StereoVision's AOTY Power Rankings: May

By StereoVision Staff

Welcome to our Album of the year power ranking series! Each month all our team members submit their “top 10 albums of 2020 so far” along with some notes about why their list looks the way it does. These lists are then compiled into our overall power rankings which you can find below. Keep scrolling to see each team members personal list which gives interesting insight on how different albums age over the course of the year for specific people. Thanks for reading, we hope you enjoy the article!

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The Teams Picks:

3.15.20 & A Written Testimony still remain at the top of my list because of the expert artistry on both of the projects leading to immense replay value. Upon release, I thought Smino’s new mixtape She Already Decided was solid, but as I revisited the project through the end of April and beginning of May, I quickly realized it was one of my favorite offerings in recent memory. I wouldn’t be surprised if She Already Decided makes it all the way to my year end list because of how fun the entire tape is. Westside Gunn lived up to the lofty expectations he’s set for himself on the excellent Pray For Paris and Kenny Mason showcased his all-time great potential on his debut album Angelic Hoodrat. Lastly, Larry June and Cardo made one of the best albums to listen to in the car with Cruise USA, a undeniably smooth album drenched in west coast swagger. -Spencer Lobdell

To me, Donald Glover still has released the most creative and quality project of this year. That being said Smino’s release of She Already Decided was unexpected, but one of the most pleasantly surprising mixtapes to drop in a while. Jay Electronica and Jay-Z had entirely too many bars as A Written Testimony might have been the best rap exhibition of 2020. Bent Fiyaz, Giveon, and The Weeknd have represented male R&B in an excellent fashion. Pray for Paris and Heaven or Hell are on two opposite ends of the musical spectrum, but each is worth a listen because they deliver things you couldn't get from anyone else. Finally Jhene stayed true to form with the excellent album Chilombo. -Miles Hagan

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My current favorite album of 2020 is King Krule’s third studio album Man Alive! The 25 year old English indie sensation consolidates his eclectic sound on Man Alive, allowing the best aspects of all his various musical influences shine through the album’s seamless production. Bolstered by King Krule’s poetic lyricism and enchanting vocal performance, Man Alive! will be a difficult album to top. This year has seen a great body of releases from up and coming women in the rap game, much of which had been significantly more impressive than the work of their famous male counterparts. Hook and Bbymutha in particular have stood out so far as being two of the most talented, versatile, and exciting new artists out today. Don’t sleep on the girls! -Kaila Cherry

My power rankings have changed a pretty good bit since the last time I submitted them. I moved The Weeknd up as the record continued to grow on me and I added Smino right below it. I thought PND and Jhene both dropped very solid projects that deserved to be in the top 10, and most surprisingly, I loved the chemistry between Chris Brown and Young Thug on Slime B. I thought Kehlani and Nav’s albums were mediocre so they didn’t break my top 10, but hopefully I warm up to them as the year progresses! -Carter Fife

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For the most part, my list remained the same from April. I find that, typically, the albums that leave the best impression on me do a great job of balancing the traditional with the experimental or lean towards the latter characteristic. The artists who have been switching up their sounds or presenting interesting genre blends (e.g. The Weeknd, 070 Shake, Mixed Matches,) have stayed at the top of my list, and more underground artists continue to funnel in as well. Vocalist and producer Mixed Matches presents an atmospheric soundscape of ear candy on Jesse, a project filled with infectious melodies and soothing, layered vocal performances. Meanwhile, newcomer brakence delivers a unique, wonky blend of electronica and punk on his debut album punk2, which features tons of experimental trap production and autotuned vocals. -Owen Tait

I know, the absence of PTSD is alarming to all of my fellow Chicagoans but honestly, it doesn’t match up sonically to the 10 albums listed. Albums 1-4 may be some of my favorite ever, listening to each of the 4 was an experience; the songwriting and overall story makes them all 10/10’s for me. #1 was an easy choice for me, After Hours has Grade-A production and storytelling across the board. Number 6 is a new project from someone I recently discovered; right after listening to the first song I knew the project would be great. At number 10 is Lil Baby’s latest album, I really hated it when it first released, but I decided to give it another listen and it’s actually pretty solid. -Courtney Fields

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Nothing put out this year has quite compared to Mac Miller’s posthumous project Circles, that is until Westside Gunn put out the grimey, bar-heavy masterpiece that is Pray for Paris. Touting some of the best cyphers of the year in “327,” “$500 Ounces” and “George Bondo,” Westside Gunn easily secures a spot in the top 3. The ever soulful and funky It Is What It Is and She Already Decided from Smino and Thundercat have aged like fine wine, while UNLOCKED and Eternal Atake have seen their replay value diminished for me. -Luke Modugno

