Yeat - 2093
Genre: Trap; psychedelic
Review
Yeat has always been one of the most interesting people in his sound of rage-adjacent trap music, and this is his best album yet! Yes, it is too long. Even though I like almost everything here, 70 minutes of Yeat is a long time. But, there are some incredible highlights here! “Breathe” is easily one of the best bangers of 2024! The production on this track is actually insane, especially with how deep and persistent that electronic bass is! The slow burn “Bought The Earth” shows Yeat talking about his newfound sobriety over this Kanye-esque combination of gospel, electronic, and hip-hop. It’s not a type of song I thought Yeat could ever pull off, but he succeeds here! There’s plenty of other highlights about the entire album, including that he somehow manages to make the entire thing feel cohesive in terms of sound and theme. While it’s nothing that great lyrically, the sound and feeling of this album isn’t anything you can get from anyone else. I hope Yeat continues to push the envelope into even weirder spaces with his future releases!
Favorite Songs: “Bought The Earth”, “Breathe”, “ILUV”
If You Like…: Sci-fi movies; you think you’ll be alive in 2093
Brittany Howard - What Now
Genre: Psych-rock; soul
Review
This album is so good! In case you don’t know Brittany Howard, you’ve been missing out. She was the lead singer of Alabama Shakes, although the group’s output has been put on hold for close to a decade at this point. Due to their hold, Brittany has been putting out solo music, and What Now is her second, and best, solo album! If you want traditional Brittany Howard timeless soul classics, there are still some songs on here for you. “I Don’t” and “Patience” are both beautiful, meditative soul cuts, but what excites me the most here is when she branches out from that. The title track is easily one of the most aggressive vocal performances I’ve ever heard from her, while “Prove It To You” is a dance track with electric guitars on it. I’ve never heard someone do a dance song quite like that before, but it works beautifully! I don’t even need to talk about her voice, you should already know that she has one of the best voices in music! What Now is a kaleidoscope of rock and soul greatness!
Favorite Songs: “What Now”, “Power to Undo”, “Prove It To You”
If You Like…: Psychedelics; Brittany Howard; Alabama Shakes
Mk.gee - Two Star & The Dream Police
Genre: R&B; indie-rock; experimental
Review
I’ve heard of Mk.gee for a while at this point. I remember hearing his song on Frank Ocean’s Blonded Radio back in 2018, but then coming back to his work after his production on Dijon’s 2021 masterpiece, Absolutely! Mk.gee was a big part in the production for that project, so I knew I had to keep an eye out for his debut album, and after a couple year wait, here it is! It exists in the same genre-bending, mind-boggling experience as Absolutely, but there are a few differences. The first one is that Mk.gee doesn’t have the emotive and unique voice that Dijon has, but Mk.gee is able to make up for it with the songwriting and producing everything himself. Another thing is that it’s hard to take these songs out of the album’s context. I can't imagine listening to most of these songs outside of listening to the entire album. It’s such a singular feeling this album has that wouldn’t fit with almost anything else. Still, it’s a fantastic debut album that was well worth the wait!
Favorite Songs: “Are You Looking Up”, “Dream Police”, “Alesis”
If You Like…: Dijon; weird indie music
MGMT - Loss of Life
Genre: Britpop; indie-rock
Review
The iconic millennial indie band is back again with their first album in six years! I’ve never been a huge fan of MGMT's work, but I always tend to enjoy their work, and this is no exception! The second half of the album is definitely the better half, which starts with the incredible, “Nothing Changes”. The song warrants every second of the six and a half minute runtime! His vocals are so textured and fit the acoustic guitar perfectly. The lyrics here are also really great, especially in the chorus when he says, “If I could change, then I wouldn't be here. Oh, nothing's gonna change, believe me.” The last few tracks on the album are just as gorgeous, another striking moment for me was the chorus and repetition of the line, “I Wish I Was Joking”. The last four songs here are well worth the wait through the first half. That doesn't mean that the first half of the album is bad, it’s not, but I love the beauty of the second half so much!
