do that chord progression again
do those drums again
do that writing again

on his 2nd full length, Malcolm has a bit more to say
but he runs through his bases without the strength of his earlier irrestiable hooks in "Sweet Boy"
or the surpringsly profound moments of writing in his Self Titled

what's left is moments that just leave you wanting more
that leave you saying:

"i wish he had done it again"

all hungry dogs look the same sometimes

JPEGMAFIA falls short of his own standards.

Between the endless drama, tweeting about white people, hanging out with Nazi-era Ye, JPEGMAFIA finds himself a victim of his own ego on his newest effort. He flexes his producer muscles plenty, he can't help himself, but it comes at the price of everything else. Even at it's loudest and off the wall moments "EXPERIMENTAL RAP" doesn't attempt to live up to it's title. There is no risks being taken, no innovation ... read more

Shantel takes the online indie rock sound to real heights.

tiffany finds her voice

it is criminal how small he is man

a promising talent that anyone with a brain would bet on

"U" finds underscores somehow tetering the balance beam of infectious pop melodies and abrasive experimentation effortlessly.

Sonically it remains accessible while remaining constantly interesting and dynamic in it's song structures. The bridge on "Do It", the constant tension and heavenly climax of "Lovefield" are some of my favorite moments across this scorching fast 34 minute project. underscores writes from the pits of situationship hell and not a single ... read more

i can respect Harlow's effort to play true to himself, and not take the easy way and go further into the commerical hell that brought us "Come Home The Kids Miss You". i was a big fan of "Jackman" with Harlow digging in his roots and staying there. but 3 years later Harlow gives us "Monica". a one note r&b record with backing vocalists that would do these songs more justice than he does.

the artisty is appreciated jack, but it's got to be more than ... read more

super promising.

a record full of solid ideas muddled with barebones ones. i think the potential is there, esp on tracks like "SAVIOR/ NOT A SAVIOR" or "DOVE" but its far and few inbetween. aesthetics dominate an otherwise hollow record. but I'll still be keeping an eye out for aeter. the potential here is undeniable.

Baby Keem has never really interested me outside of his delievery and his ability to make great high-energy rap bangers. Outside of that it's hard to connect with him on any level above that. "The Melodic Blue" was bloated, full of unremarkable moments, while also having some of the highest highs on a rap record this decade. 5 years later we have his sophmore album "Ca$ino" and Keem continues to dance between giving substance and giving "vibes", and here he ... read more

thanks @facepalman for sharing your work

for starters the production is super interesting! i was actually engaged with it and appreciated how brace/face executes alot of the genre blending here. it's super promising. however i do think there is a lot to be desired when it comes to the vocal performance and writing here. it comes off as insanely amateurish, i'm not sure how old brace is but he sounds like a shy 15 year old kid recording with his wired headphones and maybe that's ... read more

a strong start to the year from Shantel

feels of the time while also staying faithful to her roots

brent's best

Feng is an interesting artist in the fragmented state that the "underground' is in. where every corner has their own iceberg and that iceberg in itself has it's own. an endless rabbit hole of talent and ideas that might have never been accessible up until now. feng has been a beneficary of this, with his project "What The Feng" showing that maybe adding more color and being "normal" is being more and more hard to find in the current scene. "WTF" had ... read more

embrassing man, i love joji but this is inexcusably low-effort
im really hoping he corrects course after this.

I have a soft-spot for J. Cole, he is without a doubt one of my favorite rappers and a story that I still find myself using to motivate myself to reach my own dreams, as cliche as that might be. However there is good reason that J. Cole has become a punching bag among hip-hop circles and discussions, him being the perfect inbetween from the pure commerical driven Drake and the artisty driven Kendrick. Cole's career and sound constantly finds himself somewhere between them. But on "The ... read more

solid debut, lots of great lines, great sense of self, im excited to see where tha hero goes from here