album review Archives

album review

annie clark

music

New St. Vincent Album ‘All Born Screaming’ Is the Best Score for the End of the World

If you judged the album from the two opening tracks, you wouldn’t be right about where it goes.

Stef Rubino —

Apr 27, 2024

album review

music

Fletcher’s ‘In Search of the Antidote’ Is a Sticky, Syrupy Gossip Fest

Fletcher has the capacity to crack her world wide open. We see it in her lyrics, and we see it in the way she’s setting up the rest of her…

Aamina Inayat Khan —

Apr 4, 2024

album review

Brittany Howard What Now: Howard stands in a yellow field with mountains and a blue sky behind her wearing white sunglasses and a colorful dress.

music

Brittany Howard’s Sophomore Solo Album “What Now” Is a Risky Triumph

From a fuming response to a relationship gone bad to a sexy, queer club banger, Brittany Howard’s “What Now” is an eclectic must-listen.

Stef Rubino —

Feb 15, 2024

album review

victoria monet

Victoria Monét's Jaguar II album cover, featuring Monét coming out of inky black water.

music

Victoria Monét’s “Jaguar II” Is Fighting for Queer R&B’s Life

Very few have clawed their way to the status of being R&B’s up and coming It Girl, let alone while crooning about a preference for short fingernails or cracking a…

Carmen Phillips —

Sep 1, 2023

album review

janelle monae

Janelle Monáe's "Age of Pleasure" album cover, repeated twice. In the cover, Janelle is underwater swimming.

music

“Age of Pleasure” Has a Track For Each Summer Sexy Mood

It feels like fingertips brushing down a jaw or a back; pure seduction.

Sa’iyda Shabazz —

Jun 22, 2023

album review

Two images of Joy Oladokun's “Proof of Life” album cover. The album cover is a painting of Joy Oladokun, a black woman with dreadlocks, sitting among a field of grass and flowers.

music

Joy Oladokun’s “Proof of Life” Will Save Your Soul

With soulful refrains and sounds that wrap you in warmth, it’s a reminder that we’re not so alone in this sh*t of a world.

shea wesley martin —

May 5, 2023

album review

music

“Forever Means” EP Creates Perfect Bridge Between Angel Olsen’s Past, Present, and Future

As I finished the EP, I found myself immediately starting it over to listen again from the beginning.

Stef Rubino —

Apr 24, 2023

album review

beyonce

The cover art for Renaissance by Beyoncé features Beyoncé on an iridescent horse.

music

Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” Is an Unapologetic Dedication to Blackness and Queerness

I’ve grown to see sampling, when done well, as a love language, a way to remain connected to our history and communicate with the musical innovators who shaped, and continue…

Amari Gaiter —

Aug 5, 2022

album review

Hayley Kiyoko

music

Lesbian Jesus Rises! Hayley Kiyoko Gets Vulnerable on Sophomore Album “PANORAMA”

Hayley Kiyoko’s sophomore album, filled with passion, vulnerability, and heart, is out now.

Lily Alvarado —

Aug 1, 2022

album review

The album cover for the self-titled MUNA album features the members of MUNA in squares

music

MUNA Songs Ranked by Their Song-of-the-Summer Potential

MUNA knows how to make a song of the season, and I’m here to encourage you to find your song of the summer from their new album.

Analyssa —

Jun 30, 2022

album review

070 Shake's album cover for "You Can't Kill Me" shows 070 Shake's face covered by a large white flower against a jet black background

music

070 Shake Is Free In “You Can’t Kill Me”

If I could describe 070 Shake’s sophomore album in one word, it’d be freedom. She embraces the infinite.

Lily Alvarado —

Jun 9, 2022

album review

kehlani

music

Kehlani’s New Album “Blue Water Road” Is a Sensual Exploration of Self

Sensuality is the overarching theme of the album, even in songs that are not explicitly about romantic entanglements. You can find it in bass lines, or just the overall vibe.

Sa’iyda Shabazz —

May 13, 2022