While pop-punk’s Gen Z-fuelled resurgence has certainly heralded a lot of misfires, the most exciting part of it has undeniably been being able to see new kinds of voices join the fray, twisting the form in their own ways while being inspired by the legendary bands that they grew up on. Now blowing up on … Continue reading Meet Me @ The Altar – Past // Present // Future
Pop
Miley Cyrus – Endless Summer Vacation
After eight albums and nearly two decades since we were first introduced to her – despite the fact that she’s still only thirty – we know that there’s almost nobody who can compare to Miley Cyrus when it comes to being able to grab people’s attention. As a series of memorable moments flash through your … Continue reading Miley Cyrus – Endless Summer Vacation
P!nk – TRUSTFALL
23 years after her debut album, if there’s one thing you can say about P!nk, it’s that she has her demographics on lock. With physical sales projections that just kept on rising, she still puts up impressive numbers that have her fighting for the top of the album charts when many of her 2000s-era pop … Continue reading P!nk – TRUSTFALL
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
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
Louis Tomlinson – Faith In The Future
While one of his former bandmates becomes one of the world’s biggest artists, another gears up to drop his third album after some consistently moderate success and two more dramatically nosedive after scoring top 10 hits, the most unique post-OneDirection career trajectory yet has been Louis Tomlinson’s, who started out slow and has been steadily … Continue reading Louis Tomlinson – Faith In The Future
Carly Rae Jepsen – The Loneliest Time
Six albums in and almost exactly 10 years since the release of her commercial breakout with Kiss, Carly Rae Jepsen’s status as a pop music cult figure of sorts is still going strong. But when you have albums like 2015’s E•MO•TION, which appeared on countless year-end lists and arguably played a big part in today’s … Continue reading Carly Rae Jepsen – The Loneliest Time
Taylor Swift – Midnights
16 years after the arrival of her debut and returning with her fifth major release in just over two years, it’s truly impressive that Taylor Swift is still shattering records. It seemed like it was out of reach that any album would ever sell over a million in its first week ever again, but this … Continue reading Taylor Swift – Midnights
Charlie Puth – CHARLIE
It truly seems like you never know what to expect when you hit play on a Charlie Puth album. Not because he’s wildly experimental – but because he’s now delivered an awful album, an incredible one, and one that’s perfectly mediocre, the latter being his latest, CHARLIE. After the widely acclaimed pop-R&B fusion of 2018’s … Continue reading Charlie Puth – CHARLIE
5 Seconds of Summer – 5SOS5
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
Ben's Beat - Music Reviews 