Melissa Kacar

"Not Strong Enough" by the indie rock supergroup boygenius is an honest and reflective exploration of mental health and self-identity.  The group, consisting of singer-songwriters Phoebe Bridgers , Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker , crafted such a cleverly written and emotionally intense listening experience with their debut album, aptly titled the record ,   in 2023.  I love all three of them individually as artists and songwriters, but there is always something so special about the magic they create when they come together as a collective. "Not Strong Enough" is one of the best song they have released yet and represents the artistic identity of boygenius so perfectly. It truly feels like the heart of the record . I immediately connected so much to the message of it ever since the first listen. From being caught up in "s pinning out about things that haven't happened" and all of the inner complexities that make us who we are - it shares such a moving a...

"Open Wide" // Inhaler The title track of Inhaler' s upcoming album Open Wide is such a mesmerizing and hypnotic performance from the band. I love the psych rock elements incorporated throughout, it is truly one of their best songs yet and I cannot wait to hear the rest of their new album very soon! "Dance The Night (Live from the Royal Albert Hall)" // Dua Lipa At Dua Lipa 's recent show at Royal Albert Hall, she performed "Dance The Night" live for the first time ever! I cannot think of a better debut live performance of this amazing song than with an entire orchestra at Royal Albert Hall! This song played a pivotal role in  Barbie   last year and she brought the glittering energy to life with this performance so well.   The entire album is so amazing and magical - it may honestly be one of my favorite live albums ever! Every song is so masterfully performed by everyone involved. These arrangements completely elevated the perfection of the ori...

Happy Record Store Day! This year's ambassadors for the semi-annual event is one of my favorites, Paramore ! To celebrate the occasion, they released a few special vinyl variants, including Re: This Is Why  pressed on vinyl for the first time. This is an indie record store exclusive released in April 2024 for Record Store Day , which is an event held twice a year to celebrate independent record stores with dozens of new and exclusive music releases special for the occasion. Paramore is newly independent themselves, so this is a great time for them to be the face of the semi-annual celebration of independent record stores!  In a press release Paramore said, "...The discovery of music was always meant to be romantic. Indie record shops are some of the only spaces we’ve got that offer a tangible, tactile experience of music discovery. In this world that feels more disconnected and hostile than ever, it feels important to remain in touch (literally) with what inspires us, empower...

Music's biggest night of the year was filled with unforgettable music moments and live performances of some of the best songs of the year. Every single category at this year's Grammy ceremony was stacked with incredible talent, making it impossible to really predict which way each award was going to go. It has been such a great year for new music and this show served as a perfect celebration of that.  The show opened with a performance from Dua Lipa of her new song "Training Season", which is set to be officially released later this month. She also performed one of my current favorites, "Houdini" , which was also her first time performing that song too. It was one of the first glimpses we got into the visuals surrounding her upcoming album, and I am so excited to hear more from it soon! She was nominated this year for "Dance The Night" from Barbie: The Album , which she didn't win any awards for, but is a great song nonetheless!  The rest of ...