Reviews
India Shawn’s Subject to Change EP Review: Sweet Talk With a Kill Switch
Subject to Change turns candy-floss seduction into a boundary-setting flex—six tracks where India Shawn asks for more, then dares you to fumble it. Courtesy of VANTA Records. This EP... more »
Isaiah Rashad’s It’s Been Awful Review: The “Smile” Note Was a Trap
Isaiah Rashad’s It’s Been Awful isn’t a comeback story—it’s a relapse diary dressed in warm production and soft lighting. You know that feeling when something presents itself like a hug,... more »
Jarrod Lawson’s Just Let It Review: Soul So Smooth It’s Suspicious
Jarrod Lawson’s Just Let It sounds luxurious enough to hide its flaws—until the lyrics step forward. Here’s what the album is really doing. Some albums enter through your ears. Just Let... more »
BERNARR Album Review: Durand Bernarr’s 17-Track Flex (Too Much?)
BERNARR album turns a Grammy win into a sprawling personality test—funny, heavy, and occasionally padded. Here’s what it’s really doing. Seventeen tracks is the kind of number artists... more »
Middle of Nowhere Review: Kacey Musgraves Makes Small Town Feel Huge
Middle of Nowhere turns East Texas into a map of bruises and punchlines—Kacey Musgraves sounds fearless, until she doesn’t. Some albums try to sound “big.” Middle of Nowhere does the... more »
Hoopla Album Review: Weird Nightmare’s Sunny Pop with a Stubborn Hangover
Hoopla album feels like sunshine engineered in a basement—catchy, loud, and weirdly samey on purpose. Here’s what it’s really doing. If you’ve ever heard an album and thought, “This is... more »
Nearly Nothing Album Review: Farma G & Relense Make Misery Feel Useful
Farma G turns “Nearly Nothing” into a lived-in place: dirty mirrors, estate rage, goofy myths, and a steady Relense thump that refuses to glamorize any of it. The quickest way to... more »
From Takoma With Love Album Review: Suburban Rap That Refuses to Behave
From Takoma turns neighborhood specifics into a whole worldview—two rappers mapping identity, politics, and survival without asking permission. Some records use geography like a... more »
Sometimes Money: Grafh Turns Hustle Trauma Into a Receipt You Can’t Return
Sometimes Money isn’t a flex on Grafh’s album—it’s the bill for survival, paid in kitchens, corners, and one story that lands like a body bag. You can hear this album’s main argument before... more »
American Football LP4 Review: Sad Dad Jazz That Refuses to Behave
American Football LP4 turns confession into architecture—big, bruised, and weirdly soothing, like crying in a well-lit kitchen at 2 a.m. American Football LP4 doesn’t ease you in. It... more »
Sevendust One Review: Their “Experiment” Still Hits Like a Wrecking Ball
Sevendust One doesn’t politely evolve—it throws synths and weird grooves into hard rock and dares you to call it subtle. It’s genuinely interesting what a band thinks it should be writing... more »
CK The Spitta Review: “Strictly 4 the Underground” Plays Like a Tryout
CK The Spitta’s album “Strictly 4 the Underground” channels the competitive spirit of a failed sports career into a visceral, lived-in rap diary that blends personal narrative with... more »
Existential Thottie Review: Duendita Turns Club Tears Into Homework
existential thottie sounds like a horny panic attack with a metronome—private demos turned public therapy, and it somehow still makes you move. Some albums feel “personal.” This one feels... more »
Foo Fighters’ Your Favorite Toy Review: Therapy Rock With a Knife Smile
Foo Fighters’ Your Favorite Toy turns the band’s “back to basics” impulse into a tense, angry coping ritual—and it’s not always as deep as it thinks. Foo Fighters have made a career... more »
Meghan Trainor’s Toy With Me Review: Unbothered Pop, Weirdly Bothered
Meghan Trainor’s Toy With Me sells “I don’t care” like a product—until two songs accidentally tell the truth and the whole mask slips. Here’s what Toy With Me feels like: a long, glossy... more »
Lekan Album Review: “For All the Right Reasons” Is a Family Reunion in HD
Lekan’s album “For All the Right Reasons, Vol. 1” embraces classic R&B traditions—family voices, faith, and raw confession—creating a deeply personal and emotionally rich debut.... more »
Roofless Records Disc 2 Review: Luxury Rap That Pretends It’s Casual
Roofless Records turns bragging into a slow, detailed inventory—Wiz, Curren$y, and Harry Fraud make excess sound oddly patient and domestic. This isn’t an album that’s trying to convince... more »
Blue Tears Review: BLUEHILLBILL Turns Cocaine Into a Dictionary
Blue Tears is drug-rap as rapid-fire accounting—prices, brands, and paranoia—until two songs crack the mask and let the human leak through. Some albums try to “set a scene.” Blue Tears... more »