Since the release of his critically-acclaimed 2014 album, Salad Days, Mac Demarco has maintained his position as one of the most recognizable faces in indie music, putting out albums every other year. However, none of them have ever seemed to reach the success of Salad Days; 2015’s Another One EP felt like B-sides of it’s predecessor, while 2017’s This Old Dog did present a somewhat new sonic palette, the project still relied heavily on already established Mac-motifs.
Read MoreBy now, I’m sure just about everybody knows the 2016, off-kilter hit “Caroline,” and it’s homely, yellow-dipped music video with masterfully ham-fisted Tarantino references which compliment the lyrics. Obviously, from the jump, the rapper behind this piece of work is very polarizing. Love him or hate him, however, Aminé burst into the spotlight with a sly tenacity and refreshingly creative positivity. I will admit that while I enjoyed “Caroline” when I first heard it, I was able to recognize how radio-friendly it’s sound truly was, and I knew almost instantly just how overplayed it would be in the near future - yes this is my self-righteous way of proclaiming how much deeper my appreciation of music is than you by saying I found a track that blew up before it was big; and yes this makes me a better person than you.
Read MoreThe king of adlibs and prince of leaked music, Playboi Carti has released his second full-length album as of May 11. “Made a mil of that mumbling shit...” pretty much sums up the self-awareness of said album. Where some artists would try to distance themselves from the thematic elements that make up the inappropriately named “mumble rap” sub-genre, Carti doubles down and proves the artistic merit to any “old-heads” or doubters of the aforementioned sub-genre.
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