Melissa Kacar

Third time's a charm! The beauty of Clairo 's Charm   truly lies in it's simplicity and subtleties of her artistry. This album is made up of simple musings that are so inherently personal and deeply relatable at the same time. She has such a talent for storytelling in a way that is innately modern, yet very rooted in pop aesthetics of the 1970's. Each song is so layered, with a warm and inviting atmosphere that the listener is engulfed in from the start. She and her core collaborator on this album, producer Leon Michaels, took an analog approach to the creation of Charm , bringing together a live ensemble of horns, woodwinds and synthesizers to capture the vintage sound. In an increasingly digital music landscape, I love to see her going back to basics in that way and creating something completely away from the trends. Clairo draws from a range of influences, but I particularly love the jazz elements incorporated throughout. "This record was a lot about showcasing ...

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...

After watching Lorde "disappear into the sun" after her incredible release of Melodrama in 2017, she is finally back with her third studio album, Solar Power . Lorde is one of my favorite musicians ever, one who I look at as someone who has changed my life since the time I started listening to her years ago. Throughout all of her releases, she always knew exactly how to put my feelings into words into such a perfectly eloquent way.  She is an artist who is very intentional about what she puts out, especially when it comes to music, but also when it comes to posting on social media, public appearances, etc. It is kind of rare to hear anything from her at all for sometimes several years. When she is putting out new music, it feels like it should be a national holiday! In these dreary cold winter months, this album is the sunshine we all need.  Her 2013 debut album Pure Heroine and her 2017 sophomore album Melodrama are masterpieces and two of my favorite albums ever that ha...

Bleachers ' latest self-tilted record feels like the first page in a new chapter for the band, as well as a celebration of the people that come into your life and change everything for you forever. There is such a deep and all-encompassing love that runs throughout every song on this album, which tells such a beautiful story from beginning to end. "In my past three albums, I felt very obsessed with the past and the future. I was deeply imagining things from before and things that could happen. But somewhere along the way, I just started only thinking about right now, I don't know why. So this album feels like you're sitting in a room with me right now", Jack Antonoff told Billboard Philippines.  "It's definitely a new time for Bleachers because it feels like, things are really present, and that things are exciting and opening up for us." It takes the listener on a journey of Bleachers past, present and future in such a powerful way. I view this musi...