Owen Maxwell

Wet Leg – Wet Dream (Isle of Wight, U.K.) There’s an ability to harness chaos that bands like Wet Leg just exemplify with seemingly effortless nuance. With two-track release, the project manages to fit in lush layers that blur indie rock, electronica and art-pop into a wonderful haze. [...]

A Place To Bury Strangers - Hologram (Brooklyn) Lineup changes are the true testing ground of any project’s staying power, Oliver Ackerman has seen that enough in his tenure with A Place to Bury Strangers. As the band moves more away from its latest noise-punk iteration to a shoegaze/new [...]

Poppy - Flux (Boston, MA) From internet enigma to quirky art darling, Poppy has really kept us on our toes. With tracks that constantly zigzag between pop and bizarre electronica, this is a wonderful trip to put on and just get lost in. There’s a wonderfully digital and metal chaos to “Flux” [...]

Arkells - Blink Once (Hamilton, ON) If any Canadian band is constantly trying to find ways to evolve and collaborate, the Arkells make a fun exercise of it. While their newest record definitely lacks an edge at times, and may alienate some listeners in their new sonic routes, it does a lot to expand [...]

Lil Nas X - Montero (Lithia Springs, GA) As one of the few people it feels like is genuinely pushing the boundaries of what a pop star can do lyrically and musically right now, Lil Nas X's latest record totally fulfills the hype. With super-catchy tracks that get weird and shake up what many are [...]

Amyl and the Sniffers - Comfort to Me (Melbourne, Australia) You'd think a year stuck inside would dull the raw, live energy of these fiery Aussies, but Amyl and the Sniffers roar with a more concentrated fire than ever before. With most of the instrumental intro's trimmed down, and Amy Taylor's [...]

Ginger Root - City Slicker (Huntington Beach, California) Modern records that play on a vintage kind of kitsch aesthetic can suffer from emulating more than they create, but not so with Ginger Root. With so many delicious riffs, and the right mix of cheeky but infectious writing, this latest EP [...]

Gorillaz - Meanwhile EP (London/World) Damon Albarn seems to be thriving musically during the pandemic, perhaps able to tap into collaborations more than ever. As a wondrous taster release, this smaller release is the project's first of this nature in a while, but thrives in its ability to focus [...]

Liars - The Apple Drop (Brooklyn/Australia) Over the years, Liars have constantly merged the worlds of experimental rock and electronic-influenced work, to create music that harts its own path. While certainly navigating a darker ambiance here, Liars make really satisfying music that has the sonic [...]

Public Service Broadcasting - Blue Heaven & People, Let's Dance (Single) (London, England) In an era of so much isolation, it's wonderful to see a few artists finding ways to collaborate across international lines. With both Gurr's Andreya Casablanca, and EERA, the group make some [...]