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(06/16/19 7:00am)
My best friend’s feet rest on the dashboard of my dad’s old car as we drive around in an attempt to escape the heat. My high school years were spent almost exactly like this—summer days stretched between coffee shop chess games, aimless visits to Target, and poorly planned trips to the city. Behind the fragments of our conversation and the hum of the air conditioner has always been the latest song to emerge from the shuffle of my summer playlist.
(06/19/19 7:00am)
Listening to Lion Babe’s soulful and laid-back second album Cosmic Wind creates a sense of warm relaxation. Jillian Hervey’s lush vocals meld smoothly with producer Lucas Goodman’s funky disco beats. Together, the duo has created an album that’s a perfect soundtrack for a chilled hang-out.
(06/09/19 4:00pm)
It is 2008 and I carry a copy of Taylor Swift's "Fearless" album in the front pocket of my suede leopard–print backpack. Pulling it out between history lessons and rocket math races, my friends and I pore over the lyric sheet as if preparing for the biggest tests of our lives. In a life characterized by experiences, there is no milestone similar to that of receiving your first album.
(06/11/19 7:00am)
A few weeks ago, The Drums took the stage at The Foundry. Playing a mix of old and new songs, they kept the crowd dancing throughout the night. Jonny Pierce, the only remaining member of the original lineup, dominated the spotlight. It felt more like a solo show with supporting musicians than an equal partnership on stage.
(05/28/19 7:00am)
On May 17th, Tyler, The Creator released his genre-bending sixth album, IGOR. On Twitter, Tyler wrote specific instructions before listening to the album: “Don’t go into this expecting a rap album. Don’t go into this expecting any album. Just go. Jump into it. I believe the first listen works the best all the way through."
(05/10/19 3:19am)
On Friday, April 26, at Underground Arts, Shannen Moser, Hatchie, and Girlpool put on a varied and memorable show.
(06/12/19 4:12pm)
P!nk’s music career spans over two decades, traversing through rock, pop and R&B. She’s one of the most commercially successful pop singers and has been considered a trailblazer for contemporary pop music. After the release of her 2000 debut album, Can’t Take Me Home, P!nk rose to fame as a new type of diva with a sense of rebellion, free–spirit and emotional rawness. She’s always been a talented vocalist, making her confessional music sound like dance anthems. While throughout her career she’s wavered in popularity, she’s always been making her own kind of music, being a voice of a generation.
(05/30/19 4:10pm)
On April 19, the Supreme Court refused to hear the case of Jamel Knox vs. the Commonwealth of PA, setting a dangerous precedent that could sanitize hip–hop. The case, which centers on local Pittsburgh rap sensation Jamel Knox aka Mayhem Mal, doesn’t slot easily into the tropes that trail hip–hop. Knox isn’t fighting drug charges nor weapon possession—he’s fighting for his right to free speech, something the criminal justice system now believes rappers shouldn’t have.
(04/30/19 2:02am)
Like many great relationships, it began with “Sex." When The 1975 released that single in 2012, it quickly became popular with teenagers and gave the Manchester band attention that their prior releases had not. With the song’s dynamic drum beat under the aggressive narration of a vapid girl explaining how she's using the lead singer, Matty Healy, to cheat on her boyfriend, how could it not? It perfectly captured the sad–but–satisfied emotional themes that colored the teen ethos of the time, when we all reblogged pictures of cigarettes and our favorite John Green quotes onto each other’s Tumblr dashboards. The group consists of four members: Healy on vocals, lead guitarist Adam Hann, bassist Ross MacDonald, and drummer George Daniel. With a band name originating from a Jack Kerouac scribbling, The 1975—in all of their grunge glory—arrived at the perfect time.
(04/25/19 7:35pm)
In 2017, indie rock band the Mountain Goats shocked their fan base with the release of Goths, which was marketed as having “NO COMPED VOCALS. NO PITCH CORRECTION. NO GUITARS.” Although comped vocals and pitch correction were always antithetical to the lo–fi Goats, the band achieved its fame through vocalist John Darnielle’s squawky voice, heavy guitar, and not much else. If Goths was a departure from form, however, then In League with Dragons, released April 26 by Merge Records, is a glorious return, made up almost entirely of lyrical and acoustic callbacks to the past quarter–century of Goats history.
