Sonder: Album Review

After some delays, Dermot Kennedy released his sophomore album Sonder on Friday. It’s been a 3 year wait since Kennedy’s debut album, but not a tough one for fans. Over the last 3 years, he’s released several singles that have made their way on to the new album. Sonder picks up where Without Fear left off musically. It’s got several bops and plenty of songs that are so painstakingly beautiful that may damage you if you’ve ever had feelings.

Sonder is a quality pop record with hints of hip-hop on a few tracks similar to Kennedy’s last release. It’s a style of pop with such powerful vocals where you can hear his Irish accent in every song. Honestly his music hits you deeply to the core and this album has that and everything else you’ve already loved about Dermot Kennedy. “Innocence and Sadness”, “Any Love”, and “Already Gone”, are some of those deeply aching songs for me. I’ve been jamming to hits like “Something to Someone”and “Kiss Me” over the course of this year and then “Divide” and “Homeward” since the album dropped. “Better Days” was released last year as a hopeful song when the world was in such a dark place due to the ever existing panny d. He has even said how much joy it brings him performing that song live now.

Speaking of live shows, Dermot Kennedy will be embarking on the Sonder Tour next year. He has a few shows before the end of this year then starts the European leg of the tour in March. He begins his American dates in May. I already have tickets. This was the first time I was willing to drop significant money on him too. I’ve seen him 4 times and almost all have been for free. Dermot Kennedy was my favorite find of Coachella 2019. His concert in February 2020 ended up being my last show for a good 15 months and I was stoked to be able to see him twice last year at Lollapalooza and ACL after the whole ordeal. Finally though, it was time for me to admit that I’m a fan and go all in on tickets. This Sonder tour is going to be an epic celebration of this beautiful new album.

The Car: Album Review

It’s been a big fall for new album releases and a comeback of sorts for several artists, including the Arctic Monkeys, who released their seventh studio album, The Car on October 21st. The last Monkeys release came in 2018 with Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino. Throughout the last 9 years, since the release of their most successful album to date, AM, their sound faded from alternative/indie rock to lounge music.

Alex Turner’s voice has always been that of a crooner, but earlier Arctic Monkeys music feels like a full band experience from Turner’s vocals to Matt Helders’ drum beats to Nick O’Malley’s bass lines and especially to the unique and edgy riffs from Jamie Cook and Turner, himself. The Arctic Monkeys had such an established alternative/indie rock sound that has depleted over the last several years. According to Turner, it isn’t changing either. That being said for someone like me who found a great enjoyment in the Arctic Monkeys’ earlier records, this album is tough to get into.

I think you have to be in a certain type of chill space to take in so many of these lounge pop tracks that sound straight out of a 1960’s speakeasy. The music has such a dark, dreamy, and nostalgic feel, which isn’t something that hits for me. If there was any stand out song on this record I really like, it’s “Body Paint,” from the lyrical references of deception to the faint remnants of old Arctic Monkeys songs.

The Arctic Monkeys are currently playing some international fall dates and festivals in support of The Car with worldwide dates planned for 2023. Thankfully with seven studio albums, their set lists span across the last 20 years of their existence so we’ll likely be hearing all the hits, both new and old. And yes I do plan on seeing them play a full set this time around, compared to my brief Arctic Monkeys experience while working their show at Forest Hills in 2018. As for this new record, unfortunately, this is an album you might want to skip unless you’re a big Monkeys fan or prefer the style of music they’ve grown into.

Being Funny in a Foreign Language: Album Review

About a week ago I returned from a 6 week run of festivals. It was one of my longest and most challenging runs since I started working in the industry. I’m pleased to say it went so well and I’m so grateful for all of the experiences I had this fall. Alternatively, about a week and a half ago, the 1975 released their newest record Being Funny in a Foreign Language. It’s their fifth full length album since 2013’s self-titled debut album and their latest since 2020’s Notes on a Conditional Form. Unlike some bands, the 1975 never toured in support of their 2020 release, but instead went back in the studio to produce an entirely new catalog of music.

Being Funny in a Foreign Language is the perfect fall/early winter album, with a few songs referencing winter or Christmas (“Wintering” and “When We Are Together”). The first song titled “The 1975”, like every first song on every album they’ve ever released, even gives LCD Soundsystem “All My Friends” vibes. The album as a whole is so focused on love in such a happy way. It’s unique to other 1975 albums in this regard. The band partnered with famed producer Jack Antonoff on the album. I feel like when artists work with Jack their albums could be hit or miss for me. Lorde was a hard miss, whereas Lana Del Rey was a hit. The 1975 is definitely a hit as well. Despite the cliché love focused lyricism, the album is filled with a mix of indie pop ballads and bops, reminiscent of other 1975 records. That being said the album has a more pop feel than other records as well, but still stays true to the band’s sound that can be heard on their earliest hits like “Chocolate”, “Girls”, and “Heart Out”.