Favorite Songs: “Nothing Changes”, “I Wish I Was Joking”, “Phradie’s Song”
If You Like…: Classic britpop
Tapir! - The Pilgrim, Their God and the King of My Decrepit Mountain
Genre: Alternative; folk
Review
This is the debut album from UK-based group, Tapir. I was previously unaware of them, but the praise for the album and the exquisite cover art were enough to make me check it out, and I’m so glad I did! The album is split into three sections, each having four songs. Together, they tell the story of The Pilgrim and his adventures through a magical landscape. I have yet to fully unearth everything that is involved in this story because the sonics here are so beautiful and lush that I keep getting lost in them. The drums are often electronic, which is a bit different for this type of sound, but the acoustic guitars and assorted instruments help round out the sounds here. The lead singer’s voice provides a deep, meditative feeling to these songs, even when he does decide to belt out. One warning that I will give the album is that it gets better towards the end. So if you do give it a listen, don’t be discouraged if the first act isn’t connecting with you. I’m not sure if this will grow on or off me during the rest of the year, but for now, it’s a beautiful UK alternative debut album from a talented young group!
Favorite Songs: “Untitled”, “Gymnopédie”, “Mountain Song”
If You Like…: If Black Country, New Road made more accessible and normal songs
The Last Dinner Party - Prelude to Ecstasy
Genre: Indie-rock; alt-pop
Review
I didn’t realize these people were going to be as big as they’ve become. The last I heard about them was a year or two ago when they changed their name to The Last Dinner Party to avoid confusion with the jazz-fusion supergroup, Dinner Party. And now, they have 5-6 times more listeners than their unintentional original namesakes. Musically, this group feels similar to Wet Leg’s debut album from a couple years ago. They seem to have a lot of support from the industry, almost to a fault, but their brand of sticky alt-rock is still really great! They are also an all women group, which is still a bit out of the ordinary, even though it is thankfully becoming more common. Prelude to Ecstasy is like if the drama kids from your high school were secretly a part of a kick ass rock group! Everything here is grandiose, like how musicals and theater in general feels, but the songs themselves are nothing but fantastic! Maybe I’ll think of a better way to phrase this later in the year if it makes my end of the year lists, but for now, it’s just a ridiculously good debut album.
Favorite Songs: “Nothing Matters”, “Beautiful Boy”, “Caesar on a TV Screen”
If You Like…: Musicals; bombastic indie rock
Benny the Butcher - Everybody Can’t Go
Genre: Hip-hop
Review
This newest album from Benny the Butcher is his first on a major label, Def Jam! Being a major label is giving Benny a bigger platform, and contrary to what the title is saying, the album feels like it is trying to appeal to his whole fanbase. He’s not necessarily trying to get new fans, but the project is a combination of his 2000s mainstream rap sounds and the classic menacing Griselda sound. He does this by having half of the album produced by Hit-Boy and the other half produced by The Alchemist. While the project is good, there are projects in both of these sounds that are better than this one. The Hit-Boy produced Burden of Proof is a better example of his mainstream style he attempts on here, and there are a few projects produced by Alchemist and Daringer from Benny that are overall better than what he does on here. That’s not to say that there aren’t some great tracks on here, there are, it’s just not the project I will go to if I want to listen to Benny the Butcher. So while it’s still a good project, I’m not sure it will age that great for me.
Favorite Songs: “TMVTL”, “One Foot In” (Feat. Stove God Cooks), “Big Dog” (Feat. Lil Wayne)
If You Like…: Benny’s previous material
The Smile - Wall of Eyes
Genre: Art rock; progressive rock
Review
Wall of Eyes is the second album from famed group The Smile, and they knocked it out of the park this time! The debut album covered a plethora of styles and sounds, whereas Wall of Eyes mainly sticks to the beautiful, meandering art rock style. They let the songs on here blossom into an all-encompassing abstract wall of sound. These tracks flow into each other so well that it’s hard to tell where one stops and the next begins. At over five and a half minutes per song, these songs rely on the atmosphere they create to get across the feeling effectively. Now, I’m not sure where this album falls for me personally. It’s clearly great and I respect them a lot, but I’m not sure if this is the type of music I will consistently play. But, even though I’m not sure if I will play it all that often, I would still recommend it to just about everybody! It’s a gorgeous album that is sure to objectively be one of the best of 2024!
