POPJUICE.

The 27-year-old has been steadily pumping out stellar R&B tunes for awhile now, most recently with the SG Lewis-produced ‘Experience’ which also featured Khalid on vocals. ‘JAGUAR’ is her first full-length project after four EPs released between 2014 and 2018.

Kicking things off on the album is the previously-released ‘Moment’: a sensual, soul-influenced number with an equally steamy music video. And Monét is completely in charge here, telling her partner that “Fuck a fantasy / this your motherfuckin’ moment”. It’s a confident beginning to the ride of ‘JAGUAR’, as she turns the male gaze on its head.

It’s a tad strange to follow up the first track with an interlude, especially one as uneventful as ‘Big Boss’, which might have made more sense if it were longer. As it is on the album, however, the chorus comes across as reductive, all the more so when measured against the other tracks here.

Thankfully, with third track ‘Dive’, Monét gets back up to speed. The song, released in April this year, is without a doubt an album highlight. A patchwork of rapid-fire verses, tongue-in-cheek text painting and a majestic outro courtesy of some vintage horns. And Monét isn’t coy about themes here: ‘Dive’ is about the ecstasy of oral pleasure.

We get another interlude next, this time with the funky ‘We Might Even Be Falling In Love’ which sets up the upbeat nucleus of the record. Title track ‘Jaguar’ continues Monét’s brash, unabashed lyrics: “Supersonic pussycat / Just like a jaguar, silky black / So let me climb your wood like that / You got nine times to come hit that”. A shoo-in for inclusion on playlists of bedroom jams for sure.

It goes without saying that ‘Experience’ is one of the record’s best moments, if not the best moment. A groovy, rollerskates-ready song that fits in with disco’s re-emergence in 2020, yet somehow also manages to sound timeless. No surprise given that producer SG Lewis is also behind such gems as Dua Lipa’s Hallucinate and his own Chemicals.

‘Ass Like That’ heralds the album’s third arc of more subdued, slow-burners. ‘Go There With You’ is a gritty plea for make-up sex. ‘Touch Me’ is no-frills R&B, a sensual closer about queer romance: “Girl it's been too long / And when you rock them short nails, that's low key sentimental”. While not as layered and textured as the earlier parts of the album, these songs show Monét’s depth as an artist able to dig deep and deliver in many forms. No two songs on ‘JAGUAR’ sound similar, and yet, they all fit well into the artistry of Victoria Monét.

Save for lending her vocals to the soundtrack of the upcoming Bond film, Billie Eilish has largely remained out of the spotlight in this year of the pandemic.

So when she announced earlier this week that she would be dropping a new tune on Thursday, people were quick to speculate what my future would be about. Would it be another scathing wake-up call about our climate in crisis? Or perhaps, furthering the discussions about body image that Eilish started earlier this year.

The song, as it turns out, is about neither of those things. Taking a page out of Christina Aguilera’s hit ballad Beautiful, Eilish sings about fake friends (“And you don't seem to notice I'm not here”) and placing oneself as a priority. “I’m in love / But not with anybody else / Just wanna get to know myself,” she declares. It’s a moment of vulnerability that’s made convincing with her soft, meandering voice.

And just when you think that the song is going to remain a ballad, the drums kick in at the halfway point to make for an upbeat, almost R&B affair, the likes of Sabrina Claudio and Alina Baraz. It’s a nice continuation from her 2019 single, everything I wanted, that also allows her to deliver some great vocal runs—not exactly something we’ve come to expect from the singer.

For all the twists and turns and jaw-dropping moments she’s had with her craft, we can hardly wait to meet Billie Eilish’s future, too.

When Swift first announced sixteen hours ago that Folklore, her new album, would be available the next day, the internet went all sorts of wild. Not just because it seemed that this project would mark a return to her acoustic roots, but because Swift had never in the slightest attempted an album rollout in this manner. Sudden social media wipeouts, cryptic tweets fraught with symbolism, elaborate easter eggs. All these have almost become synonymous with the phrase “Taylor Swift album” over the years.

For these reasons, Folklore plays vastly different from all her previous projects, and lead single Cardigan does a great job of introducing listeners to the album. With imagery of vintage pianos and stardust, the song is representative of the sombre, introspective mood of Folklore, a sound that seemed uncertain for Swift to embrace having put out three albums that were characteristically pop.

