Hello, everyone! Welcome to another mini album review post, and it’s quite a positive one, too! As always, it’s just based on my own personal taste in music, not ‘objective quality’, whatever that means.

Also, I’m making a change in this mini review post: I’m not including a throwback review this time. I’ve been in a time crunch trying to get my final two 2022 year-end lists out, and I decided I don’t want to make that a rule for myself where I have to include a throwback review. I’m not done with throwback reviews … they’re really fun to make, and I want to keep making them, but I’m not going to include them in every mini review post going forward.

And speaking of throwback reviews, the first album I’m reviewing in this post is by an artist whose 2019 album I did a throwback review of last year!

Desire, I Want To Turn Into You by Caroline Polachek:

I shared my very controversial opinion on Caroline Polachek’s 2019 album, Pang, last year in a throwback review, giving the album a 4/10. And now, again, Caroline Polachek has released a super critically acclaimed album, and the song “Billions” got me intrigued about this album, so I decided to give it a chance. So, what do I think of it?

Well … honestly, I just couldn’t get into this album. And the biggest reason is inconsistency. Some of these songs feature production/mixing that I mostly like but have underwhelming melodies, and some are the other way around. For example, the song, “Pretty In Possible”, has a really nice effect on some of the synths, and the percussion sounds pretty good, but there’s not a lot melodically that I like. But there’s also “Fly To You”, which features a really good melody on the hook, but the bass sounds annoyingly distracting and the percussion sounds slightly distant from the rest of the instrumentation in the production … maybe that didn’t make any sense, but I’m pretty much saying the way the percussion is produced doesn’t fit with the rest of the song, to my ears. Also, I’m not really a fan of the effect on Caroline’s voice in the chorus of this song.

But there’s also “Bunny Is A Rider”, which is probably my least favourite song on the album. I really don’t like this song, as it’s got some of the most boring vocal melodies on the album, some very annoying whistling (whistling is something that usually annoys me in music), and instrumentation that doesn’t interest me at all. And overall, the song is quite annoying in my opinion.

Now, that’s not to say I don’t like anything here. I’ll admit “Sunset” is a song that grew on me quite a bit, with some really good melodies that I can’t deny how much I like. And “Billions”, my favourite track here, is a fantastic closer!

But overall … honestly, I thought I was going to like this more, but I’m going to give this album a 4/10 … you can post an angry comment if you want, but like with all of these reviews, I’m just sharing how I personally feel about the album.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 4/10
Favourite Tracks: “Sunset”, “Hopedrunk Everasking”, “Butterfly Net”, “Billions”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Pretty In Possible”, “Bunny Is A Rider”, “Crude Drawing Of An Angel”, “I Believe”, “Blood And Butter”, “Smoke”

Cuts & Bruises by Inhaler:

In 2021, Inhaler released their debut studio album, It Won’t Always Be Like This, and as someone who isn’t a fan of that album at all, I didn’t have very high expectations for this new album. But I decided to give it a chance anyway.

And I’m really surprised how much I ended up liking this!

Now, let me say right now that I don’t love this album … but I do like it! And the biggest improvement from their last album in my opinion is the production! This album is really well mixed, the guitars sound clear, the drums have some real power to them, and there’s less of a messy sound to it, which is one thing that held their last album back for me.

Like their debut, this album reminds me a lot of The Killers and U2 (and I felt that way before being reminded that lead singer Elijah Hewson is the son of U2 lead singer Paul Hewson AKA Bono), but I find it much more interesting than their debut, like they have their own unique sound … and yeah, I know there are probably tons of similar bands out there whom I just haven’t discovered, but that can be said about pretty much any band … and I might like this album more than any album The Killers have released in the past decade!

A lot of these songs feel like they’re missing something to make them click for me more, and some of the vocal melodies can get a bit boring, but when the production is so good and there’s lots of great melodies in the instrumentation … you know what? I’m going to give this album a 7/10! I like this a lot!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “These Are The Days”, “If You’re Gonna Break My Heart”, “Dublin In Ecstasy”, “The Things I Do”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Love Will Get You There”

This Stupid World by Yo La Tengo:

Why had I never heard of this band until this year? They’ve been putting out lots of critically acclaimed music since the 1980s!

Anyway, I saw this album getting lots of critical acclaim, and I’d seen it described as a rock album. And as someone who loves rock music, I decided to check this out. And it’s a good thing I did, because this album is great!

The guitar distortion is really powerful, and the album is super well mixed, too, with the basslines not only adding some great melodies but also being mixed really well. The drums have a variety of different sounds throughout the album, and they’re mixed pretty much just right and they fit pretty much every song here.

I really like the vocals on this album, and it’s very interesting lyrically, and while there are some awkward production choices here and there, I think it’s a really strong album overall. So, for me, it’s an 8/10, and absolutely an album I recommend! Great stuff!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 8/10
Favourite Tracks: “Sinatra Drive Breakdown”, “Aselestine”, “Until It Happens”, “Apology Letter”, “Brain Capers”, “This Stupid World”, “Miles Away”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Tonight’s Episode”

Compositions by Deathprod:

It honestly feels kind of wrong to put this album in this post, because it’s arguable whether or not this is even music. I would argue that it is, but I could totally understand someone arguing otherwise.

Now, I have some advice … you don’t have to take my advice, but here it is: don’t listen to this album. It’s a fascinating listen, but I don’t recommend that you listen to it. And I’m not saying this to get you to listen to it … I actually don’t recommend that you listen to it. It’s an album I rarely see myself going back to, but wow, this is quite something. Honestly, I’m going to give this an 8/10 right now and leave it at that … no, that rating is not a joke. And I’m not going to explain any more right now. Maybe someday this review will make more sense.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 8/10
Favourite Tracks: “Composition 1”, “Composition 7”, “Composition 9”, “Composition 10”, “Composition 11”, “Composition 16”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Composition 8”

Let’s Start Here. by Lil Yachty:

Well … this is interesting.

So, I’ll admit I haven’t listened to much of Lil Yachty’s music, but I’ve heard a lot of people saying he’s a terrible artist, but now suddenly he’s getting a lot of critical acclaim for what I heard is a rock album, and that made me really curious to check it out.

But here’s a question: is the critical acclaim for this album really because of the album itself? Or is it just the idea of Lil Yachty making a rock album? And it’s arguable whether or not this is a rock album, but it’s certainly at least close to being one in my opinion. And honestly, I can’t help but wonder if this album is only getting this much critical acclaim because of the idea of it rather than the album itself … and that being said, I’m going to add to the critical acclaim, because I think this is pretty fantastic!

The production is gorgeous, with a really dreamy feeling that fits well with the lyrics describing a drug trip. I mean, I’ve never done drugs and never plan to (unless you count caffeine/sugar/etc. but I don’t think those count), but I’d imagine this album’s sound is fitting considering the lyrics. Either way, the album sounds fantastic!

And yes, there are some questionable lines here and there, but in the context of the album you can tell most of what’s going on here is hallucinations.

I love the effects used on Lil Yachty’s voice here, and there are lots of great melodies here, too!

I haven’t listened to a ton of Pink Floyd’s music, but I am familiar with The Dark Side of the Moon, and I’ve heard some of their other music, too, and this album reminds me a lot of Pink Floyd musically … but here’s a hot take: I like this album more than The Dark Side of the Moon! No, I’m not joking! 9/10!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 9/10
Favourite Tracks: “the BLACK seminole.”, “pRETTy”, “:(failure(:”, “drive ME crazy!”, “IVE OFFICIALLY LOST ViSiON!!!!”, “paint THE sky”, “The Alchemist.”, “REACH THE SUNSHINE.”
Least Favourite Tracks: “sAy sOMETHINg”

life gets interesting… by Virginia To Vegas:

I am a Canadian who grew up in Canada and still lives in Canada to this day, and as someone who listens to the radio quite often, I’ve heard a lot of Virginia To Vegas singles … actually, let me reword that: I’ve heard a small handful of Virginia To Vegas singles a lot of times. And if I’m being honest, I haven’t liked most of what I’ve heard. So, when I found out he has a new album, I didn’t have very high expectations for it. But I was curious to listen to a full album of his, and it’s pretty short, so I listened to it.

And, well … it’s a pretty easy one for me to review. It’s the kind of pop music that I could see appealing to someone looking for some catchy pop music. But even as someone who likes this style of pop music more than a lot of critics do, this album didn’t do much for me.

Lyrically there doesn’t seem to be much depth here … maybe I’m missing something, but I personally don’t find the lyrics very interesting for the most part, and there are points where the lyrics can get quite bad in my opinion, like “break up with that guy.”, and I think that title pretty much explains what I’m talking about.

The instrumentals here feel mostly boring, too, and I’m not a big fan of a lot of the production, with the percussion not having much punch to it, and there are some synth/guitar effects that feel out of place to me (I can’t tell if it’s synth or guitar a lot of the time on this album).

Overall … well, I don’t hate this album, but I can’t really say I like it. For me, this record is getting a strong 5/10. At least it’s short, it’s got some catchy melodies, and I like a few of the tracks. But overall, it’s not my cup of tea.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 5/10
Favourite Tracks: “intro”, “casamigos”, “you don’t know”
Least Favourite Tracks: “outerspace”, “break up with that guy.”, “over you”

Hello, everyone. While I work on finishing up my 2022 year-end lists (way later than I planned to), I want to quickly talk about some 2023 albums that I haven’t reviewed yet (and also an album from 2021). Keep in mind that, like with all of my reviews, this is all just based on my personal taste in music, it’s not some sort of ‘objective criticism’ or anything like that. Alright, let’s get started:

dreamglow by Asian Glow & sonhos tomam conta:

We’re starting this post with an album I was very excited about, as I ended up really loving Asian Glow’s 2022 album, Stalled Flutes, means. So, as someone who was super excited to hear this album, how do I feel about it?

Well, I’ll admit that this sort of dreamy, shoegaze sound isn’t usually a sound I love, which might be a big part of the reason why I’m not really loving this album.

Don’t get me wrong, I do still like this album, but especially compared to Stalled Flutes, means, it just really feels like it’s missing something.

I mean, it’s mostly pleasant to listen to. I like the production for the most part, and there are some good melodies. But I just wish there was more variety in the sound.

Overall … I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to give this a 6.5/10, which isn’t a particularly negative score—actually, it’s a positive score—but compared to a lot of the opinions I’ve seen, I’m probably rating this lower. I’m sure I’ll hear lots of 2023 albums that I like more than this one, whether or not that’s the ‘cool’ opinion to have. But, again, I still think this is pretty good.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “amber mural”, “perfect discarnate”, “whispering desolate graves”
Least Favourite Tracks: “synesthesic chromatism”

THROWBACK REVIEW – You Signed Up For This by Maisie Peters (2021):

This is the debut studio album by Maisie Peters, who just announced her second studio album will be released this year! But for now I want to talk about her 2021 debut.

And unfortunately, if I’m being honest, I’m not a big fan of this album. Now, I don’t dislike it, that’s for sure. But I don’t see it really having replay value for me outside of a few songs.

One of the things that really holds this album back for me is the production and instrumentation. For example, that annoying clicking beat in the first part of “Villain” (a song which later has an overpowered snare that kind of annoys me), how the pianos and guitar just sound awkward together on “Hollow” (especially with that percussion that sounds really underpowered), and just how awful I think “Boy” sounds, with the annoying percussion and annoying mixing. Also, if you’re wondering, yes, “Boy” is my least favourite song on the album.

Now, that being said, there are some exceptions to that. I like the rhythm of the percussion in “I’m Trying (Not Friends)”, and I like how the percussion and synths complement each other in the chorus of “Psycho”, creating a really strong groove!

But a lot of the melodies here don’t really work for me, either, and just feel kind of boring, on songs like “Volcano”, “Boy”, and “I’m Trying (Not Friends)”.

Lyrically, there are some songs here where I like the idea, but it just doesn’t do much to interest me (and there are some lines which, despite not being meant literally, are questionable). But there are also some lyrics I really like here. For example, in “John Hughes Movie”, where she accepts that the person she’s romantically interested in doesn’t feel the same way about her … she’s heartbroken about it—that’s natural—but she shows maturity by accepting this reality instead of trying to convince this person that the two of them should be together. She sings, ‘‘Cause if you don’t want me, then you’re not the one.’ That’s arguably my favourite lyric on the album!

As a whole album, it’s one that I think shows potential but doesn’t really have replay value for me. I’m giving it a 5.5/10 … this didn’t really click for me, but I’m curious to hear more from her. Interesting album.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 5.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “You Signed Up For This”, “John Hughes Movie”, “Psycho”, “Tough Act”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Boy”, “Hollow”, “Villain”, “Volcano”

Five Easy Hot Dogs by Mac DeMarco:

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this Mac DeMarco album, especially because it’s the first Mac DeMarco album I’ve ever listened to … and unfortunately it’s not really clicking for me … at all.

This is an instrumental album, and it’s mostly mellow. And I’ve been getting into instrumental music more recently. But it kind of sounds to me like I’m listening to the same song over and over again.

I’m not saying there isn’t any variety here, but I just get bored after a while, and it’s not like I find the songs themselves very interesting, either. It’s mostly well mixed and well produced in my opinion, but I just find the compositions really boring, and as a full album, it just feels like a slog to get through.

None of these songs stand out as particularly unlistenable to me, it’s just that I find so little here to like. I mean, at least I like “Chicago 2”.

I guess as background music it might work for me, I don’t know. Honestly, I’m going to give this album a 3/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 3/10
Favourite Tracks: “Chicago 2”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Gualala”, “Gualala 2”, “Portland”, “Portland 2”, “Victoria”, “Vancouver”, “Vancouver 2”, “Vancouver 3”

My 21st Century Blues by RAYE:

After her departure from Polydor Records in 2021, RAYE is now an independent artist, and she’s released her debut album, My 21st Century Blues. And it’s great to see her more in control of her music and having success as an independent artist … and also, the album is really good!

Now, this isn’t an easy listen at all, mostly because of the lyrics about sexual assault, addiction, and so much more. Clearly RAYE has been through hell, and it’s great that she found the courage to open up about so much on this album!

That being said, there are some production and instrumentation choices here that I’m not a big fan of, such as that annoying sound in the background of “Environmental Anxiety”, and I don’t find the album super consistent.

But RAYE is a great singer, there’s lots of great vocal melodies, and I like most of the production here.

Again, lyrically, it’s not an easy listen at all, but I think it’s worth hearing! 7.5/10 for me!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Hard Out Here.”, “Black Mascara.”, “Escapism.”, “The Thrill Is Gone.”, “Ice Cream Man.”, “Flip A Switch.”, “Body Dysmorphia.”, “Worth It.”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Mary Jane.”, “Five Star Hotels.”

!Drumless! by Unknown Damage:

Like I said earlier, I’ve been getting into instrumental music a bit more recently, and this is also a mostly instrumental album. Also, this is off-topic, but I want to mention it anyway, this is the first album of 2023 that I listened to.

Anyway, do I like the album?

Well … it’s an album that doesn’t really give me a lot to say. So, I’m not going to say much. The album doesn’t really do much for me. It has its moments that work for me, but also its moments that just sound like noise to me. And again, it’s not for me, it doesn’t mean I think it’s ‘objectively bad’.

Even just based on my own personal taste, I don’t think it’s bad. I’ll give this album a 4.5/10. It’s a mostly instrumental album with lots of glitchy sounds and some cool ideas, but again, as a full album experience, it just feels a little too all-over-the-place without the songs connecting together much, at least to me.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 4.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “!Guard Dog!”, “Align With the Stars (Radio Edit)”, “God’s Farther”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Fly Like a Boat”, “!+Materia Shower-!”, “How?”, “! Aquadrive !”, “Paradise Defence!”

Medium Gnarly by Swiss Army Wife:

So, this is the debut studio album by Swiss Army Wife, a band I had never heard of until this year, and … well, it’s not really clicking for me. Just being honest.

I mean, it’s mostly well produced, but aside from that, there’s not much here that makes me want to return to it. It kind of feels like I’m listening to the same song over and over again. I’m not saying there isn’t variety here, I’m just I personally don’t find much variety here.

And that’s not to say the production consistently stands out to me in a positive way—“Flcl” sounds really messy, which I guess kind of fits with the lyrics, but the snare feels underpowered here, and it just doesn’t sound good to me.

I mean, the guitars mostly sound good on this album. I’ll say that much. But overall, it’s not really clicking for me. 5/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 5/10
Favourite Tracks: “This # Is No Longer in Service”, “New Best Friend”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Flcl”

M by park zero:

So, I was curious to hear this new park zero album considering I’d seen a decent amount of critical acclaim … but unfortunately, it’s not for me at all.

This is one of those glitchy, avant-garde albums with a bunch of repetition and … well, that kind of thing can work for me, but I’ll admit this style of music usually isn’t really my thing.

There’s lots of distortion used throughout this album, some of which I like, and some of which I find annoying.

Overall, I’m left wishing there was a bit more variety here in the sound. Maybe there’s already a ton of variety that I’m just not noticing, but for me it just gets really boring the further I get into the album.

I’m not saying this is the case for everyone, and I’m not saying I’m totally unbiased myself, but let’s just admit that if this was an Imagine Dragons album and it sounded exactly the same, a lot of the people who are praising it right now would say, ‘It’s just trying so hard to be edgy and experimental, and it really fails at it. It’s totally overblown and overproduced and sounds like shit.’

For me, this is a 4/10. I just don’t find it very interesting.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 4/10
Favourite Tracks: ???
Least Favourite Tracks: “Strangelove”, “Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul”

棲​居​在​溪​源​之​上 Seeking the Sources of Streams by Cicada:

This is another instrumental album. It’s a little over forty minutes long, and I think it’s pretty good.

It’s quite mellow, and it doesn’t give me a ton to say, but it’s just a really nice, calming listen. Also, I think it works better as a whole than it does as a collection of songs.

While it’s not super long, I feel like I’d like it a bit more if it were a little bit shorter, and I think the title track drags on a bit for me, but as it is, I think it’s a good album.

I’m going to give this album a light 7/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “On the Way to the Glacial Cirque”, “Remains of Ancient Trees”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Seeking the Sources of Streams”, “Forest Trail to the Home Away Home”

Married in Mount Airy by Nicole Dollanganger:

So, I was looking for some new albums to check out early in the year, and I saw this one getting quite a bit of critical acclaim, so I decided to check it out, and … well, when I’d given it more listens, I realized this album is way darker than I had first thought it was on first listen, as I didn’t read the lyrics the first time I listened to it.

