Raye - My 21st Century Blues
Genre: Pop; blues; house
Review
I had never heard of Raye before this album, but I’m very grateful that I did! This is a thoughtful melding of genres and sounds that shows Raye baring her soul to the world. There are songs like “Mary Jane” and “The Thrill is Gone” where she sounds like the next coming of Amy Winehouse, but she’ll give an almost rapped verse on tracks like “Flip a Switch” and “Hard Out Here”. She tackles very personal topics here, including on the powerful ballad, “Ice Cream Man”. She talks about being sexually assaulted by a producer at the age of 19 and the effects it had on her. “Body Dysmorphia” is about exactly what it sounds like, which is the same for the track, “Environmental Anxiety”. While I do really enjoy this album and it’s easily one of my favorite albums of the year so far, I think she still has the potential to make something incredible in the future! For now, definitely take note and don’t let this great pop project pass you by! I really wish I had tickets to see her open for Kali Uchis this May, that'll be an incredible show!
Favorite: “Mary Jane”, “Escapism” (Feat. 070 Shake), “Hard Out Here”
If You Like: Amy Winehouse, Jorja Smith, Kali Uchis
Flume - Things Don’t Always Go The Way You Planned
Genre: Future Bass; electronic
Review
Flume surprised us with 10 previously unheard tracks that span his entire career! He has been digging through old laptops for songs that were previously lost, and this is the first batch of those songs that he’s decided to release. Of course, that means that some of these songs feel unpolished, but there are some undeniable great tracks on here! “Counting Sheep (V2)” with Injury Reserve is another incredible hip hop track produced by Flume. “Rhinestone 1.7.2” feels like it could have been a hit from the mid 2010s that was just sitting on his laptop. “One Step Closer 1.4” has Panda Bear on vocals and unsurprisingly, it ends up as a beautiful collaboration. When announcing this project, Flume said that this was the first batch of tracks, so if he really is going to turn this into a series, I’m excited to hear any leftovers that we get next.
Favorite Songs: “Counting Sheep (V2)” (Feat. Injury Reserve), “One Step Closer 1.4" (Feat. Panda Bear), “Nice 2 Know U 1.5.3”
If You Like: Subtle electronics; his previous work, glitchy soundscapes
Skrillex - Quest For Fire
Genre: Electronic; dubstep
Review
It’s been 9 years since Skrillex has dropped a solo album, but this year, he’s already given the world two different albums! The first of which, Quest For Fire, is an evolution of the dubstep he became famous for making. Except now, he is making a much more toned-down style of dubstep, which is more in line with what “actual” dubstep is. There are plenty of incredible highlights on here, including the singles “Rumble” and “Xena”, the latter of which has some incredible percussion during the drop. “Tears” has this screwed up drill inspired beat that sounds like absolute perfection! “Still Here” with Porter Robinson even ends the album on a somewhat sentimental note, even considering pretty much the entire project sounds like party music. I’m not sure if this project sounds like it was worth the decade long wait, but it’s nice to see one of the most iconic electronic producers of the past couple decades release some great music that sounds pristine!
Favorite Songs: “Hydrate” (Feat. Flowdan, Beam & PEEKABOO), “Xena” (Feat. Nai Barghouti), “Tears” (Feat. Joker & Sleepnet)
If You Like: Dubstep; raves; party music
Skrillex - Don’t Get Too Close
Genre: Electro-pop; electronic
Review
This second album from Skrillex was released the very next day after Quest For Fire, and while it doesn’t live up to that album, there are still some quality songs on this project. “Selecta” with Beam is a great and straightforward house cut where Beam absolutely kills it on the vocal end. “Way Back” with PinkPantheress and Trippie Redd has grown on me a lot since it first came out last month. The instrumental on the title track is absolutely beautiful, even if the vocals sometimes feel like they’re clashing with the instrumental. The features from Swae Lee and Yung Lean are also really great! But the middle section of this album really lacks, even when people like Kid Cudi come into the mix. This project is much more accessible and mainstream that Quest For Fire, but there are still some quality songs on here that make it worth listening to.
