Trick-or-treating, parties, haunted houses—everything that’s served as a source of spooky Halloween entertainment—is sadly still nonviable as the the U.S. continues to navigate through the pandemic. Clipping., however, has seemingly come to save this season by delivering the follow-up to its horror-industrial hip-hop haymaker, There Existed an Addiction to Blood.…

Electronic dance trio Major Lazer—comprised of Diplo, Walshy Fire and Ape Drums—have returned with the highly anticipated follow-up to 2015’s critical darling Peace Is The Mission. Unfortunately, Music Is The Weapon feels somewhat lackluster as it caters to musical trends that felt played-out in 2017. While a few moments on…

Anime, Trauma and Divorce , the newest album from Open Mike Eagle, hits an emotional chord that feels humbling and familiar, examining insecurities and anguish alongside the ways we cope with them. It’s observational, funny and—most importantly—highly relatable. Anime, Trauma and Divorce Open Mike Eagle Auto Reverse Records, Oct. 16 10/10 The…

After the tragic passing of The Tragically Hip’s frontman and chief architect, Gord Downie, in 2017 due to complications from cancer, his absence has been felt in the greater musical and pop cultural sphere. Thankfully, Downie left some music, which will be released this week as  Away Is Mine, his final album.…

As the country continues to struggle with the pandemic, a dipping economy and unrest over a lack of justice, many share a collective sense of dread. John Carpenter’s “The Thing” comes to mind—in particular, the scene where Kurt Russell’s character records an audio tape to leave behind in the…

Dawes‘ newest release, Good Luck With Whatever, is as disquieting and solemn as this entire year has been. In the follow-up to their 2018 effort, Passwords, the folk rock band pulls no punches—citing personal tragedy, mental health and mishaps aplenty to depict the troubled state of mind for lead singer and…

Following The Spice Girls reunion tour in 2019, “Sporty Spice” Melanie C began to take on a more introspective look on herself and her music. Her eighth solo album, a self-titled effort, was constructed with both herself and her audience in mind—that is to say, she wanted to create a…

Hip-hop has always held a dichotomy between socially conscious lyricism and party-hard bars. The latest album from A$AP Ferg, Floor Seats II embraces the latter, with bombastic club bangers that are sure to receive plenty of spins when nightclubs open back up. Floor Seats II A$AP Ferg RCA, Sept. 25 5/10 The…

New York has generated a wide array of distinctive voices in hip-hop; it’s the hometown of the genre, after all. Many of the artists within the scene often take on each other’s elements, which has given the region its own distinctive sound. Action Bronson is seemingly best known for his…

If you woke up in the Bay Area at some point last week you were probably greeted with dark red and orange skies as a result of the ongoing fires that are devastating the West Coast right now. People flocked to social media to share pictures of the hellscape,…