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BEYOND THE STAGE
BEYOND the stage
STAFF
ADDIE WHELAN
EDITOR IN CHIEF
DELANEY DEANGELIS
DEPUTY EDITOR
GINA SCARPINO PHOTO EDITOR
CHELSEA GRESH
ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR
LAUREN KLONOWSKI
ASSISTANT DEPUTY EDITOR
JOE HERNANDEZ DIGITAL ASSISTANT
Buy a print copy of ANY issue at: https://btsmag.co/PrintBTS
Beyond The Stage is a digital music magazine based in the United States. You can read Beyond The Stage online for free or visit our website to buy a hard copy. Previous issues are always available to read online or order in print.
Read the latest news at: WWW.BEYONDTHESTAGEMAGAZINE.COM
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WRITERS
Revisit our previous issues at: https://btsmag.co/Issues
Addie Whelan Alicia Rangel Alyssa Buzzello Bailey Flores Blake Charles Chelsea Gresh Delaney DeAngelis Gina Scarpino Joe Hernandez Lauren Klonowski Marissa Sandoval Morgan Jones Samantha Aneed Stone Fenk
PHOTOGRAPHERS
COVER PHOTO COURTESY: Jordan Curtis Hughes
Addie Whelan Alicie Rangel Bailey Flores Blake Charles Carrine Hen Chelsea Gresh Emily Williams Gina Scarpino Joe Hernandez Kayla Smith Stone Fenk
Want to be featured in BTS? Contact: awhelan@beyondthestagemagazine.com For advertising inquiries contact: ads@beyondthestagemagazine.com
Follow us for updates at: @BTSMAG
TABLE OF
CONTENTS ON THE COVER
24 YOU ME AT SIX
GALLERIES
FEATURES AND FESTIVALS
12 Noah Kahan 38 Best of 2018
06 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 18 B96 Chicago’s Jingle Bash 32 101WKQX: The Nights We Stole Christmas
04 Twenty One Pilots 05 Tori Kelly 09 The Band CAMINO 10 Waterparks 11 Boygenius 16 Every Time I Die 17 NAO 21 Elle King 22 Palaye Royale 23 EDEN 30 Calpurnia 31 Sage The Gemini 37 Wild Nothing 53 Chase Rice 54 Kodaline
YOU ME AT SIX ON THE COVER
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TWENTY ONE PILOTS GINA SCARPINO - NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 2018
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TORI KELLY
ALICIA RANGEL - AUSTIN, TX - NOVEMBER 2018
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SABRINA CARPENTER
SHAWN MENDES
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BAZZI
BEBE REXHA
IHEARTRADIO JINGLE BALL LIVE PHOTOS BY ADDIE WHELAN | RED CARPET PHOTOS BY EMILY WILLIAMS
ALESSIA CARA
DUA LIPA
CALVIN HARRIS
SABRINA CARPENTER
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BEBE REXHA
BAZZI
ALESSIA CARA
DUA LIPA
THE BAND CAMINO CARRINE HEN - HOUSTON, TX - NOVEMBER 2018
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WATERPARKS
CHELSEA GRESH - CLEVELAND, OH - NOVEMBER 2018
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BOYGENIUS
JOE HERNANDEZ - PORTLAND, OR - NOVEMBER 2018
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NOAH KAHAN PHOTOS BY BAILEY FLORES AND WORDS BY GINA SCARPINO
Beyond The Stage: Being from a small town in things definitely shaped the way I started to write and Vermont, what was the music scene like? How did the shaped my sound. music scene around where you grew up affect you as an artist? BTS: What inspires you most musically? Noah Kahan: I grew up in a town of about thousand people on a big tree farm, just 160 acres of trees and land that take up a lot of space around me. I think that influences the choices I make in my music and the kind of vibe I try to give off with the songs, with chord structure, with the production, you know folk music has always been done. That plays a huge role for me. So, I think growing up in a small place with not a lot of people and a lot of natural BTS
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NK: Everything. I think a lot of my music is playing around with self-exploration and this journey I’ve been on for the past few years. It’s focused on anxiety and depression and mental illness, I think it all ties into the songs because I experienced these things on a day-today basis. I’m a younger guy and I started kind of to be thrusted into this crazy world, and that comes with a lot of weight and I think that’s nice to put that weight down on paper. The in-
spiration is mostly just the journey of all the places I go to the people I meet along the way. I see the world and the way the world changes through the scope of the world of living with anxiety and depression, both of which I have struggled with for a long time. I just try to tell people how I feel and I find that people can usually connect with that in their own way. BTS: You collaborated with Julia Michaels on the title track of your debut EP Hurt Somebody. What was it like working with her? NK: It was good! I had never met her and she reached out to me in an email saying she wanted to cut a vocal on my song, which was obviously a honor. She’s a great songwriter, so it was definitely a cool experience. She helped me out a lot and it was nice that we got to work together. We never actually got to meet though, it was all done through email and the internet, which is kind of a millennial way to have a song happen. BTS: What song on Hurt Somebody are you the most proud of? NK: I’m proud of all the songs but I think if there’s one that I’m attached to the most, it has got to be “Please” because I wrote “Please” at a time things are really tough for me emotionally and I didn’t think that I was good at making music anymore and I thought that I would never write anything good again. I sat down and wrote down all that kind of overwhelming emotion. I just wrote a song that I really thought was great and other people saw it as great too. So I had to put it on the EP and people really connected with it. People sing along with it that the shows and it’s nice to go from somewhere so lonely to somewhere where we’re sharing this isolated experience with people who are connecting to it in their own way. BTS: This past fall, you embarked on your first headlining tour. What were some of your favorite memories from tour? NK: I think the most memorable moment on this tour was when I played this venue in Vermont where I’m from called Higher Ground. It was really special because I grew up going to shows there and being, so you know, on fire by the artist that were coming through and playing and just being jealous afterwards. You know if you see someone doing something you love to do and you just want to do it so bad being jealous not in a bad way but being so incredibly inspired, a confidence that was what I wanted to do and I would walk out every night at the shows and I’ll be like ‘Oh shit I just want to do that,’ and we sold out the biggest room at the venue for my headlining the tour. It was the biggest show I’ve ever played for myself and all BTS BTS
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of my family was there and all of my friends were there and I got to walk by my poster on the wall next to [the posters from past shows] and it was just really surreal. It made me feel like everything I have been doing was worth it. It was an amazing experience. BTS: How do you think music has changed your life thus far? NK: I’ve always been playing music and I honestly never thought I was going to do anything. I knew I wanted to [play music] really badly, but I never thought it was going to happen. So, I went from having this very normal life where I was going to college and everything, but then I ended up with the least normal life ever. I think that had some positive and negative effects on me. I think it’s been pretty unhealthy for me mentally and the amount of attention I receive versus the amount of time that I have to myself is really difficult. It’s really scary and I think it really messes with your brain chemistry when people tell you what you’re doing is great and then once you’re alone, you sit and wonder if you believe any of it. It’s so strange to have all this pressure on me all the time, I think I deal with it pretty well. I like to make the music I like to make regardless but having like fifteen different people rely on me to make money is really bizarre, I don’t really like it. I think it’s unhealthy for them and I think it’s unhealthy for me. But, in contrast to all of that, it’s pretty cool and amazing everything that I’ve been able to do. I get to see the world and I get to share how I’m feeling and have amazing people reach out to me and tell me they’re feeling the same things I am. I get to meet incredible people who are doing awesome things through the space of my music, and that’s so amazing. I got to meet my amazing band, and I got to meet people who really believe in me, which is nice. I don’t think everyone has necessarily had someone tell them that they believe in them, and it’s amazing and motivating. BTS: What can our readers expect from you in the coming months? NK: I have a lot of new music coming out soon. I have an album coming out in the spring, and a new song in the in the winter that’s going to lead off the album, which I love. So lots of new music, touring, and just a lot of new material.
