It's ironic that insecurity drives people away. A lot of us learned that lesson as kids, but the difference between me and Drake is that I grew out of that shit.

Drake's been rapping about having fake friends that leave him, being an underdog in the industry, etc, for his whole career. It worked at first, but got real old real quick as he skyrocketed to the top and became an industry darling. Some of the respect he lost, he lost by doing this persona and being inauthentic in ... read more

Lizzo is a performer trying to sell a narrative with the mixtape; facets of her public persona that she's putting forward as the focus of this album. It's not just any horny summer southern rap tape- it's Lizzo's horny summer southern rap tape. At her best, her quirky bars are fun enough that you can forget how derivative they are of Sexyy Red or Cupcakke. At her worst, Lizzo is rapping bars about "Who fell off?" and "I don't need drama" that seem ... read more

Blush listens like a series of vignettes more than a work with one central vision, but it pulls that off really well. Kevin Abstract recruits a massive cast of collaborators, most notably his former bandmate Ameer Vann, Love Spells who had some of the best moments on the whole album, and Quadeca on production for half the album and a few standout features. The album is built on a foundation of indie pop and alt-rap, and pushes itself out to distorted, fast paced moments like NOLA, emotional ... read more

disgusting

I don't know what the fuck he's saying, and lowkey that's why I like it. Logic's rage experimentation hasn't been taken that well by this site (no fucking shit. he decided that his album in the subgenre with very distinct edgy aesthetics is going to have a DND-type cover), but this song has echoes and vocal layering that give his rapping a unique texture on it, and the whole thing sits in the exact middle of the mix. He's definitely experimenting, and this ... read more

Pretty good. Though this sort of "sixteen pieces while eating a Reese's" flow doesn't do much for me personally, i have to recognize how that this song is high quality.

Hyperpop isn't just back, it never left. kmoe's debut album has all the thought-out trappings of an indietronica album, the first leg of it leaning heavy into distorted rock and shoegaze, but the primary genre of K1 is hyperpop. He works with its various influences, sounds, the way it's evolved over the past few years (including the waves deadAir, the record label he's signed to, has made), and gives this project a lot of variety. I've mentioned the distorted shoegaze, ... read more

maybe i'm glazing. or maybe i remember the first time I listened to JPEGMAFIA, finding his Colors show over the pandemic, and the feeling of "I don't fully get this, but I want to." Edward Skeletrix's Museum Music takes that surreal rap thesis to an even further extent. Some tracks, like Still Shop At Neiman's, are relatively accessible for left-field hip-hop fans, but others go even further with demanding your patience. discomfort is a valid emotion for a piece ... read more

smooth, laid-back, and optimistic-sounding album. this is the blueprint for mountains and mountains of watered-down "lo-fi" slop, but unlike all that stuff metaphorical music is genuinely compelling

my introductions to this man's music, and it's captivating. real left-field rage music.

I recognized rusowsky because he's on the same label as Ralphie Choo, whose SUPERNOVA I heavily enjoyed. Unfortunately, I recognized a little too much from Ralphie Choo- DAISY uses a lot of the same production ideas and general vibes, which I understand, but has less genuinely attention-grabbing material.

CASTS OF A DREAMER is varied, funny, energetic, and just really really good as a feel-good album. 31 tracks means it starts to blur together a little bit, but it's a testament to the album's quality that it's only a little bit. Favorites: tite track, CIRQUE DE SOLEIL, GLOBETROTTER, MOTO CITY BAG

A few standout tracks, but ultimately Fancy That blends together and doesn't capture my attention at all. I do love a lot of her production decisions, but PinkPantheress herself isn't present enough on many of the songs to make them stick.

I've had an exceptionally busy week and haven't been on aoty at all, and listened to the EP on my own without seeing the user score. I like it. It's Peggy at his most unserious and Flume matching his energy, down to the cover and title being absolutely drenched in irony. Most of Track 1 is a skit. AI Girlfriend is meant to be a massive joke. Is It Real is just a really solid dance-pop song. It's not either artist's absolute creative zenith, but not everything has to be.

#RICHAXXHAITIAN has a few captivating high points, like the title track, ANTONOMASIA, and HOLY ______, but it's buried in a mass of repetitive and unmemorable music.

SADDEST TRUTH is full of cinematic production, drama, and big moments with really good production. These big moments can, unfortunately, feel unearned; when everything tries to be an insane peak, very few things actually are. That sense of grandiosity doesn't actually stop the album from being enjoyable, though; it's still interesting and put together well. I do wish that scm sung more on it, though.

a soft and confessional indietronica album with personal lyrics and intimate production. Slightly repetitive at times, but ultimately charming.

After hearing Prezzy, the first single off of the upcoming Pinball II, and being absolutely hooked, I wanted to check out the OG. I'm really glad I did.

Pinball pulls MIKE out of his jazz rap wheelhouse into Tony Seltzer's production and proves that the two have undeniable artistic chemistry together. The whole album is a fast-paced, attention-grabbing trip that finds the perfect center point of the collaborators' styles.

holy fuck

maybe it's all feast or famine because they FUCKING ATE THIS UP. This is a tiny EP but is one of the most impactful releases of 2025 for me. The pocket they're in is tight, the instrumentation builds tension and release to keep you hooked and energized through each song. The saxophonist's tone is absolutely crazy, he does my absolute favorite thing you can do with a saxophone by cutting through the dense background of the song with a light tone that sounds like an exhale. The ... read more