"Am I Alright": Aly & AJ Provide a Perfect Indie-Pop Self Check-In
"It can’t be just me who's running on empty / It can't be just me who feels this way..." Aly & AJ want to know: you alright, babes? And to that I say: good question! In this wildly weird year of The New Normal™, admittedly, there haven't been a ton of records that have managed to grab my…
"Cleo": Shygirl Steps Into Her Spotlight
"You got me feeling like a movie star..." There are several perfectly good reasons for Shygirl to feel like a movie star at the moment. After dropping her Blu performance film this summer (which is a great introductory medley if you're unfamiliar with her music), as well as big dick-beckoning…
"Start Walking": Tove Styrke Feels Her Dansband Fantasy With a Sad Swede-Pop Banger
"Say the words, either way it's gonna hurt..." Nothing is certain in this world except death, taxes, and good pop music coming out of Scandinavia. Tove Stryke's at it again with a brand new bop, following this summer's "Mood Swings," her first release in three years since 2018's Sway. And this…
Agnes' 'Magic Still Exists' Offers Hope for the Dance Floor (Review)
"What today seems like insanity, tomorrow might be reality..." Agnes is no stranger to the dance floor. Arguably, she's almost always been there: after kicking off her Idol 2005 win with her 2005 self-titled debut and follow-up Stronger a year later, she found her footing with 2008's euphoric…
"A Second to Midnight": Kylie Minogue & Years & Years Shine Like a Light in the Dark (And Do Drag!)
Kylie™ made the dreary days of lockdown a whole lot brighter last year with her 15th studio album Disco, a loving ode to the genre, and a most necessary nostalgic escape in the bleakest of days. One year later, things aren't...worse necessarily, but we're not back to normal yet, either. Whatever…
Kelly Clarkson Kicks Off Christmas With a Festive Middle Finger
Kelly Clarkson is having a very different kind of Christmas this year. Maybe you are too. As nice as it'd be if everyone was feeling lovey-dovey this coming holiday season, the sober(REFERENCE)ing truth is that some of us just don't get that warm and fuzzy feeling at the thought of snuggling up…
"Good Ones": Charli XCX Enters Her Evil Main Pop Girl Era
"I always let the good ones go..." Charli XCX is a sell-out. Or, well, that's the goal. Over the past few months, our dearest Charlotte Aitchison, She of Track 10 Fame, has been distancing from left-lane, artsy-fartsy, experimental alt-hyper-pop princess sonic territory and not-so-subtly…
"One Night": Griff Tries to Dance the Darkness Away
"Can I have one night, one night, one night where it's just me alone?" Griff's still got the good stuff - arguably more than ever. The 20-year-old Chinese-Jamaican UK singer-songwriter's been on my radar (on my ray-duh) for a minute now - at least over a year now - and she's been steadily…
"Burning Bridges": Sigrid Sings the Pop Praises of Self-Preservation
"Can't love somebody who loves burning bridges..." Alright, Miss Sigrid is not playing around. To be fair, it was made abundantly clear upon the release of euphoric disco-pop smash "Mirror" back in May that the 24-year-old Norwegian singer-songwriter was breaking out the big guns for her…
'Star-Crossed': The Epic Return of Kacey Musgraves Begins
"Let me set the scene, two lovers ripped right at the seams..." The Kacey Musgraves comeback begins now - and she's starting out strong. It's been three years since the 33-year-old singer-songwriter released the Best Album of 2018™, Golden Hour, and a lot has happened ever since. For one thing,…
Hanne Mjøen's 'Emotional Fever' Is Norwegian Pop Excellence
"When I think you're the one that I can't live without, I just wanna leave you..." Meet Hanne Mjøen, your newest notable Norwegian singer-songwriter crush. (In Scandinavia, We Trust.) The rising Oppdal-born star, who has already penned tracks with the likes of Astrid S, as well as writing…
KABBA, "Rather Be Single": A Dating Burnout Bop for the Summer
"I’d rather be single, after everything that I’ve been through..." KABBA! If you're a British pop nerd, you likely know and love her already. You might just not realize it yet. Perhaps you know the 26-year-old British singer-songwriter, born Aminata Kabba, best by her previous stage name: A*M*E.…