Chemtrails Over the Country Club 

Lana Del Rey

Pop

March 19, 2021

On March 19, Lana Del Rey released her eighth studio album, titled “Chemtrails Over the Country Club,” and it fits in perfectly with the rest of her discography. The 11-song album is about 45 minutes in length, and it is great from start to finish. The album is similar to her past albums, such as “Norman F*****g Rockwell!” and “Born to Die” while also being unique, with subtle jazz influence throughout and country tones on tracks such as “Dance Till We Die.” 

“Chemtrails Over the Country Club” feels very relaxed and calming in a way, filled with soft piano and guitar on tracks like “White Dress,” while other tracks are more upbeat, like “Dark But Just a Game.” Overall, this album was beautiful, and one of the best new releases I have heard so far in 2021.

Remote (Deluxe) 

Wallows

Alternative

February 19, 2021

In October 2020, the alternative group ‘Wallows’ released an EP that they recorded all remotely, rightfully titled Remote. It was a six-track EP, but the group decided that they wanted to release some other songs they had worked on, so they released a deluxe version on Feb. 19, 2021. The new EP included the six original tracks: a single from March 2020 titled “OK,” a remix featuring Remi Wolf and Solomonophonic, and three new Wallows tracks. The song “Quarterback,” which was released as a single, is an upbeat pop song sung by the group’s drummer, Cole Preston. Preston also sang the slow and relaxed “On Time,” which features guitar, piano and a saxophone solo towards the end. The third song, “Another Story,” is sung by guitarist Braeden Lemasters and has a minimalistic feel to it, which contrasts nicely with the overwhelming sounds of other songs on the EP, such as “Talk Like That.” The three new songs were a nice addition to the EP and are some of the best written Wallows songs yet.

Nobody Is Listening 

Zayn

Pop

January 15, 2021

Zayn Malik’s third studio album—”Nobody Is Listening”—is a perfect pop album. It has a unique sound while still sounding like classic pop. The percussion provides a steady beat and backbone throughout the entire album. Many of the songs are generally calm and relaxed, with tracks like “Calamity,” but there are a few more upbeat songs, like “Better” and “Sweat.” The album consists of 11 songs and lasts about 36 minutes, with features from Syd and Devlin, who both add their own touch on the tracks they’re on (“When Love’s Around” and “Windowsill”), which really pull the album together. Zayn’s vocal talent shines through on many of the tracks, like on the beautiful “River Road.” If this album has shown us anything about Zayn, it is that he is well past his One Direction days, and his solo career is thriving.

Fearless (Taylor’s Version)

Country

April 9, 2021

Pop and country star Taylor Swift stunned fans in 2020 with the surprise releases of “Folklore” and “Evermore,” showcasing a new sound for Taylor, embracing folk and pop sounds, but for 2021, she decided to take it back in time. She took her career all the way back to 2008, when her studio album “Fearless” was released. “Fearless,” along with most of her other albums, is not owned by Taylor; rather, it’s owned by record executive Scooter Braun. In response to not having ownership of her old albums, Taylor has announced that she will be releasing re-recordings of all her songs, including some songs that were never released. This is all, of course, owned by her. The first album she will be re-releasing is “Fearless,” and at the time of writing, she has released “Love Story,” which remains one of Taylor’s most popular songs, “You All Over Me” and “Mr. Perfectly Fine,” which are both songs that were never released. “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” is the first of many re-records and Swifties could not be any more excited.

Justice

Justin Bieber

Pop

March 19, 2021

On March 19, 2021, Justin Bieber released his sixth studio album, titled “Justice.” The album is pure pop, with some R&B influence throughout. The album starts off with “2 Much,” which is a personal favorite as it is more relaxed than other tracks and is mostly vocal-led. Another track I liked was “Off My Face,” which has a unique guitar melody that would not be expected from an album like this. There are multiple notable features, including Chance the Rapper, Daniel Ceasar, Kalid, Dominic Fike and more. 

Tracks like “Deserve You” have strong beats and strong rhythms, and, overall, this album is better than originally anticipated, and it’s safe to say that many people are pleasantly surprised and impressed.