And it turns out this is an album I respect more than I like. Because I’ve got to say, I’m not loving this album, even though I wouldn’t be surprised to see this on a lot of people’s year-end best albums lists. It reminds me a lot of Ethel Cain’s debut album from last year, Preacher’s Daughter, in both the lyrics and the sound at points, and both albums fall into the category of albums I respect way more than I like. Now I will say I like the production on this album more, and for me there are higher high points than on Preacher’s Daughter, but just like with that album, I find some of the compositions and melodies to be kind of uninteresting to me.

But with all that being said, I do mostly like this. I think the title track is absolutely incredible, and easily my favourite track on the album, with the incredible vocals and the fantastic musical build. And again, I like a lot of the lyrics on this album. I’m not sure whether or not the lyrics here are telling a true story from Nicole’s life, but either way, this album shows Nicole condemning an ex who abused her, but also showing that she still misses this relationship, despite how terribly she was treated. At least that’s how I interpret this album.

I just would have liked the album even more if I liked the compositions and melodies more … but there are still some compositions and melodies here that I like, and with the lyrics and production being really good, too, while it’s not an easy listen, it’s one I would recommend. 7/10!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “Married in Mount Airy”, “Runnin’ Free”, “Moonlite”, “Nymphs Finding the Head of Orpheus”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Gold Satin Dreamer”

Raven by Kelela:

I still haven’t listened to Kelela’s 2017 debut album, Take Me Apart, but I definitely didn’t want to miss her second album after seeing all the critical acclaim it got.

But just because it’s getting tons of critical acclaim doesn’t mean I personally have to love the album, which I don’t. Yeah, I mostly like the production, and Kelela is a great vocalist, but this album is over an hour long, and it feels like it drags on.

And also, some of these lyrics are very … questionable. Some of the sexual lyrics here feel pushy and creepy, even though I’m sure those lyrics weren’t meant to be taken seriously. And because this is art and not real life, I wouldn’t mind those lyrics if there seemed to be any more depth to it, or maybe even if the instrumentals sounded different. I feel like that would make it even harder to take seriously.

I mean, there are a few great tracks around the middle of the album, and there are a lot of ideas here that I like, but I’m not going to ignore the elements of this album that hold it back for me quite a bit … so, as controversial as this rating is, I’m going to give Raven a 6/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “Fooley”, “Holier”, “Raven”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Sorbet”

Let Her Burn by Rebecca Black:

Rebecca Black did not deserve the hate she got for “Friday”. There’s a difference between hating a song and bullying someone for making a song. And this is coming from someone who writes about music and often openly shares when I don’t like an album.

But now I want to talk about Rebecca Black’s debut studio album. And while some might consider it ‘uncool’ to like this album, I actually like it quite a bit!

That being said, I don’t love this album. Part of the reason why is that I don’t find it to be super consistent, with a few tracks around the middle of the album that don’t click for me.

But I mostly like the mixing on this album, with some exceptions like how loud the percussion is in the avant-garde section toward the end of “Crumbs”. But yeah, throughout most of this album, I like the mixing, and while I wish I liked the vocal melodies more at points, there are a lot of vocal melodies I really do like, and the instrumentals and vocal melodies often go together really well.

There’s also a lot I like in the lyrics here, which are often toxic, but that’s the point, and there’s a lot of self-awareness.

So, overall … I understand why people might love the album, and even though it didn’t click for me as much as I wanted it to, there’s a lot here that I do like, and I’m definitely excited to hear more music from Rebecca Black! I’m going to give this album a 7/10. Good album!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “Erase You”, “Destroy Me”, “Misery Loves Company”, “Sick To My Stomach”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Doe-Eyed”

Hello, everyone. Welcome to another album review, this one being a review of Paramore’s sixth studio album, This Is Why.

Recently, I’ve gotten myself more familiar with Paramore’s music, and after listening to all of their first five albums, well … as controversial as it is, I just haven’t been able to get into this band. After five albums, you’d think they’d have more songs that I legitimately love, but they only have a few. I get the appeal of this band, and I can tell they put a lot of effort into their music, but I just personally get bored listening to their music. And part of that is due to a lot of the vocal melodies boring me, and it’s also partially due to the production. And while the lyrics are well-written, it doesn’t mean I personally get much out of them.

One thing I find so interesting about this band, though, is that they don’t have a lot of terrible songs in my opinion, they just don’t have a lot of songs I love, or even particularly like. A lot of them are songs that I find pleasant enough while they’re on but don’t see a reason for me to go back to. Again, that’s a me thing, and I get the appeal of this band … I just personally am not a Paramore fan.

Honestly, I don’t really like any of their first five albums … Brand New Eyes and their self-titled album are my favourites of those five, because at least I love one song on each of those albums (“Playing God” and “Still Into You”, if you’re curious which ones), but even those albums don’t really click for me as full albums.

Paramore have gotten a ton of critical acclaim, so after seeing so much critical acclaim for their new album, I can’t say it really brought up my expectations much, if at all, because I’ve seen so much critical acclaim for their music already, and it just hasn’t clicked for me much at all. But I decided to give it a chance. So, what do I think of this album?

Hmmm … how do I explain this?

Well, like I said, my expectations for this album weren’t very high, but if I’m being honest, I think I ended up liking this even less than I thought I would. And this is probably my least favourite Paramore album to date. I’m not saying, ‘This album is trash,’ I’m just saying that I personally got so little out of it.

So, why do I feel the way I do about this album?

Well, a big part of it is the vocal melodies. To me, the vocal melodies just sound like they meander and don’t really go anywhere … and I’m bad at describing which vocal melodies I like and which ones I don’t, so it’s hard for me to explain why I don’t like most of these vocal melodies, but they just don’t stick with me much.

For example, the vocal melodies in “Liar” just don’t interest me at all, and when the instrumental bores me so much and it just feels like the song drags on, it leads to one of my least favourite tracks here. “Crave” and “Thick Skull” are some other examples of songs in which the vocal melodies really bore me.

But then there’s the production, another big reason why I don’t like this album. In a lot of these songs, it feels like each instrument was produced for a different song. For example, in “The News”, where the vocals are mixed so loudly in the chorus, and throughout the track the vocal production feels really out of place with the instrumental, and the drums and guitar don’t sound very good together in my opinion. Another example is the track, “Figure 8” … even though Hayley Williams is a great singer, the vocals sound out of place over this instrumental, due to what sounds like some sort of vocal effect.

But at least with most of Paramore’s albums up to this point, I’ve at least liked a song or two … and that’s not really the case here. I mean, there are a few tracks here that I find enjoyable while they’re on, but nothing that really stands out to me in a positive way.

The title track dropped as the lead single in September of 2022, and I wasn’t a big fan of it, but after hearing the album, I can say it’s one of my favourite tracks here, if not my favourite … and I’m not even really a fan of it. I don’t really like the vocal layering in the chorus, and the verses are pretty boring musically in my opinion. I think the lyrics are interesting, though, and I mostly like the production.

And speaking of the lyrics, I like some of them, but some of them feel kind of generic. But maybe that’s just a me thing … again, I said they ‘feel’ generic, not necessarily that they are … and also, there’s nothing wrong with having generic lyrics, it’s just that there’s not much musically that I really like here, and the lyrics aren’t saving this album for me. And some of these lyrics clearly have a lot to them, but they just don’t do much for me personally.

And now here’s another question: what do I like about the album?

Well … not a whole lot, but there are some things I want to point out. For example, those awesome guitars in the chorus of the title track! I also like the lyrics in “Running Out Of Time” which seem to be about … well … what the title of the song would imply. I also like the lyrics in “Big Man, Little Dignity”, which I may totally be interpreting wrong, but here’s how I interpret it: Hayley sings about people who aren’t held accountable for their actions, and sings from the perspective of a stalker who’s following somebody else around everywhere they go, but then you realize that maybe she’s not even singing from the perspective of a person, instead singing from the perspective of morals, as if morals are following the stalker everywhere the stalker goes, as if morals are stalking the stalker and trying to get the person to stop being a stalker.

But overall, this album just didn’t click for me at all. And with everything I said, as well as the stiff-sounding snare in “Thick Skull”, the annoying rhythm of the percussion in “Figure 8”, and that SUPER annoying hook in “C’est Comme Ça” … to me this felt like a slog to get through.

So, yeah, once again, I had a really hard time getting into a Paramore album … but even as someone who already wasn’t a fan of them, I expected to like this more.

So, yeah, this is probably going to be one of my most controversial reviews, but if I’m being totally honest here … for me, it’s a strong 3/10. I get the appeal of it, and I can tell there was a ton of effort put in, but I personally couldn’t get into it at all. Don’t put too much value in that rating, because—like always—the rating is just based on how much or how little I like the album. It’s not me trying to come up with an ‘objective rating’ for the album, whatever that means.

Anyway, feel free to let me know in the comment section down below what you thought of this album, and/or what you thought of my review. If you don’t like this review, that’s totally fine … just like it’s totally fine that I don’t like the album.

And I’m going to leave it at that for now … if you hate me now, I understand. But I want to make it clear that none of my reviews are meant as a personal attack on anyone, I’m just some person on the internet writing about my own personal feelings toward the music I’m listening to. I respect the album a lot, it just wasn’t for me.

Thanks for reading this review, and feel free to let me know if there’s any albums you want me to review.

I’m excited to post my final two year-end lists for 2022, and they’ll be out soon … hopefully. Anyway, thanks for reading!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 3/10
Favourite Tracks: ???
Least Favourite Tracks: “C’est Comme Ça”, “Figure 8”, “Liar”, “Crave”, “Thick Skull”

Hi, everyone … so, I know I still haven’t posted my final two year-end lists. I feel like I’m getting close to finishing them, but just in case they’re not out in the next week or so, I’m going to start reviewing 2023 albums.

Now, that being said, I won’t be reviewing a lot of albums right away—because I’m working on those year-end posts for 2022—but I don’t want to totally avoid posting 2023 reviews while I finish working on those posts.

Anyway, today I’m reviewing Ava Max’s second studio album, Diamonds & Dancefloors. And if I’m being honest, my expectations for this album weren’t very high. Even though I haven’t given her 2020 debut many listens, based on the two or three times I did listen to it, I found it pretty boring for the most part. “Sweet but Psycho” is a great song, but nothing else on the album comes close to that for me, at least based on the few listens I gave it.

But I was curious to check out this album. So, I decided to give it enough listens to feel confident about my opinion … so what do I think of it?

Well … it’s pretty good, but nothing here is as good as “Sweet But Psycho” in my opinion. While there are quite a few good songs here, I don’t think there are a lot of great ones.

A lot of these songs feel like they’re so close to being great, but just don’t get there for me, in part due to a lot of the melodies and compositions, including the chord progressions.

And yeah, I wish there was more here that I liked in the vocal melodies. And one song that is a big example of that is “One Of Us”, where the vocal melodies are super boring to me. There’s just so little to it melodically that makes me want to listen to it, and the post-chorus is so annoying, especially with the echo and that super annoying chord change right at the end of the post-chorus. This is probably my least favourite song on the album.

But another big issue for me on the album is a lot of the percussion, which sounds really awkward at some points on this album. For example, the song, “Weapons”, where the bouncy beat feels really disconnected from the rest of the instrumentation. This is also the case with “In The Dark”, where the percussion is well mixed but sounds really jumpy and it becomes quite annoying, and I feel the same about “Maybe You’re The Problem”, although I don’t like the way the percussion is mixed on that song as much.

There are also points on this record where the percussion feels overpowered, like “Turn Off The Lights” and at parts of the title track. But that being said, there are also some points where the percussion feels underpowered, like the chorus of “One Of Us”—again, probably my least favourite song here—and also the track right after it, “Get Outta My Heart”. But there’s also the annoying clicking percussion in the background of “Maybe You’re The Problem” and that beat on “Ghost” which feels really annoyingly snappy with the rest of the instrumental, and I’m not entirely sure why.

But that’s not to say I don’t like any of the percussion here. I like how the percussion contributes to the groove on “Sleepwalker”, and I think it’s mixed mostly well, too. And I also like how the hand-claps and bassline in the chorus of “Dancing’s Done” play off each other really well!

But again, a lot of the vocal melodies here don’t really work for me, either … but there are also a lot that do, like in the chorus of “Sleepwalker”, one of my favourite songs on the album.

I also like the ascending vocal melody in the chorus of “Million Dollar Baby”, and the chorus of “Weapons” is really catchy. Also, I love the vocal melody in the chorus of the title track … also, is this just me or does this song remind anyone of Lana Del Rey? I mean, I haven’t listened to a ton of Lana Del Rey music (I do plan to soon, though), but based on what I have heard, it reminds me of her music, but I like this song more than almost any song on Born to Die, the one Lana Del Rey album I’ve listened to more than once in full while paying attention to it. (Again, I want to listen to more Lana Del Rey music, and I’ll probably like most of it more than that album.)

And also, the vocal melody in the chorus of “Dancing’s Done” is great!

Now I want to talk about some of the lyrics … something I’m not very good at doing in my reviews. I’m really not very good at analyzing lyrics, but I’ll try.

I think the edgy lyrics mostly work on “Sleepwalker” (I’m not sure if ‘edgy’ is the word I’m looking for, but it’s the one that came to mind). I like the lyrics on “Ghost” about trying to get over a breakup but feeling like your ex is haunting you, and I also like the kind of similar lyrics on “Get Outta My Heart”. I also like how Ava Max plays the role of the villain in the song, “Cold As Ice”, and it works especially well with those awesome vocal effects and synths, and I love how the percussion sounds on this song!

I like the message of “Weapons” about treating people with respect. But while the lyrics in the bridge when she pretty much tells someone to insult her are clearly sarcastic, it still feels awkward with the rest of the song, and I’m not entirely sure why … maybe it just feels awkward musically, as it goes from the really catchy hook to the bridge that really doesn’t do much for me melodically.

I also like the apocalyptic lyrics on “Last Night On Earth”, and I think the music and lyrics fit well together on this track.

I find a lot of the chord progressions to sound pretty boring to me on this album, and while my knowledge of chord progressions is low, it kind of feels like there’s a similar chord progression being used on a lot of these songs, and it gets kind of boring.

But overall … I mean, it’s not a great album in my opinion, but it’s a pretty fun, enjoyable listen. As far as I can tell, it’s not super deep lyrically, but I like a lot of the production, and Ava Max is a great singer. And while a lot of the melodies were underwhelming to me, there are a lot that I like. So, for me, this album is getting a 6.5/10. It’s good, but I wish it were more consistent and had more legit great songs. But, of course, as always, it’s just my own personal opinion. And despite the elements here I don’t like, I do like the album overall.

Anyway, thanks for reading!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Sleepwalker”, “Hold Up (Wait A Minute)”, “Cold As Ice”, “Last Night On Earth”, “Dancing’s Done”
Least Favourite Tracks: “In The Dark”, “One Of Us”

NOTE: This is just a list of my personal least favourite albums of 2022. I’m not saying these are objectively the worst albums of 2022. Also, there will be some exaggeration  for entertainment purposes. If you were involved in making (an) album(s) on this list and/or you’re a fan of (an) album(s) on this list, I hope you don’t take it personally. This is not meant as a personal attack on anyone. If you don’t want to read my thoughts on albums I don’t like, you don’t have to. Also, there may be spoilers to my previous year-end lists for 2022.

Hello, everyone. It’s time for the fourth of my six year-end lists for 2022. I know this is later than I planned, but who says it’s too late to make 2022 year-end lists?

Like I said at the beginning of this post, as always, this is all just based on my own personal taste. Yes, I know the title says the ‘worst’ albums, but really it’s just my least favourite albums of 2022, I just think ‘the worst albums’ is catchier for a title. And that also means there will be some controversial picks. Don’t just expect to see all the ‘easy targets’ AKA albums that are most often considered to be the worst albums of 2022. Also, there are a lot of 2022 albums I heard really bad things about, and I usually didn’t take the bait, so if you’re wondering why [insert album here] isn’t on the list, there’s a good chance I just didn’t listen to it. But also, there are some albums that might seem like ‘obvious picks’ for this list which I didn’t dislike enough to put here, some of which I actually like.

Also, I haven’t spent a ton of time listening to these albums because I’d rather do other things with my time, so I might not have the most in-depth explanations. Anyway, I’m excited to post my favourite albums and songs of 2022, but before that, let’s go over my top 10 least favourite albums of 2022:

#10 – Mainstream Sellout by Machine Gun Kelly

Yes, I know I said there would be some exaggerating here, but I’m not going to do that with this one. Yes, Machine Gun Kelly’s newest album is one of my least favourites of the year, but instead of talking about the album, I’d rather just say this: I don’t want to make this about who makes ‘real punk music’ or whatever. Honestly, some of the lyrics here make me worried about Colson Baker the human being, and I really hope he’s okay.

And at the end of the day, he’s an artist making music … and no, it’s not music I like for the most part, but I’m not going to come up with a bunch of reasons why ‘Oh, he’s not making real punk music, he’s a fake punk’ or whatever. I’ll just say he’s someone who’s passionate about music, and I respect his passion for making music, and just because I personally don’t like this album doesn’t mean I’m going to try to be ‘cool’ and pretend that MGK has ‘no potential to make good music’ or any nonsense like that.

Also, there’s one song here I actually like, and that’s “emo girl”. Yes, I said it, I like “emo girl”. Do I think the lyrics are terrible? Yes. But if it weren’t for the lyrics, I would love this song. As it is, I still like it, as it’s got incredible production and great instrumentation and melodies.

#9 – caroline by caroline

I’m not going to say much about this one, because as I was getting ready to post this list, I suddenly remembered this album, and I went back and gave it one more relisten to see if I wanted to put in on this list. And yeah, while I respect the creativity of it, I personally found it to be a slog to get through. I just don’t find much in the compositions that really interested me at all.

It’s getting quite a bit of critical acclaim, so there’s a good chance you’ll like it. It just didn’t click for me.

#8 – Come Home The Kids Miss You by Jack Harlow

I’m not really the biggest fan of hip hop, but even with that being said, the vast majority of hip hop albums I at least like better than this.

After hearing one of the singles, “First Class”, a song I actually like, I was curious to hear the album, only to find out that “First Class” is the only song here that I like … although the closing track is decent in my opinion, I’ll say that.

Aside from that, this is a total snooze fest, with some moments being noticeably bad. For example, that super cringey line on “Movie Star” where Jack says, ‘We don’t need condoms, let’s make a genre.’

Overall, this is the kind of hip hop that bores me so much. If you’re more into hip hop than I am, you might like this, but even a lot of big hip hop fans don’t like this album. Jack has some good flows here and there, but it kind of feels like I’m listening to the same song on repeat. Maybe that’s unfair of me to say, because there’s probably more to this than I realize, but if I find it boring, then I find it boring.

#7 – The Overload by Yard Act

Yes, I know, I put this punk album ahead of MGK’s punk album. I know. While I don’t like either album, I like this one even less.

