Melissa Kacar

Take The Sadness Out of Saturday Night  is an album built on its contradictions; the divide between wanting a big life and wanting a secret life, finding ways to live alongside simultaneous hurt and hope, going from the shadow to the city and back again, and most of all, the desire to move forward while still feeling tied to all that has come before. With this album, Jack Antonoff sets out to make a project that is largely an examination of joy and the need for it, but also the doubt that comes with not understanding why you can't seem to hold onto it. As so many Bleachers records do, this album approaches those feelings in a way that shows how they shift and evolve through time. It is shaped by the angst and fears of that moment, but also by what he called the "unearned hope" he was feeling at the time - with all of it wrapped up in the collective consciousness of that particular point in history.  With this music, Jack isn't necessarily setting out to solve all of ...

"Sold Out" by Gracie Abrams, Bon Iver & Aaron Dessner Gracie Abrams , Justin Vernon , and Aaron Dessner came together to create a deeply special song honoring the lives lost to gun violence. It's a heavy and important piece of music, written with such clarity and emotional weight. "Sold Out" captures not only the grief of where the world is right now, but the tragedies that continue to happen far too often, in the US and beyond. Alongside the release of the song, they shared; "We made this song last year in the wake of a school shooting. I was reminded of it this week as our hearts were broken yet again. It's a sad one to share during the holidays, but the world is hurting and we shouldn't look away." The song isn't available on streaming services currently, but you can purchase it through Gracie's Bandcamp . All proceeds are going to Everytown, which is an organization committed to reducing gun violence.   Buy the song here + fin...

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...