I am excited to to still Have CHILOMBO at the top of my list. Jhené did what needed to be done to help me survive this pandemic. So again, name another album as captivating and versatile that is also 20 tracks long with no skips! Circles and A Written Testimony remain at the top of my list because they are solid projects from seasoned artists. I had trouble ranking 38 Baby 2, PTSD, and My Turn. I enjoy listening to all three but I’m unsure which is truly better. The debut album, KIKI, by Kiana Ledé, is well constructed and relatable. I listed the project to keep the newcomer in conversation. I’m interested in seeing the rest of the teams picks to see what albums I have been overlooking. -Amaya Lorick

Now that we are approaching the halfway point through the year, it is becoming increasingly difficult to make these picks. At #1, I still have Mac Miller’s posthumous album Circles. I don’t listen to it every day, but the bitter sweetness of this album hits different for me. It’s a fantastic piece, and it is going to be very hard for any albums this year to take its spot. G Herbo also remains high on my list, he surprised me with PTSD and even though it has been out for some time, it still hits just as hard. Drake’s new mixtape made a big splash, I won’t be surprised if this stays on my list until the end of the year. I really dig the vibes on Slime & B, but time will tell how much longevity it has. -Colson O’Connor

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Childish Gambino Creates His Own Sound on His Excellent Release "3.15.20"

By Miles Hagan

Where to begin with Donald Glover. The true definition of a renaissance man, Childish Gambino has built one of the most respectable and diverse discographies in music. Critics and fans alike were pleasantly surprised with the deviation from rap in 2016 that was Awaken My Love. Gambino had previously never released an entire R&B record, but the public reception was excellent. For most of his career he has displayed his versatility as an artist, and this record forced people to pay attention. A week before the official release of 3.15.20 Glover had a website titled “Donald Glover Presents'' where he actually released the project for a short amount of time before the commercial release. It created buzz, but was promptly removed after being up for a couple hours. 

3.15.20, Gambino’s fifth project to hit streaming services, was officially released on Sunday, March 22nd. The album houses 10 tracks and runs for just under an hour. Now with the album officially being released the public can enjoy the next musical endeavor from one of the greatest minds in the music industry.

The meaning of the song titles has to be mentioned. While at first this may seem a bit confusing this just simply indicates the timestamp within the albums run time where that track starts. 

Childish Gambino has given us a diverse array of sounds throughout his career and 3.15.20 is no exception. “Time” and “12.38” take care of the feature work early on with appearances from Ariana Grande and 21 Savage. “12.38” should be the radio hit of the year. It has everything someone could ask for in a song in 2020. What it adds is compelling and relevent lyricism such as, “Most these niggas wanna run around with these SZAs (Yeah) I prefer to just stroll the park with this Chaka”. Bino sounds angelic and Savage slides over the beat perfectly for his verse. The production evolves from start to finish and keeps the listener engaged, it feels like the song is growing with time (The background vocals are stunning too).  His language on the entirety of this project may be the biggest takeaway. This is one of the highest profile releases of the year, yet he doesn't make the listener feel like the content is going over their heads. Instead he is speaking to them and trying to find a way to keep them engaged with the content.

The way Childish performs both vocally and as a producer is like nothing else being produced right now. The first half of 3.15.20 is a sonic rollercoaster. “Algorhythm” and “Time” both sound futuristic utilizing a lot of autotune and synths. Apple Music classifies this as a Hip-Hop/Rap album and in terms of what Gambino is doing vocally that may be justified, as there were several moments on this album where he is flowing, but sonically this sounds nothing like an average hip-hop/rap project. There are several instruments at play in every track and when the music first starts it is impossible to tell what he is going to do with it. “24.19” sounds like the modern day version of a 70s track, with autotune that would make Stevie wonder using a voice box proud. He seamlessly flows between rapping and singing not even just track to tack, but within the same song. Something that also carried over from Awaken My Love is his impressive vocal control. 

