consistently great and interesting power pop,, there wasn't a song on this album that i didn't enjoy.

blanche has been on my radar ever since 2017's city lights, which is a song i absolutely adored, so i went into empire with decently high expectations, almost none of which were met. apart from "empire," "fences," and "pain," which were all great, this album doesn't really sound like much of anything, which is a shame because blanche's haunting voice isn't given many opportunities to shine on here, especially not against the kind of generic pop production.

wflytd is one of the most manic and disturbing bubblegum bass projects i've heard, and it all works together really well, especially on songs like "wflytd (goodmorning)," "candy painted nails," "sweetsweetsweetlikebubblegum," and "starshine (goodnight)."

although crave is a departure from the uk garage sound i liked on sound of a woman, it's still home to some decent synthpop and some hidden gems like "run renegade," "love me with your lie," and "love never dies."

cinderella's eyes is pop perfection of the early 2010s. the sheer amount of theatrics that nicola roberts adds to the album alone already makes it an interesting listen, but when legitimately great pop production is added to that (almost bordering on early bubblegum bass at times!), you KNOW you're in for a treat. she's a great songwriter and lets you know it, and aaaaaaa i really love this album.

working class woman manages to be both aggressive and mechanical, which is an interesting combination in its own right, but what really makes it all work is the personality that marie davidson brings to the table, whether it's the banter she includes over the music, the harshness of it all, or everything else.

such a dreamy album,, so groovy and great.

holly humberstone's debut ep is like,, phoebe bridgers-esque pop music, and that's a great sound for her,, even if it's the main comparison everyone makes. "overkill" specifically is one of my favorite songs of the year, and i'd say that there's not a weak song on this project.

i'm always up for a good dark cabaret album—it's probably my favorite genre, now that i'm thinking about it—but fuck, this isn't one of them. the normal album is contrived and just doesn't sit right with me in so many places, especially with its manic production that feels like a headache instead of anything i'd actually wanna listen to! which normally wouldn't be anything i'm concerned about but it just,, doesn't work with this. it gets points for being dark cabaret but wow, it was ... read more

although this album is super pretty for most of its runtime, i think it puts all of its eggs in the basket of familiarity and doesn't really have time to be like,, its own thing. "(un)happy," "is that what you wanted to hear?," and "forget the credits" all stand out to me as good songs, but not as distinct ones.

flower of devotion is a consistently boring album, but for some reason it ends on a really great track, "flying," and it leaves me wondering why there isn't more like it on the album.

knower is a group whose work i have really enjoyed in the past, so i was really excited to hear genevieve artadi's solo work. and i wasn't disappointed!! i think this album is going to grow on me with time, but for now it's a super dreamy experience that works really well when it does, but it's not dreamy in the same way that, uhh, beach house is, for example. dizzy strange summer is an alice in wonderland sort of experience, and it's great.

normally, i welcome pop punk albums with open arms, but all distortions are intentional makes my skin crawl,, almost the same feeling i get when i hear a nickelback song. i did not like this album.

a little rhythm and a wicked feeling is one of the most polished pop releases i think i'll hear this year, complete with already timeless songs such as "how to get physical" and "killshot," which stand out and bring me back to like,, either 1982 or 2004 or something.

i thought that dreamland was boring, and that's really all there is to say about it. in the past, glass animals had been decent at capturing my attention, but this album just doesn't do that apart from "space ghost coast to coast," "your love (déjà vu)", and "waterfalls coming out of your mouth," which were all surprisingly strong songs from a very weak album.

last year was weird, vol. 2 is home to both some of the prettiest and some of the most hard-hitting pop rap i've heard,, like, ever? and there's not one skip on here.

over the course of two and a half hours, a.g. cook went from being one of my favorite producers in the pop landscape to being an absolute electronic legend. this is a masterclass in electronic music, showcasing cook's skill in practically every department imaginable, ranging from d&b type stuff to dreamy guitar electronic stuff to glitch pop to the signature bubblegum bass style he's known for. absolutely amazing.

beautiful. genuinely beautiful.

it's alright!!

although boring, sucker's lunch is at least a competent dream pop album, especially on tracks like "double hearted."