After the underwhelming simplicity of her previous album, BANKS’s growth is fully showcased in this new release, which, while marketed as a tribute to her debut, feels far more innovative.
What’s heartening is that she’s finally let go, deconstructing her once predictable ballads into atmospheric, fragmented instrumentals, and weaving together classical, hip-hop, and even club-inspired dance elements into a more diverse R&B sound.
The increased use of acoustic instruments ... read more

Her seventh album is casual, sharp, yet slightly overlong—a critique often leveled at her career as a whole. The album’s concept might be her most expansive yet, touching on topics ranging from war and nationhood to human nature and existentialism. She never shies away from exploring these weighty themes.
However, the return to folk elements hasn’t remedied her longstanding weakness in melodic writing, and the overly simplified production feels less like a return to simplicity ... read more

Among the recent indie folk newcomers, Saya might not stand out as the most dazzling, but regardless, this full-length album is a strong entry in her budding career.
On this album, minimalist yet engaging production, paired with guitars that range from lively to laid-back, creates a relaxed yet vibrant atmosphere. Retro and psychedelic elements drawn from various genres significantly enhance the album’s listenability, while quirky drum patterns and synths elevate the guitar work to new ... read more

With its fusion of strings, distinctive hip-hop beats, and elements like beatboxing, this contemporary R&B album may not be groundbreaking, but it’s certainly bold. Clever, unforced beat switches and strong melodic writing significantly enhance the album’s replay value.
The occasional appearance of lively synths adds unique flair to the otherwise cool-toned soundscape, while the extended string sections introduce a touch of grandeur—perhaps unexpected given the ... read more

Compared to the cyber aesthetics and micro-style music of her close collaborator Oklou, Casey’s music feels more emotional and grounded in reality.
The layered synths strike a balance between exhaustion and melancholy, and while the album’s ending feels like the first ray of sunlight after an apocalypse, offering a sense of healing, the overall tone remains heavy. Even the hyperpop elements—like the heavy use of autotune—feel somewhat dissonant with the album’s ... read more

Compared to her previous album, this pop star leans closer to alt-pop this time. The producer incorporates elements of trap and Jersey Club into her pop framework, though these additions feel more like surface-level embellishments.
Most tracks in the first half of the album don’t deviate much from her last release, while the latter half shows slight improvement. However, the album still carries noticeable imitations of TikTok viral hits—particularly Purple Lace Bra.
The choice of ... read more

I’m not familiar with Osamason, but based on my listening experience, this album didn’t leave much of an impression on me.
As an underground rap album labeled as Rage/Trap, it doesn’t really offer anything else to grab your attention. The first two tracks, with their slightly more mainstream production, are initially quite striking—the synths are catchy, and the fragmented beats deliver a satisfying punch.
The instrumental effects and drum patterns throughout the album ... read more

Even with the fusion of contemporary R&B and indie pop, the album fails to rise above its mediocre arrangements. The tracks that lean more into soft rock/pop rock lack any distinctive personal flair, and while the melodies are inoffensive, they don’t offer much replay value either. The choice of acoustic instruments feels somewhat rough, and the mixing often places the vocals too prominently, overshadowing the guitars that could have better emphasized the laid-back vibe.
The album ... read more

When the public began to feel nostalgic for bubblegum pop, Sabrina, a long-established artist, was successfully "rediscovered."
Despite the retro vibe of the album cover and production, her image leans more toward wit, with occasionally risqué lyrics that indeed enhance the album's pop appeal. However, when it comes to the songs themselves, "boring" and "cloying" are still unavoidable labels.
While the singles from this album are undeniably standout, ... read more

Although Pitchfork often does things that are criticized, it is still as useful as Wire when it comes to discovering some independent music.
This rediscovered Indietronica album is worth a listen. The spliced samples do not affect the album's overall fluidity, and the distinctive drum beats further enhance the coastal, laid-back vibe.
Despite the diverse elements in the album, the coordination of the instruments genuinely ensures a cohesive atmosphere.
The additional tracks included in ... read more

