FINE. It sounds alright, but it is vastly overshadowed by its predecessors in the genre. I'd never listen to this again instead of a better Death Metal album. Most tracks blend into each other due to their similarities, but there are a couple of stand-outs like Lotus that keep this record from being bad.

VERY GOOD. Sensational boom bap beat selection, intelligent yet raw lyricism, solid rap performance, and a sense of conceptual harmony make Penalty of Leadership a great listen. The only thing holding the record back is the relative lack of variety when it comes to the flow of the rap or the vibe of the beats.

FINE. A very nervous and repetitive album, besides the fun wild card that is track 6, the songs all blend together to form a coldwave soup. The soup tastes good, but Grandma won't stop refilling the bowl.

BAD. Chanel's singing is serviceable but not great. The main issue with the record lies in its instrumentals. What isn't re-hashed from older and much better Latin pop records is highly questionable. At times, the production feels like some attempt to introduce PC music elements into the record like some sort of Spanish Charli XCX, but it just falls flat. Even the features feel like derivative copies of more prominent artists in their niches.

POOR. Matt Martians churns out 25 minutes of what could be decent interludes on a real record. No interesting concepts are explored or even hinted at on this record, and listening to the whole album at once really makes you feel the weight of how repetitive and stagnant the production is. Despite this, Martians is still capable of crafting pleasant alt-R&B soundscapes.

GOOD. A very funny record, Bruiser Wolf has the energy of someone's drunk uncle who manages to say the most off-color yet undeniably hilarious statements almost constantly. The beats on the record suit his style quite well, having a vintage feel to the soundscape and quality. The features on this record are well-chosen and well-executed as well.

GOOD. What appears on its surface as a generic pop record contains a surprising depth. Froukje cares about her music, and you can tell by listening closely. Almost every track's production contains some interesting texture that belies an attention to detail. Her singing and lyricism are good but not remarkable.

BAD. Perhaps largely due to personal taste, I found this record to be uninspired. It feels like every mediocre "Epic Heavy Metal" YouTube compilation was run through an AI, which was then instructed to create a record. It's entirely forgettable and not a pleasant listen. If you frequent those aforementioned playlists, you'll probably feel a lot differently.

VERY GOOD. I could not have expected to like this record less than I did. Despite the inane and childish humor, blindingly caucasian atmosphere, and deliberately off-putting soundscape, I was impressed at nearly every turn by the creativity, variety, and skill behind it all.

FINE. A decent death metal record, and in 2024 no less. It's nothing new for the genre, but the production is solid, and the vocals have an interesting place in the mix, making the listening experience more meditative than lyrical.

GOOD. Flesh Tape's self-titled debut marks another inspired foray into the shoegaze genre. While not as strong a successor to its inspirations as the similarly named shoegaze outfit Fleshwater was to theirs, there's still a lot of potential here to be excited about.

POOR. In concept, Lia Fail is a shoegaze record with a dark and airy soundscape. In reality, it feels like a shoegaze record that ran out of ideas halfway through the record and made the later half of the record quieter so you couldn't tell. The first couple of tracks are nice, but the album quickly becomes violently forgettable, as if your memory is wiped after every listen, leaving only the final track in your recollection.

FINE. How to Disappear is not a bad or even bad-sounding album. If you're a fan of Post-Hardcore or Emo you'll probably enjoy it. That being said, the record sounds so incredibly generic to me that despite the quality of what is being presented, I can't call it good. You won't find anything that feels creative on this record - instrumentally, vocally, or lyrically.

FINE. This record has an interesting soundfont, but is otherwise unremarkable when compared to other records in the genre.

GOOD. Nailah Hunter's debut solo record is a well-conceived art-pop record. It is contemplative, soothing, and comfortable. However, there isn't a track that stood out as notably unique or memorable.

FINE. Pleasant if generic post-rock. Very 12-hour YouTube playlist.

VERY BAD. It was truly a painful listen from the very start to the very end. The weird bling-era hip-hop lyrics combined with the incredibly generic YouTube-intro-esque production make me suspect that this record may be bad on purpose. Regardless of the author's intent, this one hurts and you should not listen to it.

GOOD. Lyn Inaizumi's debut record is a rich and varied tour across a lot of the classic Japanese jazz themes. While the album isn't remarkably exciting or novel, every element is well-crafted and the tracks are distinct enough from each other for the album to remain engaging and entertaining throughout.

FINE. About as middle of the road as possible, the former Berri Txarrak frontman's first solo record is a very minimal, guitar-focused-singer-songwriter record. He's a good singer and a fine guitarist, but you won't find anything remarkable on this record. A decent listen if you need something to play in the background while you paint or study.

GOOD. The Supergoat is a smooth yet engaging listen put together by two underground hip-hop veterans. While far from the cutting edge of rap music be it stylistically or lyrically, there's always room for another collection of cold flows over slick crate-junkie beats.