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EVERY TIME I DIE
STONE FENK - PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 2018
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NAO
BLAKE CHARLES - PORTLAND, OR - JANUARY 2019
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B96 CHICAGO’S JINGLE BASH
MIKE POSNER
CAMILA CABELLO
LAUV
PHOTOS BY ADDIE WHELAN BTS
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WHY DON’T WE
SHAWN MENDES
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CARDI B
ELLE KING
BLAKE CHARLES - PORTLAND, OR - DECEMBER 2018
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PALAYE ROYALE
STONE FENK - PITTSBURGH, PA - NOVEMBER 2018
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EDEN
GINA SCARPINO - BROOKLYN, NY - NOVEMBER 2018
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PHOTOS BY CHELSEA GRESH | WORDS BY DELANEY DEANGELIS BTS BTS
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or You Me At Six, their sixth album is all about having fun and experimentation. Never a band to stick to one style, the UK rock band have bounced around somewhere between pop rock and harder rock styles. “I think VI really is us having fun and messing about with different styles of music and influences that we currently listen to, what we listened in the past, and I think for us, we were just trying to be brave and not worry about preconceptions [...] and being like, ‘Oh, is it this style, is it that style,’” explained guitarist Max Helyer. “We were writing what felt right to us in the studio and I think it kind of reminded me of a record like Sinners [Never Sleep], where it was a little all over the place, you got different flavors, different styles of genres all in one record, but I think we kinda honed on it a little bit more this time and it’s just an adventurous, fun record.” Adventurous and different it is. From the harder rock of opening tracks “Fast Forward” and “Straight to My Head” to the feel good tracks of “Back Again” and “3AM,” you can see the comparison to the eclecticness of Sinners Never Sleep, the group’s third album. The ten track album is packed with songs that clearly have a wide variety of influences, but all brought together with a style that is uniquely You Me At Six. “After being in a band for 13 plus years, we’d always just sit in a room and jam on instruments, where this record is a little bit more sitting behind the laptop and kinda creating ideas that way and then kind of showcase it,” explained Helyer about the creation of the album. “Then you’d all work around it together so we kind of just tried to start in different positions in songs. So like a song like “I O U,” which is very urban influenced, but it has the kind of slick rock and roll, like Queens of Stone Age or Arctic Monkeys that we listen to. So it had the groove, it had the feel and it was at first, we were sitting being like ‘Oh, this is not a You Me At Six song, this is just us really fucked up, just jamming having some fun on a late night evening session,’ but then it kind of showed that actually some of those weird, out
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there songs that you don’t think could be a You Me At Six song can be a You me At Six song.” Helyer explained that for him, this album was all about growing and challenging not only themselves, but their fanbase. “It’s about how far you’re willing to push people, and also for us, it was challenging ourselves. ‘Cause if it’s easy to write a song, sometimes it’s great ‘cause they can be so quick and painless and normally they’re the best ones, but I also feel like as a musician I want to challenge myself and I think we all do, but also we want to challenge our listeners and make people go, ‘Oh, I didn’t expect them to do this.’” Helyer admits prior to the album, he wasn’t alway a fan of cowriting songs, but was excited about his experience cowriting “Back Again” with Joel Pott.
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“I wanted to just learn and progress and prove myself as a musician and that way, by working with other people, you get to learn their knowledge and also create music together and that’s really fun as well,” he explained. “But then there’s also been this record, like I said, we’d go away and us five would go and rent a studio house for like a week or two weeks and we’d go and get fucked up and have a good time, and I think there’s a healthy balance on this record.” Helyer relates the new album to the way people consume music—you can’t just look at someone anymore and tell what people listen to. “It’s really pushing the boat for us as well, ‘cause everybody’s just going fucking wild and just doing so much different cross pollination of genres together,” he said. “You look at somebody like Bring Me the Horizon’s new record, like you can tell there’s been dance music all across that record, you know, it’s all these different grooves and you think before, they were a heavy metal band, but now look where they are. It kinda goes back to what I was saying—people just got to take the risk. And I think sometimes you get the reward from taking the risk.” Upon the announcement of their return, You Me At Six released two singles, “Fast Forward” and “3AM.” The first being a more grungy, loud rock band song, while the latter is much more of a pop-based, feel good tune. The two different tracks gave fans a listen into the different sides of the album. “It was kinda like the old school thing, like back in the day when The Beatles all that, they did double A sides, but for us it was more like to show two sides of the record and being like, ‘Hey, we can still be a loud rock band if we want to,’ ‘cause ‘Fast Forward’ I think was one of the benchmark songs on this record and to set the energy. And then ‘3AM’ was one of the last ones we wrote, but it had such a feel good vibe to it, and I think for us, well we’ve done that in the past, [...] that’s why I reference Sinners [Never Sleep] ‘cause you have songs from that record like ‘Bite My Tongue,’ but you can put them next to ‘No One Does it Better’ or ‘Reckless’ and you go ‘Wow, very different sounds, but it kinda works.’” The past few years, it’s become popular for bands BTS
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to celebrate the big anniversaries of their album, and for You Me At Six, it was their turn to celebrate the tenth anniversary of their debut album, Take Off Your Colours, playing songs they haven’t played in years. “It was definitely a trip down memory lane. It was, don’t know, just kind of reminded me like, there’s some songs that we never played on that album. So when you’re having to go back and relearn songs that you made over ten years ago, it’s like my first real songwriting experience when i was 15 to like 17,” he said. “So you’re going back being like, ‘Oh wow,’ it shows how far you’ve come as a musician over time. So it’s kind of challenging ‘cause it’s so fast paced as well, like I don’t know what we were on when we were younger, but something that made us hyper that’s for sure.” As Helyer points out, You Me At Six has come a long way since their debut album. Where Take Off Your Colours is fast-paced and hyper, their recent releases have gotten a lot more mellow, a lot more refined as the band continues to grow as musicians. At the same time, Take Off Your Colours is what started the band’s career, and paved the way for the rest of the band’s career. “But it was great to kind of go there, ‘cause it was the foundations of what got us as a band started all around the world, it was that MySpace day having like, “Save it for the Bedroom” and all those songs and still seeing you know, obviously there was a fanbase that kinda maybe grew away from us [...], but then these shows, they came back into so it was a little sort of older generation going to those shows, which is like, wow, okay cool,” he said. “I think for UK rock music, it kinda allowed other bands to do things, like not in an arrogant kind of way, ‘cause they weren’t getting that much breakthrough, that modern sound, alternative rock band.” Fast forward to present day, You Me At Six are just starting their American tour in support of VI, and Helyer said they’re off to a good start. “Considering with America, with the market you have to consistently tour here to kind of gain growth, I think we’ve seen it has been a little bit of a dip because obviously we haven’t been here for such a long time, but I think also there’s still a core fanbase
here in America that still listen to us, still come out to the shows,” said Helyer. “I think we’ve seen new fans kind of come along into the shows, since this new record people that may have never listened to us before, thought we were a bit too heavy or whatever, I think this record’s kind of crossed over into a different genre and different audience as well. It’s been quite nice.” So far, they’ve only played five songs off of VI, but Helyer shared that “Straight to My Head” is his favorite to play so far. “It’s just very anthemic but it’s really enjoyable to play and I think the fanbase likes that song as well, I think it’s got a mix of everything but when wright a song it sounds weird but [...] We were saying this is the most You Me At Six sounding You Me At Six song, and the best version that we’ve ever done and I think that we can see that connecting with the fanbase as well. It’s just fucking great. I love playing it,” he said. For the rest of 2019, they’re going to tour Australia with Bring Me the Horizon, and then will play shows through festival season, before possibly touring at the end of the year. And, fans may be able to expect new music sooner rather than later. “We have a song back from the last record that we knew we wanted to keep there, and then all of a sudden we went and did a session before the end of last year and we came out with a few more songs that we were very surprised by ‘cause we’re trying to do things in different ways and it’s like something exciting,” he shared. “So we’ve captured a different side of our band on some of the newer songs so I think if people hear them or not, I don’t know if they’ll make the final cut next time, but I think for us we want to have new music come out this year as well and just keep that momentum going.” We have no doubts that You Me At Six will be able to that momentum that they have from VI, and can’t wait to see where the band goes from here. To stay up to date with all things You Me At Six, follow them on Twitter (@youmeatsix), Facebook (@youmeatsix) and Instagram (@youmeatsixofficial). Make sure to check out the band’s website for upcoming tour dates and more - youmeatsix.co.uk.
