On Sept. 5, Big Thief released its new studio album Double Infinity. For many, this album has been a source of confusion, as it is set so apart from much of the band’s work. For starters, the cover is optically exploratory in comparison to their others: It features a bright[Read More…]
Tag: album review
Point-Counterpoint: Sabrina Carpenter and the thin line between submission and control
On Aug. 29, Sabrina Carpenter released her album Man’s Best Friend. But the real conversation began months earlier—on June 11—when she unveiled the provocative cover art on Instagram. It features Carpenter on all fours, in a black mini-dress and high heels, as an anonymous man grips her by the hair.[Read More…]
‘Essex Honey’ is a perfected orchestra of love, loss, and grief
Devonté Hynes, under the alias Blood Orange, entered the mainstream several years ago when his 2011 song, “Champagne Coast,” gained viral popularity on TikTok. After a six-year hiatus, he released a new album on Aug. 29, Essex Honey in which he contemplates grief, loss, and growing up. Within each song[Read More…]
FKA Twigs liberates the body to free the soul
Pounding electric bass. Neon lights strobing across the curvatures of moving muscle, flexing and softening in rhythmic tandem. Delicate and flowering falsetto melodies. Strangers coalescing in states of hedonistic dynamism. Violent snaps of the drum, spurting its vibrational heartbeats across the dancefloor. Choral pleas for unfamiliarity and euphoric authenticity pounding[Read More…]
‘CHROMAKOPIA’ may be Tyler, the Creator’s most authentic work yet
CHROMAKOPIA, released on Oct. 28, is Tyler, the Creator’s most authentic album yet, following 2023’s CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST: The Estate Sale. Typically, Tyler adopts a new “character” for each album cycle, such as Igor for his 2019 album of the same name, or Wolf Haley on his[Read More…]
The Dare revives indie sleaze with ‘What’s Wrong With New York?’
⭐⭐⭐ (out of 5) The Dare has been everywhere this summer. He produced “Guess” off Charli XCX’s BRAT, which has gone on to be the album’s highest charting song with a feature from Billie Eilish, and he opened several times for Charli’s tour. After this sudden rise from obscurity, The[Read More…]
‘Short n’ Sweet’ highlights Sabrina Carpenter’s range and confidence as an artist
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (out of 5) Following the success of singles “Espresso” and “Please Please Please,” Sabrina Carpenter capped off her summer of pop domination with the release of her sixth studio album Short n’ Sweet on Aug. 23. As a fan of Carpenter’s music since her Singular: Act I (2018)[Read More…]
Can Matt Champion move beyond his boy band past?
A quick look at the Y-intersection’s collection of baggy pants, tiny sunglasses, tote bags, and ironic baseball caps indicates an unspoken truth—many of McGill’s trendiest students may have been fans of Brockhampton in their heyday. The “best boy band since One Direction” was a groundbreaking force in hip-hop in the[Read More…]
Faye Webster’s new album is “Tttttime”less
Following a three-year hiatus, bedroom pop icon Faye Webster is back with her latest release, Undressed at the Symphony. Inspired by the countless nights Webster took herself to the symphony as therapy amid a breakup, the album serves as a counterpart to the whimsical love story of Webster’s 2021 album[Read More…]
‘eternal sunshine’ plays with fire, and I’m not just talking about Ethan Slater’s hair
Ariana Grande, our reigning Queen of Pop, has blessed us with many studio albums, from Yours, Truly, which embodies the pure innocence and joy that accompanies young love, to thank u, next, where we find out that the honeymoon phase doesn’t actually last forever, to her last album, Positions, where[Read More…]