Photo Credit: Travis Shinn The Atlas Underground Flood follows the same formula as its predecessors, seeing Morello collaborate more or less successfully with well-known artists on songs ranging from hip-hop to folk-rock. Immediately familiar invites this time consists of British punk-rockers IDLES, legendary Rush-frontman Alex Lifeson, Metallica-guitarist Kirk Hammett, and the American indie-group Manchester Orchestra. But… Read more
Photo Credit: Laith Al-Majali In 2013, Majid Jordan – the Canadian R&B duo comprised of Majid Al Maskati and Jordan Ullman – had the sort of breakout opportunity most artists can only dream of; being featured on Drake’s “Hold On, We’re Going Home” – a top 5 global hit that’s now been certified platinum in… Read more
Photo Credit: Dan Martensen Ed Sheeran’s debut album + (Plus) – which boasted four Top 10 hits in the singer-songwriter’s home country of the UK – made him an easy target for critics; who saw him as a banal, guy-next-door writing forgettable by-the-numbers love songs. For the most part, however, Sheeran’s debut album has aged surprisingly well;… Read more
Photo Credit: Ross Halfin On Dutch hard rock band Volbeat’s fifth studio album Servant of the Mind, far and away the standout track is “Wait a Minute My Girl.” The title alone sounds like something from the early Beach Boys, if not a ’90s boy band, and it certainly sticks out on a tracklisting that includes… Read more
Photo Credit: Jordan Hemingway When Wolf Alice is good, they’re really good. Brilliant. The second track on Wolf Alice’s third studio album is one of the most well-written songs of the year, telling the tale of a young girl’s quest for a spot at the top in the City of Angels (“I’m socially anxious and… Read more
Photo Credit: Phoebe Fox London musician Holly Humberstone released her first EP Falling Asleep at the Wheel in 2020 and has recently returned with a follow-up EP, The Walls are Way Too Thin. While the artist fits in comfortably with the current wave of deceptively-quiet-but-brutally-honest young female singer-songwriters, Humberstone still manages to carve a niche that is all her… Read more
Photo Credit: Adrienne Raquel Texan songstress Kacey Musgraves has been categorized mainly as a country artist since her 2013 debut album Same Trailer Different Park (her last one, Golden Hour, even won a Grammy for Best Country Album in 2018). However, Musgrave’s fifth (this is counting her 2016 Christmas album) studio album Star-Crossed finds her exploring a variety of different musical styles,… Read more
Photo Credit: Kelia Anne MacCluskey “The second record I’m more buckled in because, God, how many times do you see people slump on their sophomore record? Nine out of ten,” said Katy Perry in the lead up to her soon-to-be record-breaking second album Teenage Dream. The threat of the sophomore slump is a familiar one for… Read more
Photo Credit: David LaChapelle Even in the age of virality – where the most unsuspecting of characters can be turned into worldwide celebrities overnight – Doja Cat still feels like an especially unlikely candidate for 2021’s biggest rapper. Yet, with nearly 60 million monthly Spotify listeners to her name, that’s exactly what she is. Having… Read more
Photo Credit: Travis Shinn Whoever thought it was a good idea to open Tom Morello’s second solo album in the Atlas Underground Fire series with autotuned vocals – and I’m afraid that this was Morello himself – were obviously wrong. I’m not sure if “Harlem Hellfighter” is his take on 100 gecs’ hyper-pop, but a brief check… Read more