With help from The National’s Aaron Dessner, indie darling Bon Iver and frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff, the album harks back to the Taylor Swift of old. Exile, which Bon Iver also features on, is an immediate standout track: a combination of Swift’s poetic lyrical mastery backed by piano and strings that were a mainstay on Swift’s earlier works.

Having gotten a fair amount of flak for her songwriting on previous album Lover (who could forget “Spelling is fun”?), Folklore is Swift’s declaration that she’s still got the chops. My Tears Ricochet, which occupies the spot of Track 5, known for being the most personal track on her albums, also features some of Folklore’s best lines. “We gather here, we line up, weepin' in a sunlit room / And if I'm on fire, you'll be made of ashes, too,” she sings in the opening lines. Swift’s breathy falsetto in the song calls to mind the similarly Jack Antonoff-produced Lover closer, Daylight. If anyone ever had doubts about “the old Taylor” being gone, perhaps she’s just been hiding in plain sight all this while.

Songs like August and Betty are classic, country-pop Taylor Swift. With Betty’s confessional, diary-like structure perhaps the closest we come to reliving the days of Swift’s stellar Fearless and Speak Now. Where these songs were reduced to deep cuts on Reputation and Lover, on Folklore they’re at the centre of its story.

But where the album shines most, and perhaps where Swift will be most lauded by critics, is for the new territory that she explores. Experimental tracks like Epiphany, Peace and Hoax are a breath of fresh air for the singer. On Peace, she sings about a love story in the public eye with her trademark lyricism: “But I'm a fire and I'll keep your brittle heart warm / If you cascade, ocean wave blues come.” Backed by sparse production in these songs, Swift’s lyrics are what you focus your attention on. It’s a good thing then, that she’s a masterful storyteller, and these tales of folklore are not gone to waste.

When Kelly, the most recent single from the album dropped, fans were quick to take note of its subject matter. “Met a girl with a smile that I liked / And her name was Kelly,” lead singer Cristal Ramirez sings about falling in love with a girl, the first time the band ever openly broached the topic of sexuality.

Although two of its members are queer, the band shied away from the topic before. “In the past, we understood that The Aces was representing all four of us, so we kept it a little more vague,” band member Alisa Ramirez reveals in an interview with Gay Times.

And it is this precise breaking free of former reticence that characterises much of their sophomore effort. Where on their sugary debut they were playing it nice, the girls are in for the kill this time around. Take the moody I Can Break Your Heart Too for instance. “My life isn't always about you / I can break your heart too,” Cristal declares over a dizzying guitar loop.

While wearing their heart on their sleeves, the band also find themselves delivering some huge pop moments. Lead single Daydream is the sort of song you’d want to drive down the highway to, New Emotion is a disco-lite stomper and Can You Do bears a certain resemblance to Maroon 5′s smash Moves Like Jagger that’s bent on getting you in the groove.

But perhaps the song that best represents The Aces’ status as a modern, millennial girl band is the tongue-in-cheek My Phone is Trying to Kill Me, which they wrote with hitmaker Justin Tranter (Selena Gomez, Jonas Brothers, Gwen Stefani). It’s a song about needing validation from someone you love that also doubles up as a commentary on our addiction to our screens.

The album takes a decidedly darker and more sombre turn by the halfway mark. Not Enough is an introspective tune about falling short of expectations. Thought of You talks about overcoming addiction: “I've had too many drinks / Kept bad company / Don't remember her name / But know the feeling”. The mix of catchier, upbeat songs and slower, darker ones helps maintain a balance, although the album’s second half is undeniably weaker with tracks like Going Home sounding filler at best.

The ladies get their groove back, however, with closer Zillionaire, another bass-heavy, disco-influenced track about the riches of being in love. The chorus is the most instantly memorable one on the record and it wouldn’t be a surprise if “All the money in the world / Wouldn't matter to me, girl / You're the one that makes me feel like a zillionaire” found its way into the world of TikTok somehow.

It’s hard to believe that this same singer first burst onto the scene with 2010′s Starry Eyed, a shimmering, ethereal piece of electronic folk that cemented her status as one to watch. Hits like Lights and Anything Could Happen followed, and people were quick to pigeonhole Goulding into a box of dreamy electronica. So she went the other way with 2015′s Delirium, proving that she can hold her own in the pop landscape, too.