The 1975 kicks off the tour for their new record on November 3rd. I’ve seen the 1975 play 4 times. Each time I’ve seen them at a festival I worked. This is the first time I’ll be catching them on tour and actually paying for a ticket. I cannot wait! I’ve slowly developed a love for these guys that didn’t exist when my friends saw them play a show in 2014 at a small venue about an hour away from here. I didn’t quite get it then, but sometimes that stuff takes time. Now I’m a fan and ready to see Matty Healy and company tear through this excellent new record while playing all their hits from past albums especially the ones we all missed in 2020. If you’re a fan of the 1975, you’re likely going to like Being Funny in a Foreign Language just as much as you’ve liked past records. It’s definitely something different from the British indie rockers, but never strays too far from what you’re used to.

Give Me the Future: Album Review

In February, while I was solely focused on writing Coachella Band Previews, several of my favorite bands dropped some new albums and I neglected to review them. The first of those was Bastille. On February 4th, Bastille released Give Me the Future. They dropped several tracks during 2021 in anticipation of the new album. Give Me the Future is Bastille’s fourth full length album and their latest since 2019.

Bastille is a band that has such a defining sound from Dan Smith’s smooth vocals. Their sound has always been a welcome consistency for me. That consistency lacks for a handful of artists so it’s nice when it exists. I will say the sound on the new album incorporates this modern, tech-y, futuristic style sound that is unique to other Bastille records, but it’s just enough to make their album sound different without making them sound different. A perfect example of this is “Plug In…” or “Back to the Future.” The theme of the album has such a deep, meaningful nature with the lyrical content too. The band credits that to the wild turn the world took in 2020 with the pandemic and what came from it.

As much as I always enjoy the music Bastille puts out, I have to say this album as a whole didn’t really do much for me. There’s a few songs I enjoy like “Shut Off the Lights” and “No Bad Days,” but overall as a whole it hasn’t really stuck out. Nonetheless, I’m grateful for the new tunes, many of which I heard over the last year before the whole album came out! Maybe that’s part of the reason why I haven’t felt as hype about it. Many of the songs I like came out before the album release. The ones I hadn’t heard yet didn’t really stick out. That could be it. I feel like I’m being picky about it. As a fan of Bastille and indie pop though, I still say it’s worth listening to and something you should decide on for yourself.

30: Album Review

Since May of 2019 when Adele made a social media post about her 30th year, fans across the globe (me included) waited for a new album. After speculation it would come in 2020, getting delayed, and plenty of teasing moments of her name trending on social media, Adele finally released the first single, “Easy On Me”, from her new album 30 back in October 2021. This also came with the announcement that her new record would drop on November 19th. I knew I would be in LA that day and while there I made sure I stayed up long enough to listen to the new record that dropped at midnight EST. From the brief run through that night, I realized this was Adele’s most musically diverse album yet.

Adele’s albums are usually pretty predictable – heart breaking ballads and occasionally a bop like “Rolling in the Deep”. This album had a mix of all of it plus some tracks that sound straight out of the 40’s or 50’s. There’s a track that adds an electronic flavor to her repertoire with “Oh My God,” one of two bops from 30. You also get some classic 19 era Adele with “Cry Your Heart Out.” The album is different, but it works.

I pre-ordered the album a few weeks earlier because I knew I wouldn’t be in town to grab it right away. I got the Target version which included 3 exclusive tracks, “Wild Wild West,” “Can’t Be Together,” and a version of “Easy on Me” with Chris Stapleton. Honestly I’m glad I got it because I really dig “Wild Wild West” and especially “Can’t Be Together.” Both songs could have easily been on the standard version of the record.

Overall, I don’t think this is Adele’s best album. I like that she diversified her music a bit and I like some of it, maybe even most of it, but I just wasn’t into all of it. 21 and 25 are tough to beat too. 30 does have several songs that will be Adele faves for years to come though. “Easy on Me” is the perfect first single. “I Drink Wine” is so relatable and I still can’t get over “Oh My God” and “Can I Get It.” The point is even if this album isn’t my fave it’s still going to be massively successful, because even if it’s not the best, it’s still Adele and she’s the best. She’s a superstar. She can definitely get it and I’m not sure we’ll ever be able to get enough.

Loving in Stereo: Album Review

Despite the past year with artists being unable to tour or play live music for quite some time, many have released new music. There were plenty of new albums I was stoked for and enjoyed last year. This year was much of the same when we didn’t know the status of events (but even still, as concerts and festivals returned). Lorde recently released her much anticipated third album. girl in red dropped her debut album in the spring. Then of course there’s still Adele’s new album which I’ve been anticipating for 2 years now. Will we ever get it? Time will tell.

