Album Reviews: Kendrick Lamar, Confidence Man, Amyl & the Sniffers

 Kendrick Lamar – GNX Compton, CA All thunder-stealing of Father John Misty aside, it was a wonderful surprise to not only get an unexpected Kendrick Lamar album this past week, but one this strong. Although it often feels like a more pop-centred Lamar, there’s a lot of vocal play and

Album Reviews: Molchat Doma, The Okmoniks, Magdalena Bay

 Molchat Doma (Молчат Дома) – Belaya Polosa, (Белая Полоса) Minsk, Belarus As they expand their sound on each album, Molchat Doma have had to navigate the tricky ground of maintaining an iconic aesthetic while finding something new to say. They do a great job of threading that needle on their

Album Reviews: Childish Gambino, Cults, Porter Robinson

 Childish Gambino – Bando Stone and the New World Edwards, CA/Stone Mountain, Georgia To round out his time under his Childish Gambino moniker, Donald Glover has thrown a bit of everything at the wall in a stuffed last record. As such, his final album is a more of a sporadic

Album Reviews: Peggy Lou, Isobel Campbell, Angélica Garcia

 Peggy Gou – I Hear You Incheon, South Korea/Berlin, Germany Whether you know her name or not, you’ve definitely already heard a song or two from Peggy Gou, perhaps thinking you were hearing a throwback station. Continuing the great recent run of house-inspired, retro dance gems, Gou creates a magnetic

Album Reviews: Tove Lo, Kate Nash, Pond

 Tove Lo & SG Lewis – Heat EP Helsingborg, Sweden/Reading, England Right on the heels of a recent collaboration with Nelly Furtado, Tove Lo returns with SG Lewis for a brief but exhilaratingly sweaty EP of dancefloor bangers. Riding a tight-yet-exciting line between honouring classic sounds and playing to her

Album Reviews: Charli XCX, Blue Hawaii, Billie Eilish

 Charli XCX – Brat Cambridge, England Though it seems like she’s about to hit the second popularity peak of her career, Charli XCX has been knocking out stellar heady-yet-catchy albums since the Vroom Vroom and Pop 2 era. While the pop is on point here, Charli has managed to inject

Album Reviews: Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, Laura Jane Grace, Chromeo

 Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross – Challengers (Original Score) New Castle, PA/London, England Though we typically avoid scores for these reviews, Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross’s submission for the new film “Challengers” may be one of the best electronic albums we’ll see this year, period. While it certainly adds a

Album Reviews: Dua Lipa, John Carpenter, Ibibio Sound Machine

 Dua Lipa – Radical Optimism London, England It’s crazy to think that in just a few years Dua Lipa went from an up-and-comer to one of the most talked about pop stars of our time, and has kept the momentum going enough to make us forget about “Argylle.” While it

Album Reviews: Justice, St. Vincent, Cindy Lee

 Justice – Hyperdrama Paris, France After nearly a decade away from their albums, Justice hasn’t lost their polish, but simply feel like they’re missing a little punch. While this album may prove itself glorious for their next tour, on headphones it’s a lushly produced but sometimes anticlimactic return for one

Album Reviews: Beyoncé, Khruangbin, Elbow

 Beyoncé – Cowboy Carter Houston, TX While perhaps a larger genre shift from much of her recent work, Beyoncé’s raw talent as a vocalist and musician as a whole makes her latest effort less of what some have deemed a “Surprise” and more of an impressive show of versatility that

Album Reviews: Allie X, Omni, Bleachers

 Allie X – Girl with No Face Oakville, Ontario With her unique brand of art-pop, Allie X keeps pushing the boundaries of what her music can be. This latest mix brings all the fun of mainstream pop with all the weird unpredictability, and intense emotion that you simply won’t hear

Album Reviews: MGMT, Sheer Mag, Faye Webster

 MGMT – Loss of Life Middletown, CT Over their several records, it’s become clear where MGMT is making pop-focused music and exploratory music, and their latest album appears to lean to the latter. Though this album is full of strong writing and personal touches that keep the songs accessible, this