On this fourth album, Goulding switches up her sound once again. This time, sparse experimental production clears the way for her breathy, raspy vocals. Tracks like the dark How Deep Is Too Deep and the soulful New Heights show a great attention to detail in their craft, making for a layered experience.

Album highlight Love I’m Given is almost begging to be the next single. Like a follow-up to Figure 8 from her 2012 album Halcyon, the song is a battle cry about turning pain into power. “And maybe I'm paying for the things I've done / And maybe I'm paying for the ones I've hurt / But I've been changing the love I'm given / I'm turning the page of my indecision,” she sings.

On first listen, the sombre Woman sounds like a potential miss. Kicking off with little more than a piano and sappy strings, Goulding sings about coming to terms with her womanhood and identity. But then the bridge kicks in and the song morphs into a power ballad of huge proportions.

The bouncy, futuristic Tides features some of the best production on the album, courtesy of Goulding’s frequent collaborator Starsmith. “I wanna stay awake tonight / I wanna go against the tide / I wanna stay with you tonight,” Goulding’s delivery on the chorus is almost delectably deadpan and mechanical.

The album’s three interludes, Cyan, Ode To Myself and Wine Drunk lend Brightest Blue to being seen as a concept album of sorts. Cyan is a spoken word piece about overcoming tribulations with lines like “Sometimes I had to trample with tears in my eyes / Over the things I knew I couldn't help / Until I was strong enough to carry them with me instead”. Start and the titular Brightest Blue play like an intro and outro for the album respectively, one laying the groundwork for the album’s themes and the other ending things showing you can turn your blues into something brighter.

The 21-year-old, whose first ever set of live gigs was postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, has been steadily building her brand of poignant, diary-like songs ever since 2019′s Mean It. Almost all of her promotion has had to take place online, with performances like her cover of The 1975′s Somebody Else. Minor is the culmination of her work thus far; her official introduction to the world.

The project opens with Friend, a confessional song about the impossibility of maintaining a friendship after a breakup. It’s reminiscent of the craft of artists such as Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers, the latter of which Abrams has listed as an inspiration.

Like Friend, most of Minor features similarly sparse production that puts her vocals and songwriting in the spotlight. On the quirkily titled tehe, she looks back on a relationship that went on for longer than it should have. Long Sleeves has guitars and strings that rise and fall with Abrams’ turbulent heartbreak. “Fought till you tethered me / Swept under surfaces / Never enough of it”, she sings.

While Abrams may not be breaking new ground with the themes on the album, Minor is a fresh, tender look at the feelings of youth. One that perhaps too often gets buried beneath songs of carnal activity and bodily pleasures. It’s no wonder, then, that she has often been compared to predecessor Lorde, whose similarly introspective style characterised her ascent in the 2010s.

The comparison is almost inescapable on 21, which incidentally is produced by Lorde’s frequent collaborator Joel Little. The minimal, pulsating drumbeat is reminiscent of Little’s work on Pure Heroine. And lyrics like “I see the look in your eye and I'm biting my tongue / You'd be the love of my life when I was young” scream house party, Melodrama Lorde.

Few artists have a celebrated, signature walk to their name the way that HAIM does. This goes back to their 2017 single Want You Back, where they coolly strutted down the streets of Los Angeles for a whole four minutes. In 2019, they recreated the routine for Women lead single Summer Girl. More recently, an Instagram post of theirs previewing the songs on the album had them walking, steps synchronised, to the beat of each track.

Like a metaphor for their output, the band is no longer walking the way they were years ago. They’re skipping down the street, removing articles of clothing one by one, involving strangers — all with a notably more carefree disposition than ever before.

It comes as no surprise, then, that Women in Music Pt. III is also the most uninhibited the band as ever sounded. Ska-tinged opener Los Angeles instantly sets the mood: a breezy track about feeling out of place in one’s hometown, laden with the saxophone — the first of more songs to come. Then, it transitions almost seamlessly into the buoyant single The Steps, which sees HAIM front the guitar like never before. And while the album’s title declares its subject matter of female empowerment, this song makes it clear: “And every day I wake up and I make money for myself / And though we share a bed, you know that I don't need your help”.

