Melissa Kacar

"Aperture" by Harry Styles He's baaaaack! The lead single off of Harry Styles ' long-awaited new album,  Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally ,  introduces a new sound and direction for him. It leans into a more electronic house sound than ever before, a clear vantage point for "Aperture" being Robyn's "Dancing On My Own" , with hints of LCD Soundsystem as well. It is a long and sprawling five minute confessional, almost feeling like a status update for where he's been for the past few years. He always writes from his own distinct perspective, shaping a narrative built around living in the moment, loving and embracing togetherness. There are so many ways for this song to be interpreted, it largely connects to "Lights Up" in the way it is a thesis statement for who he is as an artist and the encouraging environment he creates with his music, inviting the listener to just let the light in and spread love. The repeated phrase of ...

Anti  simultaneously marked the beginning and end of a creative era for Rihanna in many ways. She went into the creation of this album intentionally wanting to make the antithesis of all that had come before in her discography.  Rihanna's catalog is truly one of the strongest and most impactful in contemporary music, no one else has had the run of iconic hits that she had from the mid-2000s through the 2010s. It is truly incomparable, as she dominated the industry in a way very few artists ever have. With that being said, Rihanna was never really considered an "album artist", so to speak. She had countless incredible singles, but most of her full-length albums didn't carry the same strength all the way through. A lot of them were built around the singles and the tracklist didn't always match the level of those standalone hits. They were more of a sum of their parts. With this release, she wanted to step away from the polished, radio-friendly pop sound she'd be...

"Everything's Just Wonderful" inhabits the sarcastic, dry wit that has always made Lily Allen stand out as an artist. This is such an underrated gem of Y2K British indie pop and a sharp, clever classic from her 2006 debut Alright, Still . The song pokes fun at modern society with her signature biting humor and sarcasm. Structurally, it's also surprisingly unconventional for a mid‑2000s pop single, leaning into a kind of conversational storytelling that felt refreshingly blunt at the time. Co‑written and produced with her frequent collaborator Greg Kurstin, this song pairs a light, carefree melody with lyrics that contrast with a much daker undertone.  The song is an interesting satirical commentary on many political and societal pressures that have remained very relevant since the time it was written. "Do you think everything, everyone is going mental?" Lily sings in the opening lines. "It seems to me we're spiraling outta control, and it's ine...

As part of the final leg of her GUTS tour, Olivia Rodrigo headlined festivals all over the world, including day two of Lollapalooza in Chicago during the summer of 2025. With that set, she reportedly broke the record for the biggest headline crowd  in the festival's history, bring over 150,000 people together in Grant Park.  During her record-breaking debut set at Lolla, she was joined on stage by surprise guests Weezer . They performed two songs together, which was a very special and full-circle moment for Olivia as the band was her first ever concert when she was younger. "You always remember your first concert. It's a very, very special moment," she said before introducing the special guests. "I remember my first concert. It was a very memorable night. I watched this incredible band and I am so over the moon, because that incredible band is actually here tonight to play a few songs. Will you please say hello to Weezer?" They performed two of the band...

Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I’m Not served as the introduction to a band that would go on to define a generation, reshaping the sound and spirit of modern rock. In doing so, Arctic Monkeys blended styles of punk, garage rock, indie, and alternative rock into a sound that was all their own. The band originally formed in 2002 and continued to build momentum until their eventual debut in 2006. They became known for handing out free demo CDs at their shows, circulated these early recordings among friends and unintentionally became one of the first music acts to gain traction on MySpace. Their rise was unheard of at the time, especially for an indie band from the suburbs of northern England. Their guerilla approach to digital music marketing ended up re-shaping the entire industry, without even intending to do so. Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not ended up becoming an early blueprint for the role social media would soon come to play in the music industry....