Starting in January 2026, this page is for new album reviews. Albums will be rated out of 10 in half-star increments. Most albums will just receive a rating and a one sentence review. Albums rated an 8 or higher will be highlighted and given a full-length review. Other albums of note may get full-length reviews as well. EPs, live albums, mixtapes, DJ mixes are all available to review — just whatever full-length releases intrigue me.
The current month’s reviews will display on this page, and previous months will be accessible on subsequent pages. As the months stack up, I will add links to easily access each month.
January (2026)
Joyce Manor – I Used to Go to This Bar
7/10
The California punk mainstays still find a lot power pop bliss in their short earnest tales on the driftless young American experience.
Jana Horn – Jana Horn
6/10
The Austin singer/songwriter specializes in eerily spacious arrangements that are often too subtle for their own good.
Searows – Death in the Business of Whaling
6.5/10
From the Phoebe Bridgers school of diaristic prickly indie rock comes Portland’s Alec Duckart who sinks you into his murky waters but maybe too often leaves you calmly floating.
Ari Lennox – Vacancy
6.5/10
Her sultry brand of R&B finds a lot of success with velvety romantic ballads but is too often mired in well-trodden lyrical territory.
Megadeth – Megadeth
2.5/10
The thrash metal legends have proclaimed this their final album, but with this egregious collection of tired dated rehashes, saying farewell is not a mournful occasion.
Poppy – Empty Hands
3/10
She has carved her own space in online music discussion with her pop/metal crossover, but the music still reeks of the tackiest aspects of both genres.
Lucinda Williams – World’s Gone Wrong
5.5/10
Not enough songs here warrant a deep dive into the storytelling as Williams opts for an admirable-yet-platitudinous politically-conscious lyrical approach.
Westside Cowboy – So Much Country Till We Get There
7/10
This EP from future Geese opener fits so neatly into the soft-loud Americana-infused indie rock scene led by Big Thief and Wednesday that you wouldn’t easily tell they’re from Manchester.
Robbie Williams – BRITPOP
3.5/10
His well-received monkey biopic has brought more attention to his spotty discography, but Williams will remain just a UK fascination with these listless tunes.
Courtney Marie Andrews – Valentine
6/10
The Americana singer-songwriter has honed her craft to a tee, but the lesser tracks in the back half can get staid.
Sleaford Mods – The Demise of Planet X
5/10
It’s hard to fully engage with the UK electro-punk duo’s waggish lyrics when the minimalist beats too often feel amateurish and hollow.
GYLT – In 1,000 Agonies, I Exist
6.5/10
Across 10 impassioned minutes, this metalcore band carries a volatile head-bopping, throat-curdling energy.
Sassy 009 – Dreamer+
5.5/10
The unimaginative vocal performances undercut the harsh dreamy complexities of the instrumentation.
Madison Beer – locket
5.5/10
Famous for everything but her music, Beer may actually be an underrated pop presence, but her lack of a distinct persona still keeps her out of the zeitgeist.
Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore – Tragic Magic
6/10
These two like-minded post-minimalist new age artists are an obvious pairing, but the drawn-out folksy serenity could spare a bit more dissonance.
A$AP Rocky – Don’t Be Dumb
6.5/10
A$AP’s first album in eight years works best when he leans on his ever-smooth flow or fits another abstract beat within his wide cloud rap aesthetic.
Slut Intent – Slutworld
7.5/10
Blistering through 9 tracks in 18 minutes, this Minneapolis hardcore band plays with a vindictive rage towards every patriarchal and fascist system in their way.
Jenny on Holiday – Quicksand Heart
5.5/10
One half of Let’s Eat Grandma goes solo for all-too-straightforward synthpop ballads that fall short of catharsis.
The Cribs – Selling a Vibe
4.5/10
Over two decades of work for the fraternal UK garage rock band has not led to much evolution with simplistic riffs and weightless choruses dominating the runtime.
French Montana & Max B – Coke Wave 3.5: Narcos
4.5/10
17 years after the first Coke Wave mixtape and 16 years after Max B’s imprisonment comes this collection of solid beats (featuring Harry Fraud & Metro Boomin) butchered by limp, forgettable performances on the mic.
The Kid LAROI – BEFORE I FORGET
6/10
There’s quite a bit of pop breakthrough potential here – especially “A Perfect World” and “Private” — but the boilerplate R&B melodic and lyrical approach too often shows a lack of a personal touch.
Dry Cleaning – Secret Love
7.5/10
The post-punk London band’s third album still has this oddly transfixing contrast between addictive jangly riffs and the driest vocals possible, which expound playfully on undersold moments of social/personal awareness.
Sault – Chapter 1
5.5/10
The UK R&B collective’s 14th album in their short history has some pleasant old funk instrumentation but is noticeably undercooked with minimal lyrical effort.
Zach Bryan – With Heaven on Top
6/10
The traditionalist country star offers another heartland epic replete with familial memories, bar tales and road trip melancholy, but the lack of surprises makes for something more comforting than revelatory.
Bitter Melodies 