Pop Duo Kit Sebastian Thrill on Thoughtful ‘New Internationale’
Kit Sebastian’s New Internationale is a robust pop masterpiece, a boldly artful work that is refined but not restrained, tasteful but never bland.
alternative pop
Maude Latour Tastes Life’s Sweetness on ‘Sugar Water’
Maude Latour’s ambitious debut LP suggests something rare: a visionary willing to trust her vision. The record offers a cohesive manifesto of mysticism.
Tim O’Brien of Blood Is a Multi-Dimensional Man
It’s raucous, it’s queer, and it’s uncompromising. Blood’s Tim O’Brien is sticking to his guns. “I won’t change the [band] name for the sake of search engines.”
Blood Deliver Catharsis on ‘Loving You Backwards’
Blood’s LP builds and occasionally explodes, providing catharsis in sounds more than shouted lyrics. It sounds more like a balm than ripping off a Band-Aid.
L’étrangleuse Find Artful Balance with ‘Ambiance Argile’
L’étrangleuse’s music draws from all sides of the Mediterranean and beyond, creating something new and categorically nebulous in a way that works well.
Beth Gibbons Ventures Out on ‘Lives Outgrown’
Lives Outgrown seems like an outgrowth of where Beth Gibbons’ mind and talents have taken her in the past decade, which is to ruminate on how life is a vapor.
Hana Vu Revels in ‘Romanticism’
Romanticism emerges as a whole, as Hana Vu’s space to ask some big questions, though the answers she’s receiving are mostly ambivalent at best.
Snarls Wear Their Hearts on Their Sleeves on ‘With Love’
There are few things more thrilling in music than hearing a band reach another level of mastery of their craft, and Snarls sound positively inspired on With Love.
Arthur Melo’s ‘Mirantes Emocionais’ Is Much More Than Vintage Vibes
Even at this young age, Arthur Melo has a careful hand and a grasp on what’s timely as he crafts dreamy new música popular brasileira on his luscious new LP.
Reyna Tropical Find the Bitter and the Sweet on ‘Malegría’
All we have is each other. Let’s dance and fall in love, for what else is there? Reyna Tropical’s Malegría provides the soundtrack.
Jane Weaver’s ‘Love in Constant Spectacle’ is Woven to Impress
British indie artist Jane Weaver bridges the experimental textures of her earlier work with accessible pop gestures on her latest album.
‘Fire Escape’ Is Alena Spanger’s Thorny, Soaring Solo Debut
Alena Spanger’s music is full of odd twists and unconventional choices, but that’s what makes Fire Escape so enjoyable and undeniably beautiful.