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CALPURNIA
JOE HERNANDEZ - PORTLAND, OR - JANUARY 2019
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SAGE THE GEMINI BLAKE CHARLES - EUGENE, OR - JANUARY 2019
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ALICE MERTON
HOUNDMOUTH
NATHANIEL RATELIFF AND THE NIGHT SWEATS
101WKQX’S THE NIGHTS WE STOLE CHRISTMAS BTS
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PHOTOS BY ADDIE WHELAN
ALBERT HAMMOND JR.
GRANDSON
SMASHING PUMPKINS
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FLORA CASH
CHVRCHES
WALK THE MOON
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ELLE KING
LOVELYTHEBAND
DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE
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JUNGLE
BARNS COURTNEY
MUSE
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WILD NOTHING
KAYLA SMITH - BROOKLYN, NY - NOVEMBER 2018
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ALBUM OF THE YEAR 1. A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships - The 1975 After an incredible amount of anticipation, The 1975 finally released A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships after a series of singles and trailers. Highly promoted via their social channels, radio appearances and even public artworks, The 1975’s third album continued the theme of diversity among their whole discography. Starting with their classic, “The 1975” track, A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships includes more autotune and electronics, but balances it well with strong instrumentation and mixing. As The 1975 embarks on the tour named after the album, the band continues to diversify their setlist playing a new setlist each night. Compared to Radiohead’s critically acclaimed, OK Computer, The 1975’s latest release is authentic and a true step in the right direction for the band. - Addie Whelan 2. Shawn Mendes - Shawn Mendes From GRAMMY-nominated singer, Shawn Mendes came an album that immediately was put on heavy rotation by fans around the world. The self-titled, third album from Mendes is easily the most raw and emotional of the three, with an incredible insight into Mendes and his inner workings. Featuring the lead single, “In My Blood,” Shawn Mendes dives into Mendes’ inner workings, his anxieties, his relationships and more. As he dives deeper into the album, we hear collaborations with Julia Michaels and Khalid, all that bring an even more insightful look into the singer that’s been in the spotlight for so long. Not only did Mendes impress his fans, but he impressed critics worldwide who immediately gravitated to the album and gave it 5/5 stars. - Addie Whelan 3. sweetener - Ariana Grande Ariana Grande’s sweetener is filled with joy and love and is the pop sensation’s best album yet. It is clear that she has found honesty and her true voice and has developed that into a more mature pop sound. The title track of the album, “sweetener” brings the most joyous sound to the album followed by streams of consciousness and Pharrell-infused vocal runs. Something interesting
that this album brought to pop this year is a complete work, as opposed to banging tracks fighting fillers in a body of work. If you want to get a taste of the album, we suggest listening to “sweetener” and “no tears left to cry.” - Alyssa Buzzello 4. Youngblood - 5 Seconds of Summer 5 Seconds of Summer took a well-deserved break in 2017 and came back stronger than ever with their latest album, Youngblood. The album definitely was inspired by a ton of 80’s rock bands and current indie-rock bands. Listeners could tell that 5 Seconds of Summer have matured with this album and it’s for the best. This shift in their maturity helped them create their best album to date. They also gained so many fans in the process by appealing to a new audience. There is a little something for everyone to enjoy on Youngblood. A few songs that set this album apart are “Lie To Me,” “Move Along” and “Empty Wallets.” We are so excited to see what else 5 Seconds of Summer will bring to us in this album cycle and even in the future. So far, it has been a wild and enjoyable ride. - Chelsea Gresh 5. Malibu Nights - LANY Malibu Nights is an album crafted by broken hearts for broken hearts. Although the lyrics stay simplistic throughout the record they hit home to anyone who has ever been through a breakup or rough patch in their lives. Smooth pop instrumentation mixed with Paul Klein’s heart wrenching lyrics made this album an automatic favorite to bawl your eyes out to in the car or loudly sing along with friends. One of the most beautiful aspects of music is the ability to feel like you can relate to someone whom you have never met. With this record, LANY, did just that; they broke down the wall between musician and fan and created a honest, raw, and emotional experience for anyone that took a listen. Standout songs like “Taking me Back,” “Valentines Day” and “Malibu Nights” do a perfect job at conveying sincere emotion while still feeling light and poppy. Beyond the Stage is extremely excited for the new music and tour dates LANY has prepared for 2019. - Morgan Jones
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TOP POP ALBUMS 1. sweetener - Ariana Grande While sweetener, released on Republic Records, may be Ariana Grande’s most diverse album out of her four, it still blends together and pulls from all her usual influences that fans have heard on her previous three records, including 90s R&B and pop. It is also probably the album that best shows that Grande isn’t scared of experimenting with her sound. Grande has also used her album as not just a musical piece of art but used the songs to produce visual art through her videos such as from singles “god is a woman” and “no tears left to cry.” While we’ve already been introduced to what is to come on her 5th studio album, sweetener is not a record that fans are going to be leaving behind as we eagerly await thank u, next’s release. - Marissa Sandoval 2. Shawn Mendes - Shawn Mendes Between two incredibly successful albums and an extensive world tour in 2017, Shawn Mendes has lived a lot of life. But when his self-titled third album was released in May, it was clear that Mendes had finally found his footing. The album was a perfect, unexpected mix of gorgeous guitar tones and epic percussion sections. He recruited help from Khalid, Julia Michaels and John Mayer to help him tell these stories. More than anything, Shawn Mendes shows how versatile and mature he is, which is saying something considering he’s only 19. The content on the album covers everything from working through anxiety to falling in love to what it’s like to be young in the modern world, and beyond. His ability to take his vulnerability and make it relatable to the masses is what makes this album shine. Shawn Mendes is a fabulous album that intersects at the corner of pop, R&B, and alternative rock—it’s the perfect album for any music fan. - Gina Scarpino 3. Bloom - Troye Sivan Following the chart topper that was “Youth,” the quiet confidence and potential of Blue Neighbourhood was gone with the release of Troye Sivan’s Bloom. Instead, Sivan shows his full colors and the strides he has made to become one of pop music’s prominent artists, and among today’s most important figures and BTS BTS
