This is batch 4 of the posts that I make for noting some of the great albums which came out in current year of 2020, and usually touch upon 3-4 albums which have been added to my library this year.
HMLTD - West Of Eden
Genre: Post-Punk, Art-Punk
Release Date: February 7, 2020
Post-Punk revival, especially in the UK, has been seeing steady resurgence throughout the 2010s, in 2020 the revival movement is reaching a peak with so many great post-punk albums coming out. Even among this crop of post-punk bands that are putting out some great work, HMLTD feels special and fresh. West Of Eden is their debut album and what a thrilling listen it is. a solid amalgamation of several ideas ranging from slow-burning ballads to trap beats wrapped around in a post-punk aesthetic. With so many ideas packed in the album almost feels disjointed, and may distract some listeners. One of the best quality of this record is how catchy it is, considering how many weird blends of genres each track works with. Finally, the lyricism on this album is sharp and at times twisted even by post-punk standards. "Nobody Stays In Love" is a pop song on a post-punk album, and one of the better ones to come out this year. If I can suggest one post-punk album from 2020 so far, West of Eden will be it.
Perfume Genius - Set My Heart On Fire Immediately
Genre: Singer-Songwriter, Art-Pop
Release Date: May 15, 2020
Imma say it, Perfume Genius is the most consistently great Singer-Songwriter throughout 2010s. Set My Heart On Fire, Immediately is his fifth studio album and he has not faltered here, it is great no scratch that it is beautiful and amazing and mesmerizing. His last album No Shape I think was his best yet, and even though this album does not reach the same highs that album did it contains the same carefully crafted ethereal production, the instrumental palate is gorgeous and very skeletal at times. Lyrically, the songs again deal with some very intimate lyrics about love and loss, but also many songs deals with the themes of flesh and body and sexuality, but at every instant it feels like each song is sung exclusively to you. Some of the best pop songs of the year lie in this album such as "Jason" and "On The Floor". I would suggest this album to anyone, it is a good reminder of what all pop can be.
Run The Jewels - RTJ4
Genre: Hip-Hop, Political Rap
Release Date: June 3, 2020
Run the Jewels are super popular, so why I am talking about it. This is their best album yet, not that RTW made a bad album till now but this just slaps. Perfect soundtrack to 2020s political climate. Nothing much to say more, it is full of hardcore hip-hop bangers. Just go and have a listen.
Gulch - Impenetrable Cerebral Fortress
Genre: Hardcore, Punk, Noise
Release Date: July 24, 2020
This is the best onslaught of just relentless hardcore punk thrown at me all year, and it just manages to melt your face off in 15 mins, that's it the album is just 15 mins long. Even in this short runtime Gulch manages to infuse elements of hardcore punk, grindcore, metalcore, noise and even some sludge metal in their songs, and there is care and thought put into their songwriting. The more I listen to this the more I realize how incredibly dynamic this record is, both in terms of styles of music covered and the sonic diversity given to the listener, with some heavy but relatively slow chugging riffs juxtaposed with passages of just insane blasts (very Napalm Death-esque). The production is great, every instrument stands out with very impressive guitar work ranging from riffage to noisy interludes, not flashy yet crisp drumming and ever present and chugging bass. Finally, the vocals steal the show, and are almost a sampling pack of metal scream type from grindcore shrieks, sludge growls to even black metal high scream. This is an amazing album, any punk/rock/metal fan should check this out.
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