I think “Tall Poppies” is a legitimately great track, easily my favourite song on any album in this top 10 (or bottom 10, I guess), but outside of that, there is so little here that I find interesting.

There’s probably much more to this album than I realize … actually, no, I do realize there’s a lot to this, but I personally really want to shut it off when I’m listening to it. The instruments sound really disconnected from each other in the production, and the melodies get really annoying at times. Even I feel like I can’t describe exactly why I find this album so annoying to listen to, but I do. I don’t know, it just makes me want to turn it off.

I guess I’ll just recommend that you listen to it for yourself (if you haven’t already) and tell me what you think of it. Because it’s gotten a lot of critical acclaim, so there’s a good chance you’ll like it.

#6 – Country Stuff The Album by Walker Hayes

After the impressively bad “Fancy Like” became a big hit in 2021, my curiosity got the best of me and I decided to check out the album. Even though “AA” was an honourable mention in my Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 2022 post (yeah, it’s a stupid song, and I don’t usually like to make the ‘that’s the point’ argument, but I kind of want to say that here, and I think the song is a lot of fun to listen to), it’s the only song here I legitimately like, and this album has some horrible low points.

“U Gurl” is easily right up there among the absolute worst songs I’ve heard from this decade so far with it’s terrible production and horrible lyrics, and somehow I don’t even think it’s my least favourite song here (although it is extremely close), as “Country Stuff” with Jake Owen is on here, and … I don’t even know what to say.

There are some good moments here and there, but overall the album is a total mess in my opinion. I really don’t like this.

#5 – Honestly, Nevermind by Drake

I was curious to hear this album. Drake made an album that doesn’t have a ton of rapping on it, it’s more of a dance album. So, maybe it was going to be good? Honestly, nevermind.

Sorry, I had to do that. I just had to. Okay, I didn’t have to, but I wanted to.

I already talked about how much I HATE one song in particular on this album by naming it as my least favourite song of the year (it’s not even bad in a funny way, it’s honestly creepy and immature and also sounds like shit to me), and I highly recommend that you don’t listen to that song … no, I don’t mean ‘don’t listen to it’, I mean I actually don’t recommend that you listen to it.

But even aside from that, this has some of the most boring dance music that I’ve heard from 2022. The melodies do almost nothing to stand out to me, and are annoying at points, and these instrumentals sound so bland to me. Even the songs on this album that were somewhat critically acclaimed, like “Massive”, I don’t even like. That’s a song that sounds more upbeat than most of the album, but it doesn’t mean I find it interesting, with that really annoying drop.

The one song here I actually like is “Liability”, but I’m not even sure that’s the biggest positive I can take away from this album … because “Currents” is absolutely terrible, but in a way that I find super funny! I actually would recommend you listen to “Currents” because it’s just too hilarious!

Overall, this has almost nothing to it that I find interesting, and there are some absolutely awful tracks on here. Terrible album in my opinion.

#4 – Dominion by Skillet

If you want a big example of the kind of rock music I don’t like, just listen to this album. I don’t like using words like ‘overdramatic’ and ‘overblown’, and I’m not saying this album is those things, but it certainly sounds like those things to me. The instrumentation sounds like it’s going for this huge, epic sound, but to me it sounds super boring.

There’s not much here melodically that stands out to me, and it feels kind of lifeless, at least to me, which I can’t believe I’m saying considering this is hard rock.

If you find this kind of music uplifting, that’s great, but for me, this just sounds awful.

#3 – Planet Zero by Shinedown

I did a mini review of this album in 2022, and I gave it a 1/10, the lowest score I’ve ever given an album on my website. And the good thing is there isn’t an album from 2022 I would rate lower than a 1/10, even though my #1 pick is probably a pretty light 1/10 (kind of close to a 0.5/10). But anyway, this album was a total slog for me to get through, with production I thought sounded awful, some really annoying melodies, and lyrics which I don’t even want to talk about right now (I can’t even remember much about the lyrics, or whether or not I agreed with the messages … it just sounded kind of ‘fake deep’, which isn’t a term I like using, and whether or not it is ‘fake deep’, it kind of felt that way to me).

In my short, mini review post, I was able to list off pretty much every notable thing I liked about this album. There is so little here that I like.

It seems to be going for this huge story about being on some planet where things are not going well or something like that, I don’t even remember. And it just sounds so uninteresting to me.

Also, it’s almost fifty minutes long, which isn’t super long for an album, but out of the twenty tracks here, I don’t like any of them. That’s right, I don’t like any of these tracks, and there are twenty tracks on this album!

But it’s not even in my top two least favourites of the year. Speaking of which …

#2 – ELEVATION by Black Eyed Peas

All I could think of after listening to this album is: what the fuck did I just listen to?

This album is full of some of the worst instrumentals I’ve heard from 2022, some of the worst lyrics I’ve heard from 2022, and some of the worst rap flows I’ve heard from 2022. The funny thing is, in the middle of the huge mess that is this album, there is one song here that I actually like called “BAILAR CONTIGO”, but it’s surrounded by so many songs that I think sound like absolute shit that despite having a song I actually like, this album still ends up as my second least favourite of the year. If it weren’t for this one song, this would have EASILY topped this list.

If you haven’t listened to the album and you want an idea of how bad I think this album is without having to listen to it, listen to the song “DOUBLE D’Z” and stop reading right now … once you’ve listened to the song, come back and read this statement I’d like to make: “DOUBLE D’Z” is NOWHERE NEAR even being ONE OF the worst songs on here! Yes, you read that right.

This is one of the most annoying albums of the 2020s that I’ve heard so far. I’m not going to say it’s uninteresting, because it’s the opposite of uninteresting. It’s interesting because it’s so fucking annoying … and there’s only one 2022 album I heard that I like less than this one. But before we get to that, let’s go over some dishonourable mentions …

Dishonourable Mentions:

First of all, these are in no particular order, and also, while I tried to make sure I didn’t miss anything I listened to from 2022 for the top 10, these dishonourable mentions aren’t all my least favourites that didn’t make the top 10. It’s not really an extension of the top 10, it’s more just a list of some random albums from 2022 that I don’t like. But I did try to focus more on picking albums that were close to making the list. Anyway, here they are:

Being Funny In a Foreign Language by The 1975: I know, it’s a controversial pick … and there are a few songs I like which kept it off the list, with “About You” being my favourite track here, but as a full album I really don’t like it. I’m not a fan of the production where I just don’t like how the instruments sound together, and it’s why I don’t like “Oh Caroline” nearly as much as most critics do. I’m curious to hear more of The 1975’s music, and they’ve made some amazing tracks that I love like “The City”, but this just didn’t do much for me.

The Other Side of Make-Believe by Interpol: And now an album which I don’t like for very similar reasons to why I don’t like The 1975’s newest album. The instruments just sound really disconnected from each other in the production, with “Fables” possibly being the biggest example of that here. Even some of the better songs here are far from great, like “Something Changed”, which has a lot of the same production elements that hold most of the album back for me. How is this the same band who made Turn On the Bright Lights?

Squeeze by SASAMI: I can tell a lot of effort went into this, and I mostly get the appeal of it, but the production held it back for me, for similar reasons to the first two dishonourable mentions. Also, “Skin a Rat” is a super annoying song in my opinion.

CRASH by Charli XCX: Easily one of the most disappointing albums of 2022 for me, considering how much I liked Charli’s previous two albums. Those albums are both so good, and then she puts out this. I mean, I get why some people like this, but it’s not for me at all. The melodies aren’t nearly as strong, the production is a huge step back for me, too, especially with the percussion sounding so awkward on songs like the title track and “New Shapes”, and there’s just not very much here that really stands out to me in a positive way. Even my favourite song here, “Constant Repeat”, feels like it’s missing something to help it click for me more, even though I still really like that song.

Will Of The People by Muse: Great songs appear on this album, but it also has some terrible ones in my opinion, and I think there are more terrible songs than great songs on here. But I will say, as bad as I think the closing track is, I think it’s bad in a funny way … partially because of the title, “We Are Fucking F****d”. But a lot of the album just comes across as generic musically, at least to me, and the title track made my top 10 least favourite songs of the year, it’s so annoying.

Expert in a Dying Field by The Beths: Of all the albums here, either in the top 10 or in the dishonourable mentions, this is probably the most critically acclaimed. Yes, I know, almost everyone seems to agree that this is absolutely amazing, but it’s really not my thing. I think it’s mostly well-produced, but aside from that, there is so little here that I really like. I just find the melodies and compositions so boring for the most part. “Best Left” is the one song here I truly love, but so many of these songs are just super boring to me, and while the lyrics are probably really well-written, they don’t do much for me personally. Again, that’s a me thing, but this list is about my personal feelings toward these albums. And also, even though I mostly like the production here, that’s not to say I like all the production, and there are some production elements I really don’t like, too, like the mixing on the super annoying “Silence Is Golden”.

IMPERA by Ghost: I’m not super familiar with Ghost’s music, but as someone who absolutely loves their 2018 song, “Dance Macabre”, I was shocked how little I ended up liking this album. These songs feel underpowered in the production and the melodies aren’t doing much for me, either, for the most part.

Superache by Conan Gray: I get the appeal of this album, but it’s just not for me. I like a few songs here, but I mostly find it boring, with “Best Friend” standing out as easily my least favourite song here, with one of the worst choruses I’ve heard from 2022.

Okay, now it’s time for me to reveal my least favourite album of 2022. Here it is:

#1 – So Far So Good by The Chainsmokers

So Far So Awful (as one of my favourite music critics called it) is the newest album from The Chainsmokers, and it’s my personal pick for the worst album of 2022!

To anyone who hasn’t heard this album, do you want a musical experience unlike one you’ve ever experienced before? Well, here it is! The Chainsmokers’ new album is full of annoying choruses and annoying vocal effects, made even worse by awful trap beats!

“Maradona” features some chopped-up vocals which sound absolutely awful and keep showing up throughout the rest of the track, which feels like a six-minute song that’s a total slog to get through, even though it’s not even four minutes, and this track doesn’t stop finding instrumental ideas that make it worse!

“iPad” is full of uninteresting melodies before going into a drop with some reverb that feels really out of place, “Channel 1” starts off as arguably one of the most uninteresting songs of 2022 that I’ve heard before eventually getting to what is probably one of the worst drops I’ve heard in a 2022 song, and “Something Different” is … well, exactly what the title says, but not in a good way, as the production sounds absolutely horrible with the way the vocal effects combine with the horrible instrumental.

But despite how bad nearly every track here is, none of the other 12 songs on this album are quite as atrocious as “Testing”, which is impressively bad!

I’m going to end this off with some positivity by saying that while I don’t like the majority of what I’ve heard from The Chainsmokers, they do have some songs I absolutely love, such as “Paris”, but none of those songs appear on this album. Still, though, this isn’t here because I think it’s ‘cool’ to not like The Chainsmokers. Again, they have songs that I love.

…

As always, this list is just based on my own personal taste in music, and if you love any of these albums, I hope you don’t take it personally. Same applies if you were involved in making any of these albums (even though I don’t think any of these artists are reading this).

Next up, it’s The Top 50 Best Albums of 2022, and then The Top 100 Best Songs of 2022. Feel free to let me know what you thought of this list and/or let me know what your least favourite albums of the year are.

Thanks for reading!

IMPORTANT NOTE: This post is for entertainment purposes. None of this is meant as a personal attack on anyone. There are some songs where I had moral issues with the lyrics, but music is open to interpretation, and I am very much aware there are some songs I love which on the surface may seem very similar to songs on this list, but there are subtle details that make a huge difference for me. I may get kind of angry at points (and there will also be some exaggeration in this post), but music is subjective, and these are just my personal least favourite songs of 2022.

Hi, everyone. This post is later than I wanted it to be, but better late than never. Anyway, welcome to the third of my six year-end lists for 2022, my top 25 least favourite songs of 2022. And yes, I know the title says ‘worst’, but by ‘the worst’ I really mean my personal least favourites.

To be eligible for this list, a song must have been released in 2022. If it was released on an album in 2021 and then as a single in 2022, it’s not eligible. If it was released as a single in 2021 and the album came out in 2022, it’s also not eligible. A song does not have to be a single to be eligible for this list. Also, while this isn’t a rule for any of my other five year-end lists, I’m limiting this list to one song per lead artist. Why? Because I want to. And that means if an artist has multiple songs I liked little enough to put on this list, I’ll put my least favourite here.

Also, there’s a lot of music that I heard terrible things about and decided not to take the bait, so if you’re wondering why [insert artist here] is not on this list, there’s a good chance I just didn’t listen.

It’s also worth mentioning that a lot of the jokes in this post you probably won’t understand if you haven’t heard the song.

And most importantly, this post is for entertainment purposes. None of this is meant as a personal attack on anyone. It’s just someone on the internet who loves music deciding to write about the songs from 2022 he dislikes listening to the most, while trying to be funny (and probably failing at being funny lol). And because this post is for entertainment purposes, that means there will be some exaggeration, and if you were involved in making (a) song(s) on this list (either as a lead artist or otherwise) I hope you don’t take it personally, and the same goes to anyone who is a fan of (a) song(s) on this list. If you don’t like hearing me talk about music I really don’t like, that’s totally fair. You can stop reading at any point here, including now if you want.

And now might be the best time for you to stop reading, because now the list is getting started. Here is my #25 pick:

#25: “Twinkle Twinkle Little Bitch” by Leah Kate

I’m not saying this is the case for everyone, but I can’t help but wonder how much of the hate for this song is real and how much of it is just people thinking it’s ‘cool’ to hate this song.

I can’t believe I’m saying this about a song on this list, but I’m not sure I really think this song is as bad as most people do … or at the very least, there are some songs higher on the list than this one which are very critically acclaimed.

But still, I can’t stand this song. There’s not much that I feel needs to be said about it. I mean, I’ve heard worse pop punk, but this song still has a hook that I find very annoying, and I don’t like the mixing here, either, with the snare sounding really quiet.

But just like the rest of this list, I’m not trying to be mean. And I’ve seen a ton of hate for this song online, and I wonder how much of it is just people thinking it’s ‘cool’ to hate this song. And I feel bad for Leah Kate considering how much hate she’s received for this. There’s a difference between hating on a song and hating on a person. You can talk about not liking the song all you want, but please don’t be mean about it.

#24: “Thoroughfare” by Ethel Cain

Picture this scenario: you’re visiting your friend, whom you haven’t talked to for over a year. You’re genuinely curious what your friend has been up to recently, so you decide to ask. Then, your friend brings you to a room full of a bunch of art that they’ve been working on for the past year. You look through this room, and you’re thinking to yourself, ‘Wow! This is incredible! Props to my friend for putting in all this effort, and I’m sure there are a lot of people who would love to look at all this art!’ But that doesn’t stop you from wanting to go back to the living room and talk about something else.

Yeah, that’s my experience with this song … and yes, I know, here comes the controversy. This is probably the most critically acclaimed song on this entire list. Yes, I know pretty much everyone else absolutely loves this song, and I’ve seen/heard it called one of the best of the year by quite a few people, and … let me explain.

First of all, Ethel Cain’s newest album, Preacher’s Daughter, is a big example of an album I respect way more than I like. I personally found it to be a bit of a slog to get through, but I’ve got to give props to Ethel Cain for putting so much effort and emotion into that album, and it’s a big example of why music is so subjective. Like I said when I reviewed it, if you haven’t heard it, I highly recommend you listen to it. While I don’t believe in music being ‘objectively good’ or ‘objectively bad’, if I had to pick an album from 2022 that is ‘technically amazing’ despite me personally not liking it, I’m not sure it’s this one, but it’s certainly up there.

The biggest reason why I didn’t like the album is probably the production, and “Thoroughfare” is a huge example of that, with the snare sounding absolutely awful in this track. And while Ethel Cain is a great vocalist, I really don’t like how much reverb is used on her vocals throughout the album, and that’s also the case here. I get why some people might like this production style, but the airy production here really doesn’t work for me.

And I get that it’s an important part of the album lyrically, but as a standalone song I don’t find the lyrics nearly as interesting. One of the things I like about the album is how unpredictable it is lyrically, but here, while it seems to be going for this huge plot twist, I personally pretty much knew exactly where it was going from the start. And I haven’t even mentioned yet that this song is almost nine and a half minutes long … and the scat section at the end over an instrumental that sounds like a demo is the tipping point that brings this from being a song I just really can’t stand to being one of my least favourites of the year.

Oh, and while we’re on the topic of controversial picks …

#23: “Part of the Band” by The 1975

I am a barista at a coffee shop (I actually am, I’m not just saying this for the joke), and believe it or not, I actually prefer writing about music over writing about ejaculations. And speaking of writing about music, I’ve got some explaining to do on why this super critically acclaimed song is one of my least favourites of the year, so let me start by making this clear: I like this song like I like my coffee … meaning I don’t like it.

I’m not trying to judge anyone when I say this, but I honestly don’t understand why someone would want to listen to this. I’m not judging anyone for liking this, I just don’t understand it. That’s all. If you want to explain, go ahead.

Where do I even begin with a song like this? I’m probably missing something in the lyrics, but to me it just comes across like a bunch of random lines put together into a song, which is probably totally unfair, because I’m sure there’s more to it, but it’s just how I hear it. I mean, Matty Healy himself has even said he doesn’t fully know what the song is about.

Some of the lyrics here I find to be so cringey, and this song is so all over the place musically, with the strings feel really out of place to me. The vocal melodies are annoying, and that outro is just … I don’t even know what to say.

I haven’t heard much of The 1975’s music, but while I’m not the biggest fan of most of what I’ve heard of their music, they’ve made some songs I absolutely love, such as “The Sound” and “The City”. I kind of have a hard time believing this is the same band.

Overall, this is a song that just baffles me. I’m not trying to judge the band (no pun intended) for making this song, I’m just left wondering how it happened. If this is the kind of music they want to make, I’ll respect their artistic decisions and listen to something else.

#22: “Beach House” by Carly Rae Jepsen

The funny thing is that I actually really like Carly Rae Jepsen’s newest album! It’s got a lot of variety, it’s very well produced, and the best songs are amazing!

But what the fuck happened here? This is the same woman who made “Run Away With Me”! (Also, off-topic, but as much as I absolutely love “Run Away With Me”, it’s far from my favourite song on the pop masterpiece, Emotion, which I’ll almost definitely do a throwback review of at some point.)

Let me start by saying I really like the concept of this song. It’s a song calling out people who pretend to be looking for love but secretly have bad intentions.

But this song sounds like it’s supposed to be funny, and I personally do find it funny, but not in the way I think it was intended to be.

If you haven’t heard this song, I think I’ll just let you listen to it for yourself instead of explaining why I don’t like it. A lot of people really love this song, and you might be one of them. Or, like me, you might find it super annoying but at least get a laugh out of it.