Album Reviews: Idles, Molly Lewis, Paloma Faith

 Idles – Tangk Bristol, England Always ones to unleash a riot on their records, Idles’ increase the sonic and emotional depth on their latest record. Despite the a few more downbeat tracks, the band comes out with a fuller sound than ever, finding more intricate production to play around with,

Album Reviews: Chelsea Wolfe, Brittany Howard, Torres

 Chelsea Wolfe – She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She Roseville/Sacramento, CA In her latest exploration of the dark corners of rock and experimental sound crafting, Chelsea Wolfe is uncompromising. Methodical and morphing, this is a record that breathes to the point of fogging up our headphones, but

Album Reviews: The Last Dinner Party, Ty Segall, Moonvampire

 The Last Dinner Party – Prelude to Ecstasy London, England It’s rare to hear a band come out the gate with orchestral arrangements and over-the-top energy on a debut, and still feel like that band has figured out their sound. The Last Dinner Party certainly has their aesthetics figured out

Album Reviews: Danny Brown, The Waeve, Kaytraminé

 Danny Brown – Quaranta (Detroit, MI) Already on his second album of the year, Danny Brown has found a creative freedom to play and take more risks than usual on this release. In an album that satisfyingly sees Brown experimenting and playing to his best quirks as an artist, this

Album Reviews: Julie Byrne, Holly Walker, Creeper

 Julie Byrne – The Greater Wings – Buffalo, NY Like a spirit of nature itself, Julie Byrne is one of these artists that seem to simply sing and command arrangements that perfectly fit them at all times. The intense emotions and sense of detail in these productions however show Byrne

Album Reviews: Boygenius, Crosses, Troye Sivan

 Boygenius – The Rest (Mechanicsville, VA/Pasadena, CA/Germantown, TN) Almost cheeky in its title, Boygenius would have you think their new EP is leftovers rather than a decadent dessert to their recent LP. While seemingly a small companion to their latest album, this EP feels like a 10-song record’s worth of

Album Reviews: The Kills, DJ Shadow, Hinako Omori

 The Kills – God Games (Buckinghamshire, England/Vero Beach, FL) Coming off a seven-year break between records, The Kills have slowed things down to craft an album with less grit and more mystique. While the shift can be a little jarring at first for fans of the band’s rock background, there’s

Album Reviews: Chai, Kylie Minogue, Jorja Smith

 Chai – Chai (Nagoya, Japan) Given how wonderfully unhinged and indulgent Chai have been in their career so far, it was only a matter of time till we got a more classic pop album from them. Though it definitely feels like the band is playing into more pastiche than they

Album Reviews: Mitski, Corinne Bailey Rae, Woods

 Mitski – The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We (New York City/Mie Prefecture, Japan) Able to capture the world by bearing her entire self again and again wholeheartedly, Mitski has nailed the swan dive on her latest album. Mixing in touches of country, intense cinematic orchestration and devastating stories,

Album Reviews: Hannah Georgas, Dizzy, Hiss Golden Messenger

 Hannah Georgas – I’d Be Lying If I Said I Didn’t Care (Newmarket, Ontario/Vancouver, British Columbia) Ever since her second record, Hannah Georgas has infused her music with a kind of galactic level of mesmerizing sonics, making each album a kind of emotion-driven trip to the stars. Amidst her most

Jepsen firmly moves into adult dance-pop phase with some great bangers

 Carly Rae Jepsen – The Loveliest Time (Mission, British Columbia) By this point, Carly Rae Jepsen is the go-to pop crooner of Canada’s scene, with a knack for knocking out amazing hits that get you jumping every time. While it isn’t changing up her game, it’s lyrically great to see

The Japanese House Straddle the Line of Indie and Pop as One Thing

 PJ Harvey – I Inside the Old Year Dying (Dorset, England) Relentless in her artistic vision on every record, PJ Harvey has crafted an album that feels born from a night in the woods on her latest record. While a subtle record more often than not, it’s a great example

Let it Slide is a Solid Rock Record that Makes You Want to Party

 Beach Fossils – Bunny (Brooklyn) While at times their music can come off as so soothing that it’s hard to connect to it on a deeper level, Beach Fossils find the sweet spot between their writing and production on their new album. While seemingly laidback and accessible, the layering in