Sharp Pins’ ‘Radio DDR’ on Vinyl Is a Rewarding Lo-Fi Listen
Sharp Pins’ aesthetic feels like an attempt to keep analog alive in a digital world: get your hands on a zine, fill out a form, send cash, and receive a tape in return.
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What Taylor Swift, BTS, and Stromae Can Teach Us About Mental Health
Taylor Swift, BTS, and Stromae are at the frontlines of de-stigmatizing mental health challenges as something so relatable that they can make a hit song about it.Â
Modern Time Machines Travel Back to the Beach Boys
Ben Golomb of shoegaze band Modern Time Machines sees whole worlds in old things. Beachtime gazes dreamily into the Beach Boys.
Mo Kenney – “Maybe I Am” (audio) (premiere)
An exciting blend of alternative/pop rock that feels both poetic and punky, "Maybe I Am" is sure to get stuck in your head.
Gordi: Reservoir
Gordi's debut seamlessly blends epic electronic soundscape with intimacy in lyricism and folk sensibilities, even if it pulls a little too often from Justin Vernon’s toolkit.
alt-J: Relaxer
The real gold on Relaxer happens when alt-J reins in the gimmickry a bit and starts writing folk songs.
Halsey: Hopeless Fountain Kingdom
Halsey has, for the most part, abandoned the specificity that was key to her lyrical successes on Badlands.
A7PHA: A7PHA
Alt-rap veterans Doseone and Mestizo combine for A7PHA's debut record, an experimental album that will challenge and bemuse many listeners but remains deeply original and technically fantastic.
Goat: Requiem
Although Goat's sense of adventure sometimes results in indulgent and diminished returns, it just as often furnishes the listener with warm, inspired, and exuberant music.
Soccer96: As Above So Below
Soccer96 are excellent at their individual instruments, and this set proves they can link up to make some excellent music, too.
Exploded View: Exploded View
Exploded View's debut contains a ghostly sound that manages to whisk listeners into an illusion.
Mutual Benefit: Skip a Sinking Stone
This record made me buy better headphones so I could do it justice writing about it. This record made me a better person.