Jo

I will admit straight up that I've only heard the first few Cure albums. The Cure was a band that I respected from a distance. I assumed that they were, like other bands of their era, making an album every few years and touring constantly. Rising the old highs and good will earned over the years.

I was wrong.

The Cure as it turns out still have things to say and in this album they still sound as youthful and restless as they ever have. This album could have any other band named attached and you might assume that it's the work of some hot new Gothic rock group about to break out, but it's the fucking Cure!

I've done… More

I am a total newcomer to Hop Along but their sound is great. I like that it's not quite like any one of the genres listed on their Wikipedia page but a mysterious soup that contains elements of each of those genres, the tempo of punk, emo vocals, power pop guitar sound.

The lead vocalist, Frances Quinlan, has incredible control of her voice and opts to create melodies that employ more than a few styles within a verse or chorus. She can alternate between straightforward singing, strained vocalization, and speech-singing.

Really great record. Would love to go back in their discography and see how their unique sound evolved.

Fav. Track: Powerful Man

I think if you were cynical you could say that this album was created and dropped suddenly to capitalize on the public beef between Drake and Kendrick. Instead, the album has some of Lamar's most interesting thoughts about his relationships to his peers and how he sees his place within the artform of rap.

A credible release, with some of Kendrick's best lines yet. Mustard!

Fav. Track: reincarnated

Really charming. Not familiar with Cindy Lee but the album had sent really cute, sappy love songs that I can see myself returning to. The albums length makes it feel like it's the soundtrack to a lost early 2010's indie film, which may or may not be for everyone.

I listened to this waking up on my birthday and after a restless sleep. It was definitely an interesting album to wake up to but no complaints at all.