Lucid Express Lay on the Sweetness for ‘Instant Comfort’
Lucid Express might be restless and eager to defy pigeonholing and complacency. That’s good, but in the process, they’ve made an album that often feels overstuffed.
indie pop
Morrissey Is an Incorrigible Sentimentalist
Morrissey’s Make-Up Is a Lie is a love letter to Paris: schmaltzy, befuddling, arresting, but, most of all, HIM.
Mitski Disappears with Grace on Eighth Album
On her eighth album, Nothing’s About to Happen to Me, singer-songwriter Mitski employs a country-folk sound to reflect the peace found in isolation.
Tōth Finds the Clarity of His ‘Voice’ Through Constraint
Tōth’s And the Voice Said refines his knack for balancing introspection, pop warmth, and unresolved inner tension.
Kerrin Connolly Swings for the Fences on Brilliant LP
Kerrin Connolly has stepped up her game, with smart, sophisticated arrangements and an arsenal of pop songs that are a quantum leap from earlier music.
Alice Costelloe Confronts the Past with Elegant Art Pop
Alice Costelloe’s debut album is refined, elegant art pop, in which her crystalline voice floats over a rich palette of electronic instrumentation with grace.
Sotto Voce’s Lo-Fi Pop Is Filled with Melodic Twists
Ryan Gabos’ lo-fi bedroom pop project, Sotto Voce, scales new heights with The Sound of Trying.
A Conversation with Guided By Voices’ Robert Pollard
The Guided By Voices machine is as well-oiled as they come, but Robert Pollard attributes quality and consistency to chemistry.
Jenny on Holiday’s ‘Quicksand Heart’ Is As Good As Pop Gets
Let’s Eat Grandma’s Jenny on Holiday captures love’s emotions on an intimate, confessional record wrapped in a glossy, pretty synthpop package.
Hélène Barbier Creates Irresistible Power Pop with a Dark Edge
Hélène Barbier writes songs that are couched in traditional post-punk, power-pop frameworks, but there always seems to be something off-kilter in the presentation.
This Is Supposedly the Best of Everything But the Girl
As Everything But the Girl, Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt were one of the most unique British acts of the 1980s and 1990s.
Cautious Clay’s New Album Is Evening Angst Distilled
For his current timeline-centric release, the R&B/pop polymath Cautious Clay navigates from dawn to dusk with sly ease, discussing his creative process.