Favorite Songs: “Bending Hectic”, “Friend of a Friend”, “Teleharmonic”
If You Like…: Radiohead; beautiful art rock; Thom Yorke
Lyrical Lemonade - All Is Yellow
Genre: Hip-hop; trap; R&B
Review
Lyrical Lemonade is one of hip-hop’s most important brands during the last decade, especially when it comes to music videos. Cole Bennett, the visionary behind Lyrical Lemonade, decided to curate an album full of tracks from artists he’s previously worked with. All Is Yellow went about as well I expected, which is a couple of good tracks, but mostly middling. “Doomsday” with Cordae and Juice Wrld rapping back and forth is a fantastic first single that is still one of the best tracks on here, and “Pt. 2” with Eminem is one of his best verses in a while. “Say Ya Grace” with Chief Keef and Lil Yachty is definitely the best track on here, especially when it comes to bangers! It was a surprise that I didn’t see coming, just like the song “Fallout” with Yachty, Gus Dapperton, and Joey Bada$$. I never would’ve thought those three artists would be on one song, but they somehow make it work! The full album may not be worth more than one listen, but there are a couple songs that will stay in rotation.
Favorite Songs: “Say Ya Grace” (Feat. Chief Keef & Lil Yachty), “Doomsday” (Feat. Cordae & Juice Wrld), “Fallout” (Feat. Lil Yachty, Gus Dapperton, & Joey Bada$$)
If You Like…: Lyrical Lemonade’s videos; the newer hip-hop scene
Eliminate - Get Off The Internet
Genre: EDM; electronic
Review
Eliminate is an EDM artist who has been around for quite a while, but has yet to put out a full album, until now. I had never heard of him until seeing people talking about it online, but it’s a pretty good debut album. It’s not all in my personal favorite style of electronic music, but there are quite a few bangers on here! “SMSOU” with Frost Children is one of the best Frost Children songs in a while! The title track here is a great pop-EDM song with Fussy on the vocals. Songs like “comecloser” and “MOREPWR” will both have gigantic mosh pits whenever he plays these songs live. Some of the songs feel a bit too far outside of my zone, like how the screaming vocals on “Poison Oak” ruin what is otherwise a good beat. The other thing is just that I’m not sure if I’ll end up returning to this often. He’s clearly a talented producer, but I’m not sure there’s anything sonically special about this album that separates him from his peers. Still though, Get Off The Internet is still a quality debut album!
Favorite Songs: “SMSOU” (Feat. Frost Children), “EGOTRIP”, “Get Off The Internet” (Feat. fussy)
If You Like…: EDM; Skrillex
Little Simz - Drop 7
Genre: Hip-hop; electronic
Review
This was a surprise drop from Little Simz that shows her experimenting with new sounds. Instead of having Inflo produce for her, this entire EP is produced by Jakwob. The difference in sound is both something I welcome, but on the other side, Inflo is my favorite producer, so I miss his production a bit. Jakwob’s electronic production makes for a unique sound that I’ve never heard Little Simz over, and it works fairly well! A song like “Torch” has some incredible percussion and a couple killer verses from Simz! I do wish that Simz had more rapping on here, because most of this EP consists of choruses and a verse here or there. It almost feels unfinished due to the lack of verses at points, but I suppose that this is an EP just released to hold us over until her next full length album. And for that context, it does its job!
Favorite Songs: “Torch”, “SOS”, “Mood Swings”
If You Like…: Little Simz; electronic hip-hop
Terrace Martin - Her Thoughts
Genre: Jazz-fusion; R&B
Review
Here we are, the first Terrace Martin project of 2024! It only took a little over a month, so it seems like he might be continuing his frantic pace of putting out music this year. Her Thoughts consists of six covers by women in R&B, half of which are SZA covers. Two of these songs were also released on his Fine Line project from last year, so there are really only four new covers on here. It’s enjoyable enough. Terrace uses his saxophone as the vocal melody for all the tracks, while he and his band transforms the songs into jazz-fusion versions of the originals. The album itself definitely isn’t going to contend for one of my favorite projects of the year, but it’s enjoyable enough considering what it is. Also, apparently James Fauntleroy said he wants to put out more albums than Terrace Martin this year, so if he actually tries to do that, I can’t wait for these two to push each other!
