gregorsmith

Listening to Supernova, I can't help feeling like this latest 2026 addition is the ultimate participation trophy pick, a thoroughly basic, derivative nu-metal throwback that feels like it was panic-selected just to fill a modern diversity and representation quota rather than on any actual artistic merit. Sure, the thirty-minute runtime mercy-kills the boredom and the duo certainly brings just enough high-octane energy and raw attitude, but the relentless, compressed "everything louder than everything else" production gives me a migraine, resulting in a toothless pastiche that wouldn't have even turned heads back in 1999.

Besides, there's only one Scottish Supernova, and that's Noam Dar, pass it on...

I honestly forgot The Chemical Brothers even existed at this point, I mean they felt like middle-aged accountants 30 years ago when they were hammering out "Block Rockin Beats", and the last thing I remember hearing by them was "Galvanize" 20 years ago, proving that time truly is the fire in which we all burn...

Diving into this late career effort, I found myself torn between chuckling at the sheer absurdity of Robert Dimery padding out the new book edition with a third album from a legacy act and actually enjoying the surprisingly solid, squelchy house grooves and nostalgic 90s synths. Sure, it feels completely non-essential and derivative of their classic 90s peaks rather than pushing electronica forward in the 2020s, but it still flows nicely as a continuous, trippy rave-inspired DJ set with some standout tracks like "Live Again" and "No Reason". It’s an utterly pointless inclusion on a must-listen list that bypassed scores of more relevant modern electronic acts, yet despite my initial eye-rolling, I couldn't entirely hate a record that delivers a harmless, fun nostalgic bop.

I wanted to love Día because those analog synth textures and moody, electronic vibes are right up my alley. But honestly? It started off cool and then just felt kind of one-note. It’s got some nice moments and sounds pretty neat, but it mostly just feels like a bunch of half-baked ideas instead of a real, solid album.

I couldn't help but feel like jasmine.4.t is really trying to copy Phoebe Bridgers, who conveniently produced and backed the whole thing, instead of doing her own thing. While there are some nice, vulnerable folk moments, all the breathy indie-rock stuff just makes me wonder why they didn't just add the boygenius record to the list instead.

Man, I am honestly floored by this. How does a band forty years in drop a late-era masterpiece that actually holds its own against Disintegration? Robert Smith’s voice sounds timeless, and the whole record is just packed with this heavy, gothic atmosphere about getting older and dealing with grief. The song structures are massive and cinematic, and even though the long, moody intros might be a bit much for some people, I thought the whole thing was a total triumph.

Score one for Olivia Rodrigo elevating these plucky upstarts...