#21: “Twenties” by Ghost

I feel like I’m reliving my childhood, as I’m experiencing that feeling I would have when I wake up from a terrifying dream, and for the rest of the day I’d be terrified.

Look, I respect what Ghost tried to do with this song, but the lyrics are super cheesy, especially that ‘hoo-ha’ line, which I know is satire, but it’s super cringey.

Also, the jumpy sounds, the dramatic horns, and that annoying bassline all combine to make this song terrifying, and not in the way I think it was intended.

#20: “You’re So Vain” by Pale Waves

I get the appeal of Pale Waves, and I feel like they’re so close to being a band I really like, and they have some songs I really love, but their music is not really my cup of tea for the most part. But again, I mostly get the appeal.

Pop-punk has seen a huge rise in popularity in the last few years, and while I agree with a lot of people that a lot of it isn’t very good, there’s also a lot that I really like. Avril Lavigne put out an album this year that I like more than most do, and even Pale Waves themselves have made some pop-punk songs I really like, such as “Reasons To Live”—a song from the same album—which has some really good melodies and great production.

I can’t say the same about “You’re So Vain”, which features some really underpowered guitar, a chorus which I don’t really know how to describe other than that I probably would have loved it when I was a little kid (that’s not a compliment), and the lyrics are … interesting. Pale Waves’ lyrics don’t usually do a ton for me, but I can tell there’s a lot of emotion put into them, and I respect that a lot. But that doesn’t mean I don’t find the lyrics on this particular song really cringey, with the line, ‘Your ignorance makes me wanna vomit,’ the term ‘narcissistic mouth’ (I don’t know why I find that so annoying, but I do), and also the way Heather Baron-Gracie sings the line, ‘You think it’s all about you when it’s really not.’

Pale Waves are a band I respect way more than I like, and while they put out an absolutely incredible song this year called “The Hard Way”, which I highly recommend you listen to if you haven’t already, that doesn’t change the fact that “You’re So Vain” annoys me so much when I listen to it.

#19: “I’m Good (Blue)” by David Guetta & Bebe Rexha

Eiffel 65’s classic hit, “Blue (Da Ba Dee)”, is an incredible track which I’ll talk about at some point, but for now, let’s talk about “I’m Good (Blue)”, a song by David Guetta and Bebe Rexha, which interpolates “Blue (Da Ba Dee)”, and … I don’t even know what to say.

This is another one of those songs that interpolates another song, and at least to my ears, does nothing to make it stand out.

To me, this is uninteresting and annoying, with those high-pitched synths in the drop feeling so out of place, and there’s no reason I would want to listen to this instead of the original.

#18: “Rich” by Yard Act

It appears I don’t like this song. And since I don’t like this song, I’m going to write on my website about how much I don’t like this song. Because I don’t like this song. It appears I don’t like this song. It appears I very, very, very much don’t like this song.

Maybe you totally didn’t get that joke, but whatever … anyway, I counted, and this song has the word ‘rich’ 25 times!

I get that this song has some interesting ideas in the lyrics, but it’s done in such an annoying way that I just want to turn it off immediately! Also, why do the pianos feel so out of place to me? Even I don’t know the answer to that, but I know I don’t enjoy listening to it.

#17: “Ferris Wheel” by Imagine Dragons

No, I’m not putting this here because I think it’s ‘cool’ to not like Imagine Dragons … in fact, I’m an Imagine Dragons fan, and Night Visions is an album that is incredibly special to me. Honestly, I’d put it on the same level of quality as Hot Fuss by The Killers and Turn On the Bright Lights by Interpol, two post-punk revival classics which have a similar sound musically.

But their recent material, while it’s had some interesting ideas, hasn’t really clicked for me for the most part, and this is a huge example of that. Not only is there almost nothing about it that stands out to me instrumentally or melodically, but to me it sounds like another one of those you-should-be-with-me-instead anthems, and it seems like it’s supposed to sound romantic. It reminds me of “Treat You Better” by Shawn Mendes, another song I fucking can’t stand, but at least that song has some intensity to it … this is just a mellow, romantic song, right?

Maybe I’m overthinking all of this … again, it’s art. This list is just about the songs that I dislike the most from 2022, and I’m sure there were good intentions here. But this is just so off-putting to me. I’m not a fan of this.

#16: “White Horse” by Skillet

Speaking of Imagine Dragons, I’m guessing this probably sounds to me like what early Imagine Dragons music sounds like to people who don’t like early Imagine Dragons.

Electronic music and metal can combine well together in my opinion, but this just sounds overblown musically, with that terrible sounding snare and the instrumentation feeling really messy.

I find ZERO reason for me to want to listen to this. I don’t like this at all.

#15: “Conditional Love” by Alexisonfire

I can totally see 15-year-old me trying to force myself into thinking I loved this because it’s a hard rock song, saying: ‘Yeah, it’s so heavy, and I love the screaming, and the … um … it’s just so amazing!’ I mean, that is still how I describe some songs I love, but you get the point.

The snare sounds way too fuzzed out, the guitar riffs are so annoyingly repetitive, there’s not much melodically that interests me, and that hook is awful, with the super annoying cliché line, ‘I wanna spill some blood’ followed by a generic hard rock ‘ooh ooh’.

I have some conditional love for the next Alexisonfire album … if it doesn’t have a song like this, maybe I’ll like it more!

#14: “What You Wanted” by Shinedown

To answer your question, no, I did not get what I wanted. Instead, I got some annoying strings with some annoying melodies overtop of them, topped off with some ‘na na’s and some underpowered percussion.

I mean, this song is annoyingly catchy, I will admit that.

#13: “Best Friend” by Conan Gray

It feels like I’ve listened to a lot of songs recently called “Best Friend”, “Best Friends”, or something like that.

Anyway, Conan Gray is an artist I have a feeling might put out an album I really like (I still haven’t listened to Kid Krow … maybe I’d really like that one, who knows?), and I get the appeal of his newest album, but it’s not really my thing, and this song in particular stands out as my least favourite from the album.

I honestly wonder how this ended up getting written. I’m trying to imagine Conan Gray and Dan Nigro in the studio writing this song, but I just can’t see it!

The bass isn’t even that loud, but it feels super bass-boosted, which really doesn’t work with the trap percussion, and the guitars are mixed so quietly, but most of all, it’s that chorus that makes me want to pick up my computer and throw it on the floor!

#12: “Made You Look” by Meghan Trainor

So, this song is a self-love anthem, and as much as I respect that, I personally find the song incredibly annoying!

And yes, I know, Meghan Trainor is an easy target for online music critics, but honestly, based on what I remember of her album from this year, I didn’t think it was terrible.

This song, however, I can’t stand. First of all, the vocal melodies are quite annoying, and the horns sound even more annoying. There’s almost nothing in the instrumentation that clicks for me. Also, some of the lyrics are so cringey, such as, ‘I could have my Gucci on. I could wear my Louis Vuitton. But even with nothin’ on, bet I made you look.’ Well, this song certainly didn’t make me listen, that’s for sure!

#11: “Pink Rover” by Scene Queen

First of all, yes, I know this is an anti-catcalling anthem that Scene Queen wrote after being harassed, and it’s terrible that that happened to her, but that doesn’t automatically make it a good song.

Not only is it annoyingly bass-boosted with annoying vocal effects, and a really annoying balance of pop and metalcore, but while I’m sure the intentions were good, the lyrics are awful. Again, it’s an anti-catcalling anthem, but seriously, just look at some of these lyrics, most notably, ‘And if that bastard whistles, put a knife up to his boner. Cut him.’ I don’t even know how to respond to that line.

Scene Queen herself has described this song as ‘jokingly violent’, but listening to it still doesn’t sit well with me.

I like that it’s an anti-catcalling song, but I just wish it were done better.

#10: “Sneaky Link Anthem” by DaBaby

Possibly my least favourite thing about this song is how little there is for me to like about it. I just find listening to it so boring!

Lyrically, this song describes some sort of affair or something like that, as somebody’s cheating, or somebody else is cheating, or … I don’t really care. To me, it comes across as a big pile of nothing, except somehow even worse, as the lyrics and melodies make me want to shut it off immediately.

#9: “Will Of The People” by Muse

I don’t hate Muse’s newest album. I certainly don’t like the album, but I think legit great tracks like “Verona” and “Euphoria” save it from being a lot worse … but the title track, “Will Of The People”, easily my least favourite on the album (and that’s saying a lot considering this album also features “We Are Fucking F****d”), is shockingly bad!

This song has one of the most annoying choruses I’ve heard from 2022. It has to be heard to be believed!

Those guitars sound so uninteresting to me, and something in the guitar distortion just sounds really awkwardly muddy, if that makes any sense.

If I’m interpreting the lyrics right, then I agree with the point the song is trying to make (it seems to be making fun of people who don’t want there to be any laws), but it’s done with some really cringey lines and a bunch of annoying instrumentation which doesn’t sound interesting to me at all.

#8: “Like A Blade Of Grass” by Jack Harlow

‘Like a blade of grass wants sunlight, I just want that ass. You the type of girl I would’ve flirted with in class. Copied every test, be the reason that I passed.’ Those are the opening lyrics of this song.

Jack’s flow on this song just feels like it goes nowhere, the kick in the percussion is really loud, and not in a good way, and I also find the bass melodies kind of annoying.

Songs like these just baffle me, and I struggle to even find much to say.

#7: “Testing” by The Chainsmokers

You know that feeling when you’ve just caught a cold and you’re trying to convince yourself that there’s a chance you haven’t caught it, but then your throat starts to feel worse, you start sneezing, and it just keeps getting worse and worse on that first day? Well, “Testing” is that feeling in song form!

I don’t like the start of this song, but at least it’s listenable. The melodies aren’t terrible, and I don’t really mind the production, even though it’s not doing much to really interest me.

Then the vocal melodies switch up and we suddenly get this super high-pitched vocal effect before the song just turns into … whatever this is.

From that point on, it just keeps getting worse before it all switches up again, this time into a more fast-paced pop section, which isn’t very good in my opinion, but is at least better than what comes before it.

I don’t understand why anybody would want to listen to this. Again, I’m not trying to judge anybody for liking this, I’m just saying I don’t get it, and the fact that something this annoying is only at #7 says a ton about just how bad the top 6 songs on this list are. And speaking of which …

#6: “F*CKBOI REJECTS” by Royal & the Serpent

Not only is this song super obnoxious, it’s also a song that makes me worried about the artist, and I don’t mean this in a joking way. While I’m sure it wasn’t supposed to be framed as a positive, it still sounds like a song that’s celebrating bad behaviour. Royal & the Serpent, I hope you’re okay … this song worries me.

It also has some really boring pop-punk melodies, and the vocal effect in the chorus sounds awful over that annoying bass, or synth, or whatever the fuck is making that awful sound. Also, the melody when she sings the line ‘thinking with his dick’ sounds really bad, and I’m not entirely sure why. And also, what happened with the production and mixing here? The snares stand out like a moldy spot on an otherwise perfectly good piece of bread, except this song is already not a good song.

The outro of this track brings it to a whole different level of bad. Why the fuck is that outro there?

Also, in the lyrics, Royal & the Serpent mentions that every person she’s with is a narcissist, and describes all the things she doesn’t like about these people, but she still says she’s ready for another partner with the same problems as all the others. And the upbeat, happy sounding instrumentation really doesn’t work considering the song’s lyrics, which get even worse with references to dangerous sex and drugs. And I get that it’s just a song, and it doesn’t necessarily mean Royal & the Serpent is actually doing these things in real life (at least I certainly hope she isn’t), but to me there doesn’t seem to be any depth here. While I’m sure this wasn’t the intent, it sounds like the song is taking these huge issues in the world and being like, ‘Well … that’s too bad, but oh well.’

Again, it’s very possible she’s not being serious with any of this, and it’s just a song telling a fictional story, but to me it comes across as a shitty song that downplays serious issues. Again, I’m not saying the intent was bad, and I’m not saying we should cancel Royal & the Serpent for this, but I still fucking hate this song, so much!

#5: “sid & nancy” by Machine Gun Kelly

Why? WHY?

Not only this is song super uninteresting musically, but I hate the lyrics so much! This song reminds me of the horrendous “Highway Girl” by The Tragically Hip, which to me is by far their worst song that I’ve heard, and I’ve heard most of their songs. (I don’t know every song by The Tragically Hip, but I know every song on every one of their albums.) If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you can look up what that song is about, and you’ll see why I hate it so much.

And I hate this song for the same reason. This song describes two people agreeing to commit a murder-suicide, where both of them die, and while I get that it’s just a song, the upbeat instrumentation and the attitude of the song make it sound like it’s supposed to be ‘so romantic.’ I’m not saying it had bad intent, but it’s still a song that really makes me feel angry. Yes, I know, art is subjective. And while this song really pissed me off, I get that it’s not meant to be taken seriously … at least I certainly hope it isn’t. But this is a list of my own personal least favourite songs of the year. Also, if you haven’t listened to it, I highly recommend that you don’t. It’s disgusting.

#4: Hot Girl (Bodies Bodies Bodies) by Charli XCX

While I don’t know all of Charli XCX’s music, I really like her albums Charli and how i’m feeling now, but what happened with her music in 2022?

CRASH is an album that got some very mixed reviews, and I’m definitely on the side who doesn’t like it. I don’t think it’s an awful album, but to me it’s far from a good album, and “Yuck” probably would have been on this list if it weren’t for my one-song-per-artist rule, and the same can be said about her collaboration with Tiësto, “Hot In It”. And despite how much those songs make me want to scream when I hear them, even they didn’t prepare me for the absolutely horrible mess that is “Hot Girl (Bodies Bodies Bodies)”. This song is almost impressively bad, but that doesn’t stop it from being so fucking annoying to listen to.

When this song ends, it’s like waking up from a nightmare with the realization that it was all just a dream. Seriously, this is a nightmare in song form. That bassline is disgustingly distorted, the trap beat has nothing to it, and Charli’s performance here is so uninteresting, aside from how annoying it is listening to these ‘melodies’ which, to me, kind of sound like awful rapping.

There are so many awful sound effects added in here, too, and that ‘I’m really hot’ part is like the part of the nightmare when everyone realizes the planet is about to explode and there’s no escape!

Oh, and also, toward the end of the song, she drops the line, ‘I’m so hot with snow up my nose.’ And I get that it’s probably meant as satire, but to me it sounds less like satire and more like what it’s trying to mock. Again, I’m sure there were no bad intentions here, but listening to it still doesn’t sit well with me.

#3: “Country Stuff” by Walker Hayes & Jake Owen

Speaking of impressively bad … what the fuck is this? I honestly don’t understand.

When I first heard this, I was in disbelief. I couldn’t believe how much I hated this.

Yes, I get that it’s supposed to be a parody song, or something like that, I don’t really care. Anyway, yeah, I get that it’s meant as a joke, but it’s so cringey. Honestly, I don’t even have much of an explanation for this one, it just leaves me baffled.

#2: “JUMP” by Black Eyed Peas

Am I correct that this song samples Siri? I’m not sure, but it definitely sounds like that, and it’s probably the most blatantly awful hook for a song that I have heard from 2022! Somebody said when you play this song, I’ll get up and shut it off immediately!

If Black Eyed Peas want to make songs like this, they have every right to make them, and I’m not judging … but it still represents one of the things that annoys me most about popular music … so much of it just sounds so uninteresting, and there are people who will defend it no matter what just because of who the artist is … and again, music is subjective, and I’m not saying ‘nobody should like this’ … I’m saying why is it that so many of the people in the mainstream media will praise ANY music if it’s by an artist who’s even slightly popular? Because I wonder how real any of it is. And it’s not the artists’ fault. I’m not blaming one specific person, either. And yes, I get that I’m probably overreacting about something that isn’t that big a problem, but as a huge fan of music myself, and someone who used to be one of those ‘praise almost everything’ people, I will say with empathy, as someone who’s been there before, that I hope to see a change with how we look at popular music. Again, it’s far from the biggest problem in the world, but it’s also not the entire reason this song is nearly topping my list.

It’s nearly topping my list because of that incredibly obnoxious hook, the terrible lyrics, rapping, and production … and speaking of the production, the bass sounds super overpowered … and also because of the lack of anything that makes me even sort of understand why anybody would want to listen to this. So, if you like this song, feel free to comment why you like it, as I’m curious to know why.

But for me, this comes across as a totally shit song, a pile of trash, and I never want to hear this ever again.

But somehow, it gets even worse …

But before we get to that, here are some dishonourable mentions, and just like the list itself, I’m limiting it to one song per lead artist. Also, if an artist has a song in my top 25, the artist is not eligible for the dishonourable mentions. Anyway, here they are in no particular order:

“Doja” by Central Cee
“Daggers in Floodlight” by Falls of Rauros
“I’ve Got You Surrounded (With My Love)” by Jack White
“Fables” by Interpol
“Wild Green” by Foals
“Best Friends” by The Weeknd
“Coldplay” by Lizzo
“Nike” by Shygirl

And now it’s time for my reveal of what, to me, is the worst song of 2022!

#1: “Calling My Name” by Drake

This one isn’t even funny. I would say honestly, nevermind, and not give it the attention it totally doesn’t deserve … but instead, I guess I’ll talk about it. It’s rare when I find a song where the lyrics and sound are both this unbelievably bad, but this is one of those songs.

I can’t stand these immature, possessive, creepy songs, for obvious reasons, but most of them are at least not as terrible as this. An example I want to mention is the controversy surrounding “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell. Yes, the controversy was deserved in my opinion … it’s a terrible song with terrible lyrics for a similar reason as this Drake song … but why didn’t this Drake song cause nearly as much controversy?

There are a few things I want to mention about “Blurred Lines”, though. First of all, there are a ton of songs by very popular artists which have very similar lyrics that are just as bad and didn’t cause nearly the same amount of controversy. I’m not saying it makes any of it less bad, but it makes me wonder why that song in particular caused as much controversy while so many others didn’t.

But I also want to mention that “Blurred Lines” at least has some lyrics that might imply the narrator isn’t trying to force anyone into anything, like the line, ‘Maybe I’m going deaf. Maybe I’m going blind. Maybe I’m out of my mind.’ And there are complicated conversations to be had about that line which I’m not going to get into right now, and I understand how some might view it as a terrible line, but at least the song is more complicated … it’s not as obvious what the song is really about.

“Calling My Name” by Drake is disgusting and I don’t understand why anyone would argue otherwise. The main hook of the song is the line, ‘Your pussy is calling my name,’ and then there’s the line, ‘stop playing games.’ There is no depth here at all, and all I hear is someone trying to force someone else to have sex, pretending this other person wants to do it, too, when it’s obvious that’s not the case. Now, it’s worth mentioning this is a sample (and I’m not going to listen to the song it samples, for obvious reasons), but that doesn’t make it any less terrible.