True to its name, the entire album is infused with hip-hop-inspired reggaetón beats. The sharp synths and powerful drum patterns, while somewhat monotonous after a while, are undeniably effective as dance tracks. Some of the synth usage on the album even reminds me of ROSALÍA’s highly successful *MOTOMAMI*. Nick Leon’s Latin electronic production, paired with her vocal delivery, gives the album a lustful, provocative texture. The pop-infused "repeating" ... read more

SZA's second album can be considered her most mainstream effort to date, and despite its length, it features some of the most standout tracks of her career. Her experimentation with hip-hop/pop-punk on the album isn’t entirely successful and, to some extent, becomes a key factor in the album’s mid-section losing its focus. However, her collaboration with Phoebe Bridgers is truly stunning—their styles blend seamlessly in a song deeply connected to human emotions. While a ... read more

Rather than viewing this album as a reissue, it’s better to approach it as a standalone LP or mixtape. Compared to the pop sensibilities and diverse production of its predecessor, this album leans more heavily into a PB R&B vibe. Although the vocal mixing often gives the impression of being "under the weather," her and her producer’s choice and arrangement of synths remain impressive. While the individual tracks may not shine as brightly as those on the previous ... read more

To be honest, when I first listened to this album, I didn’t really connect with most of the tracks. I found the production a bit noisy, and the autotune was cranked up to a level that made me uncomfortable. However, upon revisiting it, my opinion changed quite a bit. The production on this album is incredibly rich, with beats that hit hard, though at times they feel overly sharp, as if the synths are battling with the vocals. Overall, the foundation of jazz rap combined with ... read more

Honestly, I'm not sure what I was expecting. When a friend recommended this album to me, and I saw the styling, cover, and song titles, I thought it might be a tribute to Tori Amos's iconic work. But after listening to four songs, well, the first thing that came to mind was Kylie Minogue, and an autotune-heavy version at that. It's clearly dance-pop, but whether it's due to the vocal tuning or the mixing, the rhythm doesn't feel very strong, and it instead comes off ... read more

Kelela's "unplugged" live album retains the original silky smoothness of her music, replacing the club-like beats with oriental-inspired string sounds, shifting from the original intricacy to simplicity. Given her enthusiastic embrace of ambient music elements, the release of this album seems inevitable. Her voice stands out remarkably among indie singers, and most of the reinterpretations of the songs on the album do not fall short of the fullness of the original vocals. The ... read more

After going solo, even with Danny L Harle's support, this album fails to shake off its outdated feel, and in some ways, it even deepens. The lackluster Dance-pop/Synthpop production, coupled with melodies that always seem somewhat familiar (a synth segment in "Dizzy" even reminds me of Katy Perry's "TRUTH"), along with the standard vocal arrangements, doesn't allow the album to fulfill even the most basic function of being enjoyable. Except for a few tracks at ... read more

If the beginning of the year's Ethel Cain was a droning journey through melancholy, then Kathryn's album is undoubtedly a more immersive exploration of abandoned trams. Heavy and dark noise samples advance amidst equally somber humming, continuously sinking like a movie plot. The intense, even somewhat wild emotional expression may not be described as powerfully restrained, but upon first listen, one can always grasp this layer of touching within her cool-toned melodic compositions.

In produce, Oklou's debut LP is not as Choke Enough as its title might suggest, or rather, it's quite the opposite—smooth and light. Breaking away from the homogeneous production of her previous album, the diverse use of synthesizers by Danny and Cook, combined with the beautiful melodic writing of Oklou and Casey, makes this album quite colorful. This atmospheric club music is slightly melancholic yet ethereal, like a fairy tale fairy in an electronic maze. At the same time, ... read more

In such a boring indie pop album, it's hard to unearth anything particularly captivating; instead, it exudes a somewhat bland wallpaper-like quality. The melody writing resembles another Gracie Abrams, and even the luxurious production team couldn't salvage the mediocrity of the melodies, not to mention the production itself lacks originality, making it difficult to touch hearts like a good singer-songwriter album would. In other words, this feels like a formulaic indie album. ... read more