Women in Music Pt. III is without a doubt the most experimental territory that HAIM has ventured. Standout tracks Up From a Dream and 3am see the band pull references from different directions. Dream is adorned with the occasional sound effect, a stomping track that would fit right in St. Vincent’s discography. 3am is quite the Frankenstein: part lo-fi, part funk, and even part hip-hop courtesy of the chops and screws that glide through the song. It’s a refreshing change of sound for the band, and a counter against anyone who might ever have thought them to be a one-trick pop-rock pony.

The band has been compared to soft-rock icon Fleetwood Mac ever since their first album, and tracks like Leaning On You and I’ve Been Down truly bring the similarities to the surface. On Down, the band sings: “I think that we need to come together” — a rally cry that couldn’t have come at a better time in modern music. In these stripped back, acoustic moments is where their songwriting comes under the spotlight. Leaning sees them at their most raw: “Was I fearless at seventeen years old / Or was I faking it, I was just a kid leaving home”.

The electric guitar is picked up once again for the standard edition’s album closer FUBT, which builds up to a hard-hitting instrumental outro followed by the criminally underrated single Now I’m in It. It’s a downer that the album’s first three singles were relegated to bonus tracks, and it would have been interesting to see where they would fit on the track list.

It’s undeniable that the 80s have had a grand comeback in this year alone. We’ve already had The Weeknd’s dark and brooding After Hours, Dua Lipa’s throwback Future Nostalgia, Doja Cat’s viral Say So and even Lady Gaga’s Chromatica had hints of the golden era.

Jessie Ware is the latest singer to add her name to that expanding list, as What’s Your Pleasure takes us on a lush journey straight to the disco. While Ware’s debut in 2010 was on the upbeat Nervous with SBTRKT, her subsequent output has mostly been soulful, subdued and minimalist balladry.

The first half of the album throws that out the window, exchanging it instead for seductive coos beckoning hedonistic escapades. There’s the Kylie-sounding title track that sees her tempt like never before: “I know the way to make you happy / I give you love, you give it back to me,” she sings over a dizzying bassline.

There is no shortage of flirty, tongue-in-cheek moments on the album. The delectably funky Ooh La La sees her tease: “Ooh, la-la, open up the door, you know I like it / Ooh, la-la, chivalry was dead but you revived it”. And on the flaming Step Into My Life, she talks about how “It feels so right when you catch my eyes / Maybe for tonight, would you catch my body? / Don't be scared to touch”. It’s a sort of seduction that we don’t get enough of in music these days.

But close your eyes, and some of the record’s finest moments could almost make you feel like you were in another time. Soul Control calls to mind 80s synthpop in the vein of The Human League and Depeche Mode. Album highlight In Your Eyes sees her desirous vocals dancing atop a bed of orchestral arrangements and synthesisers, mixed to perfection.

In these string-filled moments we see traces of Ware’s old sound, breathy and quietly commanding. Adore You, the album’s first single, plays like a remixed version of her earlier works. And Spotlight makes for the perfect opener, starting the show with an orchestra backing Ware’s rousing vocals.

With ninth track Read My Lips is where the record fizzles out a little. It’s a slightly repetitive four minutes that feels too familiar. The Kill repeats the synths and strings formula from earlier to less success. It’s a shame that both are decent songs in their own right, overshadowed by the rapturous moments that came before.

Closing track Remember Where You Are, however, is a charmer that Ware reveals she wrote in response to the political turmoils the world was going through in 2019. “The heart of the city is on fire / Sun on the rise, the highs are gonna fall / But nothing is different in my arms / So darling remember where you are” she sings, backed by a choir as the album ends with strings the same way it began.

Starting with lead single Garden Song, an exploration of intimacy and growing up, Punisher at once finds itself in dreamy territory. The song carries the influence of British band The 1975, whom Bridgers recently collaborated with, by way of distorted background sounds atop a guitar melody.

As always, it is the 25-year-old’s precocious songwriting that forms the nucleus of much of the record, as with this line from Garden Song that invokes a sense of melancholic blur:

I'm at the movies, I don't remember what I'm seeing The screen turns into a tidal wave Then it's a dorm room, like a hedge maze

Where there are slightly more upbeat moments on Punisher, they are merely foils for heavy subject matter. Kyoto, the album’s second single, is a chirpy indie rock number about her relationship with her father, as well as the imposter syndrome she experienced when in Japan. On Chinese Satellite, she questions her identity and sense of powerlessness:

I've been running around in circles Pretending to be myself Why would somebody do this on purpose When they could do something else?

