Hayley Williams finds peace away from Paramore

Share: As the leader of emo mainstay act Paramore, Hayley Williams has had a lot of assumptions and rules placed upon her by the people that consume and manage her art. In recent years, Williams has been trying to find a new place for herself in music, and her first solo album “Petals For Armor” is her boldest effort yet. Williams has been making music since 2003, when she was just 14. Thrown into a world of major labels, she has seen a lot of …

Lovestruck Lipa will get you into your feels

Share: Who knew Dua Lipa would be the saving grace of quarantine? Her new album “Future Nostalgia,” which was released in Mar. 2020, definitely lives up to its name. It feels like she’s taking the listener on a blissful, lovesick journey through space on the way back to the 1980s. This album can make anyone dance 15 pounds off. Dua Lipa exudes femininity, and she does it so flawlessly. She’s definitely not afraid to be vulnerable with her feelings and share them with the world. …

Childish Gambino’s ‘3.15.20’ tries and fails to be the future

Share: Donald Glover strives to be a renaissance man. As an actor, director and writer, he is known for shows like “Community” and “Atlanta.” Under his musician alter ego, Childish Gambino, he just released his 4th studio album, “3.15.20.” On the release, he attempts to string together a number of influences, but it all ends up sounding disjointed and sterile. Unlike his last album, the p-funk inspired “Awaken, My Love!,” “3.15.20” is undeniably a product of its time. Glover is trying to align himself with …

Skip partying and play ‘After Hours’ over The Weeknd

Share: It has been four years since his last album. Finally, The Weeknd released a fresh batch of songs. Although The Weeknd switched up his style in the album, his fans genuinely enjoy “After Hours,” both in the melodic and the lyrical aspect. “Let’s be real, none of us are ready for this masterpiece,” said user JayTooSavy on YouTube. Earlier in his career, The Weeknd made albums that describe his pain, drugs, lust and the nightlife. In his new album, “After Hours,” he’s showing his …

Soccer Mommy’s ‘Color Theory’ highlights new shades of depression

Share: Sophia Allison has been baring her soul to teenagers on the internet since she herself was a teen. With all of that experience, she’s only getting better at using her solo project, Soccer Mommy, to turn her struggles with depression into beautiful pieces of music. “Color Theory,” her newest album, is emblematic of Allison’s maturation into a leading figure in indie pop. The lyrics on “Color Theory” are so stark and honest it’s shocking. She turns these feelings of depression, suicidal ideation and self …

King Krule’s Man Alive: An expression of catharsis and love

Share: Under the moniker King Krule, Archy Marshall has become known for creating music that is heavily informed by the dreariness of the world around him. On his new album, “Man Alive!,” he’s shifted that dreariness into a landscape motivated by a nervous excitement about his future. “Man Alive!” was written and released while Marshall’s life drastically changed. In Mar. 2019, Marshall and his partner, Charlotte Patmore, welcomed their first child. The album is a meditation on his uneasiness with fatherhood and love.  The album …

The heavy metal legends return

Share: Initially founded in Berlin in 1994, Deutsche Neue Harte band Rammstein rose quickly to fame in the United States, mainly from having been featured on the soundtrack of the David Lynch film “The Lost Highway,” and the massive radio success of their first U.S. single, “Du Hast Mich.” They capitalized on their success by taking part in the infamous Family Values Tour, which featured many metal and alternative bands famous at the time, including Rage Against the Machine and Cypress Hill. While they haven’t …