Hayley Kiyoko Widens the Breadth of Pop on ‘Panorama’
With Disney deep in her past, pop star Hayley Kiyoko’s Panorama navigates queer relationships with self-assuredness, packaged in accessible pop hooks.
dream pop
On Astragal’s ‘Pure Cashmere’ Early ’80s Post-Punk Finds a New Home
Astragal reincarnate what made 1980s post-punk so compulsively listenable, helping them stand out in a fascinating genre with precious little competition.
Field Guides Mine Ethereal, Tuneful Territory on the Striking ‘Ginkgo’
Field Guides’ Ginkgo derives from a profoundly organic, indie-folk space that encourages a stream of consciousness and unique melodic lines seemingly plucked out of thin air.
Noah Deemer’s ‘The Sleepwalker’ Plumbs the Depths of Consciousness
Noah Deemer’s art-pop debut, The Sleepwalker, seeks to access deeper consciousness. Dreamy and off-kilter songs seek to unearth deeper emotions.
Margot’s ‘Inertia’ Is a Haunting Fix From the LSD ’70s
Two Margot EPs blend smoothly together for a 50-minute excursion into mind-expanding bliss, effortlessly straddling dream-pop and early ’70s psychedelia.
SOAK Explores Their Complicated Past on ‘If I Never Know You Like This Again’
SOAK shows on If I Never Know You Like This Again that using uncomfortable past experiences for personal growth doesn’t have to be a drag. It can be a blast.
From Busan, With Love: Say Sue Me’s ‘The Last Thing Left’
Whether Say Sue Me are surf-rock, shoegaze, or dream-pop, none of these categories seem to matter when listening to the delightful The Last Thing Left.
Girlpool Return With Messy But Rewarding ‘Forgiveness’
Girlpool’s Forgiveness finds the duo drifting through several iterations of low-key indie pop music, infused with electronic noises and acoustic folk.
The Church’s Steve Kilbey Talks “Blurred Crusade Live”: The Greatest ’80s Concert You’ve Never Seen
Classic concert “Blurred Crusade Live” launches the Church to a place few bands ever reach, on stage or anywhere else. It’s a golden moment of transcendent ’80s rock joy.
Hatchie Boldly Embraces Uncertainty on ‘Giving the World Away’
By letting her existential anxieties take center stage, Hatchie embraces alt-pop sensibilities on Giving the World Away to process life and loss in all its messy glory.
Mall Girl’s ‘Superstar’ Successfully Blends Math-rock with Pop Sensibilities
Norway’s Mall Girl combine powerful math rock with alt-pop dreaminess on their debut album Superstar, where languid melodies reside with fast tempos and technical playing.
Shoegaze’s Whimsical Improves After 10-Year Hiatus with ‘Melt’
Whimsical’s Melt strikes a pleasing balance between droning Slowdive wash and a more kinetic Lush vitality – while also unafraid to slow things down.
