Ariana Grande, eternal sunshine
Oh, I can’t keep up with the soap opera, either. But on her seventh album, and her first since 2020, Grande displays some new maturity while still playing to her pop strengths. Loosely read as her “divorce album,” the project’s theme is laid out in the opening “intro (end of the world),” in which she sings “How can I tell if I’m in the right relationship? / Aren’t you really supposed to know that shit?” Dipping into classic disco, ‘90s Madonna, and even some bedroom-pop acoustic guitar, Grande moves away from the mumbling delivery and the octave jumps that cluttered some previous releases, finding a steady and convincing range for her voice that’s a good sign for the upcoming Wicked movie(s).
Liam Gallagher John Squire, Liam Gallagher John Squire
A lager-lover’s dream come true, but hardly a sure thing. Oasis singer Gallagher always said that the Stone Roses were his biggest inspiration, so teaming with that band’s guitarist is a natural move—and if the album offers absolutely no surprises, that’s because it delivers the goods. Sure, some of the lyrics are stupid or lazy, and playing Spot-The-Beatle-Isms gets exhausting after a while (just add one letter to a White Album title and get “Mother Nature’s Song”—seriously?), but the songs are tight and punchy, and it’s great fun hearing Gallagher’s re-energized sneer play off Squire’s flashy, psychedelicized leads.
Sleater-Kinney, Little Rope
Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker had written half of their new album before Brownstein’s mother and stepfather were killed in a car crash in late 2022, but a mood of loss and grief permeates the entire project. Their second record since the departure of drummer Janet Weiss in 2019, Little Rope marks a shift in tone for this remarkable band, retaining the catharsis of punk without aspiring to the assaultive energy of their early work. It takes some time to absorb these songs, but as demonstrated on Sleater-Kinney’s recent tour, even the most anguished material truly comes alive.
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Tierra Whack, World Wide Whack
This Philadelphia MC is one of the weirdest and most arresting new voices in hip-hop. Her 2018 EP Whack World introduced her with 15 songs, each exactly one minute long yet somehow fully realized. Six years later, her full-length debut features actual full-length tracks, but retains the spirit of innovative anarchy. World Wide Whack ranges from trap beats to sing-songy nursery rhymes, celebrating the joys of singing in theshower one minute and meditating on depression and suicidal thoughts the next. She’s drawn comparisons to the wildest moments from Missy Elliott, but Tierra Whack is her own kind of glorious, fascinating freak.
Sierra Ferrell, Trail of Flowers
When she first appeared a few years ago— a busker-turned-YouTube-star with face tattoos, a pierced septum, and flamboyant vintage dresses—Ferrell may have seemed like an Americana novelty act. But if her music was sometimes more charming than convincing, her evocative, old-world voice was clearly no joke. On her sophomore album, Ferrell expands her sound to encompass multiple traditions (bluegrass, ragtime, even some Caribbean influence), brings in some legendary Nashville session players, and ratchets up her songwriting to deliver an impressively powerful step forward.
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