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advocates in LGBTQ+ representation. Bloom is about transparency and vulnerability, and in each song Sivan describes what it’s like to be a young gay man in 2018. Aside from songs like “Animal” and “The Good Side,” Bloom sonically is very similar to Blue Neighbourhood, but Sivan’s lyrics are what differentiate between the two and show his growth as an artist. Bloom is an amazing pop album, but what it symbolizes and represents in mainstream media is much greater. - Joe Hernandez 4. Youngblood - 5 Seconds of Summer Australian pop-rock band 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS) released the album Youngblood through Capitol Records in June of 2018. Youngblood is the band’s third studio album and though it is a little different than their last album, it quickly became one of the top selling albums in the summer of 2018. In several songs such as “Valentine” and “Babylon” the listener can really hear the band’s growth from their last album. Intricate melodies, vocals and tones shape this album and make it fun and unique. Youngblood is filled with both catchy tunes and soft melodies that are extremely engaging and make you want to sing along with singer Luke Hummings’ vocals. - Alicia Rangel 5. Malibu Nights - LANY A mere 16 months after the release of their debut album, dream-pop heartthrobs LANY released their nine-track sophomore album Malibu Nights. The album details the pain and emotional turmoil that follows heartbreak. Each song perfectly compliments the next, and takes listeners through the different stages of heartbreak. “Valentines Day” and “Malibu Nights” are among the more heart-wrenching songs on the album. Lead singer Paul Klein cries on the album’s title track “I’ve got way too much time to be this hurt / Somebody help, it’s getting worse / What do you do with a broken heart? / One the light fades everything is dark.” Malibu Nights is the perfect next step for LANY. It’s very different from their first record, but familiar enough that it gave fans exactly what they were hoping for. Since its release, every show LANY has played has perfectly accompanied the album visually, and has left fans singing louder than ever. Gina Scarpino
TOP ROCK ALBUMS 1. Pray For The Wicked - Panic! At the Disco It’s no secret that Brendon Urie has an incredible vocal range. Somehow on the latest Panic! At the Disco album, Pray For The Wicked, he manages to blow us away all over again. Complete with heartfelt lyrics and fun stories, this record was definitely a high point for the band. The album was released on Fueled By Ramen, like all of their previous records. The album was well-received from critics and fans alike. It reached number one in a number of countries, including the US Billboard Top 200. Cities, dancing, drinking and love were all strong message points on this record and Urie has vast experience in them all. The album really felt like a journey and we were so happy to be along for the ride.- Lauren Klonowski 2. Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino - Arctic Monkeys In May, British-rockers Arctic Monkeys made their long-awaited return to music with Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino. The album is a bit of a departure from their previous, guitar driven records. Lead vocalist Alex Turner wrote the majority of the album on piano, and the end result was beyond refreshing. The songwriting on Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino is more clever than ever with tricky phrasings and references. Turner croons “I just wanted to be like The Strokes / Now look at the mess you made me make” as he grapples with stardom in the opening song, which really sets the tone for what listeners can expect sonically and lyrically throughout the album. Since the album’s release, all of the shows the Arctic Monkeys have played have visually paired with the sound of the new album perfectly. With an 1970s inspired stage design, the band’s performances have become more cohesive and engrossing then ever. Gina Scarpino
2018. This album is a must listen if you are a fan of any classic rock. Or maybe if you’re just in a mood for a departure from today’s pop and oversaturated altrock. This album showcases electric guitar solos and strong low bass and channels the rock everyone has been missing from the 60s. - Alyssa Buzzello 4. Trench - Twenty One Pilots After exploding into popularity with their previous release, Blurryface, Twenty One Pilots is back and better than ever with Trench. While Blurryface was a great album, Trench is the perfect progression for the duo. It’s more refined and shows the duo has only improved on their craft. Everything fans know about Twenty One Pilots is still here, the genre-bending tracks, synth and conceptual lyrics. The album concept involves a fictional city and the continuation of the Blurryface storyline. The album begins with the rock-driven “Jumpsuit” before moving into the rapped “Levitate.” “My Blood” is much more indiepop, and “Nico and the Niners” incorporates reggae influence. While the genre varies from track-to-track, the album still feels cohesive with its storyline. Delaney DeAngelis 5. VI - You Me At Six
It’s no shock that You Me At Six’s sixth album would be simply titled VI. After the mixed reaction to their previous album, Night People, the band pushed themselves to create the 10-track album. VI feels like an extension of their sophomore album Sinners Never Sleep, fusing together pop and rock. The album opens with the more rock-based “Fast Forward” and “Straight to My Head” before transitioning into the pop-based “Back Again.” “I O U” is funky and unlike anything the band has released to date. The band seamlessly find 3. Anthem of the Peaceful Army - Greta Van Fleet balance between genres and experimentation.It’s refreshing to see the band not take themselves too This year Greta Van Fleet has risen to the top of rock seriously. VI feels confident and passionate, the band in a way that no other young band has for years with no longer afraid to stray from their rock roots to bring album Anthem of the Peaceful Army. Many have in influences from other genres. - Delaney DeAngelis called the band a Led Zeppelin rip off, but their anthemic rock was some of the best released in
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TOP HIP-HOP ALBUMS 1. beerbongs and bentleys - Post Malone Austin, aka Post Malone, did something incredible with beerbongs & bentleys. The album is stacked with features from YG, G-Eazy, Nicki Minaj, Swae Lee, 21 Savage and Ty Dolla Sign. Two of the five singles held the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100. The album itself went double platinum. At one point in time nine of the songs were in the top 20 of Billboard’s Hot 100. Post Malone’s success with beerbongs & bentleys is undeniable. If you have ever watched him erform “rockstar” live you understand his appeal. We are excited to see if Austin releases music this year. Nicolita Bradley 2. ASTROWORLD - Travis Scott Travis Scott, one of the pioneers of the new wave of rap that we hear from newer artists, has achieved one of the greatest albums of the year, ASTROWORLD. From absolute hits with songs like “Sicko Mode” to more relaxed tracks such as “Coffee Bean”. This 17 track album is all killer and no filler. Other notable tracks would be “NC-17” featuring 21 Savage, “Skeletons”, “Astrothunder”, and of course the hit song previously released as a single, “Butterfly Effect”. Travis Scott followed up this album with a tour featuring the blow up figure of him as featured on the album and a rollercoaster that he rode on as he sang all the hits from this record. - Stone Fenk 3. Invasion of Privacy - Cardi B At one point in time, Cardi B was arguably known more for her hilarious antics than she was for her music. That all changed in the Summer of 2017 however, as “Bodak Yellow” skyrocketed to the top of the Billboard Hot 100, making Cardi only the second solo female rapper to ever occupy the top spot. What followed was a firestorm. Her debut album, Invasion of Privacy, is a no holds barred hip-hop record, where Cardi’s punchy wordplay, unique sound, and undeniable charisma work hand in hand to craft an unforgettable listening
