One of music’s biggest cult fanbases comes through for their Australian pop-rock idols once again, propelling them to the top of the charts without much of a hit single to speak of. After lifting themselves up from the depths of trendy early-decade drudgery with their last project with the more pop-oriented and often anthemic CALM, … Continue reading 5 Seconds of Summer – 5SOS5
Alternative Pop
Lauv – All 4 Nothing
California alt-pop singer Lauv is just about one of the last bastions of the bland and bro-approved world of self-pitying sadboi pop who hasn’t yet migrated over to the burgeoning pop-punk scene. Racking up collaborations with globe-spanning acts like Anne-Marie and BTS and writing songs for acts as diverse as Charli XCX and Celine Dion, … Continue reading Lauv – All 4 Nothing
ROSALÍA – MOTOMAMI
To fully put into perspective just how mind-bending Spanish pop experimentalist Rosalía’s highly-celebrated fusions of genre can be: different online articles have compared her latest to the works of The Beastie Boys, Moby, Lorde and Nine Inch Nails. Rosalía herself has said it was inspired by Nina Simone and J. S. Bach, and actual collaborators … Continue reading ROSALÍA – MOTOMAMI
Oliver Tree – Cowboy Tears
If you read some interviews featuring the extravagant and eccentric performance artist and living meme that is Oliver Tree, you’ll know that he never intended to pursue music as his main artistic pursuit for long. You’ll also know that it’s impossible to trust nearly anything he says, as it all eventually works its way around … Continue reading Oliver Tree – Cowboy Tears
easy life – life’s a beach
It’s one of the quieter release weeks of the year, so it’s time to take a look at what’s happening on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. Pop and R&B group easy life have been building momentum in their home country of the UK with a series of mixtapes, recently being named Best New … Continue reading easy life – life’s a beach
Twenty One Pilots – Scaled And Icy
Experimental pop-rock titans Twenty One Pilots had made a career of blending together just about every sound under the sun in a way that came across as overblown and almost too experimental for its own good until 2018’s incredible Trench album. A cohesive and heavy prog-rock piece that incorporated aspects of bright pop choruses, synth-funk, … Continue reading Twenty One Pilots – Scaled And Icy
girl in red – if i could make it go quiet
The influence of TikTok on the music industry can’t be understated enough, but its nature of blowing up songs off of a tiny soundbite can cause the actual artists behind these smash hits to remain in relative obscurity. That’s evidently not been the case for girl in red, who is resonating with Gen Z in … Continue reading girl in red – if i could make it go quiet
BROCKHAMPTON – ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE
Prolific experimental hip-hop collective BROCKHAMPTON are back after their longest break yet – just over a year and a half. With a membership of thirteen, including vocalists, producers, designers and art directors, there’s always bound to be tragedy striking a couple of them, and ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE is certainly no exception. Of course, … Continue reading BROCKHAMPTON – ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE
Madison Beer – Life Support
Madison Beer, the former teen YouTube sensation and Disney tabloid fascination (you can thank a Bieber co-sign for that one) is now 21 years old and has been building up buzz on social media towards the release of her debut studio album. A highly personal journey into a dark pop soundscape, Beer sings mostly through … Continue reading Madison Beer – Life Support
Joji – Nectar
After completely shedding his former career as YouTube-based absurdist shock comedian and breaking through with the lo-fi Ballads 1 in 2018, 88Rising figurehead Joji has returned with a sophomore album that more than evades the curse. Nectar essentially takes the ideas Joji began exploring with his debut and improves just about everything about them, building … Continue reading Joji – Nectar
Ben's Beat - Music Reviews 