Special

SZA – ‘SOS’ Album Review

Photo Credit: Mary Ellen Matthews The run-up to SZA’s sophomore effort SOS has been long, unpredictable, and reliably confounding. Its lead single – and SZA’s first solo top-ten hit – “Good Days” arrived almost two years before the rest of the album and wouldn’t enjoy an official music video until March 2021, by which time… Read more

MMM Thoughts: Should Lyrics Be Changed After Music is Already Released?

Photo Credit: @tiffanyandco / Instagram In the last few months, alone, both Beyoncé and Lizzo have altered their songs post-release to remove the term “spaz” after ableist concerns were raised regarding the songs “Grrrls” and “Heated,” respectively. Though many Americans seemed shocked that anyone could take offense at the term, the word is considered a… Read more

Lizzo – ‘Special’ Album Review

Photo Credit: AB+DM Every generation needs an artist who is unafraid to write cheesy, feel-good, uplifting anthems; an artist who would rather risk being saccharine than sour. Natasha Bedingfield (“Unwritten”), Kelly Clarkson (“Stronger”), and Katy Perry (“Firework”) have all alternately held this title and fulfilled their role dutifully. It would be unfair to dismiss Lizzo’s music… Read more

Simple Creatures – ‘Everything Opposite’ EP Review

Photo Credit: Upset Mag Promo Simple Creatures, which is comprised of Mark Hoppus (who continues to front Blink-182) and Alex Gaskarth (who continues to front All Time Low) is an almost all-synth offering in which the guitars mostly remain zipped up in their gig bags. The duo’s new EP Everything Opposite opens with the track “Special,” which sounds an unmistakable lot like Lorde’s “Royals”. While that song is not exactly… Read more