Room 25 - Noname
This album is soothing yet compelling. Accompanied by a backdrop of jazzy instrumentals, Noname delivers soft-spoken, vulnerable lyrics that provide a very interesting take from most mainstream rap and hip-hop. Since her previous EP, Telefone, the production on Room 25 has improved tremendously, which allows anyone listening to be enveloped by her humble spoken-word (as evidenced by opening track Self) and the soulful tone of this album, which makes it one of my favorites this year. Windows was my favorite track, showcasing beautiful vocals and instrumentals that makes Room 25 extremely memorable.
Music to Practice Safe Sex To - Pool Kids
From the Tallahassee newcomer Pool Kids comes their debut album Music to Practice Safe Sex To, which has become one of my favorite emo albums ever. I find this album to be extremely versatile, as each song is distinctly different from each other. Some elements of math rock can be found in tracks like They Only Care About My Fills and Not My Feels, as well as Borderline, while other songs such as Patterns showcase the band's softer side. Pool Kids is definitely a group that deserves attention for releasing such a multidimensional record, especially as their first release.
Artificial Selection - Dance Gavin Dance
Since the band's founding in 2005, Dance Gavin Dance has put out bangers for over a decade. This post-hardcore group fails to disappoint with their new release, Artificial Selection, which is their eighth studio album. Unlike previous releases, John Mess' unclean vocals are given a greater opportunity to shine in songs like The Rattler, Bloodsucker, and Slouch, where in the past, clean vocalist Tillian's presence tended to dominate most songs and overshadow Mess. Additionally, this album features guest vocalists on some songs, such as previous DGD vocalist Kurt Travis on Shelf Life and Eidola vocalist Andrew Wells on Evaporate. Overall, the increase in variety on the songs offered in this release not only creates balance between all the talent involved, but also adds to the sheer energy that listeners can soak up.
