Becky Hill, “Believe Me Now.” Pop artist Becky Hill finds her voice and carves out her own space in the pop landscape on her second album, Believe Me Now? With other pop contemporaries like Taylor, Billie and Dua Lipa leaning into more intimate records, Hill goes in the other…

Ben Platt, “Honeymind.” Since starring in 2012’s “Pitch Perfect,” Ben Platt has found success across the stage, screen and record player. It’s his candid penmanship and evocative, theatrically trained voice that make him so appealing. On his newest effort, Honeymind, he’s reflecting on the impact that queer love has had on…

Crowded House, “Gravity Stairs.” Almost 40 years after their self-titled debut, New Zealand rockers Crowded House are still adding rooms to their musical mansion. Gravity Stairs, the band’s fourth album since the turn of the century, continues the sophisticated Beatlesque pop the band’s lead songwriter, Neil Finn, has been known…

Maya Hawke, “Chaos Angel.” Maya Hawke delves deep on her third album, Chaos Angel. Showcasing the singer-songwriter’s ability to articulate the pains of coming of age and finding herself in relationships with others and herself, the album has her finding purpose in the midst of it all. Chaos Angel…

Bring Me the Horizon, “Post Human: NeX GEn.” It’s an album that was quickly become something of lore for fans of U.K. alt-rock outfit Bring Me the Horizon. Post Human: NeX GEn has taken on a number of forms before its release. Post Human: NeX GEn Bring Me the Horizon…

Twenty One Pilots, “Clancy.” The first four words of Twenty One Pilots‘ seventh album, Clancy, define the narrative the band has been developing for nearly a decade. Referencing the primary protagonist, the latest chapter is the final piece of a pseudo-concept album series that’s stretched back to 2015’s Blurryface.…

Say Anything, “…Is Committed.” It was an ultimately short-lived retirement for Max Bemis and Say Anything, who penned a long letter to fans in 2018 announcing the band would be closing up shop in part due to ongoing mental health and addiction struggles. Now, a year after performing at…

Avett Brothers, “The Avett Brothers.” It’s not entirely a surprise for the Avett Brothers to look skyward to the heavens on their first long-player in five years. After all, Scott and Seth Avett are the grandsons of a preacher, and their 2020 EP, The Third Gleam, took on a…

Cage the Elephant, “Neon Pill.” Cage the Elephant had an eventful five-year break between Social Cues and the rock band’s new album, and not in a good way. First, brothers Matt (vocals) and Brad (guitar) Shultz lost their father. Then Matt was arrested in a New York hotel room…

John Oates, “Reunion.” As the alphabetically subverted second half of ’80s pop duo Hall & Oates, John Oates played guitar and sang backup for his taller, blonder songwriting partner Daryl Hall on hits like “Maneater” and “She’s Gone.” Seen as one of music’s legendary wing-men, Oates is emerging from…