Favorite Songs: “Selecta” (Feat. Beam), “Way Back” (Feat. PinkPantheress & Trippie Redd), “Mixed Signals” (Feat. Swae Lee)
If You Like: Poppy electronic songs; vibe-y music
Liv.e - Girl in the Half Pearl
Genre: R&B; Experimental; neo-soul
Review
Liv.e’s new album is just as mind-boggling as her debut! It’s hard to fully wrap your mind around her music, even after multiple listens. A song like “Wild Animals” is a fairly straightforward and great R&B cut, but something like “Ghost” consists of drums at a breakneck pace and calming piano chords, while she’s singing and screaming through a vocal filter that would fit into a psych-rock group. Even though I had to try and pick a genre for this to be in in order to fit the format, it truly doesn’t fit into any label. She raps, sings, screams, preaches, and more over some of the weirdest instrumentals I’ve heard in a long time. Liv.e defies any category you try to put her into, and Girl In The Half Pearl is yet another example of how unique she is.
Favorite Songs: “Wild Animals”, “Ghost”, “Our Father”
If You Like: Erykah Badu; challenging music
Kelela - Raven
Genre: Electronic, dance, ambient
Review
Kelela is one of the most elusive R&B stars of the past decade. It’s been six years since she last released an album, and it seems like it was worth the wait! This album fits squarely in with people like Solange who have been creating this formless and structureless R&B. These songs blend together seamlessly, sometimes even to a detriment. It makes it really hard to talk about individual songs on this project because everything flows together like one cohesive idea. It’s a project that people will either find boring because of the cohesiveness, or will really love because of the unique and calming vibe. Raven isn’t an album that you will fully understand off of first listen, but Kelela has made sure that every listen will be more entertaining than the rest.
Favorite Songs: “On the Run”, “Fooley”, “Raven”
If You Like: Solange; music to levitate to
Paramore - This is Why
Genre: Post-punk; pop-punk; alt-rock
Review
Iconic post-punk band Paramore is back with their first album in six years, and it’s everything one could have wanted out of a new Paramore album! The ten song runtime of the project really helps keep the project in line, especially when most of the songs have a similar sound. The best thing on here is that the choruses hit really hard! The title track, “The News”, and “Big Man, Little Dignity” all have instantly infectious hooks that will rule this summer. The guitar work on this album is easily some of the best I’ve heard in this sound in a while in this genre. The weird solos and riffs on “You Right” and “Figure 8” are absolutely great! Hayley’s vocals snuggle right into the instrumentals, especially on the more upbeat cuts. The ballads towards the end of the album haven’t quite connected with me yet, but every listen of this album has gotten better, so maybe all it’ll take is more time for them to click. Either way, this is a great return to form by one of the great post-punk bands.
Favorite Songs: “This Is Why”, “Big Man, Little Dignity”, “You First”
If You Like: Their previous work; Panic! At The Disco; Fall Out Boy
Gorillaz - Cracker Island
Genre: Synth-pop
Review
Gorillaz is back with their newest album, and even though it had easily one of the worst album rollouts I can ever remember seeing, it’s still an entertaining project! It’s nothing special or experimental in the slightest, but I’m enjoying it for what it is. It’s just a synth-pop album being made by a fictional cartoon band that has a cult-theme around it, it’s not something to be taken super seriously. Thundercat shows up and absolutely kills it on the opening track of the record. “New Gold” with Tame Impala and Bootie Brown is a jamming funk-pop track. Even Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac fame shows up on the song “Oil”, and even though she doesn’t do a lot of the track, her harmonies on the chorus do add quite a bit. I can see why some people are disappointed with this project, but as someone who just passively enjoys most of Gorillaz’s music, this is still entertaining. It’s clearly not close to the best thing they’ve ever done, but it’s still good nonetheless.