Identity is a recurrent theme on Punisher. On the hauntingly soothing ballad Halloween, which features vocals from her Better Oblivion Community Centre bandmate Conor Oberst, Bridgers sings that “It’s Halloween, we can be anything”. On Savior Complex, she confronts her psychological shortcomings in a lush, string-filled number that takes its time to unravel itself.

At the end of the record, we get the very aptly titled I Know The End, in which she sings about a discordant world where Germany is Texas, complete with “Big bolts of lightning hanging low” as lightning sounds come in for some blink-and-you-miss-it text painting. The song’s outro is a true highlight of the album, as everything from clashing drums, horns, screams and growls get a part to play in the cacophony. Drawing from the title, it’s almost as if we’re witnessing the Punisher release their pent-up wrath. Yet it remains unclear what role Bridgers plays in it all: is she tormentor, or tormented?

Few artists have the esteem of being lauded by Beyoncé, and Chloe x Halle happen to be one of them.

The sisters, known for their ethereal, dreamy vocals, were discovered and signed to Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment label by the singer herself in 2015. Since then, they’ve gone on to release an EP, 2016′s Sugar Symphony; lent their voices to several soundtracks; and solidified themselves as ones to watch with their sparkling if slightly lengthy debut effort, The Kids Are Alright.

The year is 2020, and the R&B duo is ready for their next statement. Where their debut saw them affirm their peers while navigating their transition from childhood into womanhood, Ungodly Hour tackles more loaded themes like desire and infidelity.

Album opener Forgive Me and previously released Do It see them shed their pop influences for a slicker R&B/hip-hop sound as they keep their lovers teased. And while they’ve always had a cheeky touch to their lyrics, Tipsy is without a doubt the most savagery they’ve delivered: “You're strumming on my heart strings, don't be dumb / if you love your little life then don't fuck up”. Consider yourself warned.

Having been appraised by Beyoncé herself, you’d be hard-pressed to not draw similarities between the duo and the former Destiny’s Child member. Their rap/sung delivery on Tipsy, for one, immediately calls to mind Beyoncé’s braggadocio on her tracks like Diva and Hold Up. But on title track Ungodly Hour is where Chloe x Halle truly step out of the shadows of their mentor. Produced by Disclosure, the song takes a page out of 90s R&B, making for a perfect blend between the gliding instrumental and the pair’s distinctive harmonies.

Elsewhere, Busy Boy sounds like a modern take on the sounds of TLC, whom Chloe x Halle have revealed they are inspired by. Don’t Make It Harder On Me and Wonder What She Thinks Of Me provide the laid-back moments on the record. The former, a soul number replete with strings; the latter, a haunting ballad about a former flame moving on.

But just when you think that the album might be ending on a sombre note, in comes the confetti of ROYL, a bouncy, uplifting call for self-love. “You ain't gotta let the world get to you / Why you lookin' in the mirror like that?” they trade verses on the track co-produced by maestro Boi-1da (Rihanna, Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar). It’s a fitting, celebratory closer for a body of work that has polished their previous sound while still playing to their vocal strengths.

To be selected as the critics’ choice for the Brit Awards, win the coveted BBC “Sound of” poll, release a debut album, then fade into relative obscurity might be the end of the road for some artists. But not Jack Garratt.

The 28-year-old, known for his electrifying live performances as a one-man band, released his debut Phase in 2016 to positive reviews. But upon wrapping up his tour for the album, Garratt found himself not quite knowing where to go next.

“It screwed me over completely,” he told BBC in February about comparisons with previous winners like Adele, revealing that he had to scrap an entire album that he had made, opting instead to take four years away to heal himself.

And Love, Death & Dancing is the culmination of that time away. Opener Time, first released in February, addresses Garratt’s reason for taking a break. “You're overthinking, in a rut and terrified / Of giving in to who you are and losing your mind,” he tells himself. The song retains the layered, synth-filled production of his debut, together with his rousing tenor.

