Now on his third album since reinventing himself with a new persona, the king of lo-fi balladry has returned with his briefest project yet. The follow-up to 2020’s solid Nectar, which saw Joji fleshing out his sparse sounds and astute songwriting instincts with production that was slightly more involved and less disjointed, things have swung … Continue reading Joji – SMITHEREENS
Lo-Fi
ZAYN – Nobody Is Listening
Perhaps returning with a title that’s a little too on the nose, the most elusive former member of OneDirection’s third studio album is here. Famously averse to the public eye and seemingly perfectly fine with not achieving the same level of success as some of his other former bandmates, ZAYN has been busy living an … Continue reading ZAYN – Nobody Is Listening
beabadoobee – Fake It Flowers
It feels like we’ve been hearing the name beabadoobee as someone to watch for a long time, opening up for acts like the 1975 and Clairo and getting shoutouts from some of the planet’s biggest musical stars, so it’s surprising that she’s still only 20 years old. Now with a TikTok smash hit to her … Continue reading beabadoobee – Fake It Flowers
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 