Joshua Bassett Digs Deeper on ‘Easier’
With his penchant for deep emotional hooks and insight, Joshua Bassett’s music has always been easy to get under your skin. Easier is his best.
pop rock
Dexys Midnight Runners Marry Disparate Cultures on ‘LOVE’
LOVE is the first album credited to Dexys Midnight Runners since 1985, an apposite gesture since the themes and undertones link back to Don’t Stand Me Down.
Charli XCX Discovers the Antidote to Fame
On Music, Fashion, Film, Charli XCX turns experimentation into self-deprecation, vindicating pop music’s commercialism.
Weezer Are in Their Golden Age
With their new album, Gold, will Weezer’s conscious uncoupling from technology’s crutches signal a less precise, perhaps less pop, sound?
Charli XCX’s New Album Is a Celebration of the Working Class
Charli XCX, now on her seventh record, pursues the continuum of human feelings and flairs. This may be the most humane entry yet in the grand canon.
Alex Cameron’s ‘Late to Set’ Rewards Every Listen
Alex Cameron’s Late to Set rewards repeat listens with evocative storytelling, emotional ambiguity and impeccable pop craftsmanship.
Nia Archives Brilliantly Expands Jungle and Revels in Hooks
Nia Archives’ new album captures a gifted artist and producer as she transcends her influences, claiming and reveling in her own bewitching style.
Charli XCX’s ‘Music, Fashion, Film’ Is Too Cool For Its Own Good
Music, Fashion, Film is Charli XCX desperately trying to find something that feels cool, risky, and exciting to her after having her original vision of cool co-opted.
MISSIO Serve Up the Emotions on ‘Love & Heartbreak’
MISSIO’s Love & Heartbreak should be regarded as an art installation by its own terms, measurements that do credit to the furnished piece.
Paul McCartney Explores Childhood Memories in Sound
Paul McCartney’s newest EP, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, uses sound to vividly paint ordinary moments, both real and imagined, into memorable stories
Niall Horan Serves a Familiar Dish on ‘Dinner Party’
While it includes some fresh autobiographical details, Niall Horan’s Dinner Party is a rehash of boy band tropes.
For Bleachers, the Past Is Prologue
On his fifth album as Bleachers, everyone for ten minutes, Jack Antonoff uses a comfortable sonic space to make a new statement about fame.