Despite putting out their first material fifteen years ago, a five-year break since their last project, and an experimentalist attitude that sees them jumping back and forth between genres and sounds, the profile of Scottish trio Young Fathers has only continued to rise. Releasing on celebrated English label Ninja Tune, their fourth project Heavy Heavy … Continue reading Young Fathers – Heavy Heavy
Author: bensbeat
RAYE – My 21st Century Blues
It’s been said before, but once again – sometimes, TikTok really gets it right. London-based singer RAYE is just releasing her debut album now, but she’s been a force in the industry since she was signed to a major label as a teenager nearly a decade ago. Lending her songwriting credits to artists like David … Continue reading RAYE – My 21st Century Blues
Lil Yachty – Let’s Start Here.
Well, one thing’s for sure – Let’s Start Here. is a pretty appropriate title for this latest project from Lil Yachty. The once-groundbreaking rapper who had scores of imitators when he broke through with his warbly brand of melodic trap has been struggling artistically for years, never quite reaching the heights of projects like the … Continue reading Lil Yachty – Let’s Start Here.
Sam Smith – Gloria
Fresh off of their first Grammy win since nearly sweeping the big four categories with their debut back in 2015, Sam Smith’s evolution for their fourth studio album has been quite exciting to watch. After giving listeners a taste of a break from their usual balladry with the 2020 project Love Goes, which introduced a … Continue reading Sam Smith – Gloria
Måneskin – RUSH!
Despite the global popularity of the Eurovision Song Contest, its victors don’t often go on to achieve global success. That is, until a group of leather-clad Italian rockers who were barely out of their teenage years at the time scored a handful of viral hits in 2021. Setting them on a collision course with some of … Continue reading Måneskin – RUSH!
Trippie Redd – MANSION MUSIK
In truly unusual fashion, Trippie Redd didn’t release any full projects in the year 2022. Returning with the new year’s first hit album, the prolific rapper isn’t changing things up too much – though it’s certainly a step in the right direction after his completely intolerable Trip At Knight project capitalizing off of the burgeoning … Continue reading Trippie Redd – MANSION MUSIK
BensBeat Top 25 Albums of 2022
Finally, here are the best albums that 2022 had to offer. Looking forward to another year of great music in 2023. Honourable Mentions: Alvvays - Blue Rev Conway The Machine - God Don't Make Mistakes Dreamville - D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape Florence + The Machine - Dance Fever Joey Bada$$ - 2000 Koffee - … Continue reading BensBeat Top 25 Albums of 2022
BensBeat Top 50 Songs of 2022
As some long-awaited projects from superstars and indie darlings alike sprang to the forefront as those pesky pandemic delays wore off for good, there might not have been a year in recent memory more packed with a sheer volume of new music to check out. And with artists like Kate Bush, Steve Lacy, Joji and … Continue reading BensBeat Top 50 Songs of 2022
Little Simz – NO THANK YOU
Fifteen short months after her critically acclaimed smash hit Sometimes I Might Be Introvert topped countless year-end lists, UK rapper Little Simz continues her hot streak with a holiday-season surprise drop – and while it might be a sacrilegious position to take online, dare I say, it might be even better than Introvert. Simz injects … Continue reading Little Simz – NO THANK YOU
SZA – SOS
After a lengthy five-and-a-half-year wait with a rollout dating back as early as September 2020, SZA fans finally got to open an early Christmas present with the release of SOS, a follow-up to her transcendent Ctrl album that brought a refreshing new voice to the R&B genre and ignited the summer of 2017. With more than an … Continue reading SZA – SOS
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