Getting closer to the big reveal!
11. Doechii ALLIGATOR BITES NEVER HEAL:
officially it’s a mixtape, but to my ears, Doechii’s Alligator Bites Never Heal—the title a nod to her Florida roots and to the theme of unresolved trauma—is the freshest rap album of the year, with an internal coherence that lodges it as a whole in the memory. I’m often down on the prevalence of therapy-speak in 2020s music, but the way that here it’s bounced off dirty-mouthed humor and classic hip-hop hungry ambition (as well as side-eye to narrow industry expectations of women in rap) makes it feel like part of a fully rounded self-portrait whose pace carries me through its 47 minutes in what feels like half the time. (SLATE)
12. Serpentwithfeet GRIP:
an intensively-formed and executed batch of queer love stories.
13. Freddie Gibbs YOU ONLY DIE 1NCE:
You Only Die 1nce is great, offering a lot for fans of Freddie Gibbs, and may reel the skeptics back in. It’s personal and finds ground in being real and relatable, giving us something new and refreshing, even if the description is rather loose. I found myself appreciating this album a lot, even with its small missteps, but it doesn’t fully derail the flow. It’s fluid and strong, and Gibbs sounds like the motor isn’t stopping anytime soon. Get on the Kane Train, because it’s always a topsy-turvy ride, but the highs are momentous. (THE WEEKLY COOS)
14. Kali Uchis ORQUIDEAS:
Kali Uchis has a few things in mind on Orquídeas. First of all, she wants the world to know there’s no box or category to limit Latinas sonically. She bounces from icy R&B to bright merengue to liquefied dream pop. Second, the album balances a careful mix of power and vulnerability, adding complexity to notions of Latinas beyond stereotypes as lusty sirens or spicy firebrands. But Orquídeas is also loaded with sexual agency and bad-bitch energy. She’s bolder and more forthright than ever, diving deeper into new sounds and flourishing the entire way. (ROLLING STONE)
15. Tinashe QUANTUM BABY:
Quantum Baby is a lean and muscular eight-song accompaniment to 2023’s BB/Ang3l that asserts itself with the insistence of manicured nails tapping on a hard surface: There are things to do and people to flip off. Opener “No Simulation” is a slinky almost-ballad that quickly announces itself as Brandy-inspired, courtesy of Tinashe’s dynamic vocal stacking. “These days I wanna feel it, no simulation/It’s gotta be true,” she croons. It sounds like she’s looking for real love—but then again, Tinashe is a comedic and peculiar storyteller (her one-liners in Two and a Half Men always landed), and when she pledges “to go deeper,” she might be giving more explicit directions. (PITCHFORK)
16. Brittany Howard WHAT NOW:
the multi-instrumentalist and singer sets out to make a statement with this swinging set of funk, pop, soul, and rock tracks. Leaving behind the intimate storytelling of her debut, she lets the music take charge, showcasing her skill as an arranger with richly layered rhythms and melodies. The music never feels overstuffed though, its profusion in service of the searching writing, which often examines the fragility of love. Don’t dare ask her what next. (TIME)
17. Gallant ZINC:
Zinc. boasts Gallant's hallmarks. "Monorail." burbles and sputters along, its submerged beat phasing in and out, as if it wants to break out into full-blown footwork. Electric guitar cascades on "Lucid.," while "Fly on the Wall." and "Sticks and Stones." are lightly dappled with acoustic guitar. And where Sweet Insomnia leaned heavily on guest features, including a career-standout collaboration with the iconic Brandy, Zinc. only makes room for one other, but it's an exquisite choice, too: London singer-songwriter-producer NAO. And of course, Gallant's signature falsetto remains as soul-stirring as ever. (EXCLAIM.CA)
18. The Lemon Twigs A DREAM IS ALL WE KNOW:
‘A Dream Is All We Know’, the siblings’ mostly self-produced fifth studio album, sees them revel in Beach Boys harmonies and off-kilter melodies (think the Beatles when they were starting to get weird). Somehow, they manage to act as if all this has never been done before – and herein lies much of their appeal. At 25 and 27 respectively, Michael and Brian continue to harness an endearing naivety that carries you past any accusations of unoriginality. “The album’s aiming for something timeless,” Michael recently told Mojo, and it’s impressive how often this record lives up to that ambition. (NME)
19. Nadine Shah FILTHY UNDERNEATH:
made in collaboration with her long-term writing partner Ben Hillier, it is also musically the most varied and exciting album the pair have made together. The opening “Even Light” is driven by an infectious and bouncing bassline that drills into the core of the song as Shah’s voice floats atop, while subtle electronics bubble away and brass-like synth stabs punctuate. It sets the tone for an album that is leaps and bounds above anything else Shah has done before – a record that’s layered and detailed, coated with beautifully rich production, yet also spacious and considered. (UNCUT)
20. Denzel Curry KING OF THE MISCHEVIOUS SOUTH VOL. 2:
Denzel is trying to strike a certain balance, create a particular vibe, and delivering something more complicated than this is not going to do that. He wants to give you something dark and intoxicating and cold-blooded, and he executes that perfectly with this understated near-monotone delivery with a slow tempo and wheezy, dusty horn samples droning in the background, the effect of which is absolutely positively hypnotic. And what's even greater is there's a very intense feature from That Mexican OT on the back end of the track where he is rolling his Rs like a motherfucker. Overall, I think this "BLACK FLAG FREESTYLE" pretty much lays out what you're in for on the rest of the record pretty clearly. (THE NEEDLE DROP)
