By Glenn Alderson
The U.S. Girls and Stars songwriters talk tape, intuition, and the unexpected magic of slowing down ahead of their respective new releases.
renforshort – dear amelia
Interscope Records
by Ben Boddez
- Published on
As pop-punk storms back into the forefront of culture, nobody did it better this year than this 20-year-old Torontonian. Though modern-day figurehead Travis Barker does appear on one track, the combination of renforshort’s blunt songwriting and bouncier Strokes-esque pop-rock sound makes her work stand out from the pack of seemingly increasingly samey tunes in the mainstream.
With an overarching concept of a self-help column and lyrics examining struggling to stay true to herself amid various social pressures, her idolization of the genre contributes to some truly anthemic choruses and heart wrenching imagery delivered by a strikingly emotive voice.
By Khagan Aslanov
The Swans “impresario” speaks about seeking understanding, the unsure future, and his collective’s last obelisk.
By RANGE
The Montreal quartet’s latest track transforms decision paralysis into pure punk momentum.
