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The Inside Track

  1. the inside track
    Demi Lovato’s Rock Side Has Always Been There“Come Together,” off Lovato’s new album, Holy Fvck, is a map to the singer’s past, present, and future.
    By Wolfgang Ruth
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    The Kid Laroi Is a Pop Chameleon“Stay” is the most anonymous work yet from pop’s new post-Post Malone.
    By Justin Curto
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    Pop-Punk Is a Tool for Self-Acceptance on WILLOW and Avril Lavigne’s ‘G R O W’In many ways, it’s the song encapsulation of WILLOW’s work at the red table.
    By Justin Curto
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    Capture the Beauty of SAULT’s New Album NINE While You Can“Bitter Streets” finds the mysterious U.K. collective at its best, making permanent beauty out of all things temporary.
    By Justin Curto
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    ‘You Right,’ Like the Rest of Planet Her, Is Doja Cat’s WorldThe Weeknd doesn’t bring much to their collaboration — not that Doja needs it.
    By Justin Curto
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    Japanese Breakfast’s Jubilee Goes Down in a Blaze of Guitar GloryThe minutes-long solo on “Posing for Cars” evokes the album’s journey toward joy.
    By Justin Curto
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    ‘Seeing Green’ Can’t Re-create Nicki Minaj’s Beam Me Up Scotty MagicMinaj links back with Drake and Lil Wayne on a new addition to her famed 2009 mixtape that didn’t need an update.
    By Justin Curto
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    The Marfa Tapes Ends on a Hymn to West TexasMiranda Lambert, Jack Ingram, and Jon Randall capture the magic of their surroundings on “Amazing Grace (West Texas).”
    By Justin Curto
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    Admit It, ‘SugarCrash!’ Was Already GreatElyOtto has a new remix of his TikTok hit, now featuring Kim Petras and Curtis Waters.
    By Justin Curto
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    ‘Mr. Perfectly Fine’ Is a Perfect Specimen of the Old TaylorIt’s the sort of classic Swiftian breakup song we haven’t heard in years.
    By Justin Curto
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    Three Generations of Country Queens Unite on Loretta Lynn’s ‘Still Woman Enough’Reba McEntire and Carrie Underwood join Lynn on the sole new song off her 50th studio album.
    By Justin Curto
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    On ‘Pay Your Way in Pain,’ St. Vincent Is Fully a Rock StarAnnie Clark refracts ’70s funk through her own idiosyncratic view on the first Daddy’s Home offering.
    By Justin Curto
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    Noname’s Voice Remains Singular on ‘Rainforest’The wonder of the track is nothing feels out of place.
    By Justin Curto
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    Rebecca Black’s ‘Friday’ Remix Earned the Right to Be a Delightful MessWith 3OH!3, Big Freedia, Dorian Electra, and 100 gecs’ Dylan Brady, so what if it’s over the top?
    By Justin Curto
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    The Weather Station’s ‘Robber’ Is UnshakableThe song sets the tone for Ignorance, an album-length statement about climate anxiety.
    By Justin Curto
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    9 Songs That Wouldn’t Exist Without SOPHIEFrom ones SOPHIE produced to ones that undeniably bear the artist’s influence.
    By Justin Curto
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    ‘Don’t Judge Me’ Makes the Best Case Yet for FKA Twigs’s Hip-hop CrossoverWith U.K. hitmaker Fred again.. and rapper Headie One.
    By Justin Curto
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    glaive Celebrates His Sweet 16 With a Delectable FU of a Song Alongside ericdoa“cloak n dagger” falls more comfortably into emo than hyperpop, though.
    By Justin Curto
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    Lana Del Rey Is Only Speaking for Herself NowPast the current discourse, “Chemtrails Over the Country Club” doesn’t say much.
    By Justin Curto
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    Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘drivers license’ Is Nothing New — of Course It’s a HitThere’s some truth to the Taylor comparisons.
    By Justin Curto
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    ‘Girl Like Me’ Is the Heart of Jazmine Sullivan’s Heaux TalesThe singer collaborates with H.E.R. on her first album in over five years.
    By Justin Curto
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    Taylor Swift’s Haim Collab Tries to Be Cold-Blooded But Is Mostly Just ColdThe evermore song lacks the fire at the center of great country revenge anthems.
    By Justin Curto
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    Drakeo the Ruler’s First Post-Prison Album Flexes on the Justice SystemWe Know the Truth emphasizes clear calls for justice alongside some of his most intimidating bars ever.
    By Justin Curto
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    Megan Thee Stallion Murders the Narrative on ‘Shots Fired’And gets the last laugh while doing it.