Like I said, there is no depth here. Nothing that implies maybe there’s more to it. And on top of that, the song sounds like shit, too, with Drake’s terrible melodies, no real structure at all, and horrendous autotune. The production sucks, too, with that awful kick and bass toward the end of the song.

I hope I never have to hear this disgusting track ever again! FUCK THIS SONG!

Okay, maybe that was a bit too harsh … music is very subjective and different people interpret songs in different ways. As much as I fucking hate that Drake song, it’s my interpretation at the end of the day, and if you have anything you want to add, let me know in the comment section down below. And, of course, the same goes for any other song on this list—if you want to make an argument why it’s a great song, I’m curious to read it.

But still, I never want to hear “Calling My Name” by Drake ever again.

…

Thanks for reading my list of my least favourite songs of 2022! I know this post was really negative, and a lot of it was exaggeration for entertainment purposes, I’ll admit that. And while my worst albums list is coming up soon, after that will be my favourite albums and songs of 2022.

Again, I know this post was really late. I got really busy with other things, including working on my best lists.

Feel free to comment your own list in the comments down below. Also, if there are any 2023 albums you want me to review or any 2022 albums you want me to listen to in the next few days before posting my favourite albums of the year, feel free to let me know, and I might listen to them.

And, as always, thanks for reading!

Hi, everyone! Now that I’m done writing about my least favourite hit songs of 2022, how about I write about my favourite hit songs of 2022?

Just like with my worst list, this is all just based on my own personal taste in music, meaning these are my personal favourite hit songs of 2022, not some sort of ‘objective’ list of the best hit songs of the year, whatever that means.

Also, I’m using the same eligibility rules as my best list. The song must have made the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 of 2022, and it can’t have made the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 in any previous year.

Also, if you plan to read this post and my worst list, I recommend you read the worst list first, because this post may contain spoilers for that list.

And with all that out of the way, let’s get started:

#10 …

So, I just posted my final mini review post of 2022, and I reviewed this album. If you want to find out my opinion on the album, you can read that post, but what I’ll tell you right now is that I love this song!

#10: “I Hate U” by SZA

“I Hate U” is a song that seems to describe a breakup that the narrator isn’t over, despite negative feelings toward this person’s ex, and something about the way the song sounds really fits the lyrics.

The low-pitched, bassy synths sound fantastic, and the percussion is super well mixed. And while the vocal melodies feel kind of all over the place, I think that really helps the song, adding to the feeling of mixed emotions.

There’s not really a ton for me to say about this song … it’s just a great song that is super well produced and super well mixed, and also features an awesome line in the hook: ‘And if you wonder if I hate you, I do.’

Again, I briefly gave my opinions on the album in my latest mini review post, and you can look at that post if you want to … but what I’ll say in this post is that I absolutely love this song!

#9 …

So, there are songs like “I Hate U” … and there are also songs that are just so calming to listen to …

#9: “Hrs & Hrs” by Muni Long

If you had never heard of Muni Long before this song became a hit, you might not have known that she’s been writing songs for famous artists for over a decade, including Rihanna, Demi Lovato, Charlie Puth, and Ariana Grande.

And now one of her own songs became a big hit, and I absolutely love this song!

I love the production on this song! It just sounds so good! The percussion is mixed really well, and I love the synths in the background! I also love how the vocals are mixed!

It’s a pretty simple song, but it’s just so calming, and the melodies are really good!

I don’t really know what else there is for me to say … but if you haven’t heard this song, I highly recommend you listen to it. It’s fantastic!

#8 …

So, 2022 was a very difficult year for me personally, for reasons I’m not going to go into detail about right now … and I’m not going to go into all the details in any of my year-end lists. The important thing is that I’ve been getting the help I need, and I’d rather not share all the details on my website. But I will have more to say in my lists of my favourite albums and songs of 2022.

But yeah, 2022 was a very difficult year for me, and while there are songs that hit way harder for me and felt even more special to me, I’ll admit there were moments in 2022 when all I felt like doing in that current moment was sitting down by my computer and listening to this song:

#8: “Numb Little Bug” by Em Beihold

So, this seemingly became a hit out of nowhere … and a big part of that was due to TikTok. And while there are a lot of songs that become big hits because of TikTok that I don’t like, there are also songs like this one which I absolutely love!

There’s a lot to like about “Numb Little Bug” from Em Beihold’s underrated 2022 EP, Egg in the Backseat. For starters, I really like the instrumentation on this song. The synths sound fantastic, and I love the pianos, too, especially the way they’re timed with the rest of the instrumentation.

I’ve also got to say, this song has lots of great melodies, in both the vocals and the instrumentation. The verses and chorus are both very catchy, and the song grabs my attention right from the opening piano melody.

I also really like the production on this track, with the crunch in the snare sounding great, and the loud pianos really helping add to the feeling of frustration in the song.

And on that topic, there’s also the lyrics, which are probably my favourite element of the song, and what pushes it from a really good song to one of my favourite hit songs of 2022. ‘Do you ever get a little bit tired of life? Like you’re not really happy but you don’t wanna die? Like you’re hangin’ by a thread but you gotta survive cause you gotta survive?’ Those lines really hit hard for me, and overall, at least to me, there’s this sense of frustration throughout the track, for example, the line, ‘The prescription’s on its way, with a name I can’t pronounce, and the dose I gotta take, boy, I wish that I could count.’

Something about this song is just really comforting to me. And while there’s another similar song on Egg in the Backseat that I love even more, I’ll still throw a ton of praise on this song.

Em Beihold made a really special song here, and one that means a lot to me.

#7 …

Some people would argue this song shouldn’t be eligible for this list, and I get why. I mean, there are a whole bunch of different eligibility rules I could have followed, and considering that this was released decades ago, and just never made the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 until 2022, it doesn’t really feel like a 2022 hit, especially considering that it only charts around the holiday season … but that being said, it’s still eligible according to my rules, and of the big Christmas classics that you find on tons of Christmas playlists and hear all over the place, this is one of my favourites …

#7: “A Holly Jolly Christmas” by Burl Ives

I don’t have a lot to say about this song. It’s a fun, upbeat Christmas song that I love!

I mean, maybe part of it is nostalgia because I used to listen to Burl Ives’ 1965 Christmas album, Have a Holly Jolly Christmas when I was a kid. And while I haven’t listened to that album for a long time, this track has stuck with me.

Like I said, it’s not a track that gives me a ton to say … I mean, Burl Ives’ vocals are great, the song is super catchy, and it gets me excited about the holiday season!

What else is there for me to say? Overall, I just love this song! And while I get why someone might not like it, there’s just something magical about this track to me.

#6 …

I’m not a big fan of country music. Yes, I know a lot of people love it, and I don’t hate country music … I just find that for the most part, it doesn’t click for me as much as rock, metal, pop, and so many other genres.

There’s a part of me that thinks it has to do with the cliché lyrics in lots of country, but pretty much all genres have clichés, and there’s lots of country music that doesn’t feature cliché lyrics. So, maybe it’s more of a composition/production issue for me.

But going back to what I said about the lyrics, a lot of mainstream country blends together for me lyrically. And if you like it, that’s great, but I find a lot of it just isn’t for me, partially because of the cliché lyrics. Again, I’m not saying all mainstream country lyrics are cliché, but a lot of it is, at least it seems that way to me.

But sometimes a play on words can lead to so much more, and in this case, it leads to one of my favourite hit songs of the year!

#6: “Damn Strait” by Scotty McCreery

This is a song where Scotty McCreery sings about a breakup, referencing many different George Strait songs, and George Strait’s music reminds the song’s narrator of this relationship. And I love the play on words used here, with the chorus beginning with, ‘Damn, Strait, you’re killing me, man. You know I’ve always been your biggest fan.’ But then the chorus ends with, ‘But do I wish I could get her back? Damn straight.’

But it’s not just the lyrics about this song that I love. I love the production and instrumentation, with the guitars sounding great, and I love how the drums are mixed.

There are also lots of great vocal melodies on this song, and I love Scotty McCreery’s vocals here, too! I think the vocals fit the mood of the song really well.

Also, I’ve got to say, the song is really catchy. It’s been getting stuck in my head a lot, and I’m not mad about that, because it’s such a good song!

So, yeah, while I’m not the biggest fan of country music, this song really clicked for me, and I’m curious to hear more of Scotty McCreery’s music. What a fantastic song!

#5 …

Let’s go back to what I said about “Numb Little Bug”. Sometimes the uplifting songs I feel like listening to are more like that song, which is kind of upbeat but still has a bit of a bleak feeling to it. But while that song really clicked for me, one thing I’ve often felt like I’ve lacked is … motivation, a word which is in the lyrics of this song. And if “Numb Little Bug” is a song I listen to when I’m feeling lots of frustration, this song is a good one for me to listen to right after. In other words, when I’m looking for an uplifting song, sometimes I’m just in the mood for listening to an absolute banger!

#5: “Break My Soul” by Beyoncé

The opinions on this song in the online music critic community are very mixed … and I understand both sides of the argument. But I’m going to explain why this song works for me.

There are songs I listen to for motivation because I’m in a bad mood … but when I’m in a good mood, but still not feeling motivated to do certain things I want to get done, this is a great example of a song that really works in those moments! But not just in those moments, because this song hits hard pretty much any time!

Honestly, despite landing this high on the list, this song doesn’t give me a ton to say, other than that it’s a really fun, uplifting track that is an absolute banger!

Right from the moment this song starts, it’s got me hooked, with that sample of “Explode” by Big Freedia. And while I don’t like that song, I actually think the sample is used really well here … I don’t know why, but it just really fits!

The instrumentation here is fantastic, and Beyoncé’s performance on this track is amazing, too! I love the confidence that she has on this track, and it fits the instrumental super well!

Beyoncé’s newest album, RENAISSANCE, is an album with lots of bangers, but this is one of my favourites on the album, if not my favourite, and I’m so happy it became a hit!

#4 …

So, like I said in my worst list, Bad Bunny has seven songs eligible for my best and worst hits lists. And with that many hits … yeah, there’s a pretty good chance of making my worst list, and one of those seven songs ended up on my worst list. But also, with seven eligible songs … there’s a pretty good chance of making my best list, too. And Bad Bunny is making both lists:

#4: “Tití Me Preguntó” by Bad Bunny

I still haven’t heard Bad Bunny’s album from this year, but based on the hits I’ve heard … I haven’t been too impressed. It’s worth mentioning that the only language I speak and understand is English, and I’m not sure how accurate the translations I’ve read are. But if they are accurate translations, in my opinion the lyrics haven’t been very good in most of the Bad Bunny songs I’ve heard.

And this song starts off with uninteresting lyrics where Bad Bunny is bragging about having lots of girlfriends, and he says he wants to move into a mansion with all of them … nothing interesting here … until the later part of the song, where he admits this isn’t really what he wants, saying he doesn’t trust himself, and even gives a warning not to fall in love with him.

But still, you could make the argument that this isn’t deep, either … and, I mean, it’s not like I haven’t heard this sort of thing in a song’s lyrics before. It’s not the most original topic for a song … but that’s why I have to mention how this song sounds. It starts off as an upbeat banger with an awesome beat, and Bad Bunny sounds like he’s having a lot of fun. And it sounds fantastic!

But that being said, there’s still a bit of a gloomy feeling to the sound of that part of the song … and I think that fits well with the lyrics. And then the song gets more mellow toward the end, sounding even more gloomy.

I’m often a big fan of it when songs have a big musical shift partway through, right when there’s a big lyrical shift. And I think this song pulls it off super well!

Oh, and I didn’t mention how good the mixing is or how awesome that spooky synth at the end of the track sounds … so I’ll mention it right now. What a fantastic song! This makes me especially curious to hear more of Bad Bunny’s music, and while I have a feeling I won’t like most of it as much as this … well, we’ll have to wait and see. And this is fantastic either way!

#3 …

As we get closer to the top of the list, I want to answer this question you might be asking: ‘Simon, how do you determine your favourite hit song of the year? Is it the one you listen to the most? The one that you think is the most fun? The one that resonates with you the most emotionally? Something else?’ And to answer that question … well, there isn’t really an answer, other than that there is no answer.

There is no set criteria for how I determine my favourite hit song of the year. It really depends on the year and the songs.

That’s somewhat off-topic, but I wanted to mention it sometime before we get to #1 … and also, it’s only somewhat off-topic, because this is a song that might be kind of hard to describe why it really clicks for me. And while it isn’t my #1, it’s an example of why I like not having that set criteria … or maybe all of these songs are, I’m not sure. Maybe I’m just trying to pretend I didn’t just totally go off-topic, or maybe it was on-topic. Who knows?

But to really get on topic now … I remember when this artist had his big breakout hit in 2019. And it feels so strange looking back at that now, considering how much this artist has evolved artistically … and after this artist put out an album I absolutely love in 2021, one of my favourite songs from the album became a hit, and I’m so happy about that!

#3: “THATS WHAT I WANT” by Lil Nas X

Remember when Lil Nas X was best known as ‘the “Old Town Road” guy’? And while I think “Old Town Road” is a pretty good track, it kind of seems like a bit of a joke song, even though I think there’s more to it lyrically than it seems on the surface. But that’s a different conversation. For now, I want to talk about “THATS WHAT I WANT”.

But first, I want to say that Lil Nas X’s debut studio album, Montero, is an absolutely fantastic album that I think represents the artist Lil Nas X is … until whatever the next direction he goes with his music is, but who knows what that could be? But yeah, it’s an absolutely fantastic album …

And “THATS WHAT I WANT” is an absolute banger, where Lil Nas X seems both frustrated and hopeful at the same time in his search for love … maybe more frustrated, but the upbeat instrumentation adds a sense of optimism to the track. And I think those two things are combined super well on this track, and it’s hard to describe why … but it works!

The percussion is super well mixed, the guitars sound awesome, and the vocal melodies are absolutely fantastic! It’s such a catchy track with a huge, soaring hook that is made even better with that fantastic clicking percussion, especially with the percussion being mixed so well!

And I think almost everyone has been in a situation where something feels missing in life, whether it be a romantic partner or something else. And even though I don’t personally relate to all of the lyrics, it’s probably still a ‘relatable’ song to most people … I use quotes because I don’t know how to define ‘relatability’ in music, but anyway, this song is absolutely fantastic, one of the best songs on Montero, and it’s always special to me when a song I love this much becomes a big hit that I actually hear on the radio! What a phenomenal track!

#2 …

This is one of the most critically acclaimed hits of the year. And I would say it’s probably no surprise that this is as high as it is on the list … but if you read my mini review of the album, there’s a good chance you’ll be surprised it’s this high … you might even be surprised to see it on the list!

Yeah, the album this song comes from didn’t do much for me as a whole. I gave it a 5/10, which isn’t a negative score, but isn’t a positive score, either … but this is easily my favourite track on the album, and I’ll agree with almost every critic that this is absolutely special:

#2: “Glimpse of Us” by Joji

When it comes to mellow piano songs like this one, I have some very controversial opinions. While I love some of Adele’s piano songs, “Easy On Me” never really clicked for me. Meanwhile, I like “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi. But in this case, I agree with most critics.

I know I sound like a broken record, but it’s hard for me to fully describe why I love this song so much. I mean, yes, it’s a beautiful track with stunning production, an amazing vocal performance from Joji, where the multiple layers of vocals in the chorus sound phenomenal! And the pianos, while simple, add so much emotion to the track, and the vocals and vocal melody on the bridge just send this song to a whole different level of greatness!

But then there’s the lyrics. In this song, the narrator is in a relationship, trying to find a real connection … but this person can’t stop thinking about a past relationship. Joji sings, ‘I’m only here passing time in her arms, hopin’ I’ll find a glimpse of us.’

But the thing is, there’s a bunch of different ways this could be interpreted. Is it someone in an unhealthy relationship who’s ready to break up? Is it someone in a happy relationship who’s just experiencing some unwanted feeling? Is it maybe even a metaphor for something totally different?

Well, that’s where it gets really complicated … but I want to talk about the possibility that it’s a metaphor, even though I don’t think it is. Because … well, one thing it and the last song, “THATS WHAT I WANT”, have in common is that they both have lyrics about really wanting something. In this case, it’s wanting that past relationship back … and there’s a whole bunch of things that could be a metaphor for, but it’s the feeling of really wanting something that is a big part of the reason why both of these songs stand out to me so much.

But there’s a big difference between these two songs that I haven’t mentioned yet. “THATS WHAT I WANT” feels a lot more optimistic. The upbeat instrumentation is what really adds that sense of optimism … but in this track, despite the line, ‘Hopin’ I’ll find a glimpse of us,’ there’s this feeling I get throughout this song that it’s not optimistic. That’s just my interpretation, but I don’t see it as someone who actually believes this past relationship is going to work out again.

But it’s not just that … it’s also that if I look at it as a metaphor, it feels more optimistic than if I don’t look at it as a metaphor. Of course, that depends what I look at it as a metaphor for, but there is some real magic to those brief feelings of optimism that I get sometimes about things I usually don’t feel optimistic about, even if it’s just a glimpse.

And that’s what makes this song so special to me. To me, it represents the fact that things can get better … whatever I’m going through, I’ll get to a point in my life where it isn’t an issue anymore … or, at least, if it stays an issue, I trust that everything will be okay in the end. Yeah, this song is incredibly calming.

This is a song that could be interpreted many different ways, and to me, how it’s interpreted affects how optimistic or pessimistic the song is. And maybe I’m overthinking all of this, but either way, it’s a song that really resonates for me deeply, even though I don’t relate to all of the lyrics, and in a year this difficult for me, I’m so happy we got this song. It is absolutely incredible, and only one song ended up topping it on this list. But before we get to that …

Honourable Mentions:

Before I reveal my #1 pick, let’s quickly go through some honourable mentions, in no particular order:

“Get Into It (Yuh)” by Doja Cat
“Surface Pressure” by Jessica Darrow
“she’s all i wanna be” by Tate McRae
“Enemy” by Imagine Dragons & JID
“AA” by Walker Hayes
“Shivers” by Ed Sheeran
“Meet Me At Our Spot” by THE ANXIETY
“Boyfriend” by Dove Cameron
“Fingers Crossed” by Lauren Spencer Smith
“Bam Bam” by Camila Cabello (ft. Ed Sheeran)
“Vegas” by Doja Cat
“She Had Me At Heads Carolina” by Cole Swindell
“Smokin’ Out the Window” by Silk Sonic
“Late Night Talking” by Harry Styles
“Ghost” by Justin Bieber
“5 Foot 9” by Tyler Hubbard
“Something in the Orange” by Zach Bryan
“abcdefu” by GAYLE

Yes, I know there are some controversial picks there. But anyway, let’s finish this off with …

#1 …

I mean, considering it wasn’t anywhere from 10-2 on the list, and it wasn’t in the honourable mentions, either, you’re probably guessing this is my #1, and you’re absolutely right. And while some may argue this shouldn’t be eligible, based on my rules it’s eligible.

