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Music Featured: Top of Home Page Features Lists Music Features

20 of the Best New Wave Albums by Rock/Pop Artists

By
Chris Ingalls,
Rich Wilhelm / 19 June 2025

As the 1980s dawned and punk began to morph into new wave, many established artists altered their style to reach new audiences. We look at 20 of them.

Featured

How Nirvana Destroyed Rock’s Toxic Masculinity
Feature Sub Head

How Nirvana Destroyed Rock’s Toxic Masculinity

By
Mike Cormack
/ 18 June 2025
Natalia Lafourcade Gains New Perspective with a Powerful Alter Ego
Music

Natalia Lafourcade Gains New Perspective with a Powerful Alter Ego

By
Marty Lipp
/ 18 June 2025
BottleRock Napa Valley Is Blissful with Musical Fireworks
Music

BottleRock Napa Valley Is Blissful with Musical Fireworks

By
Greg M. Schwartz
/ 17 June 2025
Kid Rock’s Trumpian Roots and Branches
Featured: Top of Home Page

Kid Rock’s Trumpian Roots and Branches

By
Iain Ellis
/ 16 June 2025

Music Reviews

Music Music Reviews Premieres Reviews

Hodari Is Playfully Naughty in ‘Goma Sessions’ (Premiere)

By
Ana Clara Ribeiro
/ 19 June 2025

Brazilian multi artist Hodari sings sex and modern love in an intimate performance for Goma Sessions, premiered at PopMatters.

Valerie June Shows Radical Joy and Care as Resistance
Music

Valerie June Shows Radical Joy and Care as Resistance

By
Elisabeth Woronzoff
/ 18 June 2025
Cyrus Pireh Shreds with Purpose on a Wild, Unique LP
Music

Cyrus Pireh Shreds with Purpose on a Wild, Unique LP

By
Chris Ingalls
/ 18 June 2025
Ernie Palmer Takes Us on a Relaxed Journey to the Past
Music

Ernie Palmer Takes Us on a Relaxed Journey to the Past

By
Steve Horowitz
/ 18 June 2025
Ty Segall Harnesses His Power on ‘Possession’
Music

Ty Segall Harnesses His Power on ‘Possession’

By
Patrick Gill
/ 17 June 2025
Joshua Ray Walker Travels to the Beach on ‘Tropicana’
Music

Joshua Ray Walker Travels to the Beach on ‘Tropicana’

By
Steve Horowitz
/ 17 June 2025
Mourning [A] BLKstar Deliver a Rich and Nuanced Album
Music

Mourning [A] BLKstar Deliver a Rich and Nuanced Album

By
J. Simpson
/ 16 June 2025

Music Features

Music Featured: Top of Home Page Features Lists Music Features

20 of the Best New Wave Albums by Rock/Pop Artists

By
Chris Ingalls,
Rich Wilhelm / 19 June 2025

As the 1980s dawned and punk began to morph into new wave, many established artists altered their style to reach new audiences. We look at 20 of them.

How Nirvana Destroyed Rock’s Toxic Masculinity
Feature Sub Head

How Nirvana Destroyed Rock’s Toxic Masculinity

By
Mike Cormack
/ 18 June 2025
Natalia Lafourcade Gains New Perspective with a Powerful Alter Ego
Music

Natalia Lafourcade Gains New Perspective with a Powerful Alter Ego

By
Marty Lipp
/ 18 June 2025
The 10 Best ’80s and ’90s Love Songs For Wounded Idealists
Music

The 10 Best ’80s and ’90s Love Songs For Wounded Idealists

By
Alyssa Charpentier
/ 17 June 2025
BottleRock Napa Valley Is Blissful with Musical Fireworks
Music

BottleRock Napa Valley Is Blissful with Musical Fireworks

By
Greg M. Schwartz
/ 17 June 2025
Kid Rock’s Trumpian Roots and Branches
Featured: Top of Home Page

Kid Rock’s Trumpian Roots and Branches

By
Iain Ellis
/ 16 June 2025
The 15 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2015
Music

The 15 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2015

By
PopMatters Staff
/ 16 June 2025

Film

‘The Cinema of Extractions’ Drills into Hollywood’s Petrochemical Bones
Books

‘The Cinema of Extractions’ Drills into Hollywood’s Petrochemical Bones

By
Shyam K. Sriram
/ 19 June 2025
‘That Day, on the Beach’ Surf’s the Edge of Restless Sorrow
Film

‘That Day, on the Beach’ Surf’s the Edge of Restless Sorrow

By
Junhyeok Moon
/ 17 June 2025
Is Superman Jewish?
Comics

Is Superman Jewish?

By
Andrew Fogel
/ 11 June 2025
Erich Von Stroheim and Cecil B. DeMille’s Fetishistic Films
Feature Sub Head

Erich Von Stroheim and Cecil B. DeMille’s Fetishistic Films

By
Michael Barrett
/ 9 June 2025
Naughty Naughty Joe Orton
Film

Naughty Naughty Joe Orton

By
Michael Barrett
/ 3 June 2025

Books

Books Film Film Review Reviews

‘The Cinema of Extractions’ Drills into Hollywood’s Petrochemical Bones

By
Shyam K. Sriram
/ 19 June 2025

Professor of visual culture Brian Jacobson drills down into how oil fueled Hollywood and Hollywood fueled a new “Cinema of Extractions”.

