Reviews
Di Hotel Malibu Review: Retro-Soul So Specific It Refuses English
Di Hotel Malibu isn’t chasing a global playlist—it's building a tiny, analog world in Surabaya and daring you to keep up. This album doesn’t “open up” to meet you. It closes the... more »
Pink Guitars Review: JuJu Rogers’ Spaceships, Voodoo, and a Bit of Whiplash
Pink Guitars hits like a manifesto that forgot to be boring—until it briefly remembers. JuJu Rogers turns identity into circuitry, not a slogan. Some albums ease you in. Pink Guitars,... more »
Of Earth & Wires Review: Dua Saleh’s Quiet Album That Hits Like Weather
Of Earth & Wires turns grief into pressure—fast-made songs that still feel oddly deliberate, with Dua Saleh and Billy Lemos trapping you inside the mix. Courtesy of Ghostly... more »
LUCKI’s Drugs R Bad Review: A “Safety Warning” That Hits Too Hard
LUCKI uses Drugs R Bad like a legal disclaimer, then spends two discs proving he doesn’t believe disclaimers. Some songs cut deep; the middle drifts. Image credit: LUCKI / EMPIRE.... more »
BNYX® GENESIS FM Review: A Fake Radio Station That Actually Runs You
BNYX®’s GENESIS FM sells wellness skits and club pressure, then quietly proves his best tracks don’t need anybody talking over them. Courtesy of Lyfestyle Corporation/Field Trip... more »
Sow & So Album Review: Nappy Nina & Swarvy Make “Safe” Sound Risky
This Sow & So album review hears a duo turning into a band—sub-bass, Rhodes, and verses that stop fading and start hitting back. There’s a little translator’s note sitting at the... more »
Held Grey: The “Supergroup” Debut That Swings Big (Sometimes Too Big)
Held Grey sounds like three veterans trying to out-shout their own résumés—and it mostly works, even when the angst gets a little too on-the-nose. HELD. don’t ease into Grey. They walk... more »
Genesis Owusu’s Worldwide Scourge Review: Punk-Prayer in a Church, Obviously
Genesis Owusu turns Worldwide Scourge into a danceable panic attack—built in a church, aimed at systems, and messy enough to feel honest. Some albums want to change your mind. Worldwide... more »
Port Noir’s Dark We Keep Review: Heavy? Sure—But Also Weirdly Safe
Port Noir’s Dark We Keep wants to be the band’s heaviest chapter, but the real story is how often it flirts with danger—then backs away. Some albums kick the door in. Dark We Keep... more »
Nasalifya Album: Hil St. Soul Turns Grief Into a Slow, Stubborn Flex
Hil St. Soul’s Nasalifya album hides its heaviest punch at the end—gratitude, grief, and grown-folk restraint that refuses to beg for attention. Some albums try to impress you. This... more »
Nick Grant Smile Album Review: The “Smile” Is a Dare, Not a Mood
Nick Grant Smile isn’t here to charm you—it's here to prove a point, track by track, with one awkward misstep and a lot of earned nerve. Courtesy of Nick Grant/195 Oak Inc. This piece... more »
Self Deception’s One Of Us Review: A Mosh-Pit Group Chat Gone Wrong
One Of Us turns “unity” into a loud, sweaty dare—Self Deception make togetherness feel like a threat and a hug at once. Some records ask you to listen. One Of Us by Self Deception... more »
Everything Beautiful Died Early Review: V Don Won’t Let It Breathe (Sorry)
Everything Beautiful hits like luxury concrete—ANKHLEJOHN raps deadpan over V Don’s sealed-loop beats, and the tension is the whole point… until it isn’t. This album doesn’t “welcome you... more »
Acid Reign’s “Daze Of The Week” Is Thrash With a Side-Eye (Sorry)
Acid Reign return with “Daze Of The Week,” a fun-but-fraught thrash record that sounds angrier than last time—and less sticky in the hooks. You can feel the wait on “Daze Of The... more »
Elevator Music Review: Lord Sko & Statik’s “Muzak” With Teeth
Elevator Music is a rap album that narrates ambition through a voice too tired to brag, paired with Statik Selektah’s warm, intimate production. It’s a controlled, strategic debut that... more »
Sandbox Album Review: All-American Rejects Return, Still Kicking Sand
The Sandbox album doesn’t act like a comeback record—it acts like the band never left, which is either charming or suspicious depending on your mood. Fourteen years is long enough for... more »
The Last Balloon Review: Tank and the Bangas Start in Church, Fight in Funk
An in-depth look at how Tank and the Bangas’s The Last Balloon blends liturgy and funk, proving strength through control and quiet power. The first thing The Last Balloon does is... more »
Mýa Retrospect Review: A “Throwback” Album That Refuses to Look Back
A detailed review exploring the vintage synth-funk sound, original compositions, and present-tense attitude of Mýa’s album Retrospect. If you hit play expecting a scrapbook of past... more »