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experience. Cardi’s aforementioned humour comes across in spades, as her often hilarious wordplay is arguably Invasion of Privacy’s most compelling factor. Her willingness to experiment is another strength of the record, as the springy, electro beat of “Money Bag”, the emotional storytelling of “Get Up 10”, and the Latin flare of “I Like It”, all contribute to the dynamic nature of the record. With Invasion of Privacy, Cardi shows she’s a rapper with her sights set on world domination. - Blake Charles 4. Iridescence - BROCKHAMPTON One of the best parts about being a BROCKHAMPTON stan is how often the boy band is able to switch up their sound. iridescence does just this. After a very public change on the membership roster, BROCKHAMPTON took a more melancholic approach in their latest work. iridescence explores young sexual shame (“WEIGHT”), depression and self-loathing (“THUG LIFE”), and maturing in love (“SOMETHING ABOUT HIM”). You can hear how therapeutic the album is to each of these boys. Finding their own pockets within each song, every member was able to express all the pent up anger, frustration, and fear that 2018 brought. - Nicolita Bradley 5. Swimming - Mac Miller As one of his last gifts to us here on earth, Mac Miller left us with his greatest album yet, Swimming. Starting off with a tear-jerking track, “Come Back To Earth”, this album shows that it is going to reach a range of emotions and styles. Throughout the album, Mac shows off his love for not just rap, but music itself. The range of genre styles within the instrumentals are the broadest shown to us in a mainstream rap album in a while we seem to be in a loop of the same rolling trap hats and 808’s. The album is full of bangers and songs that will make you cry, which is why it is one of the best of 2018. - Stone Fenk
TOP INDIE ALBUMS 1. A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships - The 1975 The 1975 has a tendency to be eccentric, but the release of A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships really takes that to another level. Prior to this release, a lot of Healy’s writing was more personal and intimate but this album has more of a worldview. He speaks often of politics, America and hot button topics. The overall sound for the album has also switched up to much more acoustic, while also expanding into more genre styles than the previous albums. Notable tracks are: “Love It If We Made It” and “It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You).” - Stone Fenk 2. Love is Dead - CHVRCHES The Love is Dead album cycle brought a new era and a lot of change for the Scottish trio, and 2018 acted as a reset year for the eletro-pop group CHVRCHES. CHVRCHES had always worked independently on their records, but for the first time they enlisted the help of two outside producers, Greg Kurstin and Steve Mac, and even added a touring drummer, Jonny Scott. The final product is an album that is a self reflection on your own life as you try to comprehend the changing world and political climate around you. Love Is Dead was the perfect next step for CHVRCHES. It expanded on what was familiar and industry changing with their prior two records, retained the large and loud arena type songs like “Miracle” and “Forever,” while still giving the band a different and edgier sound. - Joe Hernandez 3. Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life - The Wombats The Wombats are good at delivering what their fans want by evolving with each album while staying true to who they have been since their first album. Their albums are always filled with catchy and quirky songs and Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life is not a divergence from this formula. It’s an album of the almost break-ups that happen before deciding to try to tough it out again and it’s something we think that everyone can relate to. “I Don’t Know Why I Like You But I Do,” the album’s closing track conveys the feeling
perfectly with the lyrics: “We both know that it’s time to go / We both know you’re going to stay.” - Marissa Sandoval 4. Be The Cowboy - Mitski Mitski’s fifth album, Be the Cowboy, has found itself not just on our Best of 2018 list, but more than a dozen, and it’s no secret why. Mitski said she used “narrative and fiction,” and found inspiration from “the image of someone alone on a stage, singing solo with a single spotlight trained on them in an otherwise dark room.” The hazy opening track, “Geyser,” clearly demonstrates that, bringing the listener in to the 14-track album. Though she may have used fiction in her songs, they don’t feel impersonal—you can still her the passion, the loneliness and the emotion her voice. The album is eclectic, in terms of feel and the instruments used. The breezy “Lonesome Love” is followed by the guitar and drum driven “Remember My Name,” and the album eventually ends with the appropriately named slow ballad, “Two Slow Dancers.” Be the Cowboy takes the listener on the journey through Mitski’s best release to date. - Delaney DeAngelis 5. Bambi - Hippo Campus After releasing an incredible album in 2017, Landmark, Hippo Campus outdid themselves when they released Bambi. Although classified as an indie rock band, Hippo Campus does an incredible job at meshing and stretching that genre; which is extremely apparent on Bambi. Throughout the entire record the instrumentation is flooded with beautiful chord progressions, a wide array of instruments, complex breakdowns and smooth melodies; which helps to make the record sonically impeccable. Lead vocalist Jake clearly challenged himself vocally on this album and it paid off. Songs like “Think it Over,” “Bambi,”and “Why Even Try” are the reasons why you’ll be rolling down your windows and jamming to Bambi all summer long. A promising year full of tour dates lies ahead of Hippo Campus and we can’t wait to see what they do next. - Morgan Jones
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CHVRCHES | PHOTO BY ADDIE WHELAN
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TOP COUNTRY ALBUMS 1. Golden Hour - Kacey Musgraves Kacey Musgraves is many things, but cautious she is not. Heralded by many as the future of country songwriting, Musgraves has never shied away from embracing more progressive themes in her music. From smoking weed to kissing girls, Musgraves took one look at convention and ran the other way. With Golden Hour, Musgraves’ rebellious spirit is in full force, as she embraces new sonic influences, while continuing to prove she is one of the most talented songwriters working today. Perhaps the most blatant example of this is the discotinged “High Horse,” which embraces sonic elements that most country artists wouldn’t dare touch. But Kacey Musgraves isn’t most country artists. Sonic influences aside, Golden Hour truly shines because of Musgrave’s lyrical details. Tracks such as the ethereal “Oh, What a World,” the heartbreaking “Space Cowboy,” and the classic “Slow Burn,” all create magic through words, and the feeling that only a truly timeless record can bring. Finding beauty in simplicity and weaving words into poetry, Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour is nothing short of a revelation. - Blake Charles 2. Cry Pretty - Carrie Underwood It’s been a while, three years to be exact, since Carrie Underwood released an album. Cry Pretty, Underwood’s six studio album released an September of 2018, was the first studio album with her new label, Capitol Records Nashville. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. From record sales, topping charts and raw emotion, this album has it all. In this album you can hear the emotion in Underwood’s lyrics and it helps keep you engaged—you always want to hear more. Songs on the album such as “Cry Pretty” and “Ghost On The Stereo” give you all the feels and make this album a great listen. - Alice Rangel 3. Dan + Shay - Dan and Shay The iconic duo Dan and Shay left all of us here at BTS completely speechless with their album Dan + Shay. The record consists of 11 songs, all about love, which keeps us swooning and wanting to find that special someone. It was no surprise this was voted to be one of the best country albums by the BTS staff. Hit single “Speechless” raised expectations for males everywhere and showed us just how deep Dan and Shay’s love is
