Melissa Kacar

Third time's a charm! The beauty of Clairo 's Charm   truly lies in it's simplicity and subtleties of her artistry. This album is made up of simple musings that are so inherently personal and deeply relatable at the same time. She has such a talent for storytelling in a way that is innately modern, yet very rooted in pop aesthetics of the 1970's. Each song is so layered, with a warm and inviting atmosphere that the listener is engulfed in from the start. She and her core collaborator on this album, producer Leon Michaels, took an analog approach to the creation of Charm , bringing together a live ensemble of horns, woodwinds and synthesizers to capture the vintage sound. In an increasingly digital music landscape, I love to see her going back to basics in that way and creating something completely away from the trends. Clairo draws from a range of influences, but I particularly love the jazz elements incorporated throughout. "This record was a lot about showcasing ...

In many regards, Rare   was a fresh start for Selena Gomez , a new chapter for her as she was ready to leave her past hardships behind and rediscover herself in a way like never before. On this album, she sings about her newfound independence and spreads a message of self-love and self-empowerment to all who listen. It shines a spotlight on all of the qualities that are within us all that make us each special and rare. Selena's strength and vulnerability shines through in everything she does and so much of this album puts an emphasis on not letting the past define her, instead learning from the experiences. During the process of creating this album, Selena was struggling with major health issues and  Rare  is truly a testament to her endurance and strength in overcoming that battle. Every song is so positive and joyous, it really is some of her best work yet. Conceptually it is very cohesive in that regard as well.  This album was the follow up to Revival , whic...

The message and storyline of "the 1" by Taylor Swift is present in so many of the songs she went on to write in the years to follow. This was the last song written for  Folklore , which was a surprise release in July 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. She wrote "the 1" and "hoax" in the matter of a few hours, just before she was about to submit the final album. The songs that serve as bookends for  Folklore   are so intricately linked together through their shared narrative and yearning for a version of herself and her life that's gone. It is so warm and nostalgic, written as if she is having a conversation with someone she hasn't seen in a long time, an old friend or an old lover that didn't work out. "I'm doing good, I'm on some new shit, been saying 'yes' instead of 'no'," is truly one of the greatest album openers of all time and beautifully reflects the new chapter of her career that was about t...

2024 was such an exciting year for new music! From long-time favorites to new discoveries, this list includes a little bit of everything. It's been such a fun year to be a fan of all these amazing artists and I can only imagine what 2025 will bring next. This is always one of my favorite posts to write at the end of every year, I love getting to look back on all of the artists that were the soundtrack of my year. It feels like there was a period of time from around March through July that was stacked with back-to-back new music every single week from all of the best artists out right now. It's been such a fun year to be a fan of all these amazing artists and I can only imagine what 2025 will bring next.  This list is loosely ranked, but these are the truly the best of the best from 2024. I have covered many of these albums in-depth throughout the year, so if you are interested in reading more about any of these, be sure to check out the links throughout the post & at the en...