20 years since dropping her debut single “Complicated” on an unsuspecting public, pop-punk matriarch Avril Lavigne is back to finding success in pivoting from her downtempo, faith-oriented output in 2019 and whatever "Hello Kitty” was supposed to be back to the power chords of her youth. Linking up with Travis Barker on production, who signed … Continue reading Avril Lavigne – Love Sux
Travis Barker
iann dior – on to better things
After scoring one of the biggest hits in recent memory with his feature (though arguably carrying the song) on 24kGoldn’s “Mood,” emo-rap star iann dior pushes things even further than before from his hip-hop roots into the pop-punk scene. While this might have been a more exciting move when his more innovative peers were riding … Continue reading iann dior – on to better things
jxdn – Tell Me About Tomorrow
Watching the growing ability for TikTok to catapult songs by essentially unknown artists into global hit singles over the past couple of years has been one of the most captivating musical trends. Now, the creators themselves are getting involved in things. With a track by social media superstar Bella Poarch dominating the charts at the … Continue reading jxdn – Tell Me About Tomorrow
Trippie Redd – Pegasus: Neon Shark vs Pegasus Presented By Travis Barker
Continuing the streaming-fueled trend of adding essentially an entire album onto an existing project as the deluxe version, emo-trap star Trippie Redd extends his already overstuffed Pegasus album to a ridiculous 40 songs in length. The difference this time is that the new project is far from more of the same – Redd has completely … Continue reading Trippie Redd – Pegasus: Neon Shark vs Pegasus Presented By Travis Barker
iann dior – I’m Gone
After the tragic passing of so many of its most influential artists, the boom of pop-punk influenced emo-trap seemed like it might have been a short-lived yet undeniably powerful wave. People like 21-year-old rapper iann dior are still carrying the torch. I’m Gone is a brief 9-track project that sees dior putting his own experimental … Continue reading iann dior – I’m Gone
XXXTENTACION – SKINS
Since his death this past June, it's becoming much more evident just how much of an incredible impact XXXTENTACION had on the direction of music and culture. While his projects were uneven and his career was mired in endless controversies, there was always a clear creative spark and an urge to put out something different, … Continue reading XXXTENTACION – SKINS
Ben's Beat - Music Reviews 