Mara, the second track on the “Volume 1″ collection released alongside Time, is an introspective conversation with his inner voices. The song’s namesake is a spirit of temptation in the Buddhist belief.

But the album is not all doom and gloom. Better, the most upbeat track on the record, puts the “dancing” in its title. Containing a bizarrely effective sample of the “Hey, I think you’re really cool” vine, the song is Garratt’s forray into the genre of dance pop. “I’ll sit back helplessly and watch the world descend / Into chaos curated by suited men,” he laments about the state of the world with a lyric that holds even more weight given the events of the past month.

Garratt’s brand of synth-folk is apparent in most of the album. Doctor Please is a synth-fueled cry for help in one’s lowest moments, with an almost Sheeran-ian delivery, both lyrically and vocally. Old Enough is reminiscent of Phase standouts Weathered and Surprise Yourself. “We should be old enough to get things started,” he sings while backed by a choir of synths, electric guitars and pianos.

Where the album falters is with tracks like Mend A Heart and Anyone that see Garratt break away from his formula. The former comes across as bland, Top 40 fodder. The latter, though with a chorus that hits like a sucker punch, finds itself to be uneven in contrast to the rest of the album.

1. FHAT

Serving slick, funk-inspired jams, FHAT is a queer pop duo born in Berlin and based in America. Packin’ is all sorts of addictive with a bass line straight out of the 70s — a lovechild between heyday Timberlake and Make Me Feel Janelle Monae that will have you hooked. To make things even better, they’ve absolutely got it going with their visuals, too.

2. Gia Woods

It sure takes nerve to come out to the world through a pop song, and that’s precisely what Gia Woods did back in 2015. Now, the Persian singer is gearing up to release her debut EP, CUT SEASON, and newly-dropped Naive is the latest teaser. “Sweet misery / loves company / I’m kinda / darling don’t be naive,” she coos, Gwen Stefani-style, over a gritty beat.

3. Isaac Dunbar

At just 17 years of age, the Massachusetts native is without a doubt one of the youngest rising queer acts of today. And it’s easy to see why Dunbar, who also produces his own music, has been pegged as one to watch. makeup drawer is a powerful statement that sees him embrace his identity, no holds barred, with a style that sits somewhere between contemporaries like Conan Gray and Billie Eilish.

4. Michael Medrano

On first listen, Michael Medrano’s Fluids sounds like a lost tape from The Fame era Lady Gaga. Fun, flirtatious and unabashedly queer, the song is begging to be blasted at Pride parties everywhere — not now, but soon enough. The American singer’s recent releases have really seen him coming into his own with his sound, strapped with tongue in cheek lyrics, always.

5. Raveena

Pairing her delicate voice with ethereal soundscapes, R&B singer Raveena waxes lyrical about spirituality and femininity with such finesse, it’s unbelievable that she’s still an up-and-comer. Often incorporating references to her Indian heritage in her music, Stronger is a quiet declaration of her embracing feminine power. “I was so naive to think a man could be stronger than me,” she sings over a dreamy instrumental.

6. Left At London

Confessional, gut-punching lyrics take centre stage in the works of Left at London, a non-binary trans artist who goes by she/her pronouns. Blacknwhite is a genre-bending patchwork that starts off as an emo/punk track, evolving into something more R&B at the halfway mark.

7. Arlo Parks

Writing extensively both about her sexuality and mental health struggles, Arlo Parks is a 19-year-old singer hailing from South London. Black Dog is a poetic dive into a world seen through the lens of depression. “It's so cruel / what your mind can do for no reason” is already one of the year’s best lyrics, from an artist more than ready to break out.

Shuffling between acting and dancing gigs from an early age, Lonsdale captured hearts with his role as Bram in the film. And the actor became a queer icon himself with his refusal to be boxed into any one category of sexuality — a theme that runs through much of his debut album Rainbow Boy.

Opening with the anthemic We Are The Children, Lonsdale coos with his silky falsetto in a dream-like sequence before drums and beats kick in. “Cause we deserve to love / We deserve to trust / We deserve to live our lives / Cause we are the children,” he sings. Much like his character Kid Flash on The CW’s The Flash, Rainbow Boy is a world-saving superhero, just dressed in rainbows instead of lightning.

