Recently Released

“I Won’t Care How You Remember Me” by Tigers Jaw – Mar 5, 2021

On March 5, Tigers Jaw released its sixth studio album “I Won’t Care How You Remember Me” via Hopeless Records. The Pennsylvania-based rock band’s lineup consists of Ben Walsh, Brianna Collins, Teddy Roberts and Colin Gorman. “I Won’t Care How You Remember Me” fuses indie-rock with the slightest touch of punk-rock, creating a pleasant, refined album. 

Some notable tunes on the 11-track album include: “Cat’s Cradle,” “Hesitation,” “Body Language” and “Can’t Wait Forever.” Tigers Jaw balances and blends the skills of each member, leading to an album with catchy melodies, lively instrumentals and tender, resonant lyrics. 

I particularly enjoy this album because Tigers Jaw’s lyric-driven tunes mix the ugliness and the grace of the human experience. When listening to the album’s lyrics, you would assume the album’s instrumentals would match the negative vibes of the lyrics, yet “I Won’t Care How You Remember Me” is a gentle album full of ugly emotions, and this balance is what makes it special. 

“Collapsed in Sunbeams” by Arlo Parks – Jan 29, 2021

In 20-year-old Arlo Parks’ debut album, she establishes herself as a talented songwriter and vocalist, skillfully blending her smooth vocals. Listeners of Parks might have had high expectations and a brief idea of what her album might sound like, but no one could predict exactly what type of album she was going to release.

“Collapsed in Sunbeams” is not only proof that Parks has a unique and incredible voice, but it’s also proof that Parks is an insanely talented storyteller who knows how to grab listeners’ attention and emotions. This album is especially impressive considering how young she is. You would think Parks has been doing this forever.

A few standouts on the album for me are “Caroline” and “Green Eyes,” but the whole album is great for those times when you’re in need of comfort or if you feel like immersing yourself in a world of calm and collected vocals and friendly lyrics.

Anticipated Releases

“Jubilee” by Japanese Breakfast – Jun 4, 2021

Michelle Zauner, known professionally as Japanese Breakfast, recently announced the release date of her third studio album “Jubilee.” The album, which will be released on Jun 4 via Dead Oceans, is Zauner’s first album release since 2017’s “Soft Sounds from Another Planet.” 

Zauner released the album’s lead single “Be Sweet” on Mar 2, and this upbeat, lighthearted tune already challenges Zauner’s past themes of loss, anguish and grief. The tune’s music video, starring Zauner and Mannequin Pussy’s Marisa Dabise, is an X-Files-esque parody that’s colored with fun elements, including comedic props and costumes, retro-inspired neon lighting and power-pop instrumentals. 

“Jubilee,” as the title suggests, will be a celebration of the passage of time and hopefully an exploration into Zauner’s newfound joy and zest for life. I’m excited to see how Zauner’s style – both lyrical and instrumental – has evolved despite her trials and tribulations, and I’m certain numerous songs from “Jubilee” will be featured on many of my summer playlists.

“Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” by Taylor Swift – Apr 9, 2021

Just when we think Taylor Swift had given us as much music as she possibly could, she exceeds everyone’s expectations with her third album release in the past eight months. Now 11-time Grammy winner, Swift is rerecording her second studio album “Fearless,” renamed “Fearless (Taylor’s Version,” which will be owned entirely by her.

The decision to rerecord her first six studio albums came last fall amidst a year-long feud with Scott Borchetta (CEO of Big Machine Records) and Scooter Braun (chairman of Ithaca Holdings), who sold Swift’s masters to Shamrock Holdings for over $300 million. Swift said she felt the only way she could gain the same sense of pride she originally had after releasing her first six albums was to rerecord them and regain control of her music.

Swift fans are looking forward to this album for several reasons, but you don’t have to be a “Swiftie” (Swift fan) to understand why this release is a big deal. Not many artists rerecord their albums, especially not six of them, so this is quite a feat for Swift to take on. By doing this, Swift is reclaiming not only her music but her brand and image as well, and this will pave the way for other artists to do the same.

In February, Swift announced that she’d be releasing “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” on Apr 9, which will include six unreleased songs. The original “Fearless” album sold over 3.2 million copies when it was first released in 2008, and I wouldn’t be surprised if her new version surpasses that number.