Another album that recently dropped was British indie funk band Jungle’s third album, Loving in Stereo. From the moment Jungle released the first single from the album, “Keep Moving”, back in March, I knew their latest album would be another great one. Loving in Stereo was released on August 13th and it has everything you already loved about Jungle plus more.

The new album brings the same funk focused music of Jungle while bridging the gap into other genres as well. There are certain instances when I don’t like when a band or artist’s sound evolves because it completely strays from their original sound. In this case though, the evolution of Jungle’s sound is perfect. The album crosses into rap, reggae, and indie pop music while still bringing that funk sound that makes Jungle so unique. It also features collabs with rapper Bas and musician Priya Ragu. Much like Jungle’s first two albums, Loving in Stereo will keep you dancing from start to finish with bops like “Keep Moving”, “Talk About It”, “Truth”, and “All of the Time”. If you’re looking for more of that classic Jungle vibey funk sound though, you’ll want to listen to “Lifting You”, “Bonnie Hill”, or “Can’t Stop the Stars”. The album has already been charting on various album lists across the world including Billboard, OCC (UK), and ARIA (Australia) among others.

Jungle will be embarking on a tour across Europe and North America this fall in support of the album. The tour includes several U.S. dates this October. Some of the dates have already sold out. Unfortunately due to work obligations, I won’t be able to catch any of Jungle’s tour dates this fall so I’m hoping they’ll play the festival circuit next year and I’ll get to see them perform once again. This new album is so far an unexpected favorite of 2021 for me and I think the group’s best to date. I’m expecting good things for Jungle in the near future so check out Loving in Stereo as soon as possible.

if i could make it go quiet: Album Review

Since discovering girl in red last fall, I’ve joined the fans anticipating her debut album and finally it’s here. if i could make it go quiet, the debut album from girl in red, was released on Friday. The album was released through indie label AWAL and produced by girl in red herself, Marie Ulven, along with Matias Tellez and includes some production credit from Finneas O’Connell (aka Finneas, the brother of Billie Eilish). Throughout the past year girl in red released a few tracks in anticipation of the album including, “midnight love” and “Rue” last year, followed by “Serotonin” in March 2021 and “You Stupid Bitch” two weeks ago.

The album, as promised, features what we know and love about girl in red with a more mature feel. So yes, it’s indie pop/rock music about girls and love, but also with a jam about mental health and lacking serotonin. The quality of the record definitely feels more developed from girl in red’s earlier work too. This is the kind of album that could be the soundtrack to a solo drive in your car while on a road trip. I could also envision listening to this album while laying alone in a wide open field.

My early front-runners for favorite songs on the album are “Body And Mind”, “Serotonin”, which is an absolute banger, “You Stupid Bitch”, and “I’ll Call You Mine”. One thing I’ve always got from girl in red is that she doesn’t hold back in her writing. She says what she wants and it’s evident in so many of her tracks on the debut record. Listen to “Serotonin”, “Did You Come?”, and “hornylovesickness” if you want to see what I mean. I think this attribute to her music is what makes girl in red so great in her own way.

So far I feel like this year has had a slow start, both in general and musically, but even though we’re 5 months in, there’s still time. There’s plenty of potential for good things to happen and great new music to be released. girl in red’s debut album is one sign of that optimistic view for this year as it’s a solid indie album from front to back. Ironically, it boosted my serotonin and I hope it does the same for you as well.

Notes On A Conditional Form: Album Review

In a time where there’s not much in the immediate future to look forward to, we thankfully still have music. New albums and songs are still being released. Some releases may have been delayed, but they’re still happening this year. For an industry that’s been crushed by this world wide crisis, it offers a glimmer of hope and an abundance of jams.

Today, The 1975 dropped their highly anticipated fourth album, Notes On A Conditional Form. The album release was twice delayed already this year, but every few weeks a new single from the album was released in the lead up to this weekend’s official release. To me, this feels like The 1975’s most ambitious album to date. Stylistically, it crosses genres, yet still maintains the indie/synth pop sound well associated with The 1975.

An inkling of this genre breach happened when the band dropped one of the new album’s first songs, “People.” The track sounds more like a punk rock/hardcore anthem than anything you’ve ever heard from The 1975 in the past. I remember being pleasantly surprised with the vibe of the new song as someone who grew up listening to punk and hardcore music, but I still questioned where the band was going with it. As more songs were released, I was assured that their new album would be full of stylistic surprises.

