One of the best instrumental guitar albums in recent memory. Yasmin Williams manages to create a melodically rich guitar album where each song feels like a small instrumental fable or parable. Do not skip this album if you are a fan of instrumental music that manages to feel narratively rich without utilizing language. It is like a contemporary Windham Hill record but manages to sound completely unique and engaging. It is my go-to study/reflect/cry in nature music. I would like about ten more ... read more

Moist voices to the front of the line!

Bjork's newest project feels more like a family jamboree mixtape than a standard album release. The music feels less deliberate, and we hear a few more guests than we typically do. As a result, Fossora is far less cohesive, the themes are a bit muddier, and the music feels less urgent than her previous output. While I could see this as detrimental to the album's quality, I still think Bjork manages to create an engaging project with plenty to gush ... read more

Dulling down her acerbic tongue, Stella Donnelly returns for a meditative, breezy sophomore release. She redirects her lyrical wit into poignant statements on growing up, relationships, and trying to find wade through life's muddiest emotions. While it may sound light, Donnelly's ability to blend airy melodies with clever observations makes Flood a remarkably smooth and engaging listen. I am partial to the title track's stunning chorus (one of the most potent melodies of the year), but I find ... read more

Pop's left-left-of-center sweetheart returns with a delectable and digestible set of 5 tracks that sparkle with the same creativity as DJ Sabrina's epic extended projects. Clocking in at only 35 minutes, Call You / Under Your Spell still feels grand in scope. I am still in love with Sabrina's ability to make music that sounds nostalgic before the track ends. There is a logic to how the songs are structured, and each listen uncovers more detail and narrative within the music. It is the ... read more

Ethel Cain added to the list of people I want to stomp on my face 😍

Cain expands her dreary, slow-core dream pop into an extraordinary Americana epic. I love Cain's style because of the blend of goth rock's muddy catharsis, dream pop's fuzzy production, and Americana's languid storytelling. The lyrics reflect this, where Cain explores the liminal space between self-worth, religious fervor, and self-destructive behavior. Preacher's Daughter does not shy away from complex intimacies. She ... read more

Crash is more of a fender bender than a full-on collision. The songs are slick, the production focused, but Charli replaces her impulsive indulgence for a more curated sound. Where she has flirted with contemporary trends, Charli delves headfirst into the synth resurgence and produces some of her most straightforward songs. The result is a successful record, but one that struggles to have the heights of some of her previous songs. All of the energy is there, but she trades the mania of Vroom ... read more

I find this mixtape endlessly listenable. Tahliah Barnett proves that even her more lighthearted projects are just as endearing as her art-pop odysseys. I love the mixtape's buoyancy and energy, which manages to feel extremely airy but not insignificant or superfluous. The collaborations are great, and I love the sense of community throughout the album. While these songs do not have the grandeur of her other projects, I now have FKA Twigs for when I just wanna bop around in my parent's Honda ... read more

Caught between the thrill of instability and the comfort of monotony, Nilüfer Yanya's sophomore project is at its best when it captures this tension by merging sonic motifs with complex sentiments around intimacy. While perhaps not as creative as her debut, the songwriting continues to demonstrate Yanya's clever lyricism and ear for hooks. My favorite moments are when Yanya brings the drums to the front of the mix ('chase me,' for example), as it successfully adds to the sense of unease ... read more

I was definitely was not expecting this to entice me as much as it has. While the Kingdom Hearts 3 song is a tough sell, the collaborations between Hikaru and Floating Points are revelatory. Sam Shepherd's production choices are just sublime; the muted trumpets on the opener, the meandering pianos on 'Time', and the vocal manipulation on 'Somehwere Near Marsaille' are just some of my favorite elements of the album. The entire project sparkles with melancholic melodies mixed with a contemporary ... read more

BCNR blends engaging storytelling, melodically rich instrumentation, and post-punk grit into an expansive, accessible record that feels as special as it sounds. While feeling slightly referential, the earnest presentation and creativity make it both immediate and complicated.

Favorite song/moment: "Good Will Hunting"/ Wood's vocal performance in the second verse about spaceships.

Nilüfer's new song bubbles with a chaotic urgency that adds some welcomed anxiety to her sharp songwriting. The song's lack of stability successfully adds to paranoia and energy throughout the runtime. 'stabilise' reminds me of TV on the Radio's 'Wolf Like Me,' with its crunchy instrumentation and manic vivacity. It is fuzzy and engaging, a welcome look into another compelling chapter of Yanya's career.

Grouper often times buries herself under loop pedals and distortion. On Shade, Liz Harris extends a hand to the listener through the murk, carving a new space for herself and listener. It is a hushed conversation with a lover, a deep exhale after a long day, a walk home through the fog. While these moments are liminal, they are the stitching that holds experiences together. Harris continues to mine these spaces for their cathartic potential.

My favorite moment comes from 'The way her her hair ... read more

Spellling outdoes herself with an ethereal collection of art-pop tracks. The Turning Wheel feels mystical and effortless, the type of music that oozes creativity and sparkles with eccentricities. This album just sounds great, and the melodies are memorable. It is an album that grows on me with each listen (and I keep on listening to it!) If she keeps on this Kate Bush Trajectory, her next two albums are going to change music. She is defiantly on the right path!

Every time you remember something from the past, it is slightly altered. Details shift, emotions become more distant, and past mistakes are transformed into personal lessons. On her wonderful new record, Lucy Dacus takes the listener on a tour of some of her most vivid memories. Each song digs into a particular intimacy from Dacus's life; the album functions as a collection of stories woven with feelings rather than facts. Home Video finds one of the best storytellers making music that reaches ... read more

Beabadoobee follows up her more aggressive pop punk debut with a little EP that digs deeper into the 2000s sunshine guitar pop she clearly loves. Easy guitar melodies and catchy choruses make Our Extended Play a quick but delightful project. Each track could absolutely be on the Gilmore Girls soundtrack, and I’m not mad about that.

Who is having more fun than Slayyyter? The Y2K club rat's debut is a ridiculously raunchy good time. Troubled Paradise finds Slayyyter exploring the maximalism of 2010s pop, the continued mainstreaming of hyperpop, and various dance genres in one coherent statement. While I prefer some of the individual tracks from her prior mixtape ('Mine' is one of my favorite pop songs of the 2010s), Troubled Paradise is a solid and enjoyable record from start to finish. Some of the edges of her music feel a ... read more

While a tad too long, Gami Gang brings the sounds of midwestern emo to Washington D.C.. Origami Angel is the fantasy pop-punk band of my teenage years. Energetic, witty, and aggressively earnest, Gami Gang never loses the balance between catchy hooks and cathartic guitar riffs. The boys demonstrate how much life can be extracted from pop punk's divisive past by sounding true to themselves.

All JBrek wants is to be happy. On Jubilee, Michelle Zauner navigates the murky waters of self-worth and ends up closer to her goal than ever before. With sparkling melodies and new sounds in every song, Jubilee is an excellent record that draws on so many different influences that it becomes singular to Japanese Breakfast. Boisterous, endlessly engaging, and wildly imaginative, Zauner's creative voice has never been sharper. Jubilee puts all of Japanese Breakfast's best features on full ... read more

Continuing her exploration of traditional Mexican music, Natalia Lafourcade produces another expansive, unbelievably beautiful collection of songs. Few albums feel this celebratory of a particular culture. I absolutely love how rich and intimate these songs are as they feel both classic and entirely new. The album focuses even more on Lafourcade's voice and how it interacts with her guest artists or alone on guitar. I am so excited to see what Natalia does after this project of rediscovering ... read more