A Written Testimony is one hell of a promising effort that was well worth the wait. The skillset of Jay Electronica as both an MC and a producer is on full display.

On their debut full-length, THICK are solidifying their status as a pop punk band at a time when the state of pop punk is relatively murky.

Eternal Atake has moments of heartfelt candor, including “Chrome Heart Tags” and “Spread the Bag”. LUV Vs. the World 2 doesn’t really. There’s no equivalent to the “Never Bend” remix from 2018, which hinted at a world of hurt behind the “project walls.”

It delivers on every promise in a sleek, incredibly catchy package and does it all in under 50 minutes. Yes, it’s music made by young adults obviously aimed at young adults. Yes, it could be more subtle about its influences. And yes, it’s going to make a whole lot of year-end lists.

Suga is a solid and cohesive EP that showcases Megan Thee Stallion’s unfettered appetite for destruction; she obliterates any beat she comes into contact with without batting an eyelash. Although the majority of the project is an exhilarating listen, its own ambitions prove to be its biggest challenge.

Fresh ideas abound nearly everywhere on Gigaton.

While the record doesn’t reinvent the wheel in any major ways, it offers an exciting array of musicianship that’ll keep listeners hyped. Body Count’s drive towards facing real world issues, along with their intriguing fusion of musical styles, allows them to be a band for fans of both the old and new school.

Post Animal have managed to find a sound much more their own — both momentous and giddy, contemporary and sentimental.

She offers a deeply internal side to her world, buoyed by a production style rich with grains and echoes.

Deeply satisfying on multiple levels, Always Tomorrow is great guitar pop and a bracing account of one person’s struggle to construct a new life. Free of sugar-coating or easy answers, it should speak to everyone who wants to take better care of themselves.

Divorced from Marshall’s self-set high standards, the record contains a compelling portrait of an artist caught mid-evolution, and its most intriguing moments are worth putting up with its less-successful experiments.

Their cultural impact is undeniable, and their work continues to push forward conversations about genre, language, and much more. There’s no telling what BTS will do next, but that’s what’s so compelling.

While Ordinary Man doesn’t stack up against early Ozzy classics like Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman, it is a step up from recent LPs like Black Rain and Scream. There’s strong songwriting, both musically and lyrically, with a handful of infectious choruses throughout the album.

Five years removed from Currents, The Slow Rush plays as though no time has passed at all.

Miss_Anthrop0cene is the perfect Grimes record for 2020, delving into topical themes such as climate change with an eclectic mix of genres. It’s certainly her darkest, most ambitious project yet, and it works on nearly all levels.

Over its 11 tracks, Splid consistently churns out raging banger after banger, allowing for the record to roar with metal bliss. The creativity expressed in Splid is matched by its intensity, as Kvelertak embrace the metal spirit throughout the album.

On Honeymoon, Trifilio finally invites someone into her bubble, into her dream. With a ceaseless, buoyant energy that swims across a candid narrative, Trifilio flexes her masterful songwriting on an album bound to win the hearts of emo-punks and TikTok girls alike.

Father of All… is a solid album that shows not only their mastery of sound but also genre and a nod to the greats that came before them.

Likewise is a gorgeous solo debut from a unique singing and writing voice, a record that quietly gets under your skin and stays there.

He still has clear vision and awareness of his place in the hip-hop game. However, Wayne is not a great editor, and thus listening to Funeral can become exhausting about halfway through. While listeners may be fatigued, however, Wayne is far from it.

The entire album feels hard and driving, like electric rain or the tension between two thunderclouds. The fact that Silver Tongue is so thoroughly electric and buzzing is part of what makes it such a convincing rendering of a relationship between two people, galvanized and ultimately realized.

Kesha is in transition, searching for that balance that can give her music meaningful identity in the future. High Road’s few shining moments — the vulnerability of her ballads and the wild sparks sprinkled throughout — suggest that balance is imminent. High Road is ironically (and unfortunately) a low point in Kesha’s career.

Have We Met, though perhaps less ambitious than Destroyer’s best work, is nevertheless their freshest and most enjoyable record in years.

The album finds a way to weave together multiple emotions, sounds, and genres and shows off Frangipane’s versatility as an artist while still acting as an incredibly cohesive and seamless album. She explores more ideas in one album than many do in their entire career. Do not underestimate Halsey.

If he’s figuring out from scratch how to be a compelling artist again, Eminem’s improved the caliber of his beats and guests, taking stands against the right day-to-day injustices, toning down the tasteless (with the exception of the already-infamous Ariana line, of course), and rapping with the manic precision of someone who just snorted a whole sandcastle of cocaine and Vyvanse. If only a single minute of it was as hilarious or bracing as Chris D’Elia’s impression of him.

She took her time, creating a project that shows how much she absorbed between then and now; in fact, Modus Vivendi is the marrow she sucked out of her experience.

Hardcore fans will be happy the band have survived a crisis, but Marigold falters a bit under the weight of Hall’s relentless self-regard. Hopefully, he’ll be able to get out of his own way better next time.

Gomez’s return is filled with some great pop music, but falls short of what we suspect she’s capable of. She sticks to similar themes as she did on Revival, instead of exploring different sounds as she did with 2018 single “Back to You” and 2017’s “Bad Liar”.