In early April, The 1975 released the song “Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America,” which features indie folk rock artist, Phoebe Bridgers, who was supposed to join the band on their 2020 tour until it was inevitably postponed. The song is a testament to Bridgers’ folk rock style. The only thing that gives it away is Matty Healy’s vocals, but even Healy’s sound succumbs to the song style. “Playing on My Mind” also has that indie folk feel.

“Roadkill,” which wasn’t released prior to the full album, sounds like it could’ve come off a Sam Hunt record. It’s got an unmistakable country twang. Despite the country vibe, it still feels like a 1975 indie pop song. I kind of love it. There’s also a few interlude tracks on the record that bridge into another genre as well. These songs take the standard synth pop sound of the band into a more electronic sound. “Shiny Collarbone” and about halfway through “Having No Head” are those dance tracks.

The album is full of songs that sound like what you would expect from The 1975 too. There’s several bangers like “Me & You Together Song”, “If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)”, and “Frail State of Mind” and smooth rock ballads like “Guys”, “The Birthday Party”, “Don’t Worry”, and “Nothing Revealed/Everything Denied.” It’s honestly such a great mix of music.

Like I said, this album feels different than what we’re used to from The 1975, but it blends genres remarkably well and still gives us the sound that we’re looking for. It may have taken me an album to actually get into The 1975 (I really got into them after “The Sound” from I like it when you sleep…), but I’ve been a fan ever since. I’ve always really been into their hits. “The Sound” (obviously), “Sex”, “Heart Out”, “Chocolate”, and “It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)” are a few of my favorites. This new album feels different in a good way though and even the songs I don’t typically fall for, I love. I think if you’re an indie music fan or a music fan in general, you can find something on this record that you’ll like. It’s got something for everyone. But really, you might just love it all, it’s that good. So give it a shot. If you don’t find it appealing, my solution is that maybe you would like it better if you took off your clothes. (Of course, that one is my favorite!)

CHAMPION: Album Review

A few weeks ago Bishop Briggs released her sophomore album CHAMPION. Her debut came out about a year and a half ago and in that time Briggs has been touring while simultaneously working on new music. Bishop Briggs released the bonus track “Hold On” in 2018 as well as the single “Baby”. Neither made the cut for the new album. In the weeks leading up to the release, Briggs released several new songs featured on the album. One of those singles was the title track “CHAMPION” which has since reached the number 22 position on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.

CHAMPION picks up right where Church of Scars left off. It’s filled with more soulful alternative/indie rock jams. It’s a great follow up, especially with sure hits like CHAMPION, the break up anthem “TATTOOED ON MY HEART”, and “CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?”. If anything I think this album differs only slightly stylistically due to the less predominant bass in the tracks. Even with that slight difference, the bass is still there, just a bit less than in Bishop Briggs’ debut.

This album is definitely worthy of a listen for alternative/indie music fans, especially those who love Bishop Briggs and her powerhouse vocals. Bishop Briggs has yet to announce any 2020 tour dates but is currently finishing up this year touring in Europe. I suspect she’ll be going strong into the new year with more shows and festivals after this new release late in 2019. Keep an eye out for her and her tunes in the new year because she’s bound to be on the 2020 concert/festival radar.

Norman Fucking Rockwell!: Album Review

On Labor Day Weekend, Lana Del Rey released her sixth full length album Norman Fucking Rockwell! The new album brings more of that haunting pop sound that Lana is so famous for. Lana collaborated with famed producer and Bleachers front man Jack Antonoff on the record. Leading up to the release, she released several singles contained on the new record including a cover of Sublime’s “Doin’ Time”.

I’ve been a fan of Lana Del Rey since the Born to Die days. In my opinion, her first three albums had a similar sound and feel. But since Honeymoon, her fourth album, her sound has chilled out even more, which is saying something for Lana Del Rey. Norman Fucking Rockwell! brings back some of what I’ve been missing from Lana Del Rey music for the past few years, yet still ties in that melodic, haunting and peaceful sound that has been a primary element of her last two records.

I will say lyrically Lana’s later records have more meaning and depth compared to her earlier works. However, there is something pretty awesome about the line “My pussy tastes like Pepsi cola…” This new record brings in plenty of summer and west coast vibes with songs like “California”, “Doin’ Time”, “Fuck It I Love You” and the nearly 10 minute long track “Venice Bitch”. A lot of Lana Del Rey’s music has a similar carefree Bohemian style quality with themes involving love, sex, partying, America, and the west coast. I feel like her music is something I should be against yet, I fucking love it.

If you’re into Lana Del Rey, you’ve clearly already checked out this album. Otherwise, you probably don’t need to listen to this one. It’s nothing extraordinary unless you’re already a Lana fan. Although, if you’re a west coast fan, you may find a few gems in the track listing. If you’re a Lana Del Rey fan who hasn’t listened to this one yet, you should definitely listen to Norman Fucking Rockwell! asap.