WBUR The ARTery • May 26, 2022

Musical duo H A U N T E R takes listeners on a beat-laden trip into the mind

The electronic hip-hop and psychedelic textures on their new release, “DREAM THE DAY AWAY,” make it their most thoughtful and patient project to date.

WBUR The ARTery • May 12, 2022

Musician Johan Lenox debuts symphonically inspired pop album 'WDYWTBWYGU'

Fully embracing the ennui of adolescence, Johan Lenox arrives fully realized on his debut, his doubt, insecurity, selfishness and apathy shamelessly on display and begging for analysis.

WBUR The ARTery • April 14, 2022

Boston band Vundabar travels surrealist highways on new album 'Devil for the Fire'

Following his father’s stroke, Brandon Hagen’s unhurried, yet emotive indie songs explore an abstract journey deep into the mind.

WBUR The ARTery • March 21, 2022

7 music releases to listen to this spring

We’re marking two years of COVID with a hearty spread of new music, from sultry folk to jolting Afrofuturism.

WBUR The ARTery • January 19, 2022

6 music releases to listen to this winter

In a first for the ARTery, this season’s winter music guide is entirely Mass-centric, showcasing the state’s artistic range from viscid pop rap to unearthly folk music.

WBUR The ARTery • December 15, 2021

11 musicians that made an impact in 2021

A number of our critics’ favorite local albums were written and recorded during the deepest part of the pandemic; here are the artists whose work touched us most deeply, from yet another year like no other.

WBUR The ARTery • October 27, 2021

How ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ inspired singer Marissa Nadler’s latest album

The singer-songwriter’s exquisite ninth album is an ominous mix of rebirth and metamorphosis, drawn from her own life and stories of famous disappearances.

WBUR The ARTery • October 22, 2021

Thalia Zedek and the perennial rock of Come’s ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’

Over 25 years after the release of the band’s album, Come’s expanded reissue is an intimately detailed portrait of Boston’s grunge ambassadors at their gritty peak.

WBUR The ARTery • September 28, 2021

7 Albums To Listen To This Fall

The Boston area -- and beyond -- is boasting a group of new releases poised for praise, from local legends to a promising new wave of songwriters.

WBUR The ARTery • June 24, 2021

Squirrel Flower's 'Planet (i)' Is Grungy Folk For A Cosmic Resurrection

The Arlington-based singer-songwriter bridges concealed feelings and the endless universe on her radiant new album.

WBUR The ARTery • June 22, 2021

6 Music Releases To Listen To This Summer

From electrified rock bangers to virtuosic neoclassical collaborations, we've curated a guide for a cathartic return to fun in the summer sun.

WBUR The ARTery • June 17, 2021

'This Is Not A Bit' — The 'Not Funny' Side Of Noah Britton

The Boston-based comedian and singer-songwriter curbs his funny side for an exercise in love on his newest EP, “I Love You.”

WBUR The ARTery • May 12, 2021

The Retribution Of Juliana Hatfield’s New Album Is Soaked In 'Blood'

The album’s blunt rage and melodic songwriting reveals her most liberated state, both approachable and practically foaming at the mouth.

WBUR The ARTery • April 28, 2021

The Turbulence Behind The Stillness Of Mercet's Debut Album 'VIMS'

On Mercet's debut album “VIMS,” the Boston-based producer observes the fragility of mental illness with lush and emotive soundscapes.

WBUR The ARTery • April 22, 2021

Dinosaur Jr. Evokes The Past On New Album 'Sweep It Into Space'

The newest from DinosaurJr. is the most true to their original triptych of albums, one that harkens back to the cannonade bliss of youthful rock and roll in its most blithely unpolished form.

WBUR The ARTery • March 30, 2021

7 Albums To Listen To This Spring

From steamrolling rock ‘n’ roll to ‘90s dance floor bangers, music writer Charley Ruddell's music guide ushers in a sense of growth to shake the winter chill.

WBUR The ARTery • March 12, 2021

Future Teens' EP 'Deliberately Alive' Is A Sign The Band Is Growing Up

The breakthrough Boston “bummer pop” quartet discusses their charmed journey of inside jokes, DIY ethics and the music that inspires them.

WBUR The ARTery • February 1, 2021

Listen: Ben Cosgrove Makes Music For The Life Between The Cracks

The folk instrumentalist explores urban pastoral scenes with the elegant and impressionistic piano piece “The Machine in the Garden.”

WBUR The ARTery • January 20, 2021

7 Albums To Listen To This Winter

Many of these fine releases were conceived in a state of quarantine, and encapsulate the unique and trying elements of such conditions. From bombastic and socially-conscious rock to introspective and inspired ambient music, power-pop, cathartic improvisations and beyond, our winter music guide is sure to alleviate you in some capacity, whether you’re having cabin fever, post-holiday blues or a general state of existentialism.

WBUR The ARTery • December 11, 2020

Our Favorite Massachusetts Albums From A Year Like No Other

In 2020, nothing was as before. So we did what we always do in times of crisis: we sought solace in music, and escape. And while many Massachusetts artists struggled to make ends meet in an industry brought to its knees by the pandemic, it is reassuring to look back on the year and see that, amid so much loss, we gained some beautiful things. Here are our critics’ favorite local albums to emerge from a year like no other.