3.15.20 is a densely packed album with a lot to understand conceptually. What must be applauded from Glover is the way in which he makes his statements. Time and time again he ups the ante and forces the listener to take a step back from the pleasant sounds they are hearing and actually focus on what he is saying. “35.31” is a perfect example. First of all it comes after a song in “35.22” that sounds like the most raw demo stolen from a Kanye Yezzus session before the words were written. This is an upbeat, folky, country sounding song a little past the midway point on this R&B and Hip-Hop record. In a high pitched innocent voice Gambino spends the next 4 minutes singing about serving coke to fiends and toting guns. Stereotypical Trap lyrics in a country sounding song, yet when coming from the mind of Donald Glover this works perfectly. This is the last thing I was expecting to hear and if someone described what it was going to sound like before I listened to the track I probably would have been hesitant. That is the genius of Childish Gambino, not only is he aware of this but he takes that challenge head on. Something as obvious as what he is actually saying can go right over the casual listeners head, because it sounds pleasant. The cultural awareness of 3.15.20 is strategic and subtle. In an era of genre bending where the biggest star in the world gets accused of biting almost on a daily basis ( *cough cough* Drake), is it not refreshing to have someone at the forefront of that movement morph it into something of their own?

“42.26” is actually the still so impressive and so meaningful “Feels Like Summer” from almost a year ago. While already incredible on its own, in the context of the entire project it fits perfectly. 

What has been a source of discontent from some fans is the extra things that Gambino added to the project. The first three minutes of the album the same electronic voice just repeats the phrase “we are”. The ending of “19.10” sounds like the lochness monster hopped in the booth for the last 30 seconds of recording. 

It may be a cop out to say art is subjective but that has to be done in certain cases. It is difficult to pinpoint what Glover was exactly attempting to say with this project, but it is clear that there is a message and a wealth of knowledge to uncover. Reading deeper into the lyrics feels like an honest experience. Childish doesn't shy away from the flaws and shortcomings of people in any of the songs on the album. “19.10” is the most outwardly happy sounding song on the entire album but also contains the lyrics, “to be happy really means that someone else ain't”. He spends the majority of the next song wondering why the woman he constantly hurts still loves him. He is critiquing society in the most digestible way possible. The stories don't continue from song to song, and there is no moment near the end that ties everything together. Donald Glover just tells us to “do what we wanna do” to close the project. 

This album felt very similar to how it feels to watch Donald Glover’s show Atlanta. It is an undeniably enjoyable experience even though you know you are not catching everything the first and probably not the second time going through. The beautiful crisp production and skillful singing and rapping captivate the audience while the lyrics underneath paint a darker image. Atlanta is a comedy but then there is an episode like “Teddy Perkins” that reveals the more ominous overtones to the series. While the show is outrageous at times, the brutally honest and realistic depictions of life situations is what keeps people coming back. 3.15.20 does a great job at depicting the harsh and beautiful reality we live in.

Favorite Tracks

12.38

35.31

47.48

Rating: 9

Listen to 3.15.20 here:

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StereoVision's AOTY Power Rankings: April

By StereoVision Staff

Welcome to our Album of the year power ranking series! Each week all our team members submit their “top 10 albums of 2020 so far” along with some notes about why their list looks the way it does. These lists are then compiled into our overall power rankings which you can find below. Keep scrolling to see each team members personal list which gives interesting insight on how different albums age over the course of the year for specific people. Thanks for reading, we hope you enjoy the article!

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The Teams Picks:

The biggest change in my rankings this week is the slip of Eternal Atake. Although it is home to some of the best songs of the year, I have come to the realization that there are just too many forgettable tracks to call it a top five project of the year at this point. The Weeknd continues to grow on me as Abel jumps one spot. I’m glad to say that Mac Miller’s posthumous album Circles is an album that’s aging extremely well for me thus far this year. As someone that’s been following Mac since Kids, I don’t think I was ready for Circles at the beginning of the year. Now in today’s climate where thousands of humans are dying daily due to COVID-19, I feel desensitized to death and finally able to overcome my emotional barriers to the music and appreciate it for the excellent body of work it is. I can honestly see it jumping A Written Testimony or 3.15.20 which would be quite the accomplishment as I’m crazy about both records. Lastly, a new release that made a big splash in my power rankings this week is Giveon. His debut EP Take Time is ultra-smooth, rich with excellent song-writing, and most importantly, different than anything anyone else is currently doing in R&B. Check the site this weekend to read my review of Take Time. -Spencer Lobdell