Favorite Songs: “Cracker Island” (Feat. Thundercat), “Silent Running” (Feat. Adeleye Omotayo), “Baby Queen”
If You Like: The Now Now; cult-themed LA music
Rebecca Black - Let Her Burn
Genre: Electro-pop
Review
Yup, the “Friday” singer Rebecca Black is back and has fully transformed into an electro-pop artist. Let Her Burn is her debut album and it showcases every side of her artistry right now, from the good to the bad. “Destroy Me” has this drum and bass sound with some heavy rock riffs and it feels like a genuinely forward thinking song. The same goes for “Crumbs”, which has a bit more of a hyperpop/dance flair to it. Just when we get deeper into the tracklist, the songs become fairly basic and feels like she’s reaching for a TikTok hit. For example, the chorus on a song like “What Am I Going To Do With You” is so repetitive that it takes away anything positive the song had going for it. The songs just become less innovative and more mainstream as the album goes on, but there are plenty of people who make those mainstream songs better than her. Still, Rebecca Black has 100% proved that she’s not the butt of a joke anymore.
Favorite Songs: “Destroy Me”, “Crumbs”, “Cry Hard Enough”
If You Like: Rina Sawayama; Hannah Diamond, Caroline Polachek
Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want To Turn Into You
Genre: Electro-pop; art-pop
Review
One of indie pop’s most popular newcomers, Caroline Polachek is back again with her newest album, and once again, I both understand and am slightly missing the hype. This is a very well composed, produced, and performed album. Caroline’s voice fits over everything from a flamenco-inspired track to a full out electro-pop banger. “I Believe” honors SOPHIE with a euphoric banger about them reuniting at some point in the future. The minimal bassline and vocal layering on “Crude Drawing Of An Angel” makes for a really beautiful song. The first four tracks are nothing but electro-pop bangers that I’d imagine would go off at a party, while the ending few tracks are all beautiful ballads. But I think this just isn’t my type of music. I still think it’s good and have enjoyed listening to it multiple times, but I don’t understand the album of the year praise I’ve been seeing for it. It’s clearly just a me thing though, so who knows, maybe I’ll come around to the hype in a few months.
Favorite Songs: “I Believe”, “Crude Drawing Of An Angel”, “Billions”
If You Like: SOPHIE; Shygirl
Yeat - Aftërlyfe
Genre: Rage; trap
Review
Aftërlyfe is the newest album from Yeat and even with no singles, this project is still projecting to sell like crazy. It’s just another example that Yeat might actually be the future of this genre, and he is definitely innovating like he could be. “Nun id change” is a great house-inspired track which is unlike anything I’ve ever heard in this style before. “Now” with his alter-ego Luh geeky is this drugged out and spacey song that hardly feels like it has lyrics, but it doesn’t matter because his melodies on here are incredible! There are plenty of straightforward Yeat bangers on here as well. But as expected, the biggest negative is that 22 songs and 67 minutes of Yeat is too much. Either way, Aftërlyfe has the most innovating music I’ve heard in a rage project since Whole Lotta Red, so hopefully Yeat continues to push the envelope.
Favorite Songs: “Nun id change”, “Now” (Feat. Luh geeky), “How it go”
If You Like: Mindless rage music; think BeReal is now for old people; are an iPad kid
Lance Skiiiwalker - Audiodidactic
Genre: Neo-soul; R&B
Review
I tried to like this project, I really did. Lance has been the laughing stock of TDE since he was signed in 2016. People have hated on him because at the time, he was significantly worse than everyone else on the roster. Everyone else had been an instant hit and put out great material before him. I had never given a full project of his a listen before, so I decided to check out this one. Unfortunately, this project doesn’t have many redeeming qualities. The overall feeling of this album is pretty cool, but the actual songs here aren’t that entertaining. The experimental aspects just feel there for aesthetic and not because they help the songs themselves. It feels like he tried to do a Nick Hakim-esque project, but Lance wasn’t able to pull that sound off. It’s an incredibly unique thing to try, so I commend him for trying, but Audiodidactic is hardly the project to convince people he’s not the weakest link on TDE.
