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(09/14/21 1:33am)
To dedicated fans of Little Simz, the title of her fourth studio album might come as a surprise. Simz’s third album, the Mercury Prize–nominated GREY Area, brought mainstream attention to the London–based rapper; her unswerving, no–frills flow distinguished her as a promising and confident lyricist. By exploring personal themes such as the tumultuous time of Simz’s 20s, GREY Area exhibited an artist in the midst of finding herself. On Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, Simz reveals another part of her intricate self by further inspecting her vulnerability. The result is a monumental record that will undeniably be remembered for years to come.
(09/18/21 4:36pm)
The music video for Japanese rock band CHAI’s “N.E.O.” opens in a bright pink room with all four members wearing matching pink outfits. As the members’ faces flash on the screen, they are accompanied by the frenetic lyrics, “YOU ARE SO CUTE, NICE FACE, C’MON, YEAH!”
(09/15/21 2:05pm)
The past week was a major moment for music this year as it saw the debut of Drake’s album Certified Lover Boy (CLB) on Sept. 3, featuring 21 new tracks. The record succeeds his 2018 hit Scorpion, which discussed topics expected from the rapper—fame, women, a balance between insecurity and confidence, and long–standing feuds—with a layer of exploring unanticipated fatherhood. CLB delivers classic “Champagne Papi”—yet despite its successful moments, there isn’t much thematic diversity when compared to his past work.
(09/05/21 11:18pm)
At last, Donda is here.
(09/09/21 11:25pm)
From going viral after penning a Haylor parody song to gaining sudden mainstream attention after being featured on The Chainsmokers's “Closer,” Halsey’s unique journey to pop stardom underlies their complex role in the music industry. Halsey describes themselves as an “anti–popstar,” but their music isn’t indie enough to be classified as alternative—yet isn’t quite top 40 radio fodder either. They recently gained some chart–topping power with the number one single “Without Me,” but their main focus has been crafting whole albums and not quick singles.
(09/07/21 4:00pm)
On Aug. 23, Billboard reported that Billie Eilish’s Happier Than Ever led their Top 200 chart, which tracks the most popular albums in the country per week based on “multimetric consumption.” Doja Cat’s Planet Her and Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album SOUR followed Eilish on the Aug. 28–dated chart. This ranking garnered attention, as it was the first time solo female artists dominated in over a decade.
(09/07/21 7:26pm)
From afar, the members of The Pennchants might come off as unapproachable. With their sunglasses, Members Only jackets, and supple voices, they could easily pass for a gang of teenage heartthrobs. But when they join me one afternoon for our Zoom interview, Evan Bean (E '23), Bauti Gallino (W '23), and Jack Vernon Lee (C '23) just look like normal guys (although Bauti is sporting his Pennchants baseball cap). They serve as The Pennchants' president, business manager, and marketing director, respectively—they also spearheaded the release of the group's new studio album, Are We There Yet?, on September 4.
(08/31/21 4:00pm)
Lorde’s long–awaited third studio album, Solar Power, is a patient record. No matter how many polarizing think pieces (including this one) try to tear it down, it's built to be tough and permanent like a castle. Except its castle is made of sand, and it’s surrounded by the crashing of beach waves and the clicking of cicadas.
(09/06/21 4:00pm)
There are only a few artists that can transcend genres, styles, and languages with their influence, and Aaliyah is undoubtedly one of them. From Rihanna and Monica to HAIM and Jessie Ware, Aaliyah has inspired some of the biggest names in the music industry today, whether they make indie pop or alternative R&B. Her distinguished reputation has been well–established, yet her legacy has been threatened due to tight control over her discography. After a 20–year legal battle between Aaliyah’s former label Blackground Records and her estate that is still not completely resolved, her diverse catalog is finally on its way to old and new listeners.
(08/31/21 1:08am)
On July 23, 2021 the Foundry—the Fillmore’s “club within a club”—traveled back to the early 2010s. The intimate venue was mostly filled with a crowd of young women, some of them wearing shirts indicating which group of fandoms they belonged to: One Direction or the Jonas Brothers. As a self–proclaimed “Directioner,” I found the experience amazing, joining others living out their fandom dreams at the “Best Night Ever: One Direction vs Jonas Brothers Dance Party” event.
(08/05/21 12:50pm)
For the past two years, the Jack Antonoff blueprint has been inescapable. He appeared on everything from commercially successful projects such as Taylor Swift’s Lover to critical hallmarks including Lana Del Rey’s Norman F*cking Rockwell!. Antonoff made his presence as a respected producer loud and clear, joining the ranks of Max Martin, Timbaland, and Pharrell Williams as 21st–century prodigies. But hidden behind his renowned collaboration work is a solo discography just as large and diverse.
