Selena Gomez’s solo albums have always had an intensity that’s been largely misunderstood (or simply written off as an attempt to capitalize on her publicly disastrous relationship with Justin Bieber). Her very first, Stars Dance in 2013, came too close on the heels of…
The second solo album from the prolific singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers is, in both its aesthetic and lyrical clarity of expression, a total triumph. From the liminal delirium of intro “DVD Menu” to the bombastic finish, the 11 tracks on Punisher are a perfect distillation…
While not up to the standard set by T-Swift’s best writing, folklore still manages to remind that she is as keen an emotional observer as ever. The presentation, in both its marketing and its media representation, of Taylor Swift’s latest has taken up more space…
Good to Know is a celebration of JoJo’s confidence and artistic independence, marking a new course after her career’s detours. Best known for the prodigious vocal talent that she displayed as a teen with her early R&B singles, JoJo is an artist with multiple top…
Barwick’s latest is still welcomingly adventurous but the artist’s slight pivots make for diminishing returns here. For an artist who’s been heavily characterized by certain aesthetic features of her work — namely, the gentle construction of her songs and overlapping choral vocals — for…
Lana’s latest might be branded as spoken-word poetry, but Violet still features the introspective lyricism, emotional vulnerability, and intelligent songcraft we’ve come to expect from the singular artist. The prospect of a book of poetry from Lana Del Rey might seem, to anyone familiar with the…
Ellie Goulding’s latest sees her transition from pure chart persona to an assured pop artist. In the five years since her last album, the excellent Delirium, Ellie Goulding’s position in the pop music stratosphere has remained anomalous and nebulous. The album’s biggest hit, “Love…
“I love you / you pay my rent.” These words, sung in a chorus on the 1987 classic Actually, are probably the sharpest distillation of the uncompromising aesthetic and sociopolitical concerns which Pet Shop Boys were steeped in at this early point in their…
Chromatica delivers occasional melodic pleasures but is otherwise stripped of the complexity and contradiction that usually defines Gaga’s brand of pop. Each new release from Lady Gaga following the Fame and Born This Way heyday is more disarming than the last — increasingly structured around…
Charli XCX has found her niche as an entertainer but lost her way as an artist on How I’m Feeling Now. How I’m Feeling Now, the latest release by British pop-star Charli XCX and technically her fourth studio album, came to fruition just under a…