My Top three stays the same this week and it looks like it's going to take a really impressive body of work to move 3.15.20 and A Written Testimony. The first new entry to my ranking comes at the four spot with an excellent project from Giveon. Drake’s “Chicago Freestyle” brought a lot of attention to this up and coming voice in R&B, and he delivered on all expectations with his project Take Time. Another new addition to the list this week is Knxwledge 1988. Without the help of many features Knxwledge is able to really shine on this album for his talent as a producer (I would be wrong for not mentioning the greatness of “Don’t Be Afraid”. The final new additions come in the form of The Price of Tea in China by Boldy James and After Hours by The Weeknd. Boldy and The Alchemist sound like they have been working together for years on one of the most impressive albums from a rapping standpoint. After Hours has grown on me since its release and from the way it looks now it has a legitimate chance to keep advancing up the list at least marginally. -Miles Hagan

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After receiving requests to listen to several albums, my rankings from week one have obviously shifted. As much as I love a good debate, I must give credit where it is due. Remaining at the top of my list is CHILOMBO. Again, name another album as captivating and versatile that is also 20 tracks long with no skips! As a person who is inspired by the stories of others, PTSD, A Written Testimony, and Black Habits will likely remain on my list for some time. Opposed to last week, I now recognize the January release date of Time Served allowed time for it to grow to be a fun favorite of mine. Lyrically, Moneybagg Yo is unable to compete with other projects on my list, making my decision easy to move his album from position two to ten. My Turn found its way onto my list because upon reaching the end, I was urged to listen again. Whenever Lil Baby lost my interest, he managed to regain it within the next song or two. Ultimately, I need to sit with all of these projects some more and I am still just waiting for new music. -Amaya Lorick

No changes this week. I’m still moving through my backlog and trying to decide whether or not I like the new PND album so expect more on that in the future! -Carter Fife

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For the most part, the top half of my list remained the same from week one. I’ve found that, typically, the albums that leave the best impression on me do a great job of balancing the traditional with the experimental or lean towards the latter characteristic. Artists who reinvent themselves or present entirely innovative sounds manage to impress me the most, which is why artists like The Weeknd, Childish Gambino, 070 Shake, Mixed Matches, Gupi, and Denzel Curry currently dominate my list. Another way to get on my good side is to simply give me a fun album with high replay value, which Lil Uzi Vert and Don Toliver both managed to do extremely well. Looking forward, with under-the-radar acts such as Mixed Matches, Gupi, and polearm coming through with such captivating material, I can’t wait to see what 2020 has in store for independent music and emerging artists. -Owen Tait

Before my fellow Chicagoans even say it, I know the absence of G Herbo’s PTSD is alarming. Despite it being one of my favorite releases of the year, the album’s dull moments become more obvious when lined up next to projects like the 10 on the list.  After Hours is probably the most well written, produced, and executed albums this year.  The battle between #1 and #2 is a close one. A Written Testimony has such a powerful message and motive behind it, as well as multiple Jay-Z features so it’s hard to beat. Man Alive makes it’s debut at #10 since I’ve found more time to sit with it. -Courtney Fields

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This week, a few albums have really grown on me and others have simply lost their charm and replay value. Namely, LUV vs. The World 2 has proven to be a fantastic album to listen to during quarantine. The album has a plethora of melodic trap beats and has proven to be catchy background music when I mute my mic during online classes. Mac Millers Circles is similar, as it also has every mood you’ll go through during these times, along with soulful, jazzy instrumentation. Tame Impala’s new record, The Slow Rush, has also grown on me. Kevin Parker’s newest effort is everything his psychedelic rock experiment set out to do. While it doesn’t nearly compare to Currents, it’s a notable entry to an already legendary discography. Along with strong releases from Ant Clemons and PARTYNEXTDOOR, this week has only been a continuation of 2020’s unbelievably solid run of music. -Luke Modugno

Now that March has concluded, I found my picks from last week have not changed much. Still Sitting at top three are Circles, PTSD, and A Written Testimony, which are all thoroughly strong projects. I recently started getting into Jhené Aiko’s album Chilombo and Brent Faiyaz’s hot new album Fuck The World which seem to be very well-crafted pieces thus far. Another thing I noticed is that I wasn’t listening to A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie and Lil Wayne as much. -Colson O’Connor

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StereoVision's AOTY Power Rankings: Week One

By StereoVision Staff

Welcome to our Album of the year power ranking series! Each week all our team members submit their “top 10 albums of 2020 so far” along with some notes about why their list looks the way it does. These lists are then compiled into our overall power rankings which you can find below. Keep scrolling to see each team members personal list which gives interesting insight on how different albums age over the course of the year for specific people. Thanks for reading, we hope you enjoy the article!

