Despite the disparate styles and messages, there's a seamlessness to the record that can only be credited to Aitchison and frequent collaborator and executive producer A.G. Cook's deft songwriting and production. They've created an Event Pop Record with purpose, pointing the way forward while positioning Aitchison as a pop artist with something to say.

While casual listeners may find this humour flippant, given the topics explored on Miami Memory, closer listens reveal a mature and surprisingly au courant album that grapples with complex social issues in a commendably fearless way.

Corpse Flower has a dynamic sound that is interesting for anyone. The record is another example of the masterful musicianship of Patton and showcases Vannier's capabilities in crafting perfectly balanced pieces of music.

Wrapping The Practice of Love in avant-pop instrumentation, Hval nimbly threads complex sentiments through its prismatic shades of sound.

Overall, the Pixies' seventh album is palatable — the songs are generally likeable — but it lacks excitement.

House of Sugar steps into volatile, subterranean moods not quite grounded in reality, flitting towards soupy daydreams and murky fantasy worlds. Giannascoli's creativity is endless and as he continues his never-ending output of mysteriously disorienting and strangely familiar songs, he's becoming stronger and weirder with every album.

As far as comeback albums go, May the Lord Watch is resurgence done right. But if you're new to the North Carolina duo, listen to their older work first for context.

The juxtaposition of her soft yet strong vocals draws you into her ghostly world, both dark and thrilling. Birth of Violence is a work of art that will please old fans and draw in new listeners too.

Musically, Tool have taken the best of Lateralus's dynamism and the heaviness of 10,000 Days to explore the middle ground with great length on Fear Inoculum. Those who stuck it out through the decade-plus wait won't mind hanging around a little longer until the album's close.

While the album's emergence is wholly indicative of frontman Joseph Mount's supposed "need to feed his children," in Metronomy Forever, the band have nonetheless blessed the world with at least a handful of tracks worthy of even the snobbiest dance floors.

The result is a listening experience that demonstrates a capacity for intimacy, but more often acts as an intermission or interruption to an otherwise steady pace.

If Soft Landing doesn't make you feel good inside, all the drugs in the world won't help you.

The album is at its best when the Highwomen subvert country tropes.

On the whole, via his work and commentary, Iggy Pop has pushed our world to think and act differently, and he brings that same mission of liberation to himself on Free.

Something Like a War feels ambitious and searching, navigating the complex experiences of Bainbridge and their collaborators.

Frankie Cosmos continues to succeed at condensing the task of processing feelings down into short minute-ish long songs. The pace of the album is set at a brisk run, but it never gets sweaty, so you'd never notice how quick it is — or how hard it's working. Close It Quietly is composed and meticulous in flow, flawlessly delivering reserved passion.

At the Party is lusher and more delicate than its grungy predecessor, Mother of My Children, but no less powerful. Paul's latest is a warm and appreciative ode to the joys of passing the time with people you love.

Green's latest effort is a pleasant and sometimes surprising record. Yet, the album's constant adherence an identikit version of the '60s crooners struggles to land any outstanding tracks.

Is the best rap/rap-adjacent album of the year? It's definitely a contender. Is it the most important album of the year? Probably. Should you be listening to it right now? Without question.

The Competition may be Lower Dens' most accessible album, but its best moments come when the band slow down and strips back their sound.

Pleasure and happiness live alongside unease on Lost Girls. Khan is able to pierce through the darkness while still honouring it, and in doing so, acknowledges the validity of her emotions.

Pharmakon's devouring is whole and ugly, but it carries a rewarding narrative about the importance of suffering — we're eating ourselves alive, but we're also becoming stronger for it, each act of self-cannibalization and each listen to this album more like a single coil in an upward spiral of transcendence than a snake eating its own tail.

Occasionally on Wallop, !!! sound either too world-weary or too committed to being incendiary to relay ideas relevant to listeners. But at their best, the band maintain their convictions about privilege, power and culture and present them as defiant, monumental tracks.

Awakening isn't going to change anyone's life, but Sacred Reich sound like they're having fun, and on thrash records like this one, that can be worth its weight in gold.

While it might be daunting to have close to 20 duets of mixed genres all on one album, it works for Crow and her crew. These collaborations show flair and offer a little bit of something for everyone, making Threads that much more appealing.