Not one to shy away from singing about his sexuality, Gay Street Fighter and Rainbow Dragon, both released as singles prior to the album’s release, are fresh, humourous takes on the subject matter. “Everybody’s just a little bit gay,” he smirks on the former track over a lavishly funky beat courtesy of producer Louis Futon.

The theatrical Destiny Road is an immediate standout from the album. At just over two minutes long, the song expertly shows off Lonsdale’s ability to jump between the genres as it starts off as a ballad, takes the hip-hop road, and ends as a lush R&B tune.

Elsewhere, Rhythm & Music and White Noise see the singer dance to the beats of funk and doo-wop. I Confess My Love, Mirror and Chocolate are a seamless trio of R&B tracks that see him reach Gallant and Moses Sumney levels of ethereality with his falsetto. Closer On My Wave is a buoyant way to end off the album: a tribal-inspired track that sees him bid a lover goodbye.

To say that Lady Gaga has been a cultural juggernaut would be a grand understatement. The now 34-year-old first had her big break in 2008 with her debut album The Fame, which still retains its legacy to this day. With her theatrical sound and over the top looks, Gaga became an instant pop culture icon.

In the 12 years since then, Gaga has found herself in a much different landscape. She’s done everything from activism to ARTPOP. She’s shown that she can sit with the greats of jazz. Channel her freak flag in a Ryan Murphy fantasy. More recently, the world embraced her renaissance with her role in Bradley Cooper’s remake of A Star is Born — one that saw her nominated for an Oscar, no less.

And on Chromatica, her 16-track, sixth studio album which drops today, Gaga finds solace on the dance floor once again. Just like all those years ago where she sang “Just dance, gonna be okay”, Gaga’s new rally cry to bring on the rain, a shtick as it is for some, could not have come at a more appropriate time.

Our first introduction into the world of Chromatica is through the strings of opener Chromatica I. Lush and epic like a movie soundtrack, it transitions seamlessly into Alice, which is Gaga’s proclamation to “keep looking for wonderland” despite the struggles in her way. It’s a strong track, replete with French House influences.

Stupid Love, our first taste of the album in February, follows suit. Criticised by some upon its release for being uninventive, the song makes greater sense on the album’s first arc as Gaga goes from looking for the light to embracing love. Then on Rain On Me, she’s ready for the storm. The album’s second single, released a week ago, is already one of 2020′s finest pop offerings, and it feels right as rain.

The dance floor empowerment continues with Free Woman. “This is my dancefloor I fought for / A heart, that's what I'm livin' for” — the lyrics, teased by Gaga in her interview with Zane Lowe, see her reclaiming her individuality over a summer-ready beat. It’s a tad reductive, but her commanding vocals save the day here. Fun Tonight, the last song of the first arc, is reminiscent of Born This Way stand-out The Edge of Glory. Though upbeat on first listen, it’s really a heartbreaking reflection of Gaga’s struggles with her mental health.

Next comes the “moment” that has gotten fans talking — the shift from the strings of Chromatica II to the throbbing beats of 911 is truly something else. And where Chromatica I was an introduction to the modern Gaga, Chromatica II is a return to the Mother Monster of old. 911 sounds like a mix of Monster and Starstruck, while Plastic Doll’s stuttering immediately calls to mind Poker Face. Where the album falters slightly is with Sour Candy, a much-hyped collaboration with Blackpink that simmers without quite getting the chance to take off like some other songs on the record.

The next two songs, Enigma and Replay, are definitive album highlights. Enigma is signature Gaga: a rousing three minutes of submission that sees her throw caution to the wind. Replay is that disco anthem we all came here looking for. Switching between different styles of dance pop, producer Bloodpop’s versatility is a true delight on this album.

The final arc of Chromatica features less of a commonality between its constituents than the earlier ones. Sine From Above is an epic piece of electronica featuring Elton John on vocals. 1000 Doves is less effective, and without a doubt the least characteristically Gaga song on the album. But with album closer Babylon following it’s almost as if the singer is declaring: she can do whatever she wants. “Strut it out, walk a mile / Serve it, ancient-city style / Talk it out, babble on / Battle for your life, Babylon” — it’s goofy, unabashed Gaga at her very best, unaffected by leaks and naysayers alike.