for their beautiful wives. While “Tequila” made all of us want to be sky high in Colorado with someone we never want to leave, both songs showcase the duo’s ability to write just about anything. The production of this album is a refreshing taste on country music and adds a mixture of pop into the country world, which we love. The pair truly know how to write the best love ballads that make people everywhere wanna fall in love. - Sam Aneed 4. Seasons Change - Scotty McCreery Scotty McCreery has always been able to win the hearts of people everywhere, from his start on American Idol to his record breaking year in 2018. His album Seasons Change consists of 11 songs, one of which being the most beautiful love song we’ve ever heard, a ballad to his wife titled “This is It.” Country fans everywhere were swooning over the release of that song, and even more when the album dropped. “Five More Minutes” was one of the earlier singles from the album and it really cuts deep and makes you value time more than you usually would. This record was some of McCreery’s best work and we know exactly why it was voted into our best country album category. If you haven’t made the time to listen and you are a fan of country music, be sure to check it out! - Sam Aneed 5. This One’s For You Too - Luke Combs In today’s country music landscape, artists either seem to embrace modern sounds and songwriting trends wholeheartedly, or cling to traditional tropes for dear life. On his debut album This One’s For You however, Luke Combs has found a way to bridge the gap between these two country movements, while staying true to the heart and soul of each. While songs like “Beer Can” and “Honky Tonk Highway” somewhat fall into the fratboy-esque tendencies of modern country, Combs’ husky voice and more traditional production choices give these songs a classic edge that is absent from much of modern country. While only on his debut album, Luke Combs proves that there is still room in modern country for an artist unafraid of embracing country’s roots in order to craft modern sounding country, with a classic appeal that never goes out of style. - Blake Charles BTS BTS
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TOP LIVE PRODUCTION 1. Reputation Tour - Taylor Swift “And in the death of her reputation, she felt truly alive.” The words that ended every night of Taylor Swift’s Reputation Stadium Tour felt all the more impactful following her tumultuous relationship with the media and the public the past several years. With her sixth studio album Reputation, the world saw Swift embracing her tarnished reputation and dancing through the ruins. The Reputation Stadium Tour was a nightly celebration of shedding one’s identity through the power of music. The bombastic production design was nothing short of a spectacle, with giant snakes, elaborate dance numbers and fireworks, blurring the line between concert and full out theatrical experience. Despite the huge spectacle, that never stopped Swift from slowing it down to talk with the audience about why certain songs are important to her, giving these larger than life shows a deep level of intimacy as well. Despite the change in aesthetic, Taylor Swift has always been a master of using music as a means of connection, and with the Reputation Stadium Tour, she once again proves she is second to none. - Blake Charles 2. ASTROWORLD - Travis Scott We couldn’t talk about best live production without mentioning the insane experience Travis Scott puts on at each stop during his ASTROWORLD tour. You know you’ve arrived at ASTROWORLD when you see the massive golden blow up version of Travis Scott’s face (the same one that’s on his album cover). There are two stages—one has a ring of fire and if you’re lucky you might get chosen to ride on it as Scott performs. Don’t worry, there’s another roller coaster. It goes from one side of the venue to the other and you can also ride that one but it’s even cooler because Scott picks you. The experience is overwhelming in the best way possible. - Nicolita Bradley 3. Harry Styles: Live On Tour A place where you are safe, loved and free to be whoever you want to be. That place? Harry Styles: Live on Tour. There was no surprise when this tour was voted into our Best Live Show slot. From the “Only Angel” intro to constantly reminding the crowd they are loved because of who they are, to completely revamping the song “What Makes you Beautiful” and making it his own, Harry Styles live was hands down one of the best performance we’ve attended in a long time. Styles, who dressed to impress every night put on a show unlike any other. Allowing fans to scream to their favorite songs, he created an atmosphere to dance BTS
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and sing just like he does on stage every night. The most iconic part of the night was when Styles made he voyage from his A stage to his B stage, while doing that he got the chance to interact with fans for a short second, but for some of those fans, that short second was something they waited their entire life for. Styles is a true rockstar and knows how to own a stage and kill his performance. We couldn’t be any prouder of the artist and performer he has become. - Sam Aneed 4. Dirty Computer Tour - Janelle Monáe There’s no doubt that 2018 has been an incredible year for Janelle Monáe. Following her brief break from music in order to focus on her roles in the massively successful films “Moonlight” and “Hidden Figures,” 2018 saw Monáe return to form as musician, releasing arguably the best album of her career. Dirty Computer is a record about celebrating the things about yourself that others may deem to be dirty, such as race, gender and sexuality. The Dirty Computer Tour was no different, as Monáe used the songs from Dirty Computer, as well as many other songs from her impressive discography, to enlighten and empower every person in the crowd. Through an unrivaled sense of showmanship, Monáe is a master of delivering a powerful, and often political message without ever sacrificing the fun that is a pivotal part of a live show. To put it simply, Janelle Monáe is a master of her craft, who is born to not only entertain, but to enlighten and inspire as well. - Blake Charles 5. Final Warped Tour There is only one tour with over 50 bands that perform each day and that is Warped Tour. It is pretty insane how each and every day, six or more stages are put up, taken down and moved to a different city. Since 2018 was the last full cross country tour, Warped Tour really brought out some of the years past favorite acts. Some only did a few dates, some of them did the whole tour. It was really awesome to see so many artists come together to perform with their own idols and even just put on a great show for the attendees. Not only were stages recreated each day, hundreds of nonprofits, bands, etc popped up tents each and every day to meet fans, share information, give out free items and share the fun. There really is nothing like Warped Tour. It truly is sad that it is not going cross country anymore. We can only hope that the few special dates they are putting on in 2019 lives up to the magic that the final cross country Warped Tour was. - Chelsea Gresh
TOP COLLABORATIONS 1. “Shallow” - Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga fuse their talents to bring Jackson “Jack” Maine and Ally Maine alive in the newest adaptation of the film, “A Star Is Born.” The movie’s hit single, “Shallow” has been all over the radio and nominated for the entertainment industry’s biggest awards. Cooper, who has never ventured into music before this project, has a soulful voice with a little bit of a twang that blends very well with Lady Gaga’s powerhouse vocals on all the songs they collaborate on. Each song on the soundtrack follows the musical and romantic journey of Ally and Jack. - Bailey Flores 2. “Happier” - Marshmello feat. Bastille This song’s release in August was followed by a music video that matched the ‘tug-at-your-heart-strings’ song with a heart-wrenching video about a girl and her relationship with her dog, Mello. The music video helped bring the song to people who otherwise may not have heard it, but wasn’t a necessity for the single. The single was both artists’ highest charting song, reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the UK Singles Chart. The song’s lyrics may seem to tug at different emotions, examining the feeling one can have in a relationship they’re reluctant to leave, but know that it’s for their partner’s best interest. “I want to raise your spirits. I want to see you smile but know that means I’ll have to leave” are relatable lines that can be set to a number of situations, losing important people in your life or an important pet as shown through the music video. Marissa Sandoval 3. “lovely” - Billie Eilish and Khalid When two of music’s biggest young artists teamed up this year, we knew that we were in for an incredible collaboration. At only 20 and 17, respectively, Khalid and Billie Eilish are young and unstoppable. With more than 370 million streams worldwide, “lovely” was
