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.
There are projects that play by the rules, slotting neatly into genres and playlists, and then there are projects like THE DEATH OF R&B MIXTAPE 2: CHANGELING. WYCH HAZLE isn’t just releasing music here; he’s staging an exorcism. This is R&B stripped of its silky polish, set on fire, and reassembled as something jagged, haunted,
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 »