But I want to make one thing clear right now: this song isn’t topping my list because, ‘Well, I’m an online music critic, and how could I possibly put some modern pop hit ahead of this song? It’s one of the most critically acclaimed songs of all time! It has to top my list!’ No, it’s topping my list because it’s absolutely phenomenal!

#1: “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)” by Kate Bush

How do I even describe this song?

I mean, yes, it’s an incredibly well-produced track with some fantastic synths, vocal melodies, vocals, and percussion, and those opening drums are so fantastic! And the lyrics about trying to see different perspectives are absolutely incredible! I especially love the line, ‘Let me steal this moment from you now,’ to describe the idea of two people swapping perspectives, to try and understand each other.

Oh yeah, and those guitars that come in partway through are absolutely amazing!

But, I mean, it’s one of the most critically acclaimed songs of all time, and part of me wants to write some really long explanation for why this is topping my list … but that’s not what I’m going to do.

Overall, while this song is far from simple, compared to some of the songs on this list, it definitely feels easy for me to describe why I love this song. I mean, I’ve pretty much already done it!

Okay, not entirely. I could go on and on about details in this track that I love so much … so why don’t I do that? The eerie synth at the very beginning and very end of the track, the synth melody at the start, the chord progression in the chorus, the reverb (or at least what sounds like reverb) on the synths, the parts with the multiple layers of vocals, the way the song builds throughout … and yeah, like I said, the lyrics are fantastic, too!

I haven’t listened to much Kate Bush music … actually, I think this is the only Kate Bush song I know. And she’s on my list of artists to listen to more! And I have very high expectations, but no matter how I end up feeling about her other music when I finally listen to it, I can say I absolutely agree with all of the critical acclaim this song has gotten … okay, maybe not, because it’s not one of my favourite songs of all time or anything, but you get what I’m saying.

And yeah, for me, it’s the best hit song of 2022!

Thanks so much for reading this post! There are four more year-end lists coming, those being the top 25 worst songs of 2022, the top 10 worst albums of 2022, the top 50 best albums of 2022, and the top 100 best songs of 2022. And just like this post and my worst hits list, by ‘best’ and ‘worst’ I mean my favourite and least favourite … I just prefer how those titles sound.

Feel free to let me know your list in the comments, and/or let me know what you thought of my post. And with that, I’ll be back soon with more lists!

Hi, everyone, and welcome to my final mini review post of 2022, and probably my final review post of 2022 in general. I’ll have more year-end lists posted soon, then I’ll be focusing on the music of 2023 (although I might post some 2023 reviews before finishing all my year-end lists).

This is going to be quite a long post, with 16 albums reviewed! I mean, it’s the end of the year, so why not review more albums than usual?

As always, none of this is meant as a personal attack on anyone, it’s just someone who loves music sharing his own personal feelings on a bunch of albums he’s listened to recently. All of this is just based on my own personal taste in music. There are points where I don’t specifically say ‘in my opinion’ just because I don’t want it to get too repetitive, but it is still just my opinion … actually, ‘opinion’ might not even be the right word, because this post isn’t about how ‘good’ or ‘bad’ these albums are, it’s about how much or how little I personally like them.

Not all of these albums are super new, some are from quite a bit earlier in the year (and there’s also a throwback, as always), but it’s the end of the year, and I decided to review these before my year-end albums lists.

And now, let’s start with …

19 MASTERS by Saya Gray:

So, this is probably one of the most ‘out there’ albums that I’ve heard from 2022. It’s a little more than fifty minutes long, and it’s a mix of songs that are the typical length for a song as well as some much shorter songs, and it’s a very interesting listen. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard an album similar to this!

Okay, I probably have … keep in mind, I said it’s probably one of the most ‘out there’ albums I’ve heard from this year, not the most … but it is hard to compare other albums to this one, because it’s just so … out there. But that isn’t necessarily a good thing. So, do I like this album?

Well … yes, I do, and I’ll explain why in a moment. But I’ll start by saying there’s also quite a bit about this album that doesn’t work for me. A lot of these tracks don’t really stand out to me, and I think some of the shorter songs could have clicked for me more if they were longer, because some of them just feel kind of incomplete to me. And I don’t mean that in a mean way, it’s just that they sound that way to me. Also, there are some elements in the production at points that I don’t like, such as some of the vocal effects. Also, the lyrics on “2019 WAS AN EMPTY CARB” are really creepy, and not in a good way.

But that being said, I think it’s mostly well produced. Also, I like a lot of the interesting ideas in the song writing, and a lot of these songs click for me … for reasons I’m not entirely sure how to explain. But there are some great songs here in my opinion, like “TOOO LOUD!”, which starts off eerie, and then has a very notable chord change, and adds in some percussion which sounds absolutely fantastic … and where the song goes from there I’ll let you hear for yourself!

I mostly like the production on this album, and enough of the album clicks for me that it’s getting a 6/10, but I feel like it was so close to reaching more of its potential to click for me more, and it really doesn’t get there for me. But again, there’s still a lot to like here. Overall, I’m a fan of this.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “SAVING GRACE”, “TOOO LOUD!”, “SADNESS RESIDUE (ERASER ROOM)”, “LITTLE PALM”, “LEECHES ON MY THESIS!”
Least Favourite Tracks: “FOUND A FLOORBOARD UNDER THE SOIL!”, “2019 WAS AN EMPTY CARB”

5SOS5 by 5 Seconds of Summer:

While I’m not super familiar with 5 Seconds of Summer’s discography, I remember recently listening to a bunch of their albums, maybe even all of them, at least once … and while I don’t remember being really wowed by any of their albums, I’m pretty sure I liked the majority of what I heard, and I absolutely love some of the songs!

Anyway, they have a new album out, and in my opinion, it’s very good! A big part of the reason why is the production, which features some great crunch in the percussion, as well as some glorious synths with fantastic sound quality. Also, the mixing on this album is fantastic, helping the percussion stand out and really have some power without feeling too distracting.

There’s a lot for me to praise here, and while I’m not going to write about all of it in this post, there are some things I want to mention. For example, I love the chorus on “BLENDER”, partially because I love the line, ‘And we’re goin’ ‘round again in an emotional blender.’ Speaking of great hooks, the huge hook on “COMPLETE MESS” is absolutely awesome, with the vocals really well mixed. I also love the mixing that makes the hook on my favourite track here, “Easy For You To Say”, sound even better!

Overall, 5 Seconds of Summer made a really good album here … and honestly, I’m going to give this album a pretty strong 7.5/10! And later in this post when you see some of the albums I score lower than this one, you might not like that I’m rating this album as high as I am, but these ratings are just based on my own personal taste in music, and I really like this album.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “COMPLETE MESS”, “Easy For You To Say”, “Older”, “BLENDER”, “Best Friends”, “Bleach”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Caramel”

Hostile Architecture by Ashenspire:

I saw a ton of critical acclaim for this new Ashenspire album, and considering that I saw/heard it’s a metal album, as a fan of metal, I was excited to hear this, and … well, it’s good, but I’ve got to say, it didn’t click as much for me as it has for so many people. And part of this is due to the drums being mixed quieter than I would have liked.

But that being said, the guitar distortion sounds good for the most part, and I love the intensity in the instrumentation.

Lyrically, there’s a lot to this, and I’m going to be honest and say that I haven’t looked super closely into the lyrics, but I did read them, and I’ve got to at least say, the lyrics are interesting, to say the least. There are some lines here and there that seemed kind of questionable to me, but maybe I’m just interpreting them wrong. And I’m sure the intentions were good. And I do like a lot of the lyrics here.

Overall, this is still a hard-hitting metal album with lots of intensity, and I still mostly like it, but it’s not blowing my mind or anything. For me, it’s a 7/10. It’s a good album, but it’s not clicking with me as much as it is for a lot of people. But, of course, that’s just me.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “How the Mighty Have Vision”, “Tragic Heroin”, “Palimpsest”, “Cable Street Again”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Béton Brut”, “Apathy as Arsenic Lethargy as Lead”

Tunnel Vision by MONOWHALES:

So, this is the second studio album by MONOWHALES, the follow-up to their debut album, Daytona Bleach. And while I like that album, it’s not one I really love. I think it showed a ton of potential for MONOWHALES to make an album I feel is legit great, but I don’t think it really quite got there for me. But what about Tunnel Vision?

And honestly, this one’s clicking for me a lot less. I mean, I had a feeling I wasn’t going to love this album, but I didn’t think I’d like it this little. And let me start by saying that nothing here, in my opinion, is anywhere near as good as songs from Daytona Bleach like “All or Nothing” and especially “Out With the Old”. Also, if you haven’t heard either of those songs, I highly recommend them! But even a song like “RWLYD (Really Wanna Let You Down)”, which isn’t even one of my favourite songs on Daytona Bleach, I listen to it now and there’s nothing on Tunnel Vision I like as much as that track.

Now, I will say, at least this album isn’t very long, which keeps it from feeling like a total slog to listen to … that and the fact that there are some decent tracks here, like “CTRL^^^”, but I’ve got to say, that song has shrunk on me since I first heard it.

Honestly, the only tracks that I really don’t like all come back-to-back-to-back, those being “Change###”, “New Threads”, and “RICH$$$”, but even in the other tracks, something feels missing in all of them to make them fully click for me.

While I like the production here at points, overall, I’m not a big fan of how the percussion sounds, sounding underpowered (at least at points) on songs like “StuckintheMiddle” and “New Threads”, and just sounding out of place on some of the other songs, like “RICH$$$”, which is probably my least favourite track here.

I mostly like the production on “START/NEVER/STOP”, with the snappy percussion in the verses that has some real punch to it, being just at the right volume, but I will admit, I would have liked the chorus more if the percussion were louder.

Sally Shaar is a good vocalist, but some of the vocal effects used on this album sound absolutely awful to me, like on the song “RICH$$$”. Also, the distorted guitars on this album don’t sound nearly as powerful as on Daytona Bleach.

So, yeah, in the end, while I kind of can’t believe I’m saying this, I’m giving MONOWHALES’ second studio album, Tunnel Vision, a strong 4/10. Again, there are some decent tracks here, and it’s short, but it’s just not doing much for me.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 4/10
Favourite Tracks: ???
Least Favourite Tracks: “Change###”, “New Threads”, “RICH$$$”

HEROES & VILLAINS by Metro Boomin:

So, when I review albums, I try to make sure to review the standard edition … and I wasn’t able to find out if the last track, “All The Money (Bonus)”, is part of the standard edition or not. It has ‘bonus’ in the title, but I’m not sure if that means bonus track or not. Either way, I’m including it as part of the version of the album I’m reviewing, because I’m pretty sure it’s part of the standard edition. And while we’re on the topic of that track, it’s really bad in my opinion. I don’t like Gunna’s flow here, and the instrumental isn’t all that interesting to me, either. And there’s also the lyrics, which … I don’t even know where to begin. Maybe there’s more to it, but it seems to just be generic lyrics about money, cars, etc.

And overall, there are a lot of lyrics on this album I don’t like, such as on “Metro Spider”, where Young Thug sings, ‘Caught up with your wifey, and one night her,’ as well as calling someone his sex slave. But I will admit, aside from what he’s saying, Young Thug’s performance on this track is really good.

And there’s also the track, “Superhero (Heroes & Villains)”, which starts off promising with an interesting instrumental … but then there’s the outro of the song, by Chris Brown. And there are a few points I feel are important to make. First of all, despite Chris Brown’s many legal issues, I want to talk about the song, and not who’s singing it … but that’s hard to do in this case, because it really doesn’t feel like a coincidence that it’s Chris Brown singing this part of the song about villains. And while I personally don’t believe in ‘good people’ and ‘bad people’, and I haven’t done a ton of research on all the details of Chris Brown’s legal history, what I do know is that he’s done some terrible things that have become known to the public, and those things are the reason he’s so controversial. And I can’t help but feel like he’s referencing those things in this song, which makes it hard for me to separate the art from the artist. And this isn’t me ‘hating’ on Chris Brown, this is me saying that I do hope he can turn his life around and be a better version of himself, but it still doesn’t defend his terrible actions, and the fact that he’s talking about people not liking him, and saying, ‘Who’s really the villain?’ is absolutely terrible in my opinion. And it’s not like the song before that part is great or anything, at least to me.

But I will admit that I like a lot of the production on this album, and there are some great tracks like the opener with John Legend, “On Time”. The intro of this track reminds me a lot of “Dark Fantasy” by Kanye West in the way it sounds.

I also like “Creepin’”, which interpolates “I Don’t Wanna Know” by Mario Winans featuring Enya and P. Diddy, and “Feel The Fiyaaaah” is probably my favourite track here, with great production and great performances from A$AP Rocky and Takeoff. And, of course, rest in peace, Takeoff. It’s absolutely terrible what happened, and it’s one of many examples of why we still have a long way to go in creating a better world.

Overall, this album was a mixed bag for me … some tracks I really like, and some I really don’t like. Overall, I just found it too inconsistent to give it a higher rating than a 5/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 5/10
Favourite Tracks: “On Time”, “Creepin’”, “Feel The Fiyaaaah”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Superhero (Heroes & Villains)”, “Umbrella”, “All The Money (Bonus)”

White Trash Revelry by Adeem the Artist:

So, I still haven’t listened to Adeem the Artist’s 2021 album, Cast Iron Pansexual, but I’ll get to it at some point. But for now, I’m going to talk about their new album, White Trash Revelry. While I’m not the biggest fan of country/folk music, I’m willing to give albums in those genres a chance.

And I’ll start by saying that I think this album starts off really strong! The first three tracks are all great songs in my opinion!

But after that, I start to like it less, with the songs sounding more simple for country/folk music, and as someone who isn’t a big fan of those genres, simple doesn’t work as well for me.

But that being said, those first three tracks are great, and there are other strong highlights on the album, too, like “Books & Records”, which describes struggling to make money, and having to sell things that are important to you.

Overall, I mostly like the lyrics and production on this album, and while there are some points compositionally where the album can get a bit boring, I’ll still give it a 7/10. I like this album, just not as much as a lot of critics.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “Carolina”, “For Judas”, “Heritage of Arrogance”, “Baptized in Well Spirits”, “Books & Records”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Painkillers & Magic”

The Kick by Foxes:

Before this album, I wasn’t familiar with any of Foxes’ music aside from her collaboration with Zedd, “Clarity”, which was a hit in 2013. And as someone who loves that song, I decided to check out Foxes’ third studio album, The Kick, which was released back in February. And how is it?

Unfortunately, this didn’t really end up clicking for me. I mean, it’s an interesting album with a few songs I like, but as a whole, it’s not really something I see myself going back to much, if at all. And I think part of it is a lot of the repetition not really working for me, but also, there are some vocal effects I’m not a big fan of, either.

The one song here that I love is the title track. I love how this track is mixed, with the synths and percussion sounding great together. Also, this is an example of a track where the repetition works for me, and I’m not entirely sure why. It kind of sounds like a Charli XCX song, and for me, it tops every song on Charli XCX’s newest album.

But there are a lot of songs here that just don’t do much for me. The album opens with “Sister Ray”, which has some elements that I like, but something feels missing to make it as fun as it could be. Also, while I’ve never listened to The Velvet Underground’s song called “Sister Ray”, which this song is referencing, I will say this: in this dance song, Foxes opens the chorus with, ‘We can make tonight one of those Sister Ray kinda nights.’ And just based on one time reading through the lyrics of “Sister Ray” by The Velvet Underground, I’ve got to say, that’s not something to celebrate!

“Growing on Me” did just what the title of the song says, but then there’s a song like “Dance Magic”, which just … I don’t know what to say. The percussion is very loud, and the bassline is pretty boring to me. Also, that chorus just doesn’t work for me at all, and I don’t think all the instrumentation goes together very well.

Overall, while I mostly enjoyed this album, I don’t see it having much replay value for me … very light 5.5/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 5.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “The Kick”, “Potential”, “Forgive Yourself”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Dance Magic”, “Two Kinds of Silence”, “Sky Love”

SOS by SZA:

For a while, I had been planning to listen to SZA’s 2017 debut studio album, Ctrl, and I finally got around to doing that recently. And after a few listens to that album, I would say I like it, but I don’t love it nearly as much as so many other critics.

But after some very strong singles were released for this new SZA album, did I end up liking this more than her debut?

Well … maybe. I’m not sure which album I like better between this and Ctrl. While that album to me was more consistently good with less great songs, this album has more great songs, but I don’t find as consistently good as Ctrl.

But even though there are quite a few great songs here, a lot of them still feel like they were missing something else to make them click for me even more. For example, while I love the hook sung by Don Toliver on “Used”, the vocal melodies in the verses aren’t super interesting to me.

And also, this album has the song, “Kill Bill”, which is easily my least favourite track here. And yes, I know the lyrics aren’t meant to be taken seriously, but it’s still super cheesy and off-putting. But not only that, it also just sounds bad to me. Something about the vocal melodies really doesn’t work for me, and while SZA is a great singer, am I the only one who feels like her vocals here sound like they were produced for a different song?

But still, I mostly like the production on this album, and it has some great tracks, like “F2F”, which is probably the only SZA rock song I’ve ever heard, and it sounds fantastic, especially the vocal melodies! And if you want to know my other favourites, they’re listed at the end of this review. I’m not going to go into detail about all of them, but this album has great vocals and production for the most part, and despite the elements I don’t like, I think there’s more to like here than there is not to like. 7/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “Love Language”, “Used”, “Snooze”, “F2F”, “Conceited”, “Too Late”, “Shirt”, “I Hate U”, “Good Days”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Kill Bill”, “Forgiveless”

The Loneliest Time by Carly Rae Jepsen:

After hearing the first few singles from this new Carly Rae Jepsen album, I had no idea what to expect. I mean, “Western Wind”, “Beach House”, and “Talking to Yourself” were the first three singles released from this album, and they couldn’t feel more different from each other!

Anyway, I had a bad feeling going into this album, mostly because of “Beach House”, which is … quite something, that’s for sure! But now that I’ve heard the entire album, I think I ended up liking it more than I thought I would. While I didn’t really like the lead single, “Western Wind”, when it first came out, it has grown on me a bit. I’m still not really a fan of the song, but I enjoy it more now than I did a while back. And “Beach House” is one of those songs that I personally think is super, super bad, but in a funny way. But despite my opinions on those two tracks … well, I think this album gets better toward the end of the album, with the last two tracks being among my favourites on the album.

In my opinion, this album is a lot of fun, with mostly great production, and Carly is a great vocalist with a lot of personality on these tracks. But there are also some mellower tracks that I really like.

