“Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino” by the Arctic Monkeys

Rating: 6/10

By Maren Dunn

No one can deny that the Arctic Monkeys’ new album, “Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino” is, in a word, weird. As a lover of more mainstream music, listening to this album definitely threw me for an eye-opening loop. With only 11 songs, the album is short, sweet, and to the point. Straying away from the band’s previous focus on typical topics such as sex and girls, “Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino” discusses politics, gentrification, and technology. “Emergency battery pack just in time/For my weekly chat with God on video call” croons lead singer and lyricist Alex Turner on “American Sports.” On the track “Four out of Five,” Turner continues to mix modern issues into his lyrics by singing, “Cute new places keep on popping up/Since the exodus it’s all getting gentrified.” The album is mellow sounding with indie-rock inspired vibes, a disappointment to fans hoping for a more guitar-heavy sound.

The Arctic Monkeys tell a story of a hotel in space, while simultaneously mentioning quite earthly problems. It truly is an album that needs more than one listen to thoroughly understand the complex story that Turner weaves throughout his songs. For those wanting an album with a more mature taste than most rock bands offer, this one hits the spot. However, for teenagers like me who are craving a good beat and casual lyrics, this album (however profound and interesting I found it) was lacking in those two basic categories.

“Beerbongs and Bentleys” by Post Malone

Rating: 6/10

By Alex Metzger

After 504 days of waiting, countless delays, and never-ending hype, Post Malone’s sophomore album is finally here. Titled “Beerbongs & Bentleys,” the 18 song tracklist follows the story of Post’s love-hate relationship with newfound fame, his passion for cars, and love for Texas.

The whole album (as well as “Stoney,” his first album) gives off a relaxed vibe as Post maneuvers through the very drunken state that he describes L.A. in with ease. Yet, he falls short of opportunities to innovate his production, lyrics, themes, or song ideals. Whereas “Stoney” gave off a very Wild-West-mixed-with-country-rock-vibe that made you want to put your hands up and sway, “Beerbongs and Bentleys” feels as if Post Malone sat in the California sun for too long and then copied and pasted his “Stoney” lyrics into the project.

Normally, there isn’t a problem with artists keeping a solid formula the same for years. But after the amount of delay and press this album got before its release date, you could at least expect Post to have changed a few things, or at the very least, to have used some of the leftover cash from Stoney’s units sold to afford some better features than Swae Lee, Ty Dolla $ign, and G-Eazy. Ultimately, the album is great thematically and catchy from front to back. But it suffers from a lack of differentiation sonically, bad features, lazy and almost cheesy bars at times, and the knowledge that the Nicki Minaj feature from “Ball for Me” is going to be playing on the radio for the next couple months.

“Snow Cougar” by Yung Gravy

Rating: 7/10

By Maddy Kessler

Influenced by the allure of the 60’s, the SoundCloud sensation Yung Gravy’s music caters to the new wave of internet listeners. It’s hard to listen to the Minnesota rapper without breaking into a grin. His distinctive style is adoptive of both trap and retro hits, with lyrics that sound like a skit from Saturday Night Live. On his new album “Snow Cougar,” Gravy captivates his listeners on every track. The production is high quality and the songs are infectious.

If you’re an Ugly God fan, be sure check to out his feature on “Kathleen.” Gravy’s vocals are rough, but the song goes hard nonetheless. “Early Afternoon Stroll” is one of many collaborations between Gravy and bbno$, and the two flex their life accomplishments in the song. Though relatively substanceless, he never fails to put on a show.

“Mr. Clean,” Gravy’s most popular song, samples the introduction from The Chordettes song, “Mr. Sandman,” exhibiting his commitment to the blending of vintage and new styles. The song accentuates his writing talents, with vulgar and witty lyrics such as, “Pissed off cause their wife is they sister, and Yung Gravy just kissed her.”

My favorite song on the album was “1 Thot 2 Thot Red Thot Blue Thot,” which is a great addition to your summer dance/workout playlist. It’s upbeat, exciting, and will have you moving. It’s not surprising he has accumulated a strong fanbase, because of his appeal as a media personality. No matter your music taste, Gravy is an amusing listen.