Melissa Kacar

At the heart of it, "Bags" is one of the purest expressions of yearning, encapsulating Clairo 's innate ability to freeze a moment in time and preserve fleeting feelings that seem so brief as they're happening, yet become forever immortalized through this song. "It's definitely about me learning to be comfortable in a place of the unknown," she said in a 2019 interview with Genius.  She brings a sincerity and vulnerability to her songwriting that allows her to be completely open about her feelings, never holding anything back. Recognizing the importance of savoring the mundane, simple details of falling in love is ultimately why this song holds such a special place in her discography. In this track, she opens up with full transparency about the things she left unsaid in an effort not to scare the other person away, even though she so badly wishes she could express the intensity of what she's truly feeling in those moments. There's something so p...

"Add Up My Love" and "Slow Dance" beautifully encapsulates the overall narrative arc of Clairo 's third album Charm . Released as a part of Urban Outfitters' 2026 Valentine's Day vinyl collection, these two songs pair so beautifully on this exclusive 7" single . It is pressed on a baby pink vinyl, with an embossed front cover that features a line drawing of cupid and gorgeous typography. The attention to detail is evident with this release. It looks almost like a Valentine itself, which captures the aesthetic of the overall theme of the release so well. It was limited to just 3000 copies. I love collecting Clairo's music on vinyl and am always so captured by the way the warmth and beauty of her music is translated into the physical releases. So much of  Charm  is rooted in beautiful, sincere love songs that are simply written, but also incredibly evocative emotionally at the same time. The track list sequencing of this record overall really doe...

"Cross Yor Mind" by Shelly Shelly, the side project of close friends Clairo , Claud , Josh Mehling, and Noa Getzug returns after five years with two addicting new singles, "Cross Your Mind" and "Hartwell". I absolutely love both songs, but "Cross Your Mind" just might be my favorite song of the summer so far. Hopefully they release a full-length collaborative project soon, I can't wait to hear more from them! "Gasoline - triple j Like A Version" by Djo Earlier this year, Djo recorded an incredible cover of Haim 's "Gasoline" for triple j's Like A Version series, and now it's finally been officially released on streaming platforms. He took what was already one of my favorite songs by the band and completely made it his own, giving a fresh perspective and edge to it while still capturing everything that made the original so special. "don't speak" by Wet Leg I've been loving Wet Leg 's new a...

Music's biggest night was filled with unforgettable performances and served as a celebration of some of the best art released in the past year. The competition was very tight this year, every category had several nominees that were equally deserving of the night's biggest honors. This past year was so great in terms of new music releases, it has been so much fun to be a fan of all of these artists. There was a very diverse range of artists celebrated, which was so great to see.  The entire show was dedicated to fundraising for the communities in Los Angeles that have been affected by the devastating wildfires last month, which is such an important cause to bring attention to. Los Angeles is home to such a vibrant artistic community, a city that is intertwined with the history of so much of the best art and music of our time. Many small businesses were highlighted throughout the show as well as tributes to the victims of the fires, the firefighters and first responders that put...