So, yeah, overall, while this album didn’t blow my mind or anything, there are enough great hooks and vocal melodies along with the great production for me to give this a light 7/10. I wouldn’t say I really love the album, but I do like it.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “Talking To Yourself”, “Bends”, “Go Find Yourself or Whatever”, “The Loneliest Time”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Beach House”, “Shooting Star”

Premonition by White Lung:

This is the final album by White Lung, a band I wasn’t familiar with until just recently. I still haven’t heard any of their other albums, but their newest one, Premonition, has made me curious to check out the band’s full discography, which I’m sure I’ll do at some point. This album has some great guitar melodies throughout, and I also really like a lot of the vocal melodies.

But with that being said, the production really holds this album back for me. And that’s not to say I think the album is bad. I mostly like the album, but the production holds me back from liking it a lot more. I often find the vocals mixed too quietly for me, for example, on the song, “Mountain”, which features some great drumming, but I just don’t like how the instrumentation drowns out the vocals. Also, something about the way the snares are produced on a lot of these songs doesn’t quite work for me, with the snares a lot of the time just sounding kind of underpowered to me.

There’s quite a bit to like here lyrically. For example, the song, “If You’re Gone”. I could be wrong about this, but the lyrics seem to be sending the message that suicide is wrong. And I think it’s really well written.

Overall, I’m giving this album a light 6.5/10. If I liked the production more, the score would be higher, but it’s still a pretty good album in my opinion. If you’re into rock, I recommend you hear it.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Hysteric”, “Date Night”, “Under Glass”, “If You’re Gone”, “Girl”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Tomorrow”, “One Day”

The Car by Arctic Monkeys:

I remember listening to “There’d Better Be A Mirrorball” when it dropped as the lead single for this album, and being unsure how I felt about it. But now that I’ve listened to it multiple times, I like the song. I wouldn’t say I love it, mostly because the ride cymbal can get a bit annoying, but overall it’s a nice, mellow track with some great pianos, and I think the song is mixed really well.

This album has gotten very mixed opinions. It feels like any opinion on this album is a controversial one. And how do I feel about it? Well, it’s an interesting album, to say the least. But it’s not really clicking for me, and I think a big part of it is the compositions and vocal melodies just feeling kind of boring.

The are lots of strings used throughout this album, and I think it’s a nice addition. But while there’s a lot that I like in the production, there are also some things in the production and instrumentation that I don’t like, such as that clicking sound in the background that gets annoying on “Mr Schwartz”. And while I mostly like the strings on this album, something about the way they sound when paired with the rest of the instrumentation just sounds off on the title track, and I’m not quite sure how to describe why.

Lyrically, there’s a lot to take in here, and while I like some of the lyrics, quite a few of the lyrics don’t really interest me personally, even if they’re well written. For me, The Car is getting a 4.5/10. I don’t like it nearly as much as a lot of critics do, but I also don’t think it’s as bad as many people do.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 4.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “There’d Better Be A Mirrorball”
Least Favourite Tracks: “The Car”, “Mr Schwartz”

NO THANK YOU by Little Simz:

I was really excited about this album considering that Little Simz released one of my favourite albums of 2021, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. And while I’m surprised how quickly Little Simz released a new album, I still had pretty high expectations for this album, and … well, if I’m being totally honest, for me it’s a big step down from Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. And just to be clear, I don’t think this album is bad, I just think it’s a big step down from Little Simz’s last album.

A lot of what I love about Little Simz’s last album is here on this album, too, like her incredible flow, with lots of great rhymes. I also like a lot of the instrumentation on this album, like the horns and bassline on “Gorilla” and the strings on “X”. I also think the percussion is mostly well-mixed.

Also, as with her last album, I think it’s really good lyrically, like on the song “X” which might be my favourite track here, not only because of the way it sounds, but also because of the incredible lyrics that mention lots of issues relating to injustice. It has a lot to say, and I highly recommend reading the lyrics when you listen to this track.

But with all that being said, something feels lacking here. And I think it might be that something feels missing in the instrumentation to give these songs a bit more punch.

Overall, I still think this album is pretty good, but she set the bar so high with that last album that despite me mostly liking this one, it’s a big step down for me. But I still mostly like it, so I’ll give this a 7/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “Gorilla”, “Silhouette”, “X”, “Heart on Fire”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Sideways”

Stick Season by Noah Kahan:

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this new Noah Kahan album. But now that I’ve given it multiple listens, I can say there’s a lot to it lyrically. The title track, for example, seems to describe Noah looking back at a past relationship, and the complicated reasons it didn’t work out, which aren’t even fully explained in the lyrics. And there seems to maybe be a theme on this album of trying to see different perspectives, and I’m not even talking about the song called “New Perspective”, which, probably sarcastically, kind of does the opposite, but a song like the title track that I just mentioned, which mentions that the failure of the relationship wasn’t either person’s fault, but Noah Kahan likes to play the victim.

Musically, the album is somewhat mellow, but only somewhat. Yes, there are mellow songs, but there are also a lot of rock elements here, for example, in the song, “Homesick”.

And unfortunately, if I’m being honest here, something feels missing to me. A lot of these songs are well-written lyrically, with good production, but then suddenly there will be a disappointing chorus, bridge, etc.

And also, despite me mostly liking the production on this album, with the nice-sounding guitars, and the drums being mostly well-mixed, I will admit there are a lot of points on this album where something feels missing in the instrumentation, and I’m left feeling like this album was so close to being amazing … but it just doesn’t get there for me.

But still, there’s a lot to like here. There’s something about the way the songs go together on this album that I really like, and it’s hard to describe … but in other words, I think it works better as a full album than it does as a collection of songs, even though there are some great tracks here, like “Come Over” and “Strawberry Wine”.

Overall, I like a lot about Stick Season, but I’m left feeling like it had a lot of potential that wasn’t met. But, of course, music is subjective, and by ‘potential’ I mean potential to really click more for me personally. But you know what? There’s enough here that I like for me to give it an extremely light 7/10. To me, there are very notable flaws, but I still think it’s pretty good. I’m a fan of this.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “Come Over”, “Strawberry Wine”, “Homesick”, “The View Between Villages”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Everywhere, Everything”

THROWBACK REVIEW – PARAMORE by Paramore (2013):

Paramore are releasing a new album in 2023, and I think it’s usually more interesting for me to review albums when I’m already familiar with the act’s discography … and I’m only somewhat familiar with Paramore’s discography. So I’m going to write about their self-titled album from 2013, and … this is going to be controversial, isn’t it?

Let me start by saying that there’s a lot here that I do like, such as the amazingly produced snare on “Fast In My Car”, the amazing vocals and vocal melodies on “Still Into You”, and the vocal melody on the hook of “Now”. Of course, those are just a few examples. Overall, there’s a lot to like about this album.

I also like a lot of the lyrics here, like on “Grow Up” where Hayley sings about moving on from the past, and also the lyrics on “Last Hope” about trying to stay optimistic despite it feeling like everything is going wrong.

But overall, if I’m being honest, this album isn’t really clicking for me.

The one song here that I really love is “Still Into You”, which is just so much fun to listen to! Hayley’s vocals are fantastic, and so are the vocal melodies! I love the drumming on this track, and how well-timed all the instrumentation is! I also think it’s mixed really well.

But I think one of the main reasons this album doesn’t fully click for me is the production, where a lot of these songs have some elements I like, but the production holds them back for me. “Ain’t It Fun”, for example, feels too jumpy to me, and the lead guitar in the chorus sounds underpowered to me. There’s also the underpowered percussion on “Now”, and while I like some elements of “Daydreaming”, the production on the chorus really doesn’t sound good to me, with everything sounding so dreamy (not in a good way), and the vocals sounding drowned out by the instrumentation. And while I respect the creativity of the closing track, I’m not really a fan of it, partially because of how the snare is produced in the context of the rock section of the song, and I’m not entirely sure why.

I also didn’t find a ton to like in the vocal melodies here. A lot of them just bored me.

And then there’s “(One of Those) Crazy Girls”, which is clearly satirical, but there are points where it kind of sounds like what it’s trying to be a parody of. Also, it just doesn’t interest me much musically.

Overall, if I’m being honest, Paramore’s self-titled album isn’t really my cup of tea. I’m curious to hear more from the band, but I’m going to give this album a strong 5/10. There are some songs here that I like, but as a whole, it’s not for me.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Grow Up”, “Last Hope”, “Still Into You”, “Anklebiters”, “Hate To See Your Heart Break”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Daydreaming”, “Proof”, “(One of Those) Crazy Girls”, “Be Alone”, “Future”

Dawn FM by The Weeknd:

For the last mini review post of 2022, why not review what might be the first 2022 album I listened to? Well, that especially made sense for me to do considering that I was already planning to give this album at least one more listen before the end of the year, because I wasn’t sure I’d really fully formed an opinion on it yet. And now that I’ve listened to it more … I’m just going to be honest and say that this album didn’t really click for me, as controversial a statement as that is.

Yes, I like the concept, as if you’re in a car listening to the radio, but a lot of these songs feel like they’re really missing something, like “Here We Go … Again”, which features some great vocal melodies, and I like the production for the most part, and I really like Tyler, The Creator’s flow here … but I don’t see myself going out of my way to listen to this song, and I’m not sure what it is that’s missing for me.

But there are also some real duds on this album for me, like “Don’t Break My Heart”, which not only feels boring melodically, but also contains these lyrics: ‘I can’t take another heartbreak or I’ll end it all. And the girl I used to love, we broke up in the club, and I almost died in the discotheque.’ Those lyrics suck for the same reason as the one line most critics hate from “SAD!” by XXXTENTACION, which is also a horrible line. And yes, I get that it’s not supposed to be taken seriously, but honestly, those might be among the worst lyrics I’ve heard from 2022, for obvious reasons.

Speaking of terrible lyrics, “I Heard You’re Married” features a guest verse from Lil Wayne, which has the lines, ‘I’m still in love with you. Where the love at? You walk down the aisle, I can make you run back. Like, fuck that, where the love at? And tell hubby I’ll kill him, no hub cap.’ Again, I get that it’s not supposed to be taken seriously, but I still don’t want to listen to it. And the song as a whole has pretty much nothing that stands out to me in a positive way, and it’s close to being my least favourite track on the album … but that would be “Best Friends”, which features some annoying deep synths, percussion that I find way too quiet, and the lyrics are so cheesy, especially when combined with the melody.

But despite my criticisms of the album … it features some tracks that are absolutely amazing. I loved “Take My Breath” as a single, and I especially love the extended album version. I also love the emotional “Less Than Zero”, as well as “Gasoline”, which took a few listens to really click for me, but once it did, it really clicked! And yes, “Gasoline” is a song which mentions dangerous sex and drugs, but I don’t take it too seriously. It’s not defending these actions … it’s just painting a picture.

But at the end of the day, this is a massive step down from the mind-blowing After Hours … I mean, I didn’t expect to like it as much as that album, but I expected to like it more than I do. So, for me, it’s an extremely light 5/10. It’s got its moments, but it just didn’t really click for me as a whole.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Gasoline”, “Take My Breath”, “Sacrifice”, “Less Than Zero”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Best Friends”, “Don’t Break My Heart”, “I Heard You’re Married”

the classic symptoms of a broken spirit by Architects:

Last year, Architects released For Those That Wish to Exist, an album that a lot of critics really didn’t like, but I honestly ended up liking way more than the vast majority of critics. I think it’s a legit great album that has a lot of great melodies and hooks, and a gloomy feel to it that I think is pulled off super well!

But if I’m being honest, I ended up liking this album way less. And I think a big part of it is that this album is much less orchestral than their last album. The strings are one thing about that album that I really love, and they don’t show up nearly as much here, and it leaves this album feeling a lot more boring to me.

“doomscrolling” stands out as my favourite track here. It’s got some great vocal melodies, and I love the rhythm of the drums on this track, too! I like the lyrics, too, especially the use of the phrase ‘delete another day’ which seems to be referring to wasting time, and I love that description of wasting time.

Overall, I just find a lot of the compositions uninteresting, and there are some elements of the production that hold it back for me, with the instruments at times sounding disconnected from each other. So, yeah, I like this a lot less than their last album … 4.5/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 4.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “deep fake”, “when we were young”, “doomscrolling”, “be very afraid”
Least Favourite Tracks: “tear gas”, “burn down my house”, “born again pessimist”, “a new moral low ground”

Hi, everyone. Welcome to my first ever year-end list on my website! Today, I’m counting down the top 10 worst hit songs of 2022!

Well … I really mean my top 10 least favourite hit songs of 2022. I don’t mean this as a personal attack on any of the artists, anyone involved in making the songs, or anyone who likes these songs. This is just me making a list of my personal least favourite hit songs of 2022, and I’m doing it for fun.

I will be doing a best hit songs of 2022 list soon, too, and the eligibility rules are the same for both lists. The song must meet both of the following qualifications:

1 – The song must be on the 2022 Billboard Year-End Hot 100.

2 – The song must never have made the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 before 2022.

So, that means “Heat Waves” by Glass Animals, “STAY” by The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber, and “Bad Habits” by Ed Sheeran are not eligible for either list, as well as quite a few other songs.

That being said, “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” by Kate Bush, “A Holly Jolly Christmas” by Burl Ives, and “Jingle Bell Rock” by Bobby Helms are all eligible, because despite being released decades ago, none of these songs made the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 until 2022. Meanwhile, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee and “All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey are not eligible, because like “Heat Waves”, “STAY”, and “Bad Habits”, they have both made the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 before.

So, out of 85 eligible songs this year, which ones did I like the least?

(Also, there will be dishonourable mentions before I reveal #1)

#10 …

It’s important for me to mention that I respect almost every song I listen to … there are rare exceptions, but I can respect pretty much any music. Because, well, it takes effort to make a song, even if I don’t like the song. Even if I find the song really boring and uninteresting, I can at least say, ‘You put in the effort to make a song.’

Of all the songs in this top 10, this is probably the one I respect the most. And going back to what I said in the intro about how this is all just me talking about my own personal least favourite hit songs of 2022, I think this song is the biggest example of that on this list. And it’s another example of why music is so subjective. Because while I don’t believe in music being objectively good or bad, if I had to pick a 2022 hit song that is ‘better’ than how much I personally like it, it’s probably this one.

And yes, I know this is a super controversial pick, and if I had a much larger audience than I do, this placement would take over the comment section (it might anyway), but if I’m being totally honest here …

#10: “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) [Taylor’s Version] [From The Vault]” by Taylor Swift

How do I explain this one?

Look, I have a lot of respect for Taylor Swift re-recording her albums to reclaim ownership of her music, and this version of “All Too Well” was written before the version released in 2012 … but while the version released in 2012 is one of my favourite Taylor Swift songs, as much as I respect the 10-minute version, and despite it being the original version of the song that was unreleased in 2012, if I’m being totally honest, this version doesn’t do much for me.

And this was a tricky song to place on this list, because I had to decide how much to compare it to the 2012 release and how much to look at it as its own song … and usually I’ll try not to let comparisons to other songs impact a song’s placement on one of these lists, but when it’s two versions of the same song, that’s different. Because why would I want to listen to this when I could listen to the 2012 release?

Really, this song’s placement on the list is not as much about the song itself as it is about my feelings toward the 2012 release vs. the 10-minute version. And I’m not going to go into a ton of detail about why I love the 2012 version so much, as that’s something I’ll save for another post (I’ll almost definitely do a list of my top 10 favourite Taylor Swift songs at some point), but adding more to the story actually does less for me than the 2012 version … again, it’s for reasons which I’ll explain at a later date.

But I will say this: while I do love some songs that are this long, this one just drags on for me, and the production, in my opinion, isn’t nearly as good as the 2012 version. Also, I don’t like how the strings sound when mixed with the rest of the instrumental, and I don’t like how quietly they’re mixed, either.

When Taylor sings, ‘And I know it’s long gone, and that magic’s not here no more’, I can’t help but feel that way about this song (if we ignore the double-negative, that is, and I’m willing to ignore it, in both versions of the song) … except the 2012 version isn’t long gone, and I can still listen to it instead … and that’s what I’ll do.

So, yeah, overall, that might be the biggest reason why I don’t like this song. There’s no reason why I would want to listen to this when I could just listen to the 2012 version. Again, props to Taylor for what she’s doing with her re-recordings, but I just don’t enjoy listening to this.

#9 …

So, that was a controversial pick … how about something more people can agree on?

#9: “I Ain’t Worried” by OneRepublic

I don’t think a lot has to be said about this one. It seems like almost every music critic agrees about “I Ain’t Worried”.

To me, the fast-paced percussion doesn’t fit the rest of the song, and I don’t like the addition of whistling, either. There’s just so little about this song that interests me, and at times, I find it kind of annoying.

There are so many songs I’d rather hear on the radio, but instead, I have to hear this song all the time. I’ll be changing the station pretty much every time I hear this song on the radio.

How is this the same band who made “Counting Stars”?

#8 …

I remember when Adele made her big comeback with “Easy On Me” in late 2021, and so many people were so excited … and I get why, especially considering that it had been almost six years since Adele had put out new music. And I’m going to be totally honest and say that “Easy On Me” didn’t click for me nearly as much as it did for so many people. I don’t mind the song, but especially compared to songs like “Hello” and “Someone Like You”, it just didn’t stand out to me nearly as much … but I do like it a lot better than Adele’s other hit in 2022, that’s for sure!

#8: “Oh My God” by Adele

Where do I begin with this song? First of all, there’s not much about it that really stands out to me in a positive way.

But also, the hand-clap percussion in the chorus doesn’t fit in my opinion, and I’m not sure why.

Overall, the song feels really … awkward. I can’t really think of a better word. Something about the way the instruments and vocals are timed at points just sounds kind of … awkward. I don’t know how else to describe it.

There’s lots of repetition that doesn’t help the song, either, in my opinion.

Adele has made some songs I absolutely love, that’s for sure … but this isn’t one of them.

#7 …

I mentioned “I Ain’t Worried” being a song that makes me want to change the radio station when it comes on … but if you want me to talk about a song that makes me want to change the station even more …

#7: “Sunroof” by Nicky Youre & Dazy

It’s difficult to write my honest opinion about a lot of these songs without sounding mean. And really, I’m not trying to be mean. But if I’m being totally honest, I can’t help but wonder, ‘Why would someone want to listen to this?’ And I don’t mean that in a judgy way … I’m just curious what anyone hears in this song that I’m missing. Because it seems to be a lot more well-liked than I would have expected.

I get that this is supposed to be an upbeat summer jam, but at least to me, it just doesn’t click. The percussion doesn’t fit in my opinion, I don’t like the vocal melodies, and it does so little to stand out to me in a positive way.

If I want to listen to a fun summer jam, there are so many other songs I’d rather listen to. I get what this song is trying to do, but it’s not for me.