As their 2015 album relied on a pair on vocalists, Mutado Pintado and Paris Brightledge, sophomore full-length PL utilizes a whole stable of collaborators to create a pleasingly wobbly and splintered set of songs.

Though relying on their well-worn instrumental strengths and lacking Light Upon the Lake's compositional variance, Forever Turned Around sharpens Whitney's songwriting for another intimate collection of heartfelt tunes.

Although new listeners may find this brand of new wave revival frivolous in such an oversaturated pool of sound-alikes, longtime fans, or those who listen close enough, will hear a band who has a little more weight beneath the surface than their contemporaries. Songwriting that isn't always complementary, but bold nonetheless.

Powers is a surprisingly sturdy comeback album that sounds exactly how you remember the Futureheads, and that, at least for nostalgia's sake at least, isn't a bad thing at all.

On Like the River Loves the Sea, Joan Shelley proves she may be the only active musician who can surround herself with collaborators and sound exactly like herself.

Sonically, the album is a time capsule of the greatest moments in black music history. Lyrically, it's hard-hitting reality about the present day, the good, the bad and the horrific — but it's also a captivating tale about using love as a weapon to overcome, as well as the reality that sometimes love also fails, whether it be romantic, platonic or social.

The result of those sessions, While I'm Livin', is perhaps the finest full-length in Tucker's storied five-decade career.

He's has created a blistering and often beautiful protest album. Let's hope his fever catches; it'd do us all some good.

At its worst, the effect is soporific, but if you're looking for a comforting, cushiony soundscape, Cala is good company. It's when Regan opts for crisper, more invigorated sounds, though, that the album really shines.

Lover hears Swift back on stable ground. Her songwriting is as careful, detailed and impressive as ever, she's nestled into a perfect pop niche, and it seems like being totally in love has let her head drift off into the clouds a bit. The best part: Lover lets fans wander off into the daydream with her.

Every song on The End of Radio has by now made it on to a Shellac release, but it's a testament to the singular artistry of this band that these two Peel sessions provoke pleasant feelings of awe and surprise at things that sound both familiar, yet fascinatingly alien.

Braindrops is a tumultuous and compelling listen.

The once nitty-gritty production that better helped listeners live in Sheer Mag's retro world has been tidied up. Having polished up so much that the line between self-awareness and cliché is stretched thin, it's hard to tell whether a concept has been burrowed or held hostage all together. In many ways, the charm is gone. Thankfully, a song like "Hardly to Blame," finds ways to make the best of less-than-ideal situations.

Love's Last Chance is lazy summer listening. It reveals a mindful DJ/keyboardist/producer and now vocalist who has progressed from someone who, in his words, "made beats every day," to someone who's on to something good.

Much of what Duterte has accomplished on Anak Ko reflects the balancing act depicted in its album artwork: songs that weave together contributions from a range of players, carried by Duterte's singular vision.

Although it may not be the best project that Young Thug has released, certain tracks off So Much Fun are guaranteed to become classic party anthems played at max volume for years.

There is a simmering sense of joy and positivity throughout, even while the lyrical content often remains affectingly bittersweet. Lay's voice is soft and lovely, and her vocals are more meandering than melodic. But her voice also carries an unpretentious gravitas that helps to ground the album.

Sometimes, a cloud isn't just a cloud, and Morgan's Equivalents offers a space to ponder the difference.

Basking in the Glow is an album for fans of the courteous yet invigorating style of emo that Death Cab for Cutie and Jimmy Eat World made popular. Oso Oso's latest is a brisk invitation to savour the small stuff, to embrace insecurities, and to hang on to those head-rushing moments.

Atonement is a monster record in an almost untouchable career.

Like the best of old-school R&B, - Ugh, those feels again has a heavy hip-hop influence and an aura of feel-good innocence throughout, even on darker songs like "Love Like That" and the infectious, call-and-response number "Nothing to Me."

As one should expect from King Gizz, Infest the Rats' Nest never repeats itself, flying through idea after idea like a heart-stopping drop into the rock'n'roll depths of "Hell," the final track.

