HAUTE COUTURE
HAUTE COUTURE Album ∙ J-Pop ∙ 2024 MISAMO
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The Star Chapter: SANCTUARY - EP
The Star Chapter: SANCTUARY - EP Album ∙ K-Pop ∙ 2024 TOMORROW X TOGETHER In late 2024, TOMORROW X TOGETHER (aka TXT) released their seventh mini album. The Star Chapter: SANCTUARY marks the launch of the fourth “chapter” for the fourth-generation K-pop group, known for a discography that broadly follows the growing pains from boyhood to adulthood. In SANCTUARY , members Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai call on the “language of the stars” to tell the story of a lofty love. In the smooth album opener “Heaven,” the twentysomething members sing of a love that transforms their lives into something euphoric (“Heaven is not far away now/The moment we kissed”), while lead single “Over the Moon” continues the sky-high metaphor to depict a divine connection (“Over the moon/Over the stars/Fly up when you're in my arms”). Groovy “Danger” brings attraction back down to visceral earth with the husky hook “What you doin’ to me?” while “Resist (Not Gonna Run Away)” uses reg
DRIP
DRIP Album ∙ K-Pop ∙ 2024 BABYMONSTER YG Entertainment launched BABYMONSTER in April 2024, hoping the seven-member girl group would follow in the footsteps of their ultra-successful company predecessors 2NE1 and BLACKPINK. DRIP , BABYMONSTER’s inaugural full-length album, gives young members Ruka, Pharita, Asa, Ahyeon, Rami, Rora, and Chiquita a first proper chance to build towards those K-pop ambitions. “Tonight, the stars are shining bright,” they sing on the title track, a dramatic EDM dance number that fits right into YG’s rich tradition of “girl crush” swagger songs. “Baby got passion, ambition, and I flaunt it,” sings Thai member Pharita, before Korean singer Rami comes in with “Look at that every move I make, I feel it in my bones.” Co-written by BIGBANG’s G-DRAGON, the track sustains its bouncy energy as it builds to a sparkling, sustained high note from Ahyeon, before launching into the high-powered outro. On the English-language rap track “CLIK CLAK,” the girls are “spending
AMERI
AMERI Album ∙ Latin ∙ 2024 Duki “If you stand in front of your achievement and use it as a mirror, you will see yourself facing immensity,” Duki tells Apple Music. “Those moments force you to look inward. That is where one finds the greatness to overcome obstacles.” During almost a decade-long career, Mauro Ezequiel Lombardo has adopted this mantra to make immensity his ambition, and he is no longer the same Duki he used to be. He certainly outgrew the Duki of the El Quinto Escalón rap battles and Auto-Tune anthems. Even if he still maintains that essence, he has matured and aims at something else. “After a long time of rapping and getting to know myself, now there is a newfound security,” he says. “For example, in the past, I didn’t like to record without the Auto-Tune. Now, I’ve made the habit of not resorting to it and took on singing lessons.” This is how he lands on AMERI , his fourth studio album. The intro traces the melodic leitmotif of what comes next: 15 tracks where the Ar
Eminem: The Coup De Grace Mix (DJ Mix)
Eminem: The Coup De Grace Mix (DJ Mix) Album ∙ Hip-Hop ∙ 2024 Scram Jones How many Eminem lyrics do you have bouncing around in your head? It’s probably more than you think, but however many it is, it’s unlikely anywhere near as many as celebrated producer, DJ, and radio personality Scram Jones. Jones has, of course, collaborated with Em, producing “In Your Head” for Revival , as well as performing the scratches on Em’s “Berzerk” and “Kamikaze,” but he was a fan long before he became a collaborator. “When I was in college, I stumbled on a random unlabeled cassette with two of his songs on it [‘Just the Two of Us’ and ‘Just Don’t Give a Fuck’],” Jones says. “‘Just the Two of Us’ has to be one of the most clever records ever written; rapping in baby talk to his infant daughter about her mother being in the trunk on the way to dumping her in the ocean—beyond clever. And once I heard ‘Just Don’t Give a Fuck,’ I realized this guy really don’t give a fuck. I was an instant fan.” Jones’
LOST IN HEAVEN
LOST IN HEAVEN Album ∙ Alternative ∙ 2024 Chase Atlantic The Cairns trio hones their darkly adventurous blend of trap and R&B.