(04/26/19 12:04am)
Make no mistake about Sasami—it might be easy to peg her as a shoegaze artist, but that does little to describe the blend of synth and guitar sounds on her debut album, SASAMI. It's easy to describe her sound as drawing upon her time in Cherry Glazerr as their synth player, but that, too, fails to capture the heart of it. Sasami Ashworth herself describes the album as "drafting a long, angry text in the Notes section of an iPhone and then letting it simmer," which comes close. She sings in the album's opener, "I Was A Window":
(04/26/19 1:44am)
Goodbye iconic black bangs and pining for a phone call, hello blonde bob and longing for in–person communication. While Carly Rae Jepsen’s style, sound, and musical content may have matured, her “Call Me Maybe” days still linger in her work. Her new single, “Julien,” released on April 19, is evidence of this.
(04/29/19 8:05am)
Easter Sunday is a strange day for me. It’s the one Sunday that I don’t have to get up early for church, as I always attend the Easter Vigil Mass the night before. I always feel out of place sleeping in until nine or ten in the morning, dressing in a t–shirt and jeans rather than a button–down and khakis, and I need to find a way to fill the lacuna of time I have been awarded. Usually, this comes in the form of a baseball game, but the Phillies were away this weekend. I could have shipped up to the Bronx to see the Yankees or taken a trip down to Camden Yards, but instead I spent the last few hours of Easter at Union Transfer, screaming until my voice was raw to the sounds of La Dispute.
(04/22/19 4:12am)
Lizzo wants to be America’s hype girl—or at least that’s what she leads listeners to believe, based on a discography overflowing with references to self–love, acceptance, confidence. Just take 2016’s breakout hit “Good As Hell” as an example, with its big, brassy rhythm and reminders to take care of yourself that soundtracks commercial after commercial. Lizzo’s third album, Cuz I Love You, pushes much of the same. Clocking in at a little over a half hour, it’s a bite–sized pep–talk and already a contender for album of the year, at least according to all the publications that matter.
(04/23/19 4:44am)
Donald Glover and Rihanna in a musical film together, shot over the course of a few months in Cuba. What’s not to love?
(04/26/19 1:34am)
Not Waving But Drowning, out on April 19, showcases Carner’s lyricism perfectly, as he excels in crafting prose in stories about broken friendships and new beginnings. Carner’s debut album, Yesterday’s Gone, was released in 2017, and highlighted his poetic talents interwoven with playful melodies.
(04/18/19 7:34pm)
Hatchie is the final dance montage at the end of an 80's feel–good flick. Hatchie is neon lighting and strong fog machines. Hatchie is so simultaneously classic and revolutionary, she's already making waves in her native Australia and in North America, having only put out her EP Sugar and Spice in the summer of last year.
(04/22/19 5:28am)
Front–woman Greta Kline of Frankie Cosmos has been releasing her DIY indie music on the internet since she was 16. If you have the time to scroll through her bandcamp page, you’ll find dozens of EP–like releases under the names Ingrid Superstar, Ingrid, Little Bear, the Integrates, Zebu Fur, and, finally, with a back–up band as Frankie Cosmos. Clicking on these albums with their bad photoshop and doodle cover art, you’ll find little gems of indie rock. After years of experimenting with unvarnished and poetic songs, Kline has mastered indie rock on her latest project Haunted Items.
(04/22/19 11:54pm)
It’s been a very long time since we’ve heard from Vampire Weekend; their last full length release, Modern Vampires of the City, was released in 2013. With six years under their belt, one might expect the band to return to the fold full force with a novel sound and fresh ideas. Instead, Vampire Weekend delivered a lackluster EP. Casually, This Life/Unbearably White is a fine listen: It’s moderately catchy, sonically cheery, and consistently palatable. But beyond a few shining instrumental moments, it’s immensely boring as it falls into a refined palate of the past decade’s most successful indie tropes lumped with a derivative '70s sound.
(04/22/19 3:34pm)
Kevin Abstract has been mostly quiet on the solo music front as of late, with his last full solo project being American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story in 2016. Yet ARIZONA baby, a three–track EP released April 12, marks a return for the R&B singer in a significant way. ARIZONA baby is a brief glimpse in a new direction for the 22–year–old Texan artist, and his new sounds within the three songs are fresh and captivating.