Favorite Songs: “Where To With You”, “Friends”, “Audiodidactic”
If You Like: Nick Hakim; LSD
Black Country, New Road - Live At Bush Hall
Genre: Post-rock; indie; art rock
Review
This is a new performance film from Black Country, New Road, but it consists of nothing but unreleased music! It’s the first time I can think of someone doing a live project in any form that was completely full of unreleased music. Even though this is all new music, they have explicitly stated that this is not their next album. These are all songs they made specifically to be performed live, and this performance is a time capsule of their 2022 after Isaac left. It’s clear that they can still make incredible material, even without their lead singer! Songs like “Laughing Song”, “Turbines”, and “Dancers” are right up there with the quality of their last album! But there are also some things that need ironing out, like Lewis’s lead vocals being significantly worse than both Tyler and May’s songs. As of now, this performance only exists on Youtube, and there’s no telling if it will ever be on streaming services. But for any Black Country, New Road fans that were worried they wouldn’t be able to continue after Isaac, they clearly still have incredible potential!
Favorite Songs: “Laughing Song”, “Turbines”, “Dancers”
If You Like: Their previous material; unique live performances
Young Fathers - Heavy Heavy
Genre: Indie; alternative
Review
This album is a celebration of life. It’s hard to really describe what this sounds like, but I guarantee it will have you moving. There are plenty of handclaps and other more tribal elements to the percussion that make it feel lively. The vocals are always heavily layered which makes for this awesome choral effect that also adds to the tribal feeling. I especially love the pianos on here too! The song structures on here feel nonexistent, even though songs like “Drum” and “Rice” have great choruses. This album is simultaneously accessible and impossible to fully grasp. You could easily slide in a ballad like “Tell Somebody” in a playlist of other indie ballads and people wouldn’t even blink an eye, but a song like “Shoot Me Down” would stand out heavily with the 75-second intro of nothing but a metallic drum repetition before the song goes into a weird Prince-esque vibe. This is truly a fascinating album for the people that will hear it.
Favorite Songs: “Rice”, “Drum”, “Tell Somebody”
If You Like: Jockstrap; want to hear if Arcade Fire was weird; Genesis Owusu
Theo Croker - By The Way
Genre: R&B; jazz-fusion
Review
Even though this project is only attributed to Theo, it’s basically a collab project with Ego Ella May and D’Leau. Ego sings on all five songs, while D’Leau is on every song except for the final track. For what this is, it’s a pretty nice little EP! Ego’s voice is really beautiful and fits the soft jazz pianos and trumpet backing that Theo lays down. A song like “”If I Could I Would” even has this super smooth synth-bass that contributes to the track nicely, while Chicago experimental jazz artist Jeff Parker shows up for a two-minute guitar solo on the final song that ends the project with a bang! There’s not too much to say about this project besides if the combination of jazz-fusion and R&B interests you, you should definitely check this out.
Favorite Songs: “Good Day”, “If I Could I Would”, “Somethin’”
If You Like: Jazz-fusion; calming R&B; like, so calming you could fall asleep to it
Channel Tres - Real Cultural Shit
Genre: House; dance
Review
This is the newest EP from the fantastic producer Channel Tres, and surprise, it’s another super entertaining and upbeat dance project! I challenge people to listen to a song like “6am” or “Just Can’t Get Enough” while sitting completely still. It’s impossible to resist these grooves, no matter if it’s the pop-like former song or the fantastic sample-chops of the latter track. While these two tracks are clearly the highlight, the entire project is full of entertaining dance cuts. This is the first EP since I’ve been listening to him without any features, so it’s nice to confirm that he can hold a whole project down by himself. Apparently this was supposed to be his debut album, but he decided to change it to an EP for some reason. I am definitely looking forward to his album, and hopefully we don’t have to wait that much longer for it.
Favorite Songs: “6am”, “Just Can’t Get Enough”, “All My Friends”
If You Like: Honestly Nevermind but way better; having a good time in dance clubs
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