There’s something inherently funny about naming your album summrWondr. It looks like someone took out all the vowels because they were too expensive, but what you get in return is an accidental mission statement: no excess, no fluff, just the essentials. And that’s what this record feels like; an album stripped down to memory, sample […]
In 2025, it’s rare to hear a hip-hop record that feels like a record. Most “albums” now arrive as Spotify fodder: trend-chasing playlists designed by committee, padded with features from whichever TikTok darling has clout this quarter. John Keenan’s Wreckage of the Past, though, doesn’t play that game. It’s 18 tracks, entirely self-produced, with no
Here’s the thing about albums called Dream Odyssey: you expect them to be either unbearably pretentious concept records with hour-long synth drones and a booklet of poetry stapled to the sleeve, or a perfectly fine indie project about “journeys” and “growth” where the word odyssey is doing some fairly heavy lifting. Carpe Diem, a duo
At Its Best, Carpe Diem’s Dream Odyssey Transports You to a Great Big Adventure Read More »
The thing about songs with titles like “Liberal Anthem” is that you expect them to be bad, or at least unbearably smug, the sort of thing a think-tank would use in a promo video where some smiling intern types “equity” into a whiteboard and everyone claps politely. And yet, against all odds, Polish duo Transgalactica
When Mdou Moctar released Afrique Victime in 2021, the critical response was pretty unanimous: this was a landmark. Not just in the nebulous “best of the year” sense, but in the way you talk about a record that feels both timeless and urgent. It was a guitar album that sounded like it could summon a
Most people celebrate their eighteenth birthday with cake, bad photos, and maybe one of those “haha, I’m legal now” jokes that’s only funny if you’re drunk. Alessiah, on the other hand, decided to release Obscentra, her debut album. Because why settle for a party when you can drop a meticulously crafted, emotionally destructive pop record
Obscentra Is a Storm in Neon Lighting, and Alessiah Controls It With Unnerving Precision Read More »
Here’s the thing about conspiracy theories: they’re never really about aliens, or lizards, or whatever cryptid you’ve decided stole your uncle’s cows. They’re about trust. Or, more accurately, the lack of it. American Grim’s “Secrets of Roswell” understands this. Sure, it throws the word “Roswell” around and sprinkles in your classic UFO jargon but it’s
American Grim’s “Secrets of Roswell” Is Paranoia Made Audible Read More »
If you Spotify, click on whatever playlist is curated by a man in a Nashville office who probably has the word “synergy” written on his whiteboard, you’ll likely be assaulted by a wave of bright voices, stadium-ready choruses, and lyrics about tailgates that sound suspiciously like they were assembled by AI. It’s a genre where
Anna Dahl’s Little Bit Country Is a Glittery-Boot-Kick Away From the Regular Read More »
Hip-hop, as a genre, is obsessed with beginnings. The block you grew up on. The first demo you cut in someone’s basement where the mic is literally duct-taped to a broom handle. The debut album that says, “Here I am, please take me seriously.” It’s a ritual. Which is why Welcome Home by JaySol, straight
Brendan Pegg’s new single In the Dark magnetizes attention by quietly dimming the lights until you can’t help but lean closer. The Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter has been carving out a sound that sits between indie folk intimacy and atmospheric pop expansiveness, and this track feels like the most refined version of that balance so far.