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The teams picks:

Besides death, sickness, and tragedy, if you’re a rap fan in 2020 there very little you have to complain about. We’ve already been blessed with enough anticipated releases, albums from industry heavy-weights, and overall excellent music in general to keep me content in quarantine for the remainder of the year. All jokes aside, as fans of hip-hop we really have been spoiled with great music in 2020 which I think might be exactly what we need in the face of a national crisis. Childish Gambino’s new album debuts at number one for me because well I’ve already listened to the record 10+ times, every time I press play it still takes my breathe away. With this being said, this weeks number one spot was very difficult to select because of how fun LUV vs. The World 2 still is and because of the sheer ability that Jay Electronica showcases on A Written Testimony. -Spencer Lobdell

Name another album as captivating and versatile as CHILOMBO that is also 20 tracks long with no skips…  Anyway, as a person who is inspired by the stories of others, PTSD and A Written Testimony are currently both two of my favorite projects. Both showcase a skillful pen and instrumentals that allow them to get their bars off. Honestly, Meg and Nudy only made my list because they are two artists I want to stay in the conversation. I’m just waiting for more music. -Amaya Lorick

So for my list, The Weeknd comes out on top due to the fact that he fully reinvented his sound for After Hours, as well as the fact that the album's narrative is fully cohesive and features the best production on any album I've heard from him (also I'm a big sucker for synthwave). LUV vs. The World 2 was easily the most fun album I've heard this year, so that comes in at #2. 070 Shake and Gambino both had R&B albums that took experimental pop routes, and I really enjoyed them. Denzel Curry and Gupi's albums had some of the most complex and mind-boggling production I've heard this year. Mac's on there for the sentiment and heart behind his album, polearm is a newcomer with a unique, psychedelic pop-rap sound, and Tame Impala's album wasn't my favorite material of his, but it delivered a few key tracks that have high replay value for me. -Owen Tait

Just three months into 2020, this year is stacking up to be one of the best in recent history for hip hop. With plenty of industry giants dropping this year and many more big names rumored to drop this year, the fight for the best project of the year will be fierce. But in the current crop of albums available now, Mac Miller's posthumous record Circles is by far and away the cream. The project is a beautiful send-off to Miller and his fans, completing his discography and symbolizing the final step an astutely profound sonic evolution as an artist. Between dazzling collaborative efforts from Denzel Curry and Kenny Beats (UNLOCKED) and Boldy James and The Alchemist (The Price of Tea in China), and Uzi's impressive pair of projects Eternal Atake and LUV vs. The World 2, 2020 has already been a wild ride. -Luke Modugno

2020 has been a pretty terrible year, but from a musical sense it has not disappointed. 3.15.20 by Childish Gambino and A Written Testimony are two albums by artists at their creative peak. These are projects that will remain in these power rankings very deep into the year no matter what else is released. Brent Fiyaz did what he had to do on F**k the World. He hasn't released a full length project since 2017 and with this he stepped right back into form. Don Toliver has been generating buzz since he was featured on Astroworld and gave us a concise project filled with his hits. The rap community was blessed by Uzi with not one, but two pieces of new music. Both LUV vs The World 2 and Eternal Atake highlight the fact that Uzi never settles with his status in music and is always looking to give his fans a new and exciting experience. -Miles Hagan

This year got off to a slow start in terms of big record releases but as March comes to close we already have a few significant albums under our belt. With Uzi dropping two records after two and a half years, a new Tame Impala record after five, and THE Jay Electronica album after twelve, 2020 has been a great year already for highly anticipated projects. From The Weeknd’s energetic R&B/Hip-Hop Synthesis to Denzel Curry’s long-awaited mix, these are the sounds that have defined my year thus far. -Carter Fife

At number one, ‘A Written Testimony’ may be a questionable choice to many music fans out there since it is not your traditional debut album. But, it’s the most important release this year. Numbers 2, 3, and 4 were a bit of a challenge. Although Lil Uzi Vert’s ‘Eternal Atake’ is undoubtedly the most fun album of 2020, musically it just doesn’t match ‘Circles’ and ‘Chilombo’. At 8 and 9, I had no choice but to incorporate two of my maybe lesser known artists with Boldy James and J Hus. The two released some of the best rap projects this year, J Hus even went #1 on the UK Billboard chart. The Weeknd caps off the list at number 10 since it just came out. -Courtney Fields