a perfect edition to 2018’s discography for both artists. The track is emotional, showcasing the vocal abilities in both Eilish and Khalid, especially through the emotion that they bring to the track. Complemented with a stunning, simplistic video, the dark hues and slowly building visuals are a perfect way to showcase the true vocal explosion that was created by the two young, powerful vocalists. - Addie Whelan 4. “Finesse” - Cardi B and Bruno Mars You might have watched “Finesse” as a collaboration between Bruno Mars and Cardi B at the 2018 Grammy Awards, but it is a track to be listened to beyond the show. It is hard not to dance and sing along to this track by the two stars. With this collaboration, Cardi B ventures into the pop scene. The track has 100% a Bruno Mars feel with the sound of Cardi B which comes together brilliantly. Neither of the bold artists overshadow each other. This definitely shows off Cardi B’s versatility as an artist for the first time since her numerable solo hits. - Alyssa Buzzello 5. “1999” - Charli XCX feat. Troye Sivan Even though this track wasn’t released until October, it was possibly one of the most notable tracks of 2018. “1999” was a huge hit as soon as it hit airwaves, breaking into the US Top 40 chart with ease. Charli XCX and Troye Sivan received huge praise for the track and video thanks to its fun, novelty 90’s charm. Both Charli XCX and Troye Sivan helped pen the track along with Brett McLaughlin, Oscar Holter and Noonie Bao. The nostalgia in this high-energy pop song was the defining point for its success. Recalling famous tracks from the good ol’ days in the midst of an original work was just perfect. It was what really took this song to the next level and made it a 2018 favorite. - Lauren Klonowski
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TOP MUSIC VIDEOS 1. “thank u, next” - Ariana Grande One of the most highly anticipated videos of 2018, Ariana Grande’s “thank u, next” blew the entire world out of the water with its star studded cast and movie themes. Centered around Mean Girls, “thank u, next” features celebrities from all over the place from all different circumstances. Grande builds her own “burn book,” singing of past love and moving on as the music video builds a plot unlike any other movie. The video reached an incredible amount of viewers over the course of just 24 hours with 55 million views and now totals more than almost 300 million views on YouTube alone. Grande’s perfect execution and Hannah Lux Davis’ incredible directoral vision creates the perfect video for the perfect track. - Addie Whelan 2. “1999” - Charli XCX feat. Troye Sivan “1999” by Charli XCX and Troye Sivan was a huge hit as soon as it hit airwaves in early October 2018 and the music video was no different. Charli XCX and Troye Sivan received huge praise for the track and video thanks to its fun, novelty 90’s charm. Both Charli XCX and Troye Sivan got to recreate some of the 90’s best movies: Titanic, The Matrix, The Blair Witch Project and American Beauty. They also feature The Sims and many musical artists like Eminem, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake within the three and a half minute video. The nostalgia in this high-energy pop song was the defining point for its success. It’s clear that the video perfectly encapsulates this track’s yearning for the good old days. - Lauren Klonowski 3. “This Is America” - Childish Gambino On the same night he hosted NBC’s Saturday Night Live, Donald Glover (Childish Gambino) stunned the world with the premiere of “This is America.” The music video became an instant sensation. Everyone immediately began analyzing its meaning and all the allusions buried behind it’s central themes of gun violence and the rise of mass shootings and the longstanding racism and discrimination of African Americans in the United States. The video was directed by a frequent collaborator of Glover’s, Hiro Murai. The two have worked together on a number of episodes of the artist’s TV series Atlanta, and together juxtapose Glover’s eccentric movements and facial expressions BTS BTS
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with the chaos in the background of the video. Each frame is packed with references of the mistreatment and discrimination of African Americans throughout America’s history, from the Jim Crow laws leading up to police brutality and the murder of Trayvon Martin. While some criticized Glover for contributing to the overuse of violence in the media, the majority of viewers applauded him for making a statement on how the scenes depicted have become normalized. Joe Hernandez 4. “Malibu Nights” - LANY Only a few weeks after the release of Malibu Nights, LANY revealed the music video for the album’s title track. The song details feeling as if the pain of a heartbreak will never end. In the video, it shows lead singer Paul Klein sitting at a clear piano on a beach by the ocean. It’s the middle of the night and as the video progresses, the waves start to crash around Klein as he belts out the refrain “I drive chasing Malibu Nights / Nothing seems to heal my mind / I can’t forget.” The ocean crashing around Klein symbolizes what it feels like to feel dragged down by the waves of life, but no matter how beaten down you feel you still manage to find your next breath. It’s a metaphor that perfectly captures the emotion that is displayed in the song. The video itself is visually stunning—from the rough and wavy camera work to the cinematography—it is the perfect visual for “Malibu Nights.” - Gina Scarpino 5. “Sicko Mode” - Travis Scott Rap artist Travis Scott has always been known for his insane visuals. Just think back to his 2017 performance of “Goosebumps” on Jimmy Kimmel Live, which had insanely heavy visual on camera effects during a live performance. Fast forward to 2018, Travis Scott releases the video for his hit single, and possibly one of the biggest songs of 2018, “Sicko Mode” off his album “ASTROWORLD.” The video, directed by Travis and Dave Meyers, is so well filmed and so effect heavy that anybody, whether they know anything about editing or not, has to be impressed. The visuals from this video are no doubt going to have a huge effect on how people do their videos in 2019. Travis Scott truly raised the bar with this one. - Stone Fenk
BROCKHAMPTON | PHOTO BY NICOLITA BRADLEY
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SASHA SLOAN | PHOTO BY JOE HERNANDEZ
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BEST COMEBACK 1. Lady Gaga In retrospect, it’s a little odd calling 2018 a “comeback” year for Lady Gaga. In 2017, Gaga embarked on the sold out “Joanne World Tour,” headlined Coachella, and made history as the first woman to headline Wrigley Field. As if this wasn’t enough, she also headlined the Super Bowl LI halftime show, which attracted over 110 million live viewers, making it one of the most viewed live performances of all time. Gaga’s true comeback however came as an actress. While she won a Golden Globe in 2016 for her role as The Countess on “American Horror Story: Hotel,” her starring role alongside Bradley Cooper in 2018’s remake of “A Star Is Born” marked her first real steps as one of Hollywood’s leading ladies. Released to universal acclaim, “A Star Is Born” is a heartbreaking retelling of one of film’s classic stories. With two Academy Award nominations, one for Actress in a Leading Role and the other for Best Original Song, 2018 has seen Gaga blossom into the Hollywood starlet she was always destined to be. - Blake Charles 2. The 1975 The 1975 made their comeback into 2018 with their third full-length album, A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships. The album was one of the most anticipated releases of the year. This album had been two years in the making, and it shows. This album is the group’s first since 2016’s I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It. The album shares thoughts about addiction, love and the internet. The band returned with a successfully eclectic album, with standout songs like, “Give Yourself A Try,” “Love it if We Made It” and “Be My Mistake.” The 1975 is back with an album that shows off their dynamic range in the sound and lyrics from the album. - Bailey Flores 3. Ariana Grande Just when we thought Ariana Grande could not shock us with her vocals any more and had heard the limits of her voice, she released a new album that proved us wrong. In August of 2018, Grande released her fourth studio album sweetener, after her last album Dangerous Woman in 2016. The sweetener album was
