KNEECAP's FENIAN demonstrates the group's vibrant, bouncy electronic sound they've come to cultivate. As an Irishman myself, the optimistic and confident lyrics as Gaeilge act as a crutch of the dying language and are brilliant to hear. The production really stands out in the second half.

Tokyo Shoegazer's Remains is quite a regular Shoegaze album. It feels slightly too cramped and inconsistent. Perhaps if she let her vocals have more room and have more diverse instrumentation--like she did well in the last two tracks--this album would hold more weight.

drug bug's Hell for a Basement is a decent, moody, indie project. It unfortunately holds itself in too high regard; it doesn't have enough setup for the payoff. Though Alex's voice is brilliant, the songwriting and instrumentation was a samey and unoriginal.

Vince Staples' Cry Baby is powerful and relatable political message for today's world. Vince's rapping ability, lyrics, and flow are commendable. The only aspect dragging this project down is the sometimes repetitive production.

Freddie GIbbs' RBT is a short-but-sweet, uniquely produced, and decently put together EP. Gibbs demonstrates his good flow and rapping ability in a concise project.

My New Band Believe's self-titled is an eccentric adventure of avant-garde instrumentation accompanying Picton's chilling vocals. The sudden drops and instrumental breaks make exciting performances almost every track.

Earl Sweatshirt, MIKE, and SURF GANG'S POMPEII // UTILITY is a lazy trap album with mumbly lyrics and erratic production. I hate discriminating genres based off of reasons like this but there is no redeeming value of the album that distracts from the bloated effect from the few dozen minutes of almost complete silence except for the inconsistent production.
To comment on each artist: Earl Sweatshirt is generally the highlight of this album due to his effort in his rapping. MIKE's ... read more

Angine de Poitrine's Vol.II is an astounding musical experience. The duo's knowledge and manipulation of their unique micro-tonal instrumentation is extraordinary.

Thundercat's Distracted has exquisite production that pair well with his romantic falsetto vocals. The album is executed very well except for the track lengths that are too short to create an individual atmosphere for each song. Despite this, it was pleasant overall.

RAYE's THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE.'s grand theatrical journey is interesting but is undermined by the raw, saturated stories it tells that sound typical of a cartoon movie soundtrack. The instrumentation is very compelling and her vocals are refreshingly energetic.

Slayyyter's WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA is a brilliant, sticky electronic album with booming instrumentation and glowing, charismatic vocals. Overall, it creates an astonishing party atmosphere and an excellent experience.

Ye West's excruciatingly-long-awaited BULLY is an okay album. The main problem with this album are the unfinished, demo tracks and Ye’s monotone lifeless vocals. The first half is decent and evokes Ye's old musical creativity. It was generally enjoyable.

Note:
It's necessary to address the AI problem. I'd like to express my opinion that, like autotune was in the past, use of AI in music will become more accepted over time. I personally have no problem with AI in music ... read more

.idk.’s e.t.d.s. A Mixtape is, despite some slower tracks, a wonderful demonstration of .idk.’s superb rapping and production.
(late review

Geese's Getting Killed is a turbulent journey through death and identity with epic instrumentation of writhing guitars and brash guitars to accompany Winter's erratic theatrical cadence.
(late review)
My 2025 AOTY

Bruno Pernadas' unlikely, maybe is a likable jazzy experimental album with touches of his culture and language that make it unique. The finer details drag it down.

Q Minor's Surveillance is a pleasant EP. It has many problems (his voice mixing, the song-writing) but its easy to see his potential.
(late review)

Nubiyan Twist's Chasing Shadows is an tapestry of culture and life. It's brilliant jazzy production and angelic vocals create a dreamy environment. The diverse cast of voices makes an intensity through the album, keeping it always interesting.

heavensouls' westside trapped is a powerful percussion-led album with intense production that lets his cultural roots shine through. Despite its sometimes slow pacing, it was very enjoyable.

Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist's Alfredo 2 is a sublime album of gorgeous, hypnotic jazzy ambience by a master of modern rap production and an underrated legendary gangsta lyricist.

Neurosis' An Undying Love For a Burning World creates beautifully abrasive soundscapes to accompany Turner's harsh vocals, making an overall brilliant experience.