Melissa Kacar

"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...

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...

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 ...

"Secret Language" is a beautiful portrait of what it means to love before you can even put it into words. It feels so singular to Ryan Beatty 's voice and artistic vision, especially in the way he writes with such specificity for his own partner, but still makes the feeling so much larger than himself in a way that can connect to anyone who has ever tried to capture such a specific form of emotional intensity.  The song's backdrop is rooted in stunning Americana imagery and sweet, poetic lyricism. There is a deep sincerity and openness in the way he expresses himself throughout all of  Sweet Fortune , his fourth album this song is apart of, even though he often writes about how closed off he can be emotionally. "All the ways I say it in a secret language, did you hear what my words couldn't tell? I keep it all to myself," he sings in the beautiful chorus.  "It's an arms-open-wide song," Ryan said in an interview with Vogue alongside its re...

"Soft Spot" captures such a vivid sense of longing and nostalgia. The song, true to its name, is deeply sentimental and carried by its simplicity and gentle wistfulness. Claud brings such a warmth and softness to their uncomplicated approach in conveying these persisting feelings for a past love.  Released alongside the announcement of their 2021 debut album Super Monster , "Soft Spot" continues to stand out as one of the project's highlights. The vulnerability and honest perspective in which they consistently write from is so distinct and beautifully represented on this song. It sits with the lingering feelings of not fully having closure on this chapter of their life and not being able to fully let the other person go as a result, even when they know they should.  "You made it clear that it's over now, but you're all that I think about, so now I don't know what the hell to do," they sing on the pre-chorus. What shines through the most is ...

looking like an angel on the walls of versailles is a curated playlist inspired by Olivia Rodrigo 's  you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love lead single "drop dead" - an infectious all encompassing love song that perfectly bottles the lightning‑strike first rush of a new crush and the flood of emotions that come along with it. The lyricism of this song has been feeling particularly inspiring since it was released, especially the vivid imagery she threads throughout the verses. With her long‑awaited new album finally out today, it felt like the perfect moment to put together a collection of songs that echo the feeling of "drop dead", the track that opens the album and plays such an integral role in its larger narrative. Even as the song shifts in tone and meaning across the record, "drop dead" is an incredible opener for the flood of emotions she was experiencing at this point in her life. She captures the rollercoaster of this relationship throug...