~ANNOUNCEMENTS~

• Australian psych-rock band King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard have three WHOLE ALBUMS coming out in October.
• Japanese Math Rock band Tricot have their new album “Fake” coming out Dec. 14.
• Gorillaz announced that its new album “Cracker Island” will be released February 2023.
• Freddie Gibbs new album “$oul $old $eperately” releases Sept. 30.
• Lil Baby’s album “It’s Only Me” drops Oct. 14.
• The baby from Nirvana’s “Nevermind” album cover lost the lawsuit against the band for child exploitation.

~SINGLES~

“Lazy Summer Day/Chinese Restaurant” by Yung Lean

Genre: Cloud Rap

My Rating: [7/10]

I really enjoyed Yung Lean’s mixtape from earlier this year, and these new tracks follow that kind of more experimental sound to them.  “Lazy Summer Day” is a more laid back vibey track while “Chinese Restaurant” has a lot more depth to it ,and both are pretty cool songs.

“New Gold” by Gorillaz (ft. Tame Impala & Bootie Brown)

Genre: Synth Funk

My Rating: [9/10]

The absolutely perfect dance track, oh my, the grooves on this one are immaculate.  The mixture of the classic Gorillaz type production with Tame Impala’s smooth vocals and Bootie Brown’s really great verse. It all just comes together for an absolutely divine song.

“I’m In Love With You” by The 1975

Genre: New Wave

Rating: [6/10]

It has great glitzy production, but it feels a bit safe for the band, and that’s kind of a worry I have for their new album.  If you love any early boy band music though, be sure to check this one out – super boy-bandish feels here.

“Pass the Nirvana” by Pierce the Veil

Genre: Post-Hardcore

Rating: [7/10]

It’s heavy, it’s catchy, it’s Pierce the Veil.  Has a lot of the catchy fun elements of early Post-Hardcore but without as much poorly aged sounds.  If you like the heavy emo sound of the 2000s, you’ll really like this one.

“Smells Like Me” by Charlie Puth

Genre: Pop

Rating: [5/10]

Nothing to write home about at all. It’s something that’s been done hundreds of times over and much better.  Vocals are annoying, and the production is painfully basic. Puth continues to show how little he really brings to the table.

“Detox” by Lil Baby

Genre: Trap Rap

Rating: [4/10]

I usually enjoy Lil Baby’s music to a degree, but, geez is this such a painfully uninteresting track.  It has a pretty decent sample, but Lil Baby’s voice sounds hilariously shaky.  I have no idea why it sounds like he’s scared of the beat.  Might just be how the vocals were mixed, but it’s funnier to just believe he was just really scared while recording the track.

“Talk” by Yeat

Genre: Trap Rap

Rating: [8/10]

This ones been leaked for a while all over the internet, and as someone who’s kinda gotten tired of Yeat’s style this song is really enjoyable.  He’s always been more of a single artist with his mixtapes feeling really unnecessarily bloated, and this is a really fun single with a good beat and catchy lines.

“Too Much” by Freddie Gibbs (ft. Moneybagg Yo)

Genre: Trap Rap

Rating: [7/10]

While probably my least favorite single released so far for his upcoming record, it’s still a supremely enjoyable track with a catchy hook, nice trap beat and a decent Moneybagg Yo verse.

“There’d Better Be A Mirrorball” by Arctic Monkeys 

Genre: Chamber Pop

Rating: [6/10]

As someone who’s never been a big fan of Arctic Monkeys’ sound and always found them to be formulaic and uninteresting, this song really does nothing for me.  It’s like a more drawn back and extra chamber poppy version of their sound, but it’s still just painfully average and forgettable to me.

“NO HAY LEY” by Kali Uchis

Genre: Dance Pop

Rating: [7/10]

Kali has always been the queen of grooves and this wonderfully fun dance pop track is no exception.  It’s not the catchiest song she’s ever made, but if you’re just trying to relax and have a great time, then this is the perfect song for that.

