Avril Lavigne, “Love Sux.” In some ways, the seventh album by Avril Lavigne is a return to the Canadian pop-rocker’s roots. In others, it’s finally reaching the territory she’s strived for from the start. Lavigne has always existed adjacent to the pop-punk moniker, but often, that classification was based on…

When Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera wrote “Moves Like Jagger,” the band developed a sound and style of production that guarantees a certain level of chart success. Since 2012, the group has never strayed from its formula, releasing single after single, album after album, beating the sound relentlessly into obliteration.…

Pop singer-songwriter Kiiara quietly burst onto the scene in 2015 with her breakout debut single, “Gold.” The Illinois-born artist had a fresh sound and modern pop foundation with an unorthodox chopped-up vocal production that created an odd but effectively lyrical sound. The song racked up millions of streams, a…

Ellie Goulding, “Brightest Blue.” Ellie Goulding digs into her vulnerabilities on her fourth studio album, Brightest Blue. Goulding worked at her own pace creating the double-LP, opting to collaborate with other artists and release exploratory pop tracks as inspiration struck. At the same time, she continued to work away on a…