The couple's adoration for each other is every bit as potent as their social consciousness, on "P.A.L" and "Fruitful," two of the cosmic quiet storm cuts that comprise the album's second half. And when Aloe Blacc drops by on "Smile," something's seriously amiss if your body doesn't move.

Putting its small shortcomings aside, Everything That Dies is nonetheless brutally visceral, uniquely textured and unexpectedly melodic. In their second collaborative effort, Uniform & the Body seamlessly put their own personalized twist on nu metal, proving once again that they can work together to take the genre to shocking new dimensions.

This Is Not a Safe Place is a fine album with some songs that, with time, could become Ride staples. However, there are times where the band crumble under the pressure of bringing both a progression in sound, as well as a catering to their older audiences.

To some fans, The Center Won't Hold might always be remembered as the album that convinced Sleater-Kinney's legendary drummer to leave. But really, it should be celebrated as a brave left turn, where one of indie rock's most consistent bands took a giant creative leap 25 years into their career and stuck the landing with poise.

Animated Violence Mild is a powerful collection of music made in response to a phenomenon that is too pervasive to ignore in the world today, and one well worth the listen.

These songs evoke an assortment of characters — a washed comedian, a wayward traveller, a group of disengaged partygoers, a doomed mobster — who tend to be down on their luck and feeling like they're wasting their lives away. But there's also a sense of movement — in time and space — that suggests that while things are strange and messy and definitely not ideal, there's more on the horizon.

If The Lost Boy was the new wave rapper's most substantial test of talent and longevity, YBN Cordae passed with flying colours.

It's rich and endlessly rewarding. i,i brings together Justin Vernon's evolving, career-spanning vision for Bon Iver into one satisfying, defining work.

With an honest and unflinching stance, Chris Cohen effectively creates a series of songs that allow for a slight glimpse into the melancholy and inevitable contentment that accompany a candid existence.

The album is a tad long, but the diversity in sounds and use of ambient noise make it clear this is to be listened to from beginning to end. There are plenty of single-worthy songs for casual listeners, while offering dedicated fans a more fulfilling experience by pacing the record's heavy moments.

Overall, the songs on record two are smarter, punchier and catchier than the ones the first time around. How Do You Love? is summer pop punk at its finest, music that can no doubt soundtrack the rest of your summer.

These songs are infectious enough that they ought to catch just about anyone's ear.

The project is packed with enough ammunition to hit that mark.

The EP's mix of the myriad styles presented (drone-influenced electronica, dancehall, progressive synths) come together in a way that makes the experience feel unique.

Even the bangers on Brandon Banks are thoughtful. ... All that thematic ambition, along with the minimalist yet catchy instrumentals and Kream's unfussy, but deceptively thoughtful lyrics, make Brandon Banks the breakout debut of the summer.

Clairo's stylistic variability sets her apart from these artists however, and while some more time and resources wouldn't be unwelcome on a sophomore effort, Immunity confirms she's one to watch.

Strange Ranger's music rambles along in sync with our inner thoughts — joyful and cheery, but at times full of doubt and overthinking. There are no definitive conclusions on Remembering the Rockets, but instead an analysis of friendships, relationships and everything in between, letting it all spill out in an extensive afterthought.

This album, Segall's 13th, is a sonic buffet that will likely have you reaching for a second helping. If this is your first foray into the dense world of Segall, you're in for a mouthful with First Taste.

Following ECM's 21-disc retrospective Art Ensemble Of Chicago and Associated Ensembles, this new collection serves as a forward-looking, optimistic companion.

Emily Alone is a landmark LP, recorded swiftly to perfectly capture urgent beauty and raw authenticity in its purest forms.

In the end, Everything Hits at Once may not be the most necessary thing. But, like most of Spoon's material, it is a well-crafted, admirable work — a pleasurable end unto itself.

The Big Day has enough ideas, sounds and flows to justify its vast breath. What's more: it finally gives us a glimpse at Chance's multitudes, letting us accompany him to the altar and the confessional, instead of restricting him to the pulpit. (Independent)

Dig beneath all the sneering sarcasm and laissez faire projection, however, and you find a band stuck in strict formation with the subject matter of their songs. For much of its runtime, Dudu, the cheekily titled followup to 2017's Dada, operates as a series of short diatribes.

