Album Reviews

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  'Laugh Track' Is in the Centre of the National's Venn Diagram

  PUBLISHED Sep 18, 2023

  Albums come in twos these days for Aaron Dessner. He produced and co-wrote most of Taylor Swift's 2020 double-header, and this year oversaw...

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  The Beaches' 'Blame My Ex' Is a Win

  PUBLISHED Sep 15, 2023

  As far as album titles go, you can't get much more pointed than Blame My Ex, the latest pull-no-punches full-length from the Beaches. Relea...

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  Baroness Are Streamlined and Focused on 'STONE'

  PUBLISHED Sep 14, 2023

  Since their first true full-length release, 2007's Red Album, Baroness have been trying to mutate their primal sound. The sludgy, progressi...

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  Explosions in the Sky Hint at a New Beginning with 'End'

  PUBLISHED Sep 13, 2023

  To title your album End is to conjure a series of meanings about the current state of the world, the frailty of nature, or simply the futur...

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  Mitski's 'The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We' Is Her Loneliest Record Yet

  PUBLISHED Sep 11, 2023

  For a time, Mitski seemed over it. In recent years, the artist — once deemed by Iggy Pop to be "the most advanced American songwriter [he k...

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  Angel Du$t Are Onward and Upward with 'Brand New Soul'

  PUBLISHED Sep 7, 2023

  Justice Tripp may be one of hardcore's most ambitious and intriguing songwriters. After spending his early years crafting iconic breakdowns...

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  Karkwa Sound Rich, Honest and Relevant on 'Dans la seconde'

  PUBLISHED Sep 7, 2023

  It might be a bit difficult for non-Francophones to grasp the significance of Karkwa's comeback. From 2005 to 2011, the band played a key r...

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  Romy Invites You to Cry on the Dance Floor with 'Mid Air'

  PUBLISHED Sep 6, 2023

  In the mid-2000s, Romy Madley Croft made a name for herself as a member of the three-pronged London band the xx, alongside bandmates Jamie...