Editor’s note: KCSU does not support The Beeves, their label or their actions.

Gary Clark Jr. – This Land

Powerful vocals and amazing guitar combined with the angry yet purposeful lyrics really sell this album for me. It’s great and I’m a sucker for a good [well done] protest. The whole album is an experience and reads like a journey from a book, where each song resembles a distinct difference from the previous, but it doesn’t feel out of place or awkward, it flows tonally.

Andrew Bird – My Finest Work Yet

I honestly didn’t know what to expect. I saw the album cover before anything else and I was immediately intrigued; it parodies “the Death of Marat,” a classical French painting by Jaques-Loius David (come on Art History!). This album contains strong usage of classical themes and is dynamically different with each song. It’s an experience to listen and it feels like your going on a journey with Charon himself.

bulow – Crystalline

This album flawlessly combines pop with sad boi alternative music. bulow always reminds me of an older Billie Eilish with similar synth beats and pop influence. The lyrics are melancholy and depressing, but the beat makes you want to turn up the volume and dance to the song at 3 a.m. Lowkey bop. I would get down to this in the clurb.

The Beeves – Adam & Beeve

These local legends have done it again! The Beeves style of White Stripes-like punk rock sound with garage band touches are heavily featured on this album. The lyrics are crisp and clear with messages that make you want to mosh in the best way possible. I promise you will have most of these songs memorized before they are even over. I’m so proud of them!

Mannequin P**** – Patience

As a repressed riot grrl, this album embodies that whole counterculture in the span of 10 tracks that flow so seamlessly together that you won’t realize that the song has changed. The battles between rage, sadness and happiness are expressed in pure and brutal honesty and passion. This is the album to listen to when you want to be angry.

Pity Boy – Mal Blum

Simply put, Mal Blum has a way of capturing egotistical melancholy but making the whole experience upbeat and joyful. This album addresses serious issues of mental health and caring for those around us after hurting them in one form or another. These extremely insightful lyrics combined with the upbeat style make this album incredibly important and makes the listener want to call those important to them and give them a verbal hug.

Prince Daddy and the Hyena – Cosmic Thrill Seekers

I think about this album more often than I care to admit. If you have the time to sit down and listen to the whole thing in one sitting, I highly recommend it. The whole album was recorded in one session and the songs flow so well into each other, it should be illegal. In the words of Pitchfork, CTS is “a f*ck-up’s masterpiece, a hero’s journey following a guy who might conquer the world if he could leave his couch.”

Rising Appalachia – Leylines

It’s like Birdcloud got into folk and cleaned up their act. “Leylines” offers a unique sound of both modern minimalist and traditional folk that creates a beautiful experience. Simply put, it’s pure gospel and I guarantee you’ll be at peace after listening to this album.

Aldous Harding – Designer

Speaking of peaceful, if you want to make it strange, listen to “Designer.” The album by Aldous Harding, that is. She creates peaceful, ambient, yet haunting tracks. Her somber melancholy is subtle enough to fit into any environment.

Honorable Mentions
Fidlar – Almost Free
Pony – Orville Peck
James Blake – Assume Form
Hobo Johnson – The Fall of Hobo Johnson
White Reaper – You Deserve Love