Melissa Kacar

Tragic Kingdom is the hit breakthrough album by  No Doubt , released in 1995 to widespread critical acclaim. Blending a mix of pop, punk, rock and ska, it was a groundbreaking album for the music landscape of the mid-90's and instantly became a timeless classic. It was the band's third album together, which differed quite a bit from their first two lesser-known records, partly because of the interpersonal drama within the lives of the members at the time. For the first time, No Doubt's music was mainly written from the perspective of the band's frontwoman  Gwen Stefani . This album was just the start of Gwen becoming the major force in pop music that she was for much of the next decade to follow. This record still is just as relevant now as it was then, I hear the influences of  Tragic Kingdom and Gwen's emblematic attitude try to be replicated by so many modern pop and rock records released today.  This album spawned several massive hits for them, including "S...

"Just A Girl" was a massive breakthrough moment for No Doubt and became a defining anthem for the group, exuding a strong feminist message - even though it was never necessarily intended to be. It was the lead single off No Doubt's third album Tragic Kingdom and echoed many of the feelings Gwen Stefani was experiencing, with her own personal perspective at the forefront for the first time.  This song marked the beginning of a new era for the band in many ways as well. "Just A Girl" was the first song Gwen wrote on her own without her brother, Eric, who was a founding member of the band and the primary songwriter for their music prior to his departure from No Doubt earlier that year. She co-wrote the song with the band's guitarist Tom Dumont, who said in a 1996 interview with  Backstage  that Gwen and the rest of the band taking creative control led their sound and artistic output in a new direction than they were headed prior when Eric was mainly writing ...

With its glittering disco beats, vibrant synths, and infectious groove, "Levitating" by Dua Lipa instantly transports the listener to a cosmic dancefloor. It's one of my favorite songs of all time and encapsulates all that I love about Dua as an artist. Future Nostalgia is also simply one of the best albums ever made too, it is hit after hit for every single song and has such a timeless quality to it. "Levitating" embodies all the  Future Nostalgia   is, which largely consists of both retro and modern influences, blended together to create a sound that is all her own.  "If you wanna run away with me, I know a galaxy and I can take you for a ride, I had a premonition that we fell into a rhythm where the music don't stop for life," Dua sings in the opening lines of the song. "Glitter in the sky, glitter in my eyes, shining just the way I like, if you're feeling like you need a little bit of company, you met me at the perfect time". I ...

GUTS  is the highly anticipated sophomore release from Olivia Rodrigo , following up her massively successful debut album, SOUR , in 2021 . To have the level of success she has had right out the gate with her first-ever single "driver's license" in early 2021 is so rare and she quickly became one of the most notable pop artists to debut this decade so far. There are a lot of songs that I have come to really enjoy on this album, some of which are among my favorites of the entire year so far. When comparing  GUTS   to  SOUR ,  they are alike in a lot of ways, both sonically and aesthetically. In my opinion,  GUTS  builds upon the foundation she and her producer/co-writer, Dan Nigro, set in place with  SOUR  really well. Olivia is in such an interesting and unique position as an artist right now. The closest, or most recent, comparison I have to it is where Billie Eilish was at with her career a few years ago after her debut album . Both her an...

return of saturn   is a playlist I curated in honor of my 27th birthday today, which marks the beginning of what astrologically is known as my Saturn return, or the moment Saturn reaches its first full cycle and returns to the exact position it was in when you were born. This transition is said to happen between the ages of 27 and 30. I don't know about all of the specifics or the science behind it, but it's a very interesting phenomenon to read about. Also just to feel this shift happening in life, that innate sense of change and reflection that occurs at this stage is especially pertinent lately. These songs I chose are meant to embrace that change and the evolution that comes with entering a new chapter of life. It's a very personal collection of tracks I've connected with and feel represent that theme, but I also hope anyone who listens can find something meaningful within these songs too. Many of these songs also touch upon this phenomenon, and I wanted to highligh...