Though the band have toed the line between boyish charm and adolescent callousness for most of their career, this ambivalence has not aged well, and often obscures the more successful moments of sincerity on the record.

Subtly sad, sweetly distorted and at times outright trippy, the result is perfect for long drives under summer skies.

At only 22 minutes, Cut Your Teeth is a head-spinning rip made for repeated plays. Listeners are guaranteed to rage and laugh at the same time, every time.

The album is fun and enjoyable, but it never really reaches what they are capable of as a dynamic group. Every song bleeds into the next, almost sounding the same. It's not the worst feature ever, but as a collection, it doesn't stick out as anything exceptional.

Personal tumult is not an unusual topic for an album, especially by someone in their 20s, but McMahon's sharp lyrical phrases and outstanding voice are enough to make Salt a fresh and exhilarating debut.

At the end of the day Tony Molina is just a guy who loves making music, and this is clear in every second of the layered, hard-hitting Songs from San Mateo County.

Its explorations are well considered and the rewards for following along are many.

Dunn's ability to subsume the subject into his detailed sonic landscapes with minor shifts in the onslaught of drones speaks to this album's ability to impact a wide-ranging listenership. From Here to Eternity serves as a masterful articulation of the power of ambient music.

There's nothing here we haven't heard done better somewhere else. Sum 41 can and have done better.

Guitarist Reine Fiske joins them, fitting in seamlessly: the power and energy they work up on "Skink/Fugl Fønix" could power a train. Despite some slow spots, the two volumes of Psychedelic Backfire show Elephant9 as an engaging and exciting live act, a dazzling mix of rock rhythms and jazzy interplay.

Never before have the band felt so complete and realized in causality of their sound than on Modern Mirror.

King's Mouth is a light album, one that — in its best moments — ties the fantasy of its central conceit to a studied sense of reality

Masquerading as a complement to SYRE, ERYS is a near replica of Jaden's previous effort, whose similarities run too close to repetition to make a true impact. The four-song arc that introduces the album (the "PINK" to SYRE'S "BLUE") doesn't quite hold the same ingenuity the second time around.

No mere addendum, it lives up to the high bar set by Hynes, while giving us a small, but significant, glimpse into his process.

"Let's Rock" is stripped-down, straightforward and ultimately, a blast. Not a single track meanders past the four-minute mark, bringing the band's best to the forefront: Fun jams chock full of Big Riff Energy.

Despite simple song structures and repetitive riffs, the personality of the vocals keeps the album from falling flat. Rhythmic shifts, cartoonish keyboard appearances and surprise instrumental breaks make it hard to get too comfortable.

Somehow, the players have managed to escape our universe, and what they've brought back with them is both captivating and indescribably beautiful.

Ada Lea's workmanship is striking on what we say in private, as she delicately showcases both the chaos and beauty of change.

Weather pushes the boundaries of Tycho's traditional sound, and in so doing, proves there is something serious to be said about stepping outside the comfort zone.

A Khruangbin dub record isn't particularly Earth-shattering, especially when dub was already so present in their music. But it's an opportunity for the band to really show off their strengths and further establish what makes them unique.

These unapologetically authentic offerings are balanced with several from the band's comparatively tidier self-titled LP era. The unholy marriage of mayhem and hookery on the infectiously melodic "Dirty Shirt" and "Leave Me Out" begs to be bowed to.

Torche are one of the most important and unique heavy bands of the last decade, and Admission serves as another solid entry in their catalogue. For a full picture of the band, Admission is the record.

There are layers to Bleached that are yet to be uncovered. Whether it's worth waiting for is a question still left unanswered.

Old Star sounds as new as it does born of another epoch, reminding us that though genres and scenes may change, the riff is eternal.

Standout tracks "Chlorine" and "Round" start the album off strong, but the downside is that the rest of the album feels drawn out, with more valleys than peaks. If you're not actively listening to each track, it can feel like the album is a long interlude that fades into the background.

It does little to dispel any of the mystery that surrounds the band, even while proving them worthy of the praise they've received across the pond.

This is DIY revolution groove and as such, is an inspiration to those who wish to express outside the norms.

On Dawnbreaker, ten tracks elegantly come together to tell the story of a person at the crossroads of their life, and a quiet struggle towards contentment.