Melissa Kacar

"Lonely is the Muse" // Halsey I am continuously blown away by Halsey 's stunning artistry and vivid world-building in their music. "Lonely is the Muse" is so powerful and sharply written, sonically drawing from rock and grunge aesthetics of the 1990's. That is a style that I always felt suited her best, especially after the incredible  If I Can't Have Love I Want Power   in 2021 . The song is about the way she always falls in love with artists and creative types, only to realize that time and time again she ends up feeling commodified and put on a pedestal as a means of inspiration for that person's art. I never heard this described before in a song and it truly gives me chills every single time I listen. Dare I say "Lonely is the Muse" is her best song yet?  It is so poignantly written, so many lyrics stand out to me as among their greatest ever. "I will exist in every second just to decorate your life and when you're done, you c

BRAT is so fun, so introspective and so Julia . The release of  BRAT  marks a bold new chapter in Charli xcx 's career that has been incredible to witness. She has been a pop music innovator from the very start, always so ahead of her time in every regard. It feels like this is now the time everyone is finally catching up to her and recognizing the artistic genius that she is on a mainstream level. Charli is taking such a different approach to this music compared to many of her peers in the space by releasing a record that is this bold, daring, and abrasive. All of the major risks she took paid off so well, resulting in what is the greatest work she has ever released. This truly feels like the album she was born to make, coming at the perfect time to truly infiltrate the culture in a major way.  The act of being BRAT , to me, is being unabashedly confident in yourself and your vision, but also simultaneously living alongside a lot of deep fears and insecurities. She presents hersel