There are albums that feel like products, meticulously assembled, smoothed down, calibrated for Spotify algorithm friendliness and then there are albums that feel like someone just slammed their whole life onto a hard drive and dared you to keep up. Keep On, the new album from British rapper Leo Tea, sits closer to the latter. […]
There are two kinds of debut albums. The first kind is safe: a glorified LinkedIn profile set to music. Everything’s buffed smooth until it squeaks, the tracks so harmless they could sneak onto a playlist called Indie Sunrise Vibes and no one would notice. It’s music as networking; polite handshake, nervous smile, please don’t rock
Giant Haze’s Cosmic Mother Is Loud, Unflinching, and Impossible to Ignore Read More »
There’s something wonderfully arrogant about Neon Heat by DJ Momotaro. Not arrogant in the “ego trip” way, but in the sense that it doesn’t feel the need to justify itself. It shows up, already glowing, and simply assumes you’ll want to follow it onto the dance floor. Which is fair, because you will. This is
Neon Heat by DJ Momotaro Doesn’t Pretend to Be a Time Capsule Read More »
Covering Rap God is one of those ideas that sounds brave until you remember exactly what you’re dealing with. Eminem’s 2013 original is less a song and more an aggressive display of linguistic parkour; a six-minute speedrun where the man shoves so many syllables into a single breath you half expect his lungs to file
Malin’s Cover of Rap God Isn’t Trying to Out-Eminem Eminem Read More »
In indie rock, debut albums usually fall into one of two camps. There’s the “here’s a couple of songs I’ve been playing since college, please like me” variety, and then there’s the “I have emerged fully formed from the void, armed with riffs, hooks, and just enough self-awareness to make you think I’m your friend”
One Thing Is Undeniably Clear: Liri Dais’ Born in a Landslide Works Like a Charm Read More »
You know how most debut singles feel like they’re trying really, really hard to sound like something you’ve already heard? This isn’t that. Lily Galin’s “What’s Your Story” somehow lands with the kind of clarity and emotional weight you normally only get from an artist on their third or fourth album; the point when they’ve
Some songs burst into the room like they’ve just kicked the door down with a confetti cannon. I’d Be A Fortune by Dedrick Soul is not that. This is the musical equivalent of someone sidling up to you at a crowded party, starting a story in a low voice, and by the time you’ve realized
Some collaborations feel like they were cooked up in a marketing department: everyone in matching outfits, smiling in front of a banner that says synergy, while someone in the corner is already working on the press release. SETSUNA is not that. SETSUNA is the musical equivalent of two strangers meeting at a bus stop, realising
So, I listened to an album called The Walrus, the Ninja, and the Gypsy from Sydney, and I’m pretty sure I accidentally unlocked a third eye I wasn’t aware I had. It’s by Black Astronaut Records, which is apparently not a record label but a collective, a consciousness, or possibly just one very determined person
Wild Stuff. But Hey, The Walrus, the Ninja, and the Gypsy From Sydney Is Just as Wild Read More »
The new song “Little Game” by Kris Kolls is cheeky, charming, and just the right amount of chaotic. It’s the musical equivalent of a slightly toxic situationship you know you shouldn’t be in but can’t help loving anyway. It captures the playfulness of a flirt gone too far, the emotional whiplash of texting someone you