Dieuson Octave
Dieuson Octave Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2024 Kodak Black Since his emergence in the early 2010s, Kodak Black has been one of the most consistently successful figures in rap. Yet for all his celebratory flexes, he spends plenty of time haunted by his past, the things he’s seen, the lives that have been lost. On Dieuson Octave , which takes its title from his birth name, he attempts to reckon with the grief while living as a father and support system for so many. On opener “Catch Fire,” he highlights the circular hell that the carceral system can be: “I made a lot of money, spent most of it making a bail/Doing whatever, feel ain't getting nowhere, like a pit bull tryna chase its tail.” Later, he seems to repent for the things that locked him up in the first place, adding, “I'll murder Satan when I go deliver my soul to Haiti,” referencing the country where his mom was born. Album closer “Inside I Suffer” is one of Kodak’s most personal songs to date, a gut-wrenching look at his har
Restless Mind
Restless Mind Album ∙ Country ∙ 2024 Sam Barber It’s a golden age for troubadours. Following the end of the bro-country era, a new generation of story-driven, acoustic-guitar-slinging singer-songwriters wearing their hearts on their sleeves took firm hold of the genre, birthing stars like Zach Bryan and Charles Wesley Godwin. Sam Barber is another formidable voice in this still-emerging canon, as he shows on this sprawling collection of songs written over the course of the 21-year-old’s five-year foray into music. Like Bryan, Barber worked with producer Eddie Spear, whose light but thoughtful touch keeps the ambitious, 28-song project from sounding repetitive. Anchored by Barber’s viral song “Straight and Narrow,” Restless Mind is a winding, sometimes surprising journey through dying relationships and dead-end towns, with appropriately spare, rough-hewn production. The record opens with “Man You Raised,” itself beginning with a voicemail from Barber’s mother that sets a homespun to
Baby Making
Baby Making Album ∙ R&B/Soul ∙ 2024 Jacquees To call the R&B singer’s project “intimate” would be an understatement.
still hungover
still hungover Album ∙ Country ∙ 2024 Ella Langley Hangovers aren’t just for booze. On her debut full-length album, Alabama artist Ella Langley explores the kinds of emotional aftermaths that leave behind heartache, not headaches. The record opens with its title track, a soulful and somber account of learning lessons in love the hard way. Fan favorite “nicotine” likens a lover she “want[s] but just don’t need” to the irresistible allure of a cigarette fix. Riley Green joins Langley on the hit duet “you look like you love me,” an old-school honky-tonk jam. Another standout is “paint the town blue,” a clever subversion of a country trope: Finding no solace in painting the town red in the wake of a breakup, Langley opts to “fall to pieces” (one of several classic country references on the record) and indulge her broken heart. This still hungover deluxe edition adds a handful of new tracks from Langley, which follow acoustic takes on “cowgirl don’t cry” and “broken in.” Moody ballad “g
Cut Ties
Cut Ties Album ∙ R&B/Soul ∙ 2024 Kiana Ledé Kiana Ledé is known for her signature blend of authentic storytelling and unapologetic lyricism, which is evident across all her albums. Her sophomore effort, Grudges , was a raw exploration of trauma, mental health, and relationship struggles. Now, on her third LP, Cut Ties , she reflects on her personal growth and evolution, and embraces her inner strength. Throughout the album’s 11 tracks, Ledé narrates a story of a past romantic entanglement, grappling with the uncertainties of their connection. She explores the internal battle between embracing a newfound love and her instinct to protect herself (“LTF”) while also realizing the inconsistencies within their partnership (“U Can’t Remember”) and discovering the unreciprocated feelings that are taking place (“Space and Pussy”). On the candid and mellow track “Too Many Strings,” the singer-songwriter uses metaphorical imagery to describe the progression of their relationship, which ha
Eternal Atake 2
Eternal Atake 2 Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2024 Lil Uzi Vert The Philly MC’s fourth solo studio album is a 16-track sequel to the 2020 classic.
You Only Die 1nce
You Only Die 1nce Album ∙ Hip-Hop ∙ 2024 Freddie Gibbs Aside from a few stray comedy bits involving the devil, there’s nothing terribly frightening about Freddie Gibbs’ Halloween 2024 drop You Only Die 1nce . Still, coming some two years after 2022’s lauded major-label venture $oul $old $eparately , his long-awaited follow-up proves quite the treat for devotees of the Midwest-bred MC’s razor-sharp raps. From its tangent-following opener “Status” on, he feeds the fanbase with reliably reckless and resonant bars. His penchant for going hard over laidback beats persists here, via the pot-scraped narratives of “Brick Fees” and the violent world-building of “Steel Doors.” Even when gunshots ring out on the 454-produced “Walk It Off,” he’s cool, calm, and collected, singing as much as rapping his way through the narco tale. Acknowledging some of the tabloid fodder that makes its way to his social media, “It's Your Anniversary” brushes off baby-mama drama and scoffs at rappers too sho
EPIC: The Vengeance Saga (Official Concept Album) - EP
EPIC: The Vengeance Saga (Official Concept Album) - EP Album ∙ Colonne sonore ∙ 2024 Jorge Rivera-Herrans
Tutti i Nomi del Diavolo
Tutti i Nomi del Diavolo Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2024 Kid Yugi La versione deluxe del concept sulle facce del male nella società odierna.
Songs Of A Lost World
Songs Of A Lost World Album ∙ Alternativa ∙ 2024 The Cure Tragico e tenebroso, il primo LP di inediti in 16 anni della band inglese.
