(adding to my base album review for the deluxe tracks)
It's hard to rate an album you've listened to and care about so deeply without there being bias. Evermore has helped me through some really tough times, and it truly was my first comfort album. This album is not perfect by any means, but I am smacked with a wave of nostalgia any time I press play on the album. This is my personal favorite Taylor Swift album, and I will defend that opinion to my death.

willow - 95
The guitar is ... read more

It's hard to rate an album you've listened to and care about so deeply without there being bias. Evermore has helped me through some really tough times, and it truly was my first comfort album. This album is not perfect by any means, but I am smacked with a wave of nostalgia any time I press play on the album. This is my personal favorite Taylor Swift album, and I will defend that opinion to my death.

willow - 95
The guitar is this song is incredibly catchy, and I love the analogy ... read more

Collapsed in Sunbeams is a long-time favorite, and I'm grateful to have found it. This project is filled with soulful production and some of the best lyrics I have ever heard in my life (yes, I'm looking at you "I let my pain out through the way that I sit and start to pick out the rips in my Nike's"). It is such an easy listen, and I think it beautifully represents who Arlo Parks is as an artist and poet.

favorites: eugene, green eyes, bluish
least favorite: for violet

There are special albums that you associate with a specific time in your life, and Charm is one of them. Charm is the soundtrack of packing up my belongings, saying goodbye to my loved ones, and moving to Ireland to study abroad for the semester. As stressful as the whole journey has been, Charm is a constant calming energy that keeps me afloat no matter the turbulence.

Charm is so simple on the surface, but you can tell how much care was put into this album front to back. It's like a ... read more

This is my reaction on my second listen. I worry that my opinions might have been tainted by some of the reviews on AOTY. However, as a big fan of Good Riddance, The Secret of Us just fell flat. It's hard writing a disappointing review for one of your favorite finds of 2023, but I can't lie - the music is just okay. There are a few hard hitters here, but the rest I could take or leave. The back half desperately needed a shift or upbeat track (think difficult/this is what the drugs are ... read more

I always love to look an an artist's first project, as you tend to find songs with a lot of character and rough-around-the-edges gems. The Archer was my initial introduction to Adam Melchor back in 2021, and while it's been a few years since he has been in my regular rotation, relistening to it for the first time in a long time has been refreshing. Brook Revisited and The Archer are the true highlights of this project, where Melchor seems to write about yearning for childhood innocence/freedom ... read more

This is an album that shines from it's soft percussion that guides your through the project. To be honest, I did not pay too much attention to the lyrics on this one, mainly because it was hard to pick up or I was too focused on the production. I heard a few of Jessica Pratt's songs a few years ago, and I especially remember her memorable shrill vocal tone. However, I was pleasantly surprised to her that tone disappear in a few tracks in this album, such as Get Your Head Out and The Last Year, ... read more

Calico is an instant classic that gets better with every listen. It's hard to write about something that is this good. From the lyrics filled with complex meanings to the production that provides space to sit and digest it all, Calico is like a deep conversation with your closest friends. I cannot get enough of these songs, and I cannot wait to see what Ryan creates next.

favorites: ribbons, little faith, white teeth, cinnamon bread, bruises off the peach
least favorite: multiple ... read more

This album is just a vibe through and through, and even in its slower moments, it doesn't let up on the gas. I have listened to the album a few times in the past, and each time I revisit it, I forget how incredibly produced and well-rounded Something To Give Each Other is. Not to mention that this album has one of my favorite songs I have heard in recent memory in One Of Your Girls (that guitar is just so sexy and catchy). The sample on Can't Go Back, Baby threw me for a loop since it is from a ... read more