Melissa Kacar

Raised on pop punk and bubblegum, 5 Seconds of Summer 's EVERYONE'S A STAR! is a sharp and at times satirical blend of everything the band has spent the past fifteen years building. Much of the record is rooted in the desire to poke fun at the idea of fame itself - both in the cultural sense of what it means to be a "rockstar" and also their own complicated relationships with being known in the modern age. They are fully transparent about all of the glamour, attention and darker undertones of their experiences growing up in the public eye. Now as they are entering their thirties, some even starting new chapters of marriage and fatherhood, they're able to now look back on the parts of their youth that they didn't have the space or clarity to process at the time.  For all of the cheeky, lighthearted moments, this album really digs into what it means to make it through the growing pains of early adulthood and come out on the other side of the struggles they may ...

5 Seconds of Summer 's fourth album, CALM ,  serves as an important reflection of the band's evolution from where they started and where they're going as both artistically and personally.  CALM  was the follow-up to their biggest album to date,   Youngblood , which first introduced this more mature and developed alternative rock sound for the band. It is the foundation that all of the music they released after is built upon, both collectively as a band and as solo artists. Much of it is made up of a blend of influences, pairing it with both emotional depth and layered instrumentation.  The album's title is derived from an acronym of the member's first initials, Calum, Ashton, Luke and Michael. "And it's also a nod to our fans that coined us that name in our early days," lead singer Luke Hemmings said in an interview with New York Post . "They've been using that acronym for a long time. It kind of just sums up we're a little bit older and a...

Tough" // Lana Del Rey & Quavo Lana Del Rey and Quavo teamed up for "Tough", a dreamy Americana summer anthem released right before the Fourth of July. It reminds me of something that could have been included on one of my all-time favorite albums by Lana,  Lust For Life , which is a sound I love to hear her channeling again. I also love the resilient message of the lyrics and the varied influences they draw from in this song. Their voices unexpectedly blend so well together and they truly make a great pair on this song. It's one of my favorite songs of the entire year so far, I love it so much and hope that we get more new music from Lana soon! "Juna" // Clairo I absolutely love every single song on Clairo 's latest release,  Charm , it flows together so beautifully into such a calming and transcending listening experience. "Juna" is definitely a highlight for me, it is such a sweet and simple jazzy song that feels like it could have been...