released through Republic Records and was highly aimed towards women empowerment. With songs like “god is a woman” and “successful,” Grande set the tone for her album which she described it bringing light to a situation or to someone’s life, or somebody else who brings light to your life or sweetening the situation on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. This album is definitely more personal than any others Grande has released and it was a great comeback for her in 2018. - Alice Rangel 4. Childish Gambino Childish Gambino really did it this year when he dropped the song, “This Is America.” He truly broke the internet when the song and video were released. It was all anyone was talking about. His last album, “Awaken, My Love!,” was released in 2016 and since then, his fans have been waiting and begging for more. Along with “This is America,” he released a twosong EP titled Summer Pack which really had us all singing and grooving along. If you purchased tickets for this upcoming, “This Is America” Tour, you received two unreleased songs of his, too. Apart from his own music, Childish was featured on so many other songs and starred in the movie “SOLO” as a young Lando Calrissian. This guy can do it all. We are so excited to see what Childish does in 2019 because we know it will be crazy good. - Chelsea Gresh 5. Twenty One Pilots Three years after their wildly successful sophomore album, Blurryface, Twenty One Pilots are back with their third release, Trench. Known for their cryptic teasers and genre-bending music, this album cycle is no different. Fans tried to connect the dots between cryptic emails and billboard for months while the duo were silent on social media. In early July, Twenty One Pilots came back with a bang. The band dropped two new songs, a music video and tour, along with a full album announcement. Their release, Trench, has reached critical and commercial success, and their Bandito tour is considered to be one of their tours yet. With passionate fans by their side, Twenty One Pilots will undoubtedly continue to succeed. - Delaney DeAngelis BTS BTS
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BREAKOUT ARTISTS 1. lovelytheband There’s a good chance that most have heard the song “Broken” by lovelytheband dozens of times on the radio by now. Our July cover stars, Los Angelesbased indie-pop band lovelytheband made sure that 2018 was going to be their breakout year. The band formed back in 2017 and who knew that a year later they would be taking the world by storm? Touring and opening for artist like Vance Joy and 5 Seconds of Summer, they watched their debut single “broken” top Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart and go gold in America. In addition, they released their debut album finding it hard to smile. We can not wait to see what 2019 has in store for them. - Bailey Flores 2. BROCKHAMPTON Initially meeting years back on a message board, the 13 piece boy band BROCKHAMPTON is a group of rappers and creatives that have become one of the biggest sensations in the rap/hip hop scene and is a group to watch. The group made their debut in 2015 with the release of their mixtape, but it wasn’t until 2017’s trilogy of albums, SATURATION, were they widely known. Following the release of SATURATION III the group signed a record deal with RCA, and released 2018’s iridescence. BROCKHAMPTON is set on not only redefining the term boy band, but redefining their genre and music itself. The group openly raps about sexuality, depression and drug addiction, with the first being a subject not traditionally addressed in rap music. It’s their devotion to their art, and the importance of being transparent and communicating their own individual traumas and self acceptance, that in six short months brought the group to widespread recognition and built the highly devoted fan base they have. - Joe Hernandez 3. Billie Eilish It’s been a little over two years since Billie Eilish introduced herself to the world, and since then she has continued to make waves in the music industry. With sold out tour after sold out tour in support of her debut EP, Don’t Smile At Me, it’s clear that Eilish is a superstar in the making. Her sad and honest alternative pop BTS BTS
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songs are really what made 2018 her year. Every word of every song is so delicate and carefully thought out, which is what makes her music truly special. In addition to that, her high energy shows are unparalleled. You have not experienced her music until you have seen it performed. Her accomplishments across 2018 are unheard of—from embarking on two sold out world tours to playing to 40,000 people at Music Midtown in Atlanta, GA, it’s clear that the world is embracing Eilish full-force. - Gina Scarpino 4. Sasha Sloan If you haven’t heard of Sasha Sloan yet, are you really paying attention? She has worked with some of our favorite artists including Camila Cabello, Dua Lipa, LANY and Troye Sivan. Last year, she went on her first tour opening up for Joywave and signed to RCA Records. This year she’s headlining her very own tour. The self-proclaimed “sad girl” writes with incredibly vulnerability and opens up about heartbreak, family struggles and allowing herself to fall in love. You can relate at least one song by Sloan. This indie-pop princess has been getting her feet wet and we can’t wait to see how she dives in to 2019. - Nicolita Bradley 5. Palaye Royale Palaye Royale probably had the best 2018 out of just about anyone. They wrote. They toured. They dropped an album. All of which were very well received by fans and others alike. Steadily becoming one of the biggest groups in the pop-rock and pop-punk scene, Palaye Royale is here to stay. They have been continuing to drop fun and unique music and videos from their latest album, Boom Boom Room Side B that just keep blowing up. When they set out on the last full Vans Warped Tour, they impressed not only fans but fellow bands. Following Warped, they got to headline their own show and bring their work to life with full control. They have an artistic approach to their whole operation of Palaye Royale that sets them apart and will likely keep them around for years to come. - Lauren Klonowski
CHASE RICE
BLAKE CHARLES - EUGENE, OR - NOVEMBER 2018
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KODALINE
ADDIE WHELAN - CHICAGO, IL - NOVEMBER 2018
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PLAYLIST 1. Drug - Simple Creatures 2. Called You Twice (feat. K.Flay) - FIDLAR, K.Flay 3. Longshot - Catfish and the Battlement 4. Loner - YUNGBLUD 5. Almost (Sweet Music) - Hozier 6. 7 Rings - Ariana Grande 7. 2021 - Vampire Weekend 8. bury a friend - Billie Eilish 9. imagine if - gnash 10. home ft. WALK THE MOON - morgxn, WALK THE MOON 11. April in Houston - SWMRS 12. Shadows - Mansionair 13. Get Back Up - Emrosa 14. Simple Romance - COIN 15. Numb Without You - The Maine 16. Do It All The Time - I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME 17. Sunflower - Post Malone, Swae Lee 18. Who Do You Love - The Chainsmokers, 5 Seconds of Summer 19. Ready To Let Go - Cage the Elephant 20. Talk - Khalid, Disclosure 21. Fix Me - Cuco, Dillon Francis
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SMASHING BTS 56 PUMPKINS | PHOTO BY ADDIE WHELAN