Who knew that when the music industry’s biggest mastermind at the game of marketing dropped the months-long promotion cycle and released something spontaneous that it would result in her masterpiece? It seems as though the real marketing strategy is great music, as Taylor Swift’s surprise “indie” album folklore is now the 2nd biggest streaming debut … Continue reading Taylor Swift – folklore
Indie Pop
Ellie Goulding – Brightest Blue
Keeping with the spirit of the chaos of 2020, here we have yet another excellent pop album from a somewhat unexpected source. Ellie Goulding has been absent from the music scene since 2015’s Delirium, and has since returned with a variety of interviews where she discussed the stresses of fame and feeling like a manufactured … Continue reading Ellie Goulding – Brightest Blue
Quinn XCII – A Letter To My Younger Self
“What a great album, 10/10,” a voice, presumably one of Quinn XCII’s friends, proclaims as his latest album fades out. Not quite, but it’s pretty good. The Detroit pop singer-songwriter’s third studio album sees him continuing to blur genre lines with a generally upbeat and soulful vocal delivery, firing off a number of catchy tunes … Continue reading Quinn XCII – A Letter To My Younger Self
Lennon Stella – Three. Two. One.
Former child star on ABC’s Nashville and rising Canadian pop star Lennon Stella’s debut album is a cohesive and compact showcase of Stella’s emotive voice on some low-key and folksy pop tracks. Coming from her roots in country music, Stella takes more a singer-songwriter approach to most of these tracks, primarily focusing on delivering some … Continue reading Lennon Stella – Three. Two. One.
Grimes – Miss_Anthrop0cene
I considered letting an AI write this one – it’s what Grimes would want – but here we go: Ms. Elon Musk herself has returned with her first full-length album since 2015, and in true Grimes fashion, it’s certainly a very strange one – although in terms of what the music actually sounds like, it … Continue reading Grimes – Miss_Anthrop0cene
Oh Wonder – No One Else Can Wear Your Crown
UK indie-pop duo Oh Wonder are back with another album of beautifully understated melodies as their worldwide profile continues to grow. While I definitely thought their sophomore effort, 2017’s Ultralife, was mostly played safe and was ultimately uninspired and unmemorable, the duo returns to some interesting high-powered synthpop production quirks here that often provide a … Continue reading Oh Wonder – No One Else Can Wear Your Crown
Tate McRae – all the things i never said EP
Last night, Billie Eilish became only the 2nd person in history to sweep the Grammys’ “Big 4” categories and the third to even win all four of the awards over a career. Do you think it might be possible that music labels are trying desperately to find the next off-kilter teenage success story? Tate McRae … Continue reading Tate McRae – all the things i never said EP
Halsey – Manic
Alt-pop singer-songwriter Halsey’s third studio album Manic is meant to be a journey into the way her mind works – named after her bipolar disorder, formerly referred to as manic depression. Sonically, it’s certainly a fitting title as the project dips tentatively into quite a few genres, all smoothed over with the glossy psychedelic pop … Continue reading Halsey – Manic
Rapid Fire Reviews (Nav, Yelawolf, Billie Eilish)
Nav - Bad Habits A signee to The Weeknd’s XO label and one of the first Punjabi artists to make it this big with North American audiences, Nav’s Auto-crooned trap melodies have been getting more and more attention leading up to the release of his sophomore solo project, Bad Habits. Of course, there have also … Continue reading Rapid Fire Reviews (Nav, Yelawolf, Billie Eilish)
Rapid Fire Reviews (Ariana Grande, Broods, Luis Fonsi)
I've been gone for a while but my school commitments are once again slowing down and I'll be able to catch back up to the present with some quick posts here. I just completed my first year at journalism school and will be writing music reviews in major publications this summer! Here are my thoughts … Continue reading Rapid Fire Reviews (Ariana Grande, Broods, Luis Fonsi)
