cunningham album will feature strong ... read more

It's fair to say that on AOTY, there's a lot of love for good kid, m.A.A.d city, so it's long overdue that I actually listened to the album. This is especially true since I'm already a fan of the other Kendrick albums I've heard. And it doesn't disappoint. I really love narrative-driven storylines, but pulling them off well takes a lot of skill and effort. Kendrick pulls it off nearly perfectly.

The album is a fiery round-up of Kendrick's life in Compton and ... read more

Amber Mark’s second album is a foot-tapping blend of pop and R&B. It’s not as explosive or full-on dance-pop as some releases in the same space, but that’s no detriment. It’s a fun listen, and although I do think the album is quite front-loaded—meaning it fades somewhat towards the end—there are plenty of tracks I’ll be revisiting. The production is outstanding throughout, with meaty-yet-clean basslines and vocals that consistently cut through the ... read more

Once again, 2025 has proved that there’s amazing pop music out there, even if it doesn’t exist in the mainstream. "SISTER" has elements of early-2010s EDM, but with a sprinkle of modern hyperpop production that really makes it stand out. It’s varied, it’s catchy, but above all, it’s just really great fun, even if the lyrics sometimes tell a different story.
One day, music like this will top the charts again, and that day will be a good one...

Donuts is a prime example of complete and utter mastery in plunderphonics and instrumental hip-hop. It's just a shame that J Dilla never got to see how iconic this album would become.

It's not for—ahem—lack of trying, but Dodie's second album doesn't quite do enough to stand out as a truly great record. Don't get me wrong, it is beautiful: gorgeous vocals, angelic instrumentation, and absolutely stunning production. But I feel like the ceiling of Dodie's talent is a lot higher. There are a couple of moments that feel like they've already been explored by other songwriters.

"The Life of a Showgirl" was honestly an album I was looking forward to. With the dream team of Max Martin and T. Swift together again, I was hoping for an improvement on the extreme mediocrity of Taylor's previous work with Antonoff.

And whilst the first three or so tracks bear fruit for the most part, despite a couple of crappy lines here and there, the album takes a bloody nosedive into mediocrity from that point on. The songwriting becomes very unadventurous, and the tacky, ... read more

Dark. Aggressive. Fucks.

Even though I've really enjoyed some of Larsson's singles from earlier in her career, I've never taken the time to listen to any of her LPs.
Well, with "Midnight Sun", that spell has been broken and I'm... whelmed.
Whilst there's nothing inherently bad about this album, I can't help but think that in a sea of amazing EDM and dance pop albums released over the last 15 years, "Midnight Sun" doesn't do anything to stand out. There are ... read more

Geese aren't afraid to change up their sound with every album release. First, there was the punky energy of "Projector", then the alt-country vibe of "3D Country", and now, on their third LP, Geese head down the art rock route with a record that still carries a retro feel, but one that occupies a completely different space from "3D Country". Think Radiohead meets The Doors, while their last album had more of a 'Eagles-for-art-rock-fans' feel.

If ... read more

Dean's second album comes and goes fairly quickly, with some really good Pop Soul that's just great. It's not boundary-pushing, but sometimes it's nice to listen to an album that's easy-listening, but also well-written, produced and performed.

What a zany, explosive and fun experience. All killer, no filler with fantastic production to boot. The combination of punk, prog and synths is one that I'll never get tired of, especially when it's performed to this level.

You can cut and paste a lot of my thoughts from Castle Rat's debut over to their sophomore release:

- Castle Rat has a nostalgic, lo-fi sound that might at first come across as novelty, but it's actually really effective and well-produced
- Some riffs feel repetitive or too similar to each other
- Interludes don’t add much and could be considered filler

I think it is overall weaker because it just doesn't do enough to justify it's nearly 50-minute runtime. There ... read more

Whilst there is nothing inherently wrong with "Futique", it's also a challenge to find anything particularly standoutish or memorable either. It's painful to say that when Biffy have been my favourite band for over a decade, but unfortunately it's true.
There are a few good songs here and there, but they don't save the mediocre filler tracks and very, very over compressed and overdone production.

Whilst not as incredible as "Rat Saw God", "Bleeds" does a really great job at showing how versatile Wednesday can be as a band with a wide range of country, slacker rock, noise rock, and even some punk elements here and there. But even will all of those elements in there, the band still manages to pull together an LP that's cohesive.

After a particularly long day at work, I threw this on during the bus ride home. What a way to make all your worries and troubles disappear. "LOVED" is feel-good from start to finish, with a catchy and fun blend of boogie, indie pop, and yacht rock throughout—and the production is absolutely top-notch