Granted, this album is the follow up effort to 2018’s A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships, both of which form the singular “Music for Cars” era and thus bear notable similarities to each other topically.

Yet, at the same time, Notes feels so much like a sonic departure worlds away from their discography—it’s confusing at best on a cursory listen, but reveals more to unpack with each repeated play.

The months preceding the release of this oft-delayed project gave us eight album cuts, including the disjointed, anxiety-themed track, Frail State of Mind and the stripped-down acoustic Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America.

With all those singles out, Notes still runs nearly 80 minutes over 22 songs. It’s a slow-burn after the introductory, five-minute long Greta Thunberg sound piece and Matty screaming in our ears on People. 

Then we’re straight into two instrumentals—a magical, Disney-esque tune that is The End (Music for Cars), followed by Streaming. The latter warrants little to talk about, apart from having it lead into the subdued, lazy groove of the next album cut, The Birthday Party, a “digital detox” soundtrack with a slight country twang. It’s dreamy and ethereal in both its tune and accompanying visual, with a whole bunch of memes peppered throughout the video, but the lyrics are anything but.

Where the album finally picks up, and where I find myself the most immersed is when references to their older works are being sprinkled throughout the new material. Roadkill takes us back to the hallmark track of their opus: 2013’s Robbers, off their eponymous debut project (“If you don't eat, then you'll never grow / If you don't shoot, then you'll never know”). Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied, bears the stylisation of How To Draw / Petrichor, and clarifies lyrics from Love It if We Made It (that Matty never f*cked in a car, I was lying), both from A Brief Inquiry. I’d position this particular one as the album's standout track, with a gospel choir as backup in the chorus, distorted vocals (whose voice is that on the bridge?), and the interpolation of subtle hip-hop beats. On paper, it spells nothing but confusion in terms of its arrangement and elements, yet it has quickly become a fan-favourite, and rightfully so. This one’s my personal pick of the bunch, no surprise there.

Not far off from the album’s crown jewel, we have Tonight (I Wish I Was Your Boy). It’s an easy listen over a steady, relaxed beat. Shiny Collarbone incorporates dancehall elements, Playing On My Mind seems like it would fit right into the dream-like trance of I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It, and Having No Head is a 6 minute long half-and-half of piano instrumental and mellowed out bass.

Closing the album are tracks Don’t Worry and Guys, and they are worth every ounce of sap. The former is written and performed by Matty’s dad, Tim Healy, and oddly enough the heavy autotune on this one works. The latter is an ode to friendship and an absolute tearjerker, ending off the lengthy project with Matty paying homage to his three main men (“The moment that we started a band / Was the best thing that ever happened”). 

Having built anticipation for a Side B companion to her 2019 studio album Dedicated, Carly Rae Jepsen decided to bless us once and for all with its surprise release today.

Dedicated Side B, at twelve tracks long, follows Carly’s tradition of releasing a compilation of songs that didn’t make the final cut on her albums. In 2016, she dropped the Side B of her cult classic, Emotion, giving the world the gem of a song that was Cry.

In 2020, she’s done it again, and the result is a polished body of work that could most certainly stand its ground as an album of its own.

On opener This Love Isn’t Crazy, she reassures herself and her lover about the weight their emotions hold, by way of a euphoric track that instantly begs you to get grooving.

Second track Window slows the tempo a few notches but still keeps the playful flirtation that Carly has come to be known for. “Keep a window for me open / open for me always / please don't lock the door”: Miss Jepsen wants it, and she wants you to know.

This Is What They Say, coming in at the midway mark, is a definite high point of the album. Calling to mind Montell Jordan’s This Is How We Do It, the song is undoubtedly the catchiest and most memorable of the album. The 8-bit intro. That bridge. How did this song not make it onto Dedicated?

Summer Love seems to be a quintessential Carly Rae Jepsen song title, and I’m actually surprised she hasn’t released a song with that name yet. With her breathy falsetto, the cowbells and those Mark Ronson strings, this one fits so well in the 80s revival that we’ve been seeing in 2020.

Comeback, featuring Bleachers, is a mid-tempo ballad with traces of Jack Antonoff all over it, some parts reminiscent of his recent work on Taylor Swift’s album. Album closer Now I Don’t Hate California After All is another tender Taylor-esque moment, with hints of her Imogen Heap co-write, Clean.