I love Toro y Moi’s general aesthetic and I wanted to love this album as much I as love the idea of loving it. Unfortunately I have to admit it kinda sucks.

Outer Peace’s singles hinted at an album chock full of funky grooves, and the opening tracks “Fading,” “Ordinary Pleasure,” and “Laws of the Universe” definitely deliver. Yet, something about the tunes kinda feels like drinking from a spoiled milk carton. A little sour and a little ... read more

It’s not a good sign when I have listened to this album three times now and I can’t really remember a song from it without listening to a little bit of it first. It’s pleasant enough to listen to while it’s on but it’s pretty plain, the vanilla of indie rock.

First, the production is pretty solid and smooth, but it contributes to the forgettability of this album. If perhaps the album was more lo-fi or had more varied dynamics or a more varied instrumental palette ... read more

Krit’s new project TDT is a compilation of his three 2018 EPs and it is almost wholly unnecessary. Pulled altogether, these songs do nothing to justify the rereleasing of these tracks less than a year later. Although perhaps no tracklist would, the ordering here does not allow these songs to fill a deeper narrative, nor do they heighten each other. It’s a compilation that fails to be more than the sum of its parts.

The songs themselves don’t ask much of the listener either. ... read more

James Blake has found love, and his latest, Assume Form, lets us know.

Seemingly Blake's most blissful project to date, Assume Form is filled with odes to his girlfriend Jameela Jamil. While they produce some of the strongest tracks here– Can't Believe The Way We Flow is a gorgeous Oneohtrix Point Never-featuring track with hazy and soothing vocals that radiate cuddliness– Blake's inspiration results in a couple duds too. Barefoot in the Park is an unapologetic PDA that features ... read more