Carly Rae Jepsen and the pursuit of pop perfection. 78 —-----------> 93

Emotion has become one of my favorite albums ever. I liked it at first and I’d written an ok review, but it didn’t feel worthy of the album. Yes, the Call Me Maybe girl made one of the greatest pop albums ever and yes, it is absolutely worth the hype.

Honestly the main issue I have trying to describe this album is how simple it is. There aren’t many revolutionary new ideas to separate itself, ... read more

I've heard this exact melody fifty times but this edges out Harvey for the best one, one of the catchiest songs I've ever heard.

Maybe a little basic for Charli, but is very solid and a huge course correct from (the rightfully clowned on) rock music

What's better than April in April?

Underscores is a very popular name on this site, with an identifiable sound I haven’t really heard anywhere else. My first brush with their style was on Copycats with what might have been the best feature of 2025. That was enough to give this a listen, plus it’s always cool to listen to one person talented enough to write, produce, voice and do everything themselves.

I love pop music. Pop music is awesome, and is usually my go to for ... read more

Took a couple listens, but its growing on me. That second verse is awesome and the vibes are incredible. Wished it was a little more pop punk like Guts, but not a bad way to start a new era.

The emotion is beautiful, sometimes a simple love song can be the most pleasant (even I prefer Horizon Line)

Production is pretty awesome until the final 20 seconds but the lyrics are complete dogshit. We deserve better

Very calming and comfortable, her best mixing too.

Pretty with great storytelling and a unique voice. Good song!

A debut album I heavily anticipated from an underrated artist and it’s a little hit or miss.

Em is known for Numb Little Bug and some features and that's about it. But considering her contemporaries who blew up online making similar music in the pandemic (Gayle, Lauren Spencer Smith, Jax) she is on a different level of quality, just way better than them. She has a signature style of upbeat pop mixed with surprisingly real and deep lyrics and is pretty good at it. Songwriting might ... read more

Heartbreakingly beautiful. This is about as pretty as music can get.

Where do you start with J Cole?

I find it funny that J Cole has consistently been one of the most divisive rappers (and just artists in general) because he puts his brand on his sleeve. As the bronze medalist of the big 3, he is ripe for comparison with Kendrick and Drake but is clearer than either of them. Drake has tried to walk the line between maintaining cultural respect while also making the most mainstream and successful music possible. Kendrick has always been the critical darling (you ... read more

Genre Charcuterie Board 1:
Sleater-Kinney - Riot Grrrl

New list time! I haven’t tried a listening challenge in a while and felt this is a simple enough way to broaden my horizons, by listening to revered albums in genres I’ve never tried before. I love female led rock bands (Paramore is the best example) and even stuff a little heavier (Poppy and flyleaf) so decided to try Riot Grrl and its highest rated album, Dig Me Out.

On to the actual music and it’s…. ... read more

Sorry if I’m a little late to the party, but thank god I showed up at all.

Despite how awesome February is looking for new releases, December to January has been dry as usual, and this has already been praised about as much as possible. So I finally got off my ass and listened to this masterpiece.

This is just awesome in every way. The lyrics are incredible, the features are enjoyable, the production and sampling is elite and it's all tied together with catchy choruses. I’ll ... read more

This is insane. Incredible in the movie and Brie Larson sounds infinitely better then the OG vocalist. Might be the best song I've heard in the past 6 months.

About time I reviewed a Mini Trees project.

Mini Trees (Lexi Vega) has been a little indie gem that I’ve listened to a lot, probably more than any other artist I haven’t had the pleasure of reviewing yet. Lexi is firmly nestled in genres I love and has basically become the way I describe them. If you asked me what indie pop and bedroom pop (or living room pop in this case) sounds like I would play you Always In Motion.

But to actually talk about the album, I’m a little ... read more

Never heard a comeback album be about a cheating husband, so that's a first.

Lily Allen has always had some banger singles (Smile is one of the best revenge songs ever) and Alright, Still was already on my list before this came out of the blue with great reviews, so I gave it a spin.

Let's start with the main highlight: the storytelling is great, some of the best of this year, which makes it emotional, cohesive and just overall better. This album is Allen trying her best to close a ... read more

Miserable voice, miserable lyrics, bad production. This is truly a masterclass in how to make awful music.

Welcome back Sabrina! Maybe you could save pop music this year?

Well, the short answer is no. I was a huge fan of Short n’ Sweet (probably praised it more than it deserved) and excited for the next project. There is no such thing as a bad year for music, but for mainstream pop music 2025 has been pretty pitiful. I had my reservations about Manchild as a single, feeling more like a worse version of her previous work, but I was really scared that it was the only single released before the ... read more

I’m not familiar with Danny Brown beyond his stellar reputation and a single feature, and I’d never heard anything by Underscores. Both beat my expectations as this is excellent. The production is excellent and Underscores is insane. She has one of the best assists all year with her super sticky chorus. Danny Brown voice and flow works surprisingly well with this beat, just makes a great song.