Issue 141
This week includes Aaradhna, The Pack A.D., Stranger Things, Ólafur Arnalds, and Sonreal.
Heavy Rotation
What We're Listening To
On Brown Girl, Aaradhna sings about her struggles with racism as a brown woman. But while it’s a record about the political, it’s also a powerfully personal statement — delivered with an impressive amount of bravado. Read more.
The Pack A.D. drift further away from their blues-rock roots into alt-rock territory on Positive Thinking, but they avoid sounding like their influences and continue to surprise — while developing a striking musical identity of their own. Read more.
Fans of the show have undoubtedly come to love Stranger Things’s music, but the most surprising part the record is how well its ’80s synths sound without the visuals of the show to provide context. (There are no spoilers in this review.) Read more.
On Island Songs, Ólafur embraces his piano and writes a peaceful set of songs meant to evoke his homeland of Iceland. Read more.
SonReal’s new EP is his best production work and most refined vocal performance yet. It’s fun hip hop from a producer who understands his skills and knows how to work within his limitations. Read more.