Photo Credit: Sebastian Mlynarski & Kevin J Thomson If recent albums from the likes of Lana Del Rey and Lorde are any indication, being a pop star in the year 2021 is no fun; Del Rey spent Chemtrails Over The Country Club’s 45-minutes crooning for the return of her old life, while Lorde’s spent the last… Read more
Photo Credit: Guadalupe Bustos Hailing from Tempe, Arizona the fivesome consisting of John O’Callaghan (lead vocals, guitar, piano), Jared Monaco (lead guitar), Garrett Nickelsen (bass guitar), Kennedy Bock (rhythm guitar) and Patrick Kirch (drums), recently released their eighth studio album titled XOXO: From Love and Anxiety in Real Time. Leaning into their pop side a… Read more
The Top Ten Best Songs of 2021 (So Far) #10. “ACTION” — CHAI Photo Credit: Yoshio Nakaiso “ACTION” finds CHAI rejecting all the weight of self-seriousness (not that the band had much of that to begin with). Black Lives Matter protests inspired the Japanese quartet to think about what a call to action would look… Read more
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Ringer illustration It doesn’t even take a million streams on Spotify or three sold out nights at Madison Square Garden to be labeled a “sellout”. Virtually any commercial success in music will inevitably invite claims that an artist has “sold out” and ironically enough, this label is most likely not to come… Read more
Photo Credit: Hanina Pinnick It’s nearly impossible to have made it this far into the year without having heard of breakout star Olivia Rodrigo. Whether it be from her main role on the Disney+ original show, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, or hearing snippets of “driver’s license” and “good 4 u” everywhere you… Read more
Photo Credit: Julian Burgueno Goody Grace gained musical interest from fans with his cover songs from popular artists like The Weeknd and Taylor Swift. He snagged a once-in-lifetime opportunity that shot his music career in front of a global audience. With so much talent and support behind his name at a young age, Goody Grace… Read more
Photo Credit: Hendrik Schneider Painstakingly crafted among a tightly knit group of friends and collaborators, the year’s best pop album came not from an industry byproduct but a self-starter who’s among the hardest-working young stars in the game. SAWAYAMA is the debut LP from London-based Rina Sawayama, and it’s acid-dipped, Y2K-fixated, capital-P Pop of the… Read more
Photo Credit: Amy Gardner Tate McRae is a Canadian dancer turned pop singer that is making a name for herself through emotional pop songs. Tate first gained the interests of people with her shining personality and dancing. After releasing a video of her singing an original song, Tate changed creative lanes and began focusing on… Read more
Photo Credit: Rony Alwin There comes a time in the career of every pop superstar when their artistic identity takes a turn from ubiquitous to left-of-center. Madonna’s American Life, Lady Gaga’s ARTPOP, and Britney Spears’ Britney Jean are all examples of artists pushing their messaging past the cultural breaking point. Katy Perry’s last album Witness… Read more
Photo Credit: Jen Rosenstein On their fourth studio album, the oddly titled I Can Feel You Forgetting Me, Provo, Utah band Neon Trees successfully (for the most part) split the difference between ‘80s pop and up-tempo while also establishing an atmospheric vibe like some other twenty-first century bands such as the War on Drugs. Neon Trees ultimately created a work that’s not forgettable, and which many listeners most… Read more