‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ enchants one loyal, nostalgic Swiftie
Rating: 4.5/5 stars I prefer to call myself a “Taylor Swift enjoyer” above a “Swiftie.” I like most of her music, but I will never be the fan who defends her every move. She has written bad songs and released…
Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion pop, lock, flip hip-hop on new bop
Rating: 5/5 stars Historically, the music genre of rap has been dominated by men, with early influential figures being Dr. Dre (“The Chronic”), Tupac Shakur (“All Eyez On Me”, The Notorious B.I.G. (“Ready to Die”) and many more. However, the…
Olivia Rodrigo returns gutsier than ever on long-awaited sophomore album
Rating: 3.5/5 stars Olivia Rodrigo’s (“SOUR”) sophomore album “GUTS” was released Sept. 8. “GUTS” has 12 songs that expand on the issues of girlhood, heartbreak and societal pressures. Rodrigo released two singles off of the album: “vampire” on June 30,…
Mac DeMarco’s 199-track snoozer ‘One Wayne G’ egotistic at its core
Rating: 1/5 stars Readers expect a music reviewer to listen to the entirety of an album. It is only 30-90 minutes of the reviewers’ time, they say. But sometimes it is the artist’s fault. Musicians, like experimentalist AG Cook (“Apple”)…
Post Malone releases cathartic new single on healing
Rating: 4.5/5 stars On his single, Post Malone (“Twelve Carat Toothache”) doubled down on developing his sound, while struggling to free himself from a toxic relationship. “Chemical,” although released as a single on April 21, was included as a part…
Jethro Tull returns with mythological flute tunes, poetic Icelandic lyrics
Rating: 3.5/5 stars Sit down and prepare for a musical deep dive into Norse mythology with Jethro Tull (“Zealot Gene”). The band released their new album “RökFlöte,” roughly meaning “rock flute” on April 21. Since their previous drop was only…
Ellie Goulding returns with upbeat pop on ‘Higher Than Heaven’
Rating: 5/5 stars Ellie Goulding (“Brightest Blue”) released “Higher Than Heaven” on April 7 through Polydor Records. The album was originally announced in October 2022. It is her first album in three years, since “Brightest Blue” (2020), Goulding has been…
Frost Children reinvent indie rave in post-hyperpop world on new album ‘SPEED RUN’
Rating: 3/5 stars What actually is hyperpop? The dynamic genre has been the subject of debate amongst both middle-aged music critics and teenagers in TikTok comments. Some say it is the future of pop; some say it died with SOPHIE…
Metallica resurrects itself with themes of head-banging hope amid darkness
Rating: 5/5 stars Thrash metal is reborn and fresh out of therapy with Metallica’s (“Hardwired … to Self-Destruct”) latest album “72 Seasons” released on April 14. The band has a pat- tern of releasing a new album only every five to…
Indie-rockers Wednesday put noise in country on ‘Rat Saw God’
Rating: 3.5/5 stars The indie world has an inconsistent relationship with country. The trademark hipster rejects country pop as a successful bourgeois attempt at convincing rural farmers that they can find representation in a rhinestone cowboy; they also listen to…
