2023 Album Reviews

November 15, 2023 /

      With many major albums being released this year, such as 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (Taylor Swift,) For All The dogs (Drake,) Pink Tape (Lil Uzi Vert,) THE FIRST TIME (The Kid Laroi,) and many others some smaller artists go under the radar. Here are some of the bests that deserve at least one listen: 

  1. character development – Zeph, 9/10 

      On her debut album, Zephani Jong, or just ‘Zeph’ professionally touches on many important topics to her. Many of the songs are love related, but surprisingly not only breakups. My favorite song off the album- ‘game’ touches on her feelings of being used in a relationship, rather than just breaking up with someone. 

  1. i care so much that i don’t care at all – glaive, 8.5/10 

      In another 2023 debut album, Ash Gutierrez (stage name ‘glaive’) goes further into his thoughts than expected by fans from his previous EP’s. Opening with ‘oh are you bipolar one or two?’ Gutierrez writes in remembrance of himself and his parents, apologizing to those he’s hurt. Gutierrez, like Zeph, speaks on being used by a girl, who at the time was in a relationship (‘the car.’) Unfortunately, to fans and Gutierrez himself, a few of the songs were rushed and “don’t reflect how I feel” today (Gutierrez in an interview.) 
 

  1. I Love You, I’m Trying – grandson, 8.5/10 

      Jordan Benjamin, or ‘grandson’ on stage, released his sophomore album on May 5th of 2023. I Love You, I’m Trying is beautifully mastered from Benjamin’s older EP’s and debut album. He takes a stance much closer to alt-pop compared to a previous rap-pop style, and makes it work for his audience. Even lacking what is called a true “story” in some songs, the music is created in such a way that a story doesn’t need to be there to be enjoyed. The album stays on a much lower note, covering the loss of who he calls his first true fan (‘Heather,’) and depression/self-worth governing his life (‘Stuck Here With Me’; ‘Something To Hide.’) 

  1. The Dark – The Band Camino, 7/10 

      Taking the Spanish word for ‘path’ as a name, the third album for The Band Camino (behind the debut tryhard and a self-titled sophomore) innovates a very unique sound for the band. Some songs, such as ‘See You Later’ and ‘Novocaine’ clearly have seemingly little to no autotune, allowing a full listen of the vocals of singer Jeffery Jordan. The album takes a hit from this as well, however. While great for the band to be innovating, many of the songs seem very forgettable for someone who is not a die-hard fan of the band. 

  1. Wear Your Heart Out – Nightly, 7/10 

      Another very strong and arguably innovate album, Nightly continues a success in their pop/pop-punk style. The biggest loss for the album is the stereotypical themes of love in almost every song. While this doesn’t, perchance, mean the songs are bad, they do become overly repetitive in lyrics. A huge standout from this is ‘My Boys,’ detailing singer Jonathon Capeci’s appreciation for his friends, or his ‘boys,’ do for him and how he knows he can always go to them when he needs to.  

  1. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY– Waterparks, 6.5/10 

      The distinct style of Waterparks often makes it hard for non-fans to enjoy their music. This issue only has become distinctly evident of their fifth album, though. Their debut and sophomore albums, titled Double Dare and Entertainment respectively lean much closer to a pop-rock sound, a more generally enjoyed sound in music. This theme somewhat continued with FANDOM and Greatest Hits (the 3rd and 4th albums,) with minor leanings from the sound on a few songs, namely ‘Zone Out’ (FANDOM) and ‘Fruit Roll Ups’ (Greatest Hits.) 

      INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, frankly, was a disappointment compared to the established sound. Some songs, such as ‘2 BEST FRIENDS’ and ‘BRAINWASHED’ feel very unfinished, while sounds of ‘REAL SUPER DARK’ and ‘CLOSER’ clash severely. Singer Awsten Knight unexpectedly added an extra song to the album in the middle of October, strange given the band had already toured the album and released it in April of 2023. Regardless, ‘SNEAKING OUT OF HEAVEN’ is still personally my favorite song off the album.  

      With all this said, there are still many other great albums, be them the big-name hitters from Taylor Swift, or your personal preference of a smaller, underground artist. Happy listening, Panthers! 

By: TJ Tickell