Melissa Kacar

Deadbeat as a whole for Kevin Parker is really about getting back in touch with the simplicity behind the music and taking up the space to allow every song to feel fully realized. Wanting to get back to that simplicity meant allowing the songs to sprawl, draw themselves out, and sit in the unrefined nature some moments across the record create. Instead of trying to make every single moment of every single song feel perfect in a technical sense, he gave each track room to breathe. That trust in the rawness is part of what makes Deadbeat feel like some of his most human work yet. It is such a dynamic blend of all the elements that make Tame Impala so singular. It's largely rooted in mellow, hypnotic house music, but incorporates poppier elements throughout that he effortlessly blends together. The production is so lush and immersive it serves as yet another reminder that Kevin is truly a generational producer. "Another album that almost killed me. 2 years of sweat and tears an...

they say people never change is a playlist built around songs that inspire growth and personal reflection, especially when looking at all of the ways we change over time. It is curated in a more personal manner than the conceptual or sonic themes I usually build my song collections around. There is still a particular through line across these 50 songs though, with each one reflecting some facet of growth or self‑reinvention. Some take that idea in a more abstract direction, others more literally, but together they form a portrait of what it means to evolve. I felt inspired to share this playlist today because it officially marks nine years since I first posted on my blog. It's surreal to look back on how much time has passed since my first makeup review all those years ago, along with the hundreds of posts I've written since then for over a million readers ! My writing has changed and evolved so much through those years, and I feel so much more confident in what it means to sh...

"Telephone Busy" by 5 Seconds of Summer "Telephone Busy" is not only my new favorite song that 5 Seconds of Summer has ever released, but its easily one of my top favorites of the entire year as well. If this single is any indication of what's to come with the rest of EVERYONE'S A STAR! then it is going to be some of their best work yet. The chorus is insanely infectious, the hypnotic hook has been stuck in my head ever since I first listened to it and have had it on repeat constantly. I also just got tickets to see them live next year in New York City , which I am so excited for!! "Puddles" by Not For Radio The opening song off of María Zardoya's debut solo side project, titled Not For Radio , immediately pulls the listener into the world she creates within this music.  Melt   is such a gorgeous album and I cannot recommend listening to it enough, with "Puddles" beautifully setting the tone for the rest of what's to come with ...

"Camera" by Charli xcx Charli xcx has officially released not one, but two of my very favorite albums of the year - first with the stunning Wuthering Heights concept album / soundtrack, and now with the all‑time career highlight Music Fashion Film . It was also impossible to highlight just one song from this album ("2007" and the closer "No One Lasts Forever" being very close contenders as my monthly favorites too), but "Camera" felt like the most indicative of the entire ethos of what this music represents as a whole. It is such a deeply thought‑provoking examination of what it means to pursue a life of art and stardom in the modern age; while framing the question of legacy and what an artist leaves behind (or doesn't). Closing out the trifecta of singles for music ( "Rock Music" ), fashion ( "SS26" ), and film ("Camera"), it is fully representative of who she is as an artist and what her mission is with this ...