Melissa Kacar

"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 ...

"stupid song" by Olivia Rodrigo  Trying to put the strong, all‑encompassing emotion of what it feels like to love so deeply into words is the pursuit of so many of the greatest artists' lives - especially one as emotive and diaristic as Olivia - but acknowledging that you could never fully articulate the extent of your love becomes, in itself, the truest expression of it. That's exactly what "stupid song" represents for me and is one of the many highlights off of her new album you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love , so it was very difficult to choose just one to share here. This song is so addicting and moving, as she showcases her strength for songwriting and capturing a feeling that is complicated, yet so universal.  This is very well going to end up being my album of the year for 2026. I truly cannot foresee another record topping girl so in love -  and if something does manage to in the latter half of the year, then I can't even imagine how inc...

"the cure" by Olivia Rodrigo The second single off of Olivia 's you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love is such a cathartic, existential, and melodramatic masterpiece - all of which are traits that have continually made up so much of her best work to date. If the lead single "drop dead" is the embodiment of the girl so in love portion of the album title, then "the cure" in turn feels like the representation of the you seem pretty sad aspect of the time in her life that inspired her to write this. Coming in at the midpoint of the album's tracklist, it's definitely going to serve as a crucial transition piece for the album's overarching narrative. The build‑up to the bridge and the explosive final chorus is absolutely incredible and feels so powerful with every single listen. It's genuinely one of the best songs Olivia has ever written, and also one of the greatest pop songs of recent memory, which is not an overstatement in the slig...