Run the Jewels Return with ‘RTJ4’ When We Need Them Most
Run the Jewels have always had a taste for action-movie hyperbole, but as they've powered through their careers, the lines between slapstick and real have almost ceased to exist.
Max Totsky
Perfume Genius Purges Himself and It’s Contagious
You need to care so much about your art to pack this much meaning into not only the words, but the tones that adorn and deliver them. Perfume Genius cares so much it hurts on Set My Heart on Fire Immediately.
‘WOMB’ Reclaims Purity Ring’s Distinctive Electropop
Although Purity Ring's WOMB never stops sounding good, the bops came easier in 2012. WOMB is an effortful return to form for the electropop duo.
How a Foot Injury Led to Sofi Tukker’s Latest EP
A cancelled tour carved out a whole bunch of time for electronic duo Sofi Tukker to make their new EP Dancing on the People. Here's why a broken foot might have been a blessing in disguise.
Jay Som Is Not Saving Dream Pop. It Doesn’t Need to Be Saved.
Jay Som speaks to PopMatters about handling expectations, agents of change, and how her newfound sobriety influenced her new album Anak Ko.
How Avey Tare Made a Whole Album Out of Necessity
The songs on Avey Tare's Cows on Hourglass Pond emerged from a need for material for a live show, but you wouldn't assume that when sucked in by their soothing, intricate surrealism. Tare speaks about his creative process, the technical forces driving the record, and where he's at lyrically.
Passion Pit Are Ready to Hit the High Notes Again
Ten years after a medication paralyzed his vocal cords and forced some of his favorite songs out of rotation, Passion Pit's Michael Angelakos can't wait to tour his debut album Manners and perform those songs again.
Demons, Caravaggio, and Feminism: Xiu Xiu on ‘Girl with Basket of Fruit’
Sparked by Caravaggio's Boy with Basket of Fruit, Xiu Xiu's Jamie Stewart sees the title of their latest work, Girl with Basket of Fruit, as a comment on feminist politics and the precarious role of women in the world.
Ash Koosha’s ‘Return 0’ Is an AI Manifesto First and an Album Second
Return 0 is a far more rewarding affair than much of Ash Koosha’s recent work, even though it doesn’t care too much about being an album.
QUARTERTHING Is the Essential Album Joey Purp Has Been Promising Us
Joey Purp's QUARTERTHING is a record of confident experiments, songs that wander into unknown territory with purpose, capturing lightning in a bottle most of the time.
Noname Comes of Age on ‘Room 25’, But Not in A Typical Way
Noname's Room 25 sees a brilliant writer finding her outlet, taking in the world around her, and spinning it into her own extraordinary web.
$uicideboy$ Suffer Through Their Debut. So Will You.
$uicideboy$'s I Want to Die in New Orleans is a depraved record filled with self-loathing, jarring imagery, and awful singing. $uicideboy$ have the charisma to spearhead a movement, but their voices are their own worst enemies.