Music

On a weekend of major musical releases, Mitski’s ‘Laurel Hell’ carves out its niche

A departure from her usual sound, Mitski’s “Laurel Hell” is still engrossingly emotional.

| Junior Editor

Cadenza Wrapped: Best music of 2021

2021 was a year of musical performance. Here are the albums that defined it.

| Senior Cadenza Editor

WashU pop artist releases new single

Junior Luke Markinson releases a new song, “Tie Me Down,” about internalized homophobia and being constricted in a relationship.

| Senior Cadenza Editor

Adele’s ’30’ is a meditation on divorce anyone can listen to

The new album shows a new side to Adele while proving she is still the queen of the power ballad.

| Staff Writer

Concussion Jams: Sound for when you’re concussed

Listening to music is difficult when concussed, but here are some tunes that won’t bother your brain.

| Senior Cadenza Editor

In Lil Nas X’s “MONTERO,” the rapper finds his sound in an impressive way

Lil Nas X is here with deeper, more hard-hitting material, but he still wants fans to be able to dance it out to his songs.

| Senior Cadenza Editor

Jazz at Holmes: The intersection of classical music and modern jazz

With the return of Jazz at Holmes, Professor William Lenihan introduces a unique and historical twist to jazz through classical compositions.

| Senior Cadenza Editor

‘Sob Rock’ by John Mayer is sonically brilliant, yet somewhat superficial

John Mayer’s eighth album offers up a beautiful trip back to the 1980s; yet his latest release’s legacy is up to interpretation.

| Contributing Writer

Donda delivers despite doubts

“Donda” is much like Kanye West himself: both the album and the artist can be easy to hate. From the year-long delay since the announced release date to the controversy surrounding West before the album’s release, doubts over “Donda” are understandable. Is it worth holding out hope for an album promised on six different missed […]

| Contributing Writer

‘Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine’ builds off of Brockhampton’s other albums to create a sound all its own

Brockhampton, alongside features such as A$AP Rocky, JPEGMafia and Shawn Mendes, hits all the right notes with their new album “Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine,” as the album places the themes of pain, self-expression and racial discrimination at center stage.

| Contributing Writer

Sign up for the email edition

Stay up to date with everything happening at Washington University and beyond.

Subscribe