Yuge0w0

Looking back at the 8.0s Pitchfork handed out this May. We have Remember the Humans, making a genuine return to form, bringing back that much-missed indie rock sound. We have American Football (LP4), refusing to be pigeonholed and breaking out of their usual framework to experiment with new sonic directions. On top of that, we have Drake's Whatever It Is.

The biggest issue with this album is the undeniable lack of punch in the mixing. It leaves the record feeling underwhelming in a hip-hop context, while simultaneously stripping away the raw instrumental fire you'd expect from post-punk. The grooves are still written incredibly well, but the production completely misses the restlessness and urgency demanded by its topical lyrics. Ultimately, this lack of bite makes the listening experience far less dynamic and diverse than it aimed to be.

You can't talk about 2020s music movements without mentioning dariacore. It’s wild to think that a distorted, meme-fueled rebellion of a genre has maintained its momentum five years later, growing ferociously into its own beast across Western and East Asian scenes.

Status Update Music is a clear level-up from the foundational leroy trilogy. With all the groundwork Jane Remover has laid across her aliases, SUM delivers a variety we haven't seen in the genre yet. It plays with ... read more

Compared to other pop releases this year, MUNA’s melodic songwriting feels a bit anemic. While the first half manages to keep things relatively fun, the project loses steam as it progresses, eventually petering out toward the end.