“Self Worth” by Mourn

Mourn’s fourth album “Self Worth” tries to establish the growth the group’s been through by delving lyrically into more mature topics. Songs such as “Apathy” deal with more mature topics like adulthood and growing up. In a press release for the album the group said a major inspiration for the album was leaving toxic situations, and growing from that. The group’s straightforward approach leaves something to be desired at times, but on the whole “Self Worth” is a solid, loud, brash riot grrrl album that imagines what rebellion might look like in adulthood.

By Emma Chekroun

"songs" by Adrianne Lenker

The latest release from Big Thief’s Adrianne Lenker,  “songs,” part of a dual release with her other collection “instrumentals,” is the epitome of making the best out of a bad situation. “Songs” was recorded in April before the abrupt end to Big Thief’s tour in March, and what would turn into a COVID fueled period of isolation across the world. What’s unique about this album isn’t just the circumstances it was under but the recording set up Lenker employed. The recording, mixing, and mastering on “songs” is all analog. This means the rain on “come” and other songs is genuinely happening in real time as Adrianne Lenker plucks out guitar strings in a one room cabin in the mountains. Lenker’s talent and Philip Weinrobe’s masterful engineering come together to create a totally unique sound on this album that is warm, spacious, and immediate. By taking on the labor and resource intensive challenge of an analog release (although there are digital masters of it on streaming services) the pair truly make lemons into lemonade, or in this case a global pandemic and challenging recording style into an album unlike anything being released right now.

By Emma Chekroun

"Fake It Flowers" by Beabadoobee

Beabadoobee’s full length studio debut “Fake It Flowers” blends shoe gaze, grunge, and indie pop for an intensely nostalgic album that’s reminiscent of the late 90s, going into the early 2000s. The Filipino born British singer-songwriter draws on 90s indie alt and slacker rock for inspiration, leading her to explore indie pop confessionals as well as rock anthems on this album. Several songs on the album bring the same brand of angst and catchyness as indie and pop songs of the early 2000s, including “Yoshimi, Forest, Magdalene,” “Sorry” and “Charlie Brown.” But the strong suit of this album is how easily it transports listeners by creating these sound backdrops, not only to the 2000s but to vintage romantic backdrops such as on “How Was Your Day.” For indie nostalgia, this is the perfect album. 

By Emma Chekroun

"Moveys" by Slow Pulp

“Moveys” is indie dream pop group Slow Pulp’s debut album. On this album, the Chicago based group brings 10 warm and welcoming 90s tinged songs. Slow Pulp have described this album as full of emotional catharsis following health challenges and personal upheavals in the band. Most of the band have been performing together since the sixth grade in Madison Wisconsin, and this album really showcases their resourcefulness to come together even while states way. “Moveys” is diverse and adaptive, charting a lot of territory with its sound ranging from folk tinged songs to 90s indie rock to even a hip hop number. Slow Pulp’s latest is reminiscent of Soccer Mommy’s 2018 album Clean meets 90s group the Cranberries, making it the perfect fall company.

“Keep On” by Softee

Diy pop artist Nina Grollman’s project Softee has released “Keep On” following up her 2019 EP “Slow Melt.” Grollman is all about drama with this fun, synthpop album that nods nostalgically at 90s glampop. On this album Grollman is inspired by anything and everything before and during the pandemic.  A period of change in Grollman’s life; re-evaluating relationships, a personal wreckoning, and workplace drama, has given birth to this sassy slightly retro electronic pop album that sounds like the child of Thundercat’s “It is What it Is” and Charli XCX’s 2019 album “Charli.” “Keep On” fluctuates between flirty and assertive but stays consistently catchy.

By Emma Chekroun

"Hype Nostalgia" by Rituals of Mine

Four years after Terra Lopez’s debut album Devoted and five years after her father’s untimely death, Lopez’s project Ritual of Mine returns with a futuristic combo of R&B, electronic and pop on Hype Nostalgia. The title of the album says it best, on this album Lopez deals with various levels of trauma from her past and present, from the death of her father and best friend within six months of each other to being a woman of color in the music industry to intergenerational trauma all through the hyped up sonic lens of club worthy beats. Most of the album plays in the realm of swaggering electronic pop that peers such as Jessy Lanza dominate, with some gentler R&B songs mixed throughout, such as “Reflex.” The album closes on the piano and vocal focused track “The Last Wave” which most transparently shows the healing journey Lopez has been on. Lopez not only accomplishes the difficult task of making pain danceable and uplifting on Hype Nostalgia but she dominates at it.

By Emma Chekroun