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,…

It’s easy to see the appeal in Delta Spirit. Its range and ability to meld genres gives a bold liveliness to its works. It would also explain the band’s ever-growing presence in pop culture, having songs appear in television shows like “Friday Night Lights,” “Sons of Anarchy,” “The Walking Dead”…

The city of Detroit personified as “the struggling artist” feels apt—especially when considering the number of incredibly talented and influential artists who have come from the Motor City that have faced hardships themselves. Big Sean addressed the topic in 2012 with Detroit and now follows that mixtape with full-length album Detroit…

Following up 2019’s The Peyote Dance and Mummer Love, Soundwalk Collective maintains its experimental sound to accompany the methodical poetic writings of Patti Smith on Peradam, the third entry in a series of joint-effort albums. Peradam Soundwalk Collective with Patti Smith Bella Union, Sept. 4 4/10 The artist cite literary…

Brothers Howard and Guy Lawrence—better known as the duo Disclosure—are back with the follow-up to their Grammy-nominated Caracal. ENERGY is upbeat, catchy and aptly titled—even if Disclosure’s party music seems a bit out of step with the daily deluge of negative news. ENERGY Disclosure Capitol Records, Aug. 28 8/10 The U.K. duo has…

The Avett Brothers, “The Third Gleam.” Following the mixed reception of their 2019 LP, Closer Than Together, The Avett Brothers newest record, The Third Gleam, takes the group away from the more experimental sounds they are known for blending into their folk and bluegrass songbook. The record, longer than an EP but…

The Front Bottoms, “In Sickness & In Flames.” Some TV shows start out strong in their first few seasons before gradually petering out. The Front Bottoms‘ seventh album, In Sickness & In Flames, feels similarly anticlimactic. In Sickness & In Flames The Front Bottoms Fueled By Ramen, Aug. 21 6/10 With…