ATP! Album Review: Lights - Skin&Earth

Lights’ newest undertaking was already impressive before listening to it. A concept album that ties in with a comic series that she also wrote and drew? That’s pretty intense. And a downright awesome idea. Lights is truly going all out for this and it definitely shows.

The Canadian electro-pop star's voice has always had this atmospheric, ethereal sound to it and the concept and songs on Skin&Earth take it to new heights. “Morphine” and album closer “Almost Had Me” are as beautifully haunting as they come, while still somehow making you want to dance (or at least tap your toes) at parts.

ATP! Album Review: PVRIS - All We Know Of Heaven, All We Need Of Hell

White Noise is one of those albums that I can listen to at any time and still love it just as much as the first time I heard it. It never gets old. When PVRIS announced their new album, I was excited, but wondered how it was possible that I could love this album as much as White Noise. And then I heard AWKOHAWNOH and realized I was an idiot for even having doubts.

This is, hands down, the best album so far this year. It balances pop with this dark and eerie sound that only PVRIS seem to know how to accomplish. The whole album just feels epic. Lynn’s voice embodies the heaven versus hell balance of the album—her soft and sweet vocals giving way to gravelly screams.

ATP! Album Review: Kesha - Rainbow

After the past years of hardship, it’s awesome to see Kesha come roaring back with an amazing album, one that lets you see more of who she is behind the party swagger that defined her previous music. Rainbow is a force to be reckoned with, an album filled with anthems, hymns, and, yes, a song about Godzilla. Kesha is still out- there and fabulous, but she’s showing a new side to herself, too. And what a side it is.

First single, “Praying,” provided a beautiful introduction to this, and is still one of the best and most emotional songs on the album. I still can’t listen to it without getting tears in my eyes. “Finding You” and “Learn To Let Go” keep the emotions high, while “Woman” and “Hymn” are powerful anthems ready to be turned into concert sing- alongs. “Woman” also proves that every song is catchier with an epic horns section.

ATP! Album Review: Lorde - Melodrama

Have you ever had your heart broken? It knocks the wind out of you. And to catch your breath again, after the initial shock of it all, your brain has to settle back into a body that’s now apart and independent, no longer one piece of a whole.

That process is painful, and educational, and sometimes weird, and usually long. A lot of us go through this, and after listening to Melodrama all weekend, it sounds like Lorde’s been through it, too. It just so happens that Lorde is a nearly superhuman artist who can put this process into song.

ATP! Album Review: Hey Violet - From The Outside

Hey Violet's debut album From The Outside shows the quintet straying from the 5 Seconds Of Summer sounding pop-rock of their first EP and developing a sound that’s all their own. From The Outside finds them shifting firmly into the pop category—and it definitely works for them.

The band are showing that they’re growing up, too. The lyrical content has gotten more risqué since their I Can Feel It EP. Vocalist Rena Lovelis’ voice has matured and sounds fabulous on this album. Her vocals have never been better.

ATP! Album Review: Halsey - hopeless fountain kingdom

Halsey has already proved that she knows how to write a damn good album. That’s apparent with her first studio album Badlands. The 22-year- old clearly has ideas of grandeur when it comes to her music, especially in the sense of what she wants it to do and the story she wants it to tell. With that in mind, it’s no wonder she was able to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump completely with her second studio album hopeless fountain kingdom.

hopeless fountain kingdom at times feels so much larger than just an album. Leading up to the release Halsey not only announced the album artwork with a scavenger hunt, but also even had newspapers created and delivered to fans with the track list. Altogether, at times it feels like a full on art project as opposed to just an album.

ATP! Review: All Time Low - Last Young Renegade

I found All Time Low at the tail end of 8th grade while doing the Random Profile Jump on PureVolume one afternoon after I’d gotten home from school. The Party Scene and So Wrong, It’s Right got me through high school and every woe that came with being a teenaged girl. Nothing Personal came out just in time to get me to college, where it got me through the changes that came with moving away from home and having to decide what I was going to do with the rest of my life. Their under appreciated Dirty Work was a fun release that coincided with the peak of my college experience, and Don’t Panic came out just a month before I graduated and realized that-- much like singer Alex Gaskarth said about the release-- I had to find what made me special. When Future Hearts came out, I had been in Los Angeles about half a year and felt like I was at the pinnacle of my young adult life. Now, All Time Low and their seventh studio album Last Young Renegade find me at 25 years old, and packing up my apartment so I can move away from the city and figure myself out.

ATP! Album Review: Paramore - After Laughter

We’ve been patiently awaiting this album for years now, and Paramore certainly did not disappoint. Further departing from their early pop-rock/emo beginnings, After Laughter is full-on glossy 80s pop. And it’s awesome.

The sound is exactly what you would expect if you looked at the bright colors of the album cover. But the title, After Laughter, hints at something darker. That’s where the lyrics come in. “Caught In The Middle” features the lyrics, “I don’t need no one else, I can sabotage me by myself,” while the chorus of the funky “Fake Happy” starts with, “Oh please don’t ask me how I’ve been, don’t make me play pretend.”

ATP! Album Review: Harry Styles - Harry Styles

Y’all know we are no strangers when it comes to Harry Styles, but how we wished we were. Why, you ask? There’s a certain feeling that comes with listening to a band or an artist for the first time and blindly falling in love with their music. We’ve all felt it. Jumping into an album feet first with not a single expectation at all, only to be swept away by the feeling of complete wonder. Once that feeling is had, it cannot be had again, as even just one listen will rob you of that feeling. It’s very much in the same vein of having that one movie you wish you could wipe completely from your memory so you can have the feeling of unraveling its mysteries for the first time all over again. Knowing of an artist beforehand can often create expectations-- both good and bad-- that can taint the experience all together.

ATP! Album Review: Hey Violet - I Can Feel It EP

After releasing one song and shortly after getting signed to 5 Seconds of Summer’s Hi or Hey record label and opening for them on tour, the LA four-piece finally released their highly anticipated EP, I Can Feel It. Their sound works perfectly with that of 5SOS -- catchy pop-rock reminiscent of the wonderful Hey Monday.

The title-track starts things off strong, with a chorus that would get people jