While their mesh of influences isn't exactly novel, Patina shows Tallies coming into their own as songwriters, capable of crafting warm, memorable music unbeholden to nostalgia.

With all these varied components coming together to form a cohesive unit — a family, if you will — ODESZA cleverly offer a reminder that they're making world-changing stuff, and we're lucky to be alive at the same time they're making music.

Seasoned hardcore listeners may not love this avant-garde approach, yearning instead for something in a similar vein of the breakdown-heavy Good to Feel, but CANDY still deliver a solid handful of unrelenting, uptempo jolts.

Exquisitely recorded (Segall might have picked up a few more tricks for his already considerable bag from Steve Albini, who had produced recent efforts) and inviting while still being mysterious, Ty Segall has another excellent stripped-down "folk" record to add to his (extremely) extensive discography.

A flurry of emotion — joyful and pointed — and clattering noise blending into haunting sparseness, this is the record the Sadies have been working on capturing for their entire existence. Thankfully, and with bittersweet timing, they got it done when we most needed them to, making the best record that has ever been made by anyone. Ever.

The songs of Entering Heaven Alive probably won't become the genre touchstones that White's heavier tunes are, but they're a fresh glimpse into a songwriter who, long considered a retro traditionalist, now continues to get more unpredictable with each album cycle.

Although inconsistent at times, Special contains enough effusive catchiness and unapologetic positivity to make it an enjoyable summer listen.

The result is a fine record, but one that ultimately fails to leave a mark.

This is an album that throws everything at the wall, and most of it sticks. Best enjoyed in the present.

It takes immense skill to know what to keep while being one step ahead of the modern musical landscape, and Hellfire accomplishes both.

Its upbeat synth work and swirling crescendos are not just an illusion, or a cheap trick, like many songs that make up a "Happy Songs That Are Actually Sad" playlist.

Cave World is thoroughly conceived and smartly realized. It balances high-energy ragers with mellower, introspective numbers while the interludes keep things progressing smoothly, adding some cohesion to Viagra Boys' signature chaos.

One thing is clear from Love Is Yours: Flasher have come back stronger than ever, with the tenacity to adapt to new musical dynamics in the same way they convey the complexities of personal connections.

With nothing to prove, no features or flashy hooks or bells and whistles, it is his most accessible album in seven years.

From "Runner's High," the album can drag until the second half, which has many more acoustic ballads.

There's a lot to like about Songs My Friends Wrote, especially the way it celebrates lesser-known tunes — but unfortunately, not a lot of the charm and wit that Corb Lund fans have come to love.

Sometimes, Forever is a rich and varied album, with ultramodern production that never tramples the influences at play.

Hints of the album's atypicality are apparent from its opening minutes, for better or worse. "Falling Back" makes for a questionable lead-off, as Drake's falsetto has never been particularly strong, but Honestly, Nevermind rarely falters from there.

Cola make it all seem effortless to create perfectly catchy post-punk tunes, incorporating their punchy instrumentals with casual social commentary and calming meditative meanings.

Ugly Season may lack the emotional resonance of Hadreas' best work as Perfume Genius, but it achieves a wildness that he's never quite accessed before, an alchemy between his bone-raw earlier records and the epic proportions of his later work. It's not the most essential Perfume Genius album, but it feels like an important one.

While Farm to Table isn't quite the classic that he surely has in him, we should consider ourselves fortunate that Bartees is in it for the long haul.

While Fault Lines sees the transitory Deliluh maintain their hankering for neurotic storytelling and bleak narration, they've tapped into an arcane musical world of enveloping darkness predestined for a band that was bound to take their scene by storm before global pandemonium ensued.

Across the record, Malone has not only seemed to forget what makes his music tick, but also who his fanbase is.

While White Jesus Black Problems is certainly an album that prompts further discovery of its deeper layers, it is also liberating in its musical profundity.

With clear priorities and unsaddled creative impulses, Horsegirl are the authoritative future of noise pop. With their help, we too can run free.

Overall, From Capelton Hill is a brilliant reminder that it's totally fine to rely on your strengths and build on them to produce beautiful music without having to constantly reach for new tricks.

With Blue Skies, the production is crisper, the melodies are sharper, the moods hit deeper and Dehd seem ready to conquer the indie rock world — from Glasgow to Chicago, and everywhere in between.

Welch's powerful vocals shine on this record through anthemic synthpop, baroque pop and folk balladry, as the band experiment with new textures, aligning with the inspiration drawn from the Pre-Raphaelite tradition of embracing contrast within art.