~EPS~

“Icarus” by Cryalot

Genre: Electropop, Glitchpop

Rating: [7/10]

The debut EP from Kero Kero Bonito’s own Sarah Bonito is a really good blueprint for something bigger.  At six songs long and a bit more than 20 minutes, Sarah’s first EP is brimming with good songs and potential, from the more drawn back electropop tracks like “Labyrinth” to the glitchier and more industrial tracks such as “Touch the Sun.” There is a lot to like about “Icarus,” but it’s clear that this is only the beginning.

“MK 3.5” by Mount Kimbie

Genre: Electronic

Rating: [6/10]

The newest EP from electronic duo Mount Kimbie is a decent little showcase between albums.  What really drew me into this EP is the track “in your eyes” featuring Danny Brown and slowthai, which is a fantastic track, but the most of the rest of the tracks are just OK.  The Dom Maker half is pretty good, but the Kai Campos half is a lot less memorable and drags down the project as a whole.

~ALBUMS~

“Louie” by Kenny Beats

Genre: Instrumental Hip-Hop

Rating: [7/10]

The debut project from the one and only Kenny Beats is a fun little beat tape that’s short but fulfilling.  Beats always had a knack for production, from his collaboration EP with Denzel Curry, his work with a large variety of artists on his internet series “The Cave”, to his working with IDLES on their most recent album. It’s safe to say he’s pretty busy.  “Louie” clocks in at a short 30 minutes with guest features from the likes of JPEGMAFIA and slowthai and a whole lot of chill, fun, and funky little instrumentals tied together.  I will say, it could use some more guest artists, but that’s kinda just a personal gripe cause I know Beats has a lot of connections with artists I’d love to see on some of these beats.  Overall, it’s a really fun and personal project that shows Beats’ abilities as a producer on his own.

Favorite Songs: “Family Tree,” “Still,” “Hooper”

Least Favorites: None

“Celebrity Therapist” by The Callous Daoboys

Genre: Mathcore

Rating: [8/10]

The sophomore record from seven-member, Atlanta-based Mathcore group The Callous Daoboys is a very strong showing of the future of the genre.  The group boasts complex and chaotic instrumentals with sprinkles of math-rock and a vocalist who matches the loud blasts of the instruments with his equally loud vocals.  It’s a bit one note but hey, that’s OK; it has enough to differentiate itself from its contemporaries.  If you want something loud and grating to listen to, try this and see what you think.

Favorite Songs: “Violent Astrology,” “A Brief Article Regarding Time Loops,” “Star Baby”

Least Favorites: None

“YUNGBLUD” by YUNGBLUD

Genre: Pop Punk

Rating: [4/10]

YUNGBLUD is an artist I’ve never been fond of, I always found him to be a MGK type – annoying, whiny and a Pop Punk leech.  Now I can strongly say he is nowhere near as bad as MGK.  YUNGBLUD’s self titled album is one that starts well enough and then quickly goes down hill, the first song (a.k.a. the best song) “The Funeral” starts the album off very strongly. It’s a playfully simple glamorous rock song that almost reminds me of “Miami Memory” era Alex Cameron for some reason.  The next two songs are also highlights, not quite as good as the first but still some of YUNGBLUD’s more stomachable tracks. That’s about it for compliments.  After the first three tracks you have one of the most uninteresting, whiny and tasteless albums of the year filled to the brim with lyrics written by 12 year olds for 12 year olds.  The rest of the tracks just lack any redeeming qualities; none of them are quite laughably bad but more so an offense to my ears.  I mean if you happen to be a person who enjoys MGK, Willow, or Avril Lavegne’s newest albums, feel free to check this out.

Favorite Tracks: “The Funeral” and “Memories”

Least Favorites: “Cruel Kids,” “I Cry 2,” “Don’t Feel So Sad Today,” and “Die For A Night”