#6 …

So, this is a collaboration between two very popular artists … and while I’m not super familiar with one of these artists, the other I’m a huge fan of. And I’ve heard enough from each of them to know that, in my opinion, they’re both a lot better than this:

#6: “Sweetest Pie” by Megan Thee Stallion & Dua Lipa

I reviewed Megan Thee Stallion’s album from earlier this year, and I gave it a positive review … but unfortunately, my least favourite song from the album is the one that became a hit. And while I haven’t heard a ton of Megan Thee Stallion’s music, I’ve liked a lot of what I’ve heard. But this just didn’t click for me at all, and a big part of the reason why is the production. I don’t really like how distracting the bass is, and the horns just don’t fit if you ask me, maybe because they’re mixed so quietly. There’s just so much going on in the instrumentation, and it gets to be quite annoying to me. Also, the trap beat doesn’t help in my opinion, especially when it sounds kind of like it was produced for a different song.

Also … the lyrics are really bad in my opinion. This whole thing with food as a sex metaphor is really annoying to me, and the vast majority of the time, I don’t like it when songs do this.

Also, there’s some effect on the synths that I can’t quite describe, but it doesn’t sound good in my opinion.

Now, it’s worth noting that I usually love Dua Lipa’s music … which is part of the reason this song was so disappointing to me. And if this list were about hit songs that disappointed me, this would probably be even higher. But that’s not what this list is about, and even minus the disappointment, I can’t stand this song. I think it’s annoying, uninteresting, and it’s not in this spot due to being disappointing … it’s here because, to my ears, it’s absolutely terrible.

#5 …

Bad Bunny had seven hits eligible for this list … wow. And with that many eligible songs, thre’s a pretty good chance of ending up on this list. And that’s what happened.

#5: “Efecto” by Bad Bunny

First of all, I really don’t like the percussion on this song … I find it mixed way too loudly, and overall I just find the beat annoying when paired with the rest of the instrumental. Melodically, there’s not much here that I like, either.

While the only language I speak and understand is English, I’ve looked at the lyrics translated to English … and while I don’t know how accurate they are, based on the translation I saw, I really don’t like the lyrics.

But musically, I find it mostly boring, with the exception of that percussion, which really doesn’t sound good to me.

And then, at the end of the song, out of nowhere, it gets really mellow, and I don’t think the outro of the song adds much, as it sounds so different from the rest of the song, and I don’t think it sounds very good.

Overall, while I’m curious to hear more of Bad Bunny’s music, I really don’t like this song.

#4 …

So, I’m not a big fan of country/folk music … but honestly, I ended up liking a lot more in those genres on the 2022 Billboard Year-End Hot 100 than I expected! But one thing that usually bugs me in country/folk music is trap percussion. That’s not to say it can’t work for me, but most of the time, it won’t. And this is no exception:

#4: “You Proof” by Morgan Wallen

So, I get how this could have worked. The lyrics describe a relationship that Morgan Wallen isn’t over, and he’s trying to move on, and he wants something ‘you proof’ to try and move on.

But outside of the story being told, there’s pretty much nothing about this song that’s interesting to me. And even the lyrics don’t really click for me. Obviously, the whole point of the song is that using drinking as a distraction is a bad idea, which is a good message, but it still feels quite generic. Again, I’m not trying to be mean, it’s just that I don’t find the lyrics all that interesting.

But the reason this is here is because I think it sounds terrible … I already mentioned the trap percussion which sounds really out of place to me, but there’s not much melodically here that I like, and the guitars do almost nothing for me.

Once that chorus hits, I just really want to turn this song off, especially with that annoyingly repetitive sound at the end of the chorus that I don’t know how to describe other than by saying it sounds like either a guitar or a synth.

Overall, I really don’t like the production and instrumentation on this song, and that’s the main reason it’s here. That and the fact that there’s no reason why I would want to listen to this. There’s just so few positive things I have to say about it.

#3 …

Staying on the topic of country … well, clearly I don’t like “You Proof”, considering that it’s not only on this list, but as high as #4. But that being said, I at least find it more listenable than this …

#3: “The Kind of Love We Make” by Luke Combs

I reviewed Luke Combs’ newest album, Growin’ Up, and I gave it a 4/10, calling this song one of my least favourites on the album … and I’ll just say it: this is my least favourite song on Growin’ Up. Not only is the instrumental really boring to me, but I find the lyrics super cheesy.

Luke Combs has made songs I really like, including on his newest album, but this just didn’t click for me at all, and I honestly find it to be very annoying.

Seriously, just read through these lyrics and you’ll understand what I mean. Yes, there are songs with much worse lyrics, but something about the way these lyrics combine with the instrumental really annoys me, and I’m not entirely sure why.

I think part of this is my overall feelings on country music, but there’s a lot of country that I really like. So, I’m not quite sure why this song is ending up this high on the list … or am I? Because something about it feels really off-putting, partially because, to me, there’s just so little to it … and that’s one of the things that annoys me the most in music. I’m not saying there wasn’t effort put into this, but it doesn’t sound like a song that had a lot of effort put into it … and to me, that’s the biggest problem with this song.

So, overall … yeah, Luke Combs has made way better songs than this … and there’s no reason for me to listen to this. Just being honest here.

#2 …

Even though this artist’s music is mostly not very well liked in the online music critic community … it still seems like a lot more critics like this song than I would have expected. And as someone who agrees with the vast majority of critics that the album this song comes from is terrible … well, despite this being one of the most well-liked songs on the album, if not the most well-liked, I think it’s one of the album’s worst tracks, and I honestly don’t understand the appeal …

#2: “Jimmy Cooks” by Drake (ft. 21 Savage)

First of all, this instrumental sounds awful to me, with the sample of “You Were Gone” by Brook Benton pitched up, and the trap beat that sounds too loud to me, especially with that super annoying kick.

Drake adds pretty much nothing to the track, at least to me, and while I haven’t looked super closely into the lyrics, there doesn’t seem to be much to it lyrically, and I really don’t like 21’s verse, especially with all the references to shooting people, as well as some other terrible lines. But even aside from that, 21’s performance flow-wise doesn’t work for me, either.

Speaking of flow, Drake’s verse sounds like so many other boring Drake verses I’ve heard, and while I respect the tributes to Lil Keed and DJ Kay Slay, I’m going to be honest and say that I find Drake’s verse very boring.

Overall, when you put it all together … it just feels like a total mess … like, what was the point of this song? Again, I respect the tributes to Lil Keed and DJ Kay Slay, but as a full track, I don’t understand why it was made. I don’t mean that in a mean way, I’m just saying I personally don’t understand.

And while I don’t want to judge anyone’s music taste, and I’m not saying this is the case for everyone, I honestly wonder if some of the critical acclaim just came from this being the one rap song on Drake’s house album … and to me, it sounds like so many other Drake rap songs that I don’t care about, except much worse. And there was only one hit song in 2022 that I find more annoying to listen to. But first …

Dishonourable Mentions:

Before I reveal my #1 least favourite hit song of 2022, let’s quickly go through some dishonourable mentions, in no particular order:

“love nwantiti (ah ah ah)” by CKay
“Trouble With A Heartbreak” by Jason Aldean
“Broadway Girls” by Lil Durk (ft. Morgan Wallen)
“Woman” by Doja Cat
“Super Gremlin” by Kodak Black
“She Likes It” by Russell Dickerson (ft. Jake Scott)
“Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)” by Elton John & Dua Lipa
“Big Energy” by Latto
“pushin P” by Gunna & Future (ft. Young Thug)
“PUFFIN ON ZOOTIEZ” by Future
“In A Minute” by Lil Baby
“What Happened To Virgil” by Lil Durk (ft. Gunna)

Alright, now it’s time to reveal my least favourite hit song of 2022 …

#1 …

At the end of the day, the song topping this list is the one I enjoy listening to the least … and, I mean, isn’t that the point of this list?

And this might seem like a surprising pick to some people … it’s not a super well-liked song as far as I can tell, but I’m guessing a lot of people would probably call this song more boring than terrible … and in my opinion, boring is one thing that can make a song terrible. But to my ears, this is much worse.

Let me explain …

#1: “TO THE MOON” by Jnr Choi & Sam Tompkins

To anyone who doesn’t know, “TO THE MOON” is a song that just barely made it onto the Billboard Year-End Hot 100. Jnr Choi is the main artist here, as Sam Tompkins is credited because of a sample this song uses of Sam Tompkins’ cover of the Bruno Mars song, “Talking to the Moon”, a song I’m not a big fan of, but I don’t think it’s bad.

Now, why is it that I dislike this song so much? Well, first of all, that clicking percussion gets really annoying in my opinion, and there’s so little added to the sample in the instrumentation, and something just seems off in the production, and I can’t quite tell what.

But I also really don’t like the vocal effect used, and that hook is so annoying to me. And overall, while I don’t know whether or not there was a lot of effort put into this, it certainly doesn’t sound to me like there was. I feel bad for saying this, and I’m not trying to be mean, but it’s the best way for me to describe why this song is so annoying to me. Songs like these that sound so low-effort to me can really annoy me, and I’m left thinking, ‘Why couldn’t so many other songs be hits instead?’

But, of course, these are just my feelings on the song, and I’ll still give props for writing and releasing a song … but when the song sounds this gloomy with a feeling of not much happening, with lyrics I think are terrible, and a hook I find super annoying, with production I don’t like and that annoying clicking percussion … this song is super off-putting to me. So, for me, “TO THE MOON” by Jnr Choi and Sam Tompkins is the worst hit song of 2022.

But, of course, all of these picks are just my own personal least favourite hits of the year. Feel free to let me know what you think of my list, and/or share your own personal list.

Just to update everyone on my year-end lists and other upcoming posts … soon I’ll be doing a post of the top 10 best hit songs of 2022, as well as the top 10 worst albums of 2022, the top 50 best albums of 2022, and the top 100 best songs of 2022. And I also might do a top 25 worst songs of 2022, but that’s to be determined. Also, I’ll try to do another mini review post before the end of the year, but we’ll see. And with that, thanks for reading!

Hi, everyone. Welcome back to another mini review post, and … this is way later than I planned for it to be. But better late than never.

This time, unlike my last few mini review posts, I think I succeeded at making these reviews ‘mini reviews’ … and there are also less albums in this post than there are in most of my mini review posts. Only six this time, one of which is a throwback.

Also, as always, none of this is meant as a personal attack on anyone. It’s just me sharing my personal feelings on these albums. Music is subjective, and I’m not trying to say that I’m objectively right about all these albums. I’m just sharing how much or how little they click for me personally, and why.

And now, let’s begin this post with some metalcore … 

They Fear Us by Ithaca:

This is a metalcore album that has a lot that I like, and also a lot that I don’t.

I find the production mostly good, but not super consistent. I like how the snares are mixed for the most part, especially on “They Fear Us”, “Camera Eats First”, “Fluorescent”, and the closing track, “Hold, Be Held”, but at points on the album, the vocals are mixed too quietly for me.

Some of the vocal melodies really click for me, but there are also quite a few that bore me.

There are some lyrics I like, but there are also some lyrics I don’t like, for example, the creepy lyrics on “Camera Eats First”. But overall, I’m not really listening to this album for the lyrics, a lot of which I just don’t understand.

Overall, this is an album that I feel starts and ends well, but the middle few tracks are the weakest part of the album for me. I’m going to give this album a 6/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “In the Way”, “The Future Says Thank You”, “Fluorescent”, “You Should Have Gone Back”, “Hold, Be Held”
Least Favourite Tracks: “They Fear Us”, “Cremation Party”, “Number Five”

THROWBACK REVIEW – The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd (1973):

So, up until this point, I’d never done a throwback review of an album released before 2010, and it’s time that I change that now … so, how about one of the most critically acclaimed albums of all time? And I’ll just say right now that if I had a much larger audience than I do, this would be a very controversial review.

I feel like some people might misunderstand this review and think that I don’t like this album … and that’s not the case. I do like this album … it’s just that I don’t like it nearly as much as seemingly almost everyone else.

I will admit there are some spots on the album that bore me. For example, “The Great Gig In the Sky”, at least to me, doesn’t add much to the album. I feel similarly about “Any Colour You Like”.

But that being said, there’s a lot to like here, especially in the production. “Breathe (In the Air)”, for example, has clean guitars that sound absolutely awesome, and the drums are mixed super well. The instruments all fit together super well on this track, and the mixing is fantastic!

If I had to pick a favourite track on this album, I’d probably go with “Us and Them”, which is incredibly well produced, with the mixing being fantastic … and you just have to hear this song to understand how good the production is. But I especially have to point out the spots where it all builds up, and it sounds incredible! I also love the lyrics, and I specifically want to point out the last verse, which describes someone passing a homeless person and not helping … ‘Out of the way, it’s a busy day, I’ve got things on my mind. For want of the price of tea and a slice, the old man died.’

I also want to point out the dramatic (mostly) instrumental track “On the Run”, which is super eerie in the best way!

Overall, this is an album that has a lot to do with the passage of time, and I really like how it’s done. There are some spots that bore me, and I don’t love this nearly as much as so many people do, but it’s still getting a positive score from me, that being a 7.5/10. Really good album!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Breathe (In the Air)”, “On the Run”, “Money”, “Us and Them”, “Eclipse”
Least Favourite Tracks: “The Great Gig In the Sky”, “Any Colour You Like”

SMITHEREENS by Joji:

After “Glimpse of Us” got a ton of critical acclaim, I was surprised how little critical acclaim the album got … but after listening to it, I get why.

Now, let me just make it clear that I don’t think this album is bad. But the thing is … well, this might seem like an even harsher criticism than calling this album bad, and I’m not trying to be mean or anything … but if I’m being honest, it kind of doesn’t feel like a full album to me. And part of that is that it’s not even twenty-five minutes long, but it’s still nine tracks long, and there are even shorter albums that feel more like albums to me. Or maybe it’s just my mind playing tricks on me because ‘interlude’, ‘demo’, and ‘freestyle’ are all words that appear in song titles here.

Overall, this album just doesn’t stand out much to me. While I respect the creativity of this album, a decent amount of it is just boring to me, and the majority of these tracks just didn’t click for me. For example, the song, “Dissolve”, which features a vocal effect I really don’t like on the verses.

There are some elements here that I like, like the quiet synths in the background on “Feeling Like The End” and the pianos on “YUKON (INTERLUDE)”, and there’s quite a bit more to like here, too, but as a whole, it’s a 5/10 for me. I get the appeal, but it’s not my cup of tea.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Glimpse of Us”, “Die For You”, “YUKON (INTERLUDE)”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Dissolve”, “BLAHBLAHBLAH DEMO”, “1AM FREESTYLE”

Gemini Rights by Steve Lacy:

Steve Lacy’s second studio album, Gemini Rights, is an album which I feel somewhere in the middle on. There are elements that I like, such as a lot of the production, with some really nice, clear-sounding guitars and keyboards, and percussion that isn’t super powerful, but it fits the mellow vibe of these tracks.

But that being said, a lot of the compositions bore me. A lot of the chord progressions feel very repetitive and uninteresting to me. For example, there’s the song, “Cody Freestyle”, which I think is really well-produced, but the repetitive strings in the background don’t do much for me.

That being said, “Buttons”, probably my favourite track here, not only has great production, but I also love the vocal melodies, and the slow musical buildup in the track.

Overall, while this album makes me curious to hear more of Steve’s music, if I’m being honest, it didn’t really click for me. But I still think this album is decent. For me, Gemini Rights gets a 5/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Helmet”, “Mercury”, “Buttons”
Least Favourite Tracks: “2Gether (Enterlude)”, “Amber”, “Sunshine”

I Didn’t Mean To Haunt You by Quadeca:

I don’t remember hearing about Quadeca much (if at all) until I saw a video from 2021 where he reacted to theneedledrop’s review of his album. And while I still haven’t listened to Quadeca’s 2021 album, From Me To You, I saw a lot of critical acclaim for I Didn’t Mean To Haunt You, and I wanted to check it out, and …

Well, it’s an album that might seem too complicated to write about in a mini review, but considering that I’m still pretty new to writing about music, it feels too complicated for me personally to write a full review of. I mean, I could write a full review, but I don’t think it would be a very good review.

Anyway, I think it’s important to not take this album too seriously … clearly the lyrics are telling a fictional story. In this story, the main character takes his own life, and once he’s in the afterlife, he eventually kills his mother, too. 

And like I said, it shouldn’t be taken seriously. Obviously, Quadeca isn’t trying to defend these actions. But that being said, I don’t really like this album that much musically. Yes, there are some cool ideas musically, and some amazing musical moments like the build on “fantasyworld”, but a lot of the instrumentals here just make me feel like despite the effort that clearly went into them, it’s not something I’d really want to listen to.

I’m also not a big fan of a lot of the vocal effects used on this album. There are exceptions, like on the song, “knots”, but then there’s a song like “don’t mind me”, which features a vocal effect that I don’t really like.

Overall, this is an interesting listen, but despite all the critical acclaim, it’s not really my cup of tea. So, here’s another 5/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 5/10
Favourite Tracks: “sorry4dying”, “fantasyworld”
Least Favourite Tracks: “tell me a joke”, “don’t mind me”

And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood:

This is one of the most critically acclaimed albums of 2022, and while I still haven’t listened to Weyes Blood’s probably even more critically acclaimed 2019 album, Titanic Rising, I was very excited about this album based on what I’d heard about Weyes Blood’s music.

And I’m going to be honest and say I don’t think this album is clicking for me as much as it is for so many. And it’s hard for me to describe why, but when I listen to a lot of these songs, it feels like there’s something missing to make it click for me even more … it’s like there was so much potential that was so close to being met, but it just doesn’t quite get there for me.

Also, while this is a very minor nitpick, “And in the Darkness” shows up in the middle of the album and does absolutely nothing for me. It’s only fifteen seconds long, but it still kind of throws off the pacing of the album for me.

But with that being said, the production on this album is absolutely fantastic, with the snares being really well mixed, and the strings sounding amazing with the rest of the instrumentation. Seriously, this production is absolutely stunning!

There’s also a lot to like here lyrically. For example, I love the lyrics on “God Turn Me Into a Flower”, which I interpret to be about self-love.

Overall, I still think this is a great album. It absolutely clicked for me, just not as much as it is for many others. But still, I’ll give it an 8/10 … and I’m sure a lot of people would argue it deserves a higher score, but I’m just sharing how I feel about the album, not some sort of ‘objective truth’ or anything like that.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 8/10
Favourite Tracks: “Children of the Empire”, “God Turn Me Into a Flower”, “Hearts Aglow”, “Twin Flame”, “The Worst Is Done”, “A Given Thing”
Least Favourite Tracks: “It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody”, “And in the Darkness”