The KickAlbum by FoxesReleased 11 February 2022Synth PopLabel – PIASRating – 6/10 The neo synth pop boom continues. – Much like Charli XCX’s How I’m Feeling Now, Foxes’ third album discerns the emotions and desires that pour out in isolation. Proclaiming The Kick a record that “feels like a new start and the ability to […]
Laurel HellAlbum by MitskiReleased 4 February 2022Synth PopProduced by Patrick HylandRating – 6/10 Mitski stays soft. – Be the Cowboy presented a number of poppy, yet vulnerable, standouts in Mitski’s discography – mainly flashier tunes like Nobody and Washing Machine Heart. It also gave us a lot of arid, shrivelled synth pop, appearing too soft […]
Forever MusicAlbum by Katie DeyReleased 28 January 2022Art Pop / Bedroom PopSelf-producedRating – 8/10 Katie Dey synchronises human hearts in computer bodies. – Katie Dey writes songs of disconnect in an online world that alleges to enhance connection. As these songs twitch and buffer like the digital estrangement examined, a connection is offered and extended. […]
All Day Gentle Hold !Album by PorchesReleased 8 October 2021Indie PopLabel – DominoRating – 7/10 A clear self-belief sees Porches craft one of its most exciting albums. – It’s a time-honoured tradition; artists will use their behind-the-scenes pain either to fuel their art in a demiurgic reflection or as a coping method; a means to […]
‘It’s Not Them. It Couldn’t Be Them. It Is Them!’ – Guided By Voices It’s got to be them. Surely it’s them. It is them; they release like five albums each year! ‘It’s Not Them’ is essentially the default Guided By Voices album, or at least by modern standards. It’s the furthest thing from embarrassing, […]
The Turning WheelAlbum by SpelllingReleased 25 June 2021Progressive PopProduced by SpelllingRating – 7/10 ‘The Turning Wheel’ is a well-travelled collection of curious heart songs. – We need this opening paragraph to result in the phrase “this ain’t your grandpa’s Spellling album”. Ready? Well, compare ‘The Turning Wheel’ to the musting ruins of ‘Mazy Fly’ or […]
Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 3EP by Tkay MaidzaReleased 9 July 2021Hip Hop / R&BProduced by Dan FarberRating – 7/10 The anthems of ‘Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 3’ give it life; it is otherwise a reduced version of its predecessor. – Tkay Maidza’s ‘Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 2’ brought the hooks, the bars, […]
Forest of Your ProblemsAlbum by Snapped AnklesReleased 2 July 2021Dance-Punk / Post-PunkLabel – LeafRating – 7/10 ‘Forest of Your Problems’ is desirous in its classic new wave/post-punk fascination. – Regularly disguising themselves as foliage, not much is known about the ins and outs of Snapped Ankles. Even the most heedful of gardeners have no idea […]
ChromaticaAlbum by Lady GagaReleased 29 May 2020Electropop / Synth PopLabel – Streamline / InterscopeRating – 6/10 ‘Chromatica’ is a pop album 100% honest about itself. 2020 has been dominated by world-burning pessimism, from fires to pandemics to the ugliness of racism and injustice. Many artists have taken it upon themselves to better themselves, whether reactionary […]
Daddy’s HomeAlbum by St. VincentReleased 14 May 2021Soft RockProduced by St. Vincent & Jack AntonoffRating – 6/10 Emotional disparity moves to the front on ‘Daddy’s Home’, ahead of weirdness and compositional brightness. – St. Vincent seems to unravel album-by-album; tossing another mask aside to confess and plead. Her idiosyncratic mannerisms have shone alongside, always eager […]
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