    By Justin Curto
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    Lil Uzi Vert Is Leading Future NowPluto x Baby Pluto’s best moments find Future following the steps of his protégé.
    By Justin Curto
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    ‘Bryson’ Is the Perfect Reintroduction to NLE Choppa, Rap’s New Gwyneth PaltrowHe’s “awakened,” sure, but no less fun as hell.
    By Justin Curto
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    Ariana Grande Ends Positions With a Bit of Emotional HonestyCloser ‘pov’ is a rare moment when Grande is an unsure human like the rest of us.
    By Justin Curto
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    Adrianne Lenker’s instrumentals Are Stunning Sounds of IsolationThis time, the singer-songwriter’s challenge to listen comes as a gift.
    By Justin Curto
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    Kevin Morby’s Ode to the Midwest Rewards Patience“Don’t Underestimate Midwest American Sun,” the unassuming centerpiece of Morby’s new album, feels expansive.
    By Justin Curto
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    Future Islands Do ‘the Future Islands Thing’ Again“For Sure” and their Colbert performance show that their style hasn’t grown stale.
    By Justin Curto
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    Laura Jane Grace’s Quarantine Album Is Everything Quarantine Music Should Be“Old Friend (Stay Alive)” is a survival song for disastrous times.
    By Justin Curto
  32. the inside track
    The Rage of Idles Is Just Another Empty Gesture“War,” which opens their new album Ultra Mono, doesn’t make sense.
    By Justin Curto
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    Can Ava Max Ever Follow Up ‘Sweet But Psycho’?“Naked,” her latest try, is one of her best songs — but still not built for the 2020 charts.
    By Justin Curto
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    NBA YoungBoy Is Still a Major Work in Progress, But He Cannot Be IgnoredWhen given the chance to face his bigger flaws headfirst on Top, he turns away.
    By Justin Curto
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    ‘Pigeons’ Is Bill Callahan at His BestThe Gold Record song is a revelatory shift as Callahan continues to move away from music about loneliness.
    By Justin Curto
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    Dua Lipa’s Maximal Turn Yields Minimal ResultsMark Ronson’s Gwen Stefani-featuring “Physical” remix is one of Club Future Nostalgia’s most unnecessary tracks.
    By Justin Curto
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    Bully’s Screams Feel Necessary As Ever“Not Ashamed” is one of the clearest statements on Sugaregg, and Alicia Bognanno screams damn near the whole thing.
    By Justin Curto
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    Burna Boy’s ‘Level Up’ Is Better Than a Victory LapTwice As Tall’s opening track revisits Burna Boy’s wild recent rise, and also makes clear that he’s not getting complacent.
    By Justin Curto
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    Victoria Monét Saved the Best Songs for HerselfThe title track of Monét’s ’70s-tinged debut proves she’s not just someone else’s songwriter.
    By Justin Curto
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    Dominic Fike Still Has a Lot to LearnWith lines like “I hope I get Me Too’d,” from “Cancel Me,” the breakout alt-rapper only muddies the statement he’s trying to make.
    By Justin Curto
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    Lana Del Rey Can’t See Past Herself on ‘Paradise Is Very Fragile’Del Rey attempts to continue the conversation from Norman F- - -ing Rockwell.
    By Justin Curto
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    Taylor Swift and Bon Iver Find Perfect Harmony on ‘exile’This isn’t the indie record that’s much cooler than hers. This is what she makes after she’s listened to that record.
    By Justin Curto
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    Illuminati Hotties Challenge Everything on ‘free dumb’Off their mixtape and final kiss-off to ex-label Tiny Engines, Free I.H: This Is Not the One You’ve Been Waiting For.
    By Justin Curto
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    ‘Man of the Year’ Is a Fittingly Emo Coda to Juice WRLD’s CareerIt’s affecting to hear the rapper accept the profound impact he’s had on his audience.
    By Justin Curto
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    Margo Price’s ‘I’d Die for You’ Is Transcendent Rock MusicThe country outsider’s biggest song yet, on new album That’s How Rumors Get Started, shouldn’t come as a surprise.
    By Justin Curto
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    Arca & Sophie’s ‘La Chíqui’ Pushes Pop Music Further Into the FutureThe producers team up after circling each other for years.
    By Justin Curto
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    Phoebe Bridgers’s ‘I Know the End’ Has the Catharsis You’ve Been CravingFeaturing Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus, Conor Oberst, Nick Zinner, Tomberlin, Blake Mills … everyone?
    By Justin Curto
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    ‘Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied’ Is The 1975 Summed Up in One SongMatty Healy was bound to rap at some point.
    By Justin Curto