If You Like…: R&B covers; jazz-fusion covers
Quadeca - Scrapyard
Genre: Hip-hop; art-pop
Review
Quadeca is back with a collection of songs that both didn’t make it on his previous and upcoming albums. He was releasing these songs a few at a time, so only seven of these songs are new, but all fifteen of these songs somehow come together to work as a showcase of Quadeca’s talent. There are more hip-hop driven songs like “Way Too Many Friends” and “Guess Who?” that harkens back to his usual material, but there are quite a few new sounds on here. “A La Carte” with Brakence shows him trying his hand at more hyperpop adjacent sounds, while “U Tried That Thing Where Ur Human” is filled with him trying to sing while in tears. Brockhampton’s Kevin Abstract even shows up for the gorgeous closer to this album as well! The thing I have a hard time wrapping my head around is Quadeca’s voice. He’s not a good singer, yet it sometimes works. There are times though where his voice is a bit grating though, but there’s no doubting the amount of talent he has when it comes to producing. Scrapyard does its job by providing a nice in-between point between albums.
Favorite Songs: “A La Carte” (Feat. Brakence), “Texas Blue” (Feat. Kevin Abstract), “Easier”
If You Like…: Jane Remover; Underscores, Brakence
Molly Lewis - On The Lips
Genre: Classy; no idea
Review
I guarantee that Molly Lewis is unlike anything you’ve ever heard before. This is not because the music itself is unique, it’s not, it is solely because of how Molly Lewis sounds over these songs. Instead of singing, she is solely a whistler. If you don’t think whistling isn’t an art form, I highly recommend checking this out! Maybe this is because I can’t even whistle normally, but I cannot imagine how someone could make these sounds with their mouth, let alone manage to sound like this. She’s started to gain more notoriety after opening up for Weyes Blood last year and winning over seemingly every audience. Unfortunately, she got off the tour right before the show I went to, but I’ve made sure to keep up with her music since then. So sure, I understand that the album isn’t going to have that much replay value for almost anyone, but it’s so unique that I can’t help but feel excited about it!
Favorite Songs: “Lounge Lizard”, “Crushed Velvet” (Feat. Thee Sacred Souls), “Porque Te Vas”
If You Like…: Frolicking through gardens; smokey jazz clubs
Earthgang - Robophobia
Genre: Hip-hop; soul
Review
Earthgang is back with yet another EP. This is the second of another trilogy of EPs being rolled out by the duo, and I think it lives up to the first EP. Robophobia takes on a more robotic and somehow soulful sound compared to the previous project. In fact, I would hesitate to call this project just a hip-hop project. There are so many different genres and sounds in here that are completely unlike hip-hop. Both Olu and WowGr8 take turns singing the hooks on here, and they both sound great! Olu takes the lead on the dance track of “Put In Work”, while WowGr8 takes the lead on the slow burn, “Osmosis”. And then, out of nowhere, Snoop Dogg shows up on the last track! The only complaint I have is that they don’t feel like they’re pushing themselves very much. They’ve always had a similar genre-less sound, so adding more guitars isn’t that big of a change for them. Either way, Robophobia is another quality EP from the unique duo.
Favorite Songs: “Blacklight”, “Osmosis”, “Perfect Fantasy” (Feat. Snoop Dogg)
If You Like…: Their previous projects; Outkast’s genre-bending sound
Kid Cudi - Insano (Nitro Mega)
Genre: Psychedelic trap; hip-hop
Review
I know what you’re thinking, wasn’t Kid Cudi’s Insano on last month’s roundup? Yes, yes it was, but he’s dropped a deluxe album that is actually a completely new album! This one is eighteen tracks long and might actually be better than the original. Granted, that’s not a super high bar, but still. This album tends to have a bit more melody and sonic variety than the original album. He also has a couple older tracks on here, including a song from 2007 called “Dose of Dopeness” that is a great throwback to that style of Cudi. It’s that perfect balance that’s kind of corny, but he’s so hungry and young that it’s endearing. Still though, everything on here varies from passable to great (besides “Willis”, that’s not even a good song as a joke). It’s nowhere near the best thing that Cudi’s made, but considering this is the second album he released in two months, it’s pretty solid.
Favorite Songs: “Dose of Dopeness (2007)”, “Round N Round” (Feat. Lil Yachty), “I Just Wanna Get” (Feat. Layzie Bone & Krayzie Bone)
If You Like…: Insano; Travis Scott
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