As we approach the end of March, I think that the album releases this year prove to show more quality than quantity. I stay busy listening to Mac Miller’s bittersweet final project Circles, Jay Electronica’s long-awaited album A Written Testimony, and the new Lil Wayne record Funeral (he really doesn’t miss). The artist that most surprised me, however, was G Herbo. His new project PTSD has become a personal favorite because of his ability to paint a picture with his words, accompanied by fire features like Juice WRLD, 21 Savage, and Chance the Rapper. If the rest of 2020 looks anything like the first three months, we’re in store for a strong year. -Colson O’Connor

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Five Highly Anticipated Albums We're Excited For in 2019

By Miles Hagan

Kanye West - Yahndi

Yahdi has been talked about since November. Kanye has pushed back the release date multiple times for many reasons in typical Kanye fashion. All of that being said, the music world is still waiting on what is coming next from Yeezy. Last year he released a solo album (Ye) and joint project with Kid Cudi (Kids See Ghosts), both which were well received by the general public. He closed the year with some pretty average performances with some artists like Lil Pump (“I Love It”) and 6ix9ine (“MAMA KANGA”). Kanye has given us a lot of interesting features, singles, and albums over the years, and his opinions will always be questionable, but one thing is for sure; Kanye will always have the public’s interest.

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Childish Gambino - TBA

Awaken My Love was a huge step in Gambino’s career. He had already established himself as a force to be reckoned with on Because the Internet, but fans were unsure of what the multitalented rapper would do next. He proceed to launch one of the most critically acclaimed TV shows in recent memory, Atlanta, and show his impressive skills as an actor in many major roles in films. Aside from these two things, he began to change his music style from mainly rap to a mix of R&B and Neo Soul. He released two solid singles at the end of the summer in “Feels Like Summer” and “Summertime Magic”. This was more of the sound from Awaken My Love rather than his other huge single of 2018, “This is America,” which showcased him going back to his roots of rapping. Though Childish has not directly said he's putting out a project his fairly steady output of content hints that he's still in the studio, so fans should be look forward to whatever he has planned for 2019.

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Isaiah Rashad - TBA

The young TDE rapper showed a ton of promise on his last record The Sun’s Tirade. This came after the scare of being dropped due to the break he took from music after his debut album Cilvia Demo. Ever since, the rapper has seemed focused and poised for another, even bigger release for his next project. Rashad has hinted at releasing new content for some time now especially on his social media. Aside from the occasional feature he hasn't put out anything to really give fans an idea of what new sounds he's working with. That being said his potential is undeniable especially with the team backing him in his label.

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Tyler the Creator & A$AP Rocky - Wang$ap

This is a project that has a lot of conflicting information regarding the release from the two main parties in A$AP Rocky and Tyler, the Creator. Rocky made it seem like project was well underway and fans should be expecting a release in the near future. Tyler almost immediately dismissed these remarks via Twitter saying that the album wasn't even full flesh out year and was still in the idea stages. The only real information that the public knows is that the two friends have been working together for a while now sporadically on music. “Potato Salad” came out in July of 2018 and had fans excited for more content from the two excellent rappers.

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Dreamville - Revenge of the Dreamers III

The young TDE rapper showed a ton of promise on his last record The Sun’s Tirade. This came after the scare of being dropped due to the break he took from music after his debut album Cilvia Demo. Ever since, the rapper has seemed focused and poised for another, even bigger release for his next project. Rashad has hinted at releasing new content for some time now especially on his social media. Aside from the occasional feature he hasn't put out anything to really give fans an idea of what new sounds he's working with. That being said his potential is undeniable especially with the team backing him in his label.

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Bonus: A Non Hip-Hop Release We’re Excited For

Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride

Vampire Weekend has been quite for a number of years now after they took a break from making music after their 2016 Modern Vampires tour. Key member Rostam Batmanglij was rumored to be leaving the band, though it has since been confirmed he is still a partial collaborator on their upcoming record. Talk of a new album was on and off till lead singer Ezra Koenig officially announced via his instagram that the group would be releasing a new album titled Father of the Bride September 6th of 2019. Leading up to the project there will be two new songs per month till its official release. The first two singles “Harmony Hall” and “2021” have received high remarks from fans and critics alike. They feature great vocals per usual from Koenig, and feature beautiful instrumentation and captivating lyrics throughout. From all that we have seen Vampire Weekend seems just as sharp as ever and prepared to make their way back into the forefront of music.

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