‘Great Black Hope’ Prods Black Affluence
Books

‘Great Black Hope’ Prods Black Affluence

By
Sam Franzini
/ 28 May 2025
‘Not Long Ago Persons Found’ Destroys Order
Books

‘Not Long Ago Persons Found’ Destroys Order

By
R.P. Finch
/ 21 May 2025
Gang of Four Memoir Is Full of Spit and Vinegar
Books

Gang of Four Memoir Is Full of Spit and Vinegar

By
Christopher Laird
/ 19 May 2025
‘Lord of the Flies’ 2025 or: How the Empire Struck Inward
Books

‘Lord of the Flies’ 2025 or: How the Empire Struck Inward

By
Charles Switzer
/ 5 May 2025

Television

The Righteous Gemstones’ Unholy Satire
Television

The Righteous Gemstones’ Unholy Satire

By
Ricky Raps
/ 17 June 2025
‘Rotten Legacy’ and Morality in Child-Rearing
Featured: Top of Home Page

‘Rotten Legacy’ and Morality in Child-Rearing

By
Justin F. Martin
/ 10 June 2025
‘Your Friends and Neighbors’ Doses Morphine
Television

‘Your Friends and Neighbors’ Doses Morphine

By
Alex Adams
/ 9 June 2025
Posh ‘Sirens’ Digs Up Dirt on the American Family
Television

Posh ‘Sirens’ Digs Up Dirt on the American Family

By
Jessica Baker
/ 5 June 2025
Sitcoms Written by Women Are a Funny Thing
Features

Sitcoms Written by Women Are a Funny Thing

By
Scott Lewellen
/ 4 June 2025

Games

Feature Sub Head Games Reviews

‘Promise Mascot Agency’ Shows the Power within the Pinky

By
Wallace Truesdale
/ 16 June 2025

Promise Mascot Agency‘s hilarious and grim open-world game shows we hold power for positive change within; even in our little pinky fingers.

‘MIO: Memories in Orbit’ Is a Metroidvania with Soul
Games

‘MIO: Memories in Orbit’ Is a Metroidvania with Soul

By
Spencer Johnson
/ 11 June 2025
Will ‘Grand Theft Auto VI’ Be Worth the Wait?
Feature Sub Head

Will ‘Grand Theft Auto VI’ Be Worth the Wait?

By
Mary Chiney
/ 5 June 2025
‘Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’ Studies the Power of Legacy
Games

‘Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’ Studies the Power of Legacy

By
Spencer Johnson
/ 30 April 2025
33 Immortals’ Brutal Roguelike Burns within Dante’s ‘Inferno’
Games

33 Immortals’ Brutal Roguelike Burns within Dante’s ‘Inferno’

By
Spencer Johnson
/ 25 March 2025

Lists

20 of the Best New Wave Albums by Rock/Pop Artists
Music

20 of the Best New Wave Albums by Rock/Pop Artists

By
Chris Ingalls,
Rich Wilhelm / 19 June 2025
The 10 Best ’80s and ’90s Love Songs For Wounded Idealists
Music

The 10 Best ’80s and ’90s Love Songs For Wounded Idealists

By
Alyssa Charpentier
/ 17 June 2025
The 15 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2015
Music

The 15 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2015

By
PopMatters Staff
/ 16 June 2025
The 12 Best Brian Wilson Songs
Music

The 12 Best Brian Wilson Songs

By
Scott Interrante
/ 11 June 2025
The 15 Best Americana Albums of 2015
Music

The 15 Best Americana Albums of 2015

By
Steve Leftridge
/ 10 June 2025

Interviews

Natalia Lafourcade Gains New Perspective with a Powerful Alter Ego
Music

Natalia Lafourcade Gains New Perspective with a Powerful Alter Ego

By
Marty Lipp
/ 18 June 2025
José James Explores Disco Through a Creative Jazz Mindset
Music

José James Explores Disco Through a Creative Jazz Mindset

By
Will Layman
/ 5 June 2025
Wishy Discuss the Buzz Orbiting ‘Planet Popstar’
Music

Wishy Discuss the Buzz Orbiting ‘Planet Popstar’

By
Brian Stout
/ 4 June 2025
JoBoxers Pull No Punches in This Retrospective Interview
Music

JoBoxers Pull No Punches in This Retrospective Interview

By
Imran Khan
/ 2 June 2025
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart Are Beating Again
Music

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart Are Beating Again

By
Michael Bialas
/ 27 May 2025

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PopMatters Seeks Book Critics and Essayists

By
Karen Zarker
/ 24 January 2024
Submit an Essay, Review, Interview, or List to PopMatters
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Submit an Essay, Review, Interview, or List to PopMatters

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/ 26 July 2023
PopMatters Seeks Music Writers
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PopMatters Seeks Music Writers

By
PopMatters Staff
/ 28 September 2022
PopMatters Seeks Film Critics and Essayists
Announcements

PopMatters Seeks Film Critics and Essayists

By
Karen Zarker
/ 28 September 2022

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