(08/05/21 12:50pm)
You can’t pin Billie Eilish down. The 19–year–old pop prodigy cemented herself as one of the most famous teenagers in the world with her 2019 debut album, the monumental WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? The LP was co–written and produced entirely by her brother Finneas O'Connell, who recorded it with Eilish mostly in her childhood bedroom of their parents’ home in L.A. The record was a collage of Eilish’s brain, effortlessly switching between genres: art–pop, avant–folk, R&B–esque ruminations on hell, something akin to Frank Sinatra, and a song that even sampled The Office. It was a can’t–miss spectacle from the rising wunderkind, humorous yet genuinely introspective, eclectic yet cohesive, eccentric but not uncomfortable. WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? was a near–perfect thesis statement for everything Eilish stood for at the time. She was the soundtrack to your nightmares and your nights out. She was the bad guy, instantly recognizable in her oversized sweatshirts, black hair and green roots, and with her glazed ocean eyes aimed somewhere just beyond the camera.
(08/05/21 12:51pm)
Willow Smith (known mononymously as WILLOW) howls on her new poignant and brief album, lately I feel EVERYTHING. Star–studded and rippling with the voracious emotional life of a young woman in her prime, lately embodies a touching irony of sounding like a teenager venting her hormonal emotions in her dad’s garage, despite being backed by some of the biggest names in the industry and being distributed by Jay–Z’s Roc Nation Records.
(07/28/21 7:50pm)
What is the sound of the summer? The suburbs are populated with the drone of hissing lawns and kids running through front yards, but here in Philadelphia, you can hear the season blaring through the windows of cars. And for the rest of July and August, you’ll probably hear Doja Cat’s Planet Her enough times to get totally sick of it. The album’s booming bass, trap beats, and 808s are tailor–made for current radio play. But before the inevitable malaise sets in, Planet Her deserves praise for being a major label pop album that is risky, unapologetic, and blessedly free of bloat. Most unexpectedly, Doja Cat’s tailor–made–for–radio–play music is not beholden to current trends; instead, she’s a few steps ahead of the curve.
(07/28/21 7:49pm)
Two weeks ago, Halsey (née Ashley Frangipane) revealed the cover art for her new album If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power with an extravagant 13 minute YouTube video of the unveiling at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In the video, Frangipane walks barefoot around the Met wearing a strange yet elegant get–up with her pregnant stomach prominently exposed, looking at paintings of the Virgin Mary. There is no music. Only the whooshing vacant sound of the air conditioning and traffic outside can be heard while she silently walks around the museum, ominously looking at the camera every so often.
(07/15/21 1:05am)
Vince Staples is a rapper of the highest caliber, well on his way to a Pulitzer à la Kendrick Lamar. That being said, it’s disappointing that his new self–titled album is so artfully reserved that it lacks the passion that his previous projects had.
(07/08/21 12:22am)
When one thinks of disco, clubs and endless dancing immediately come to mind. A complex layer of instruments is needed, involving everything from heavy synths to playful violins to create that indescribable magical feeling. Careful attention must be paid to every measure since one misplaced note could ruin the entire musical atmosphere. Under the producer pseudonym dj blackpower, MIKE merges the rules of disco with cloud rap, successfully using samples to make his point clearer. With the precision of a surgeon, MIKE crafts a world on Disco! where every beat plays a meaningful role.
(06/30/21 3:53pm)
If you said the name Olivia Rodrigo just seven months ago, only a few heads would have turned. Rodrigo, who at the time was known only for her appearance in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series and for her semi–viral hit “All I Want,” quickly became an overnight sensation. After she released her first solo track “drivers license,” all the stars aligned to create a hit unlike any other. A massive TikTok following, viral memes, and endless praise catapulted the song to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for not just one but eight straight weeks. This feat would be impressive for any song, let alone for an artist’s debut single. “drivers license” seemed like a once–in–a–lifetime combination of word of mouth and public interest, but Rodrigo would go on to be even more successful. Besides landing eight songs from her album SOUR in the top 10 of the Streaming Songs chart, Rodrigo also placed every track from SOUR in the top 30 of the Hot 100. Based on these statistics, it would seem that Billboard accurately represented Rodrigo’s trajectory from a Disney star to a global pop sensation.
(06/23/21 5:15pm)
From humble beginnings performing at open mic events to winning a Mercury Prize for their sophomore album Visions of a Life, alternative rock band Wolf Alice has always strived to reach greater heights. They continue to push the envelope on their third album Blue Weekend, the culmination of all the best work the band has produced so far. Although the band opts for a poppier sound, straying further from the rock and punk that blasted them into the indie mainstream, they don’t lose their signature knack for storytelling.
(06/23/21 5:14pm)
Jack Antonoff is sort of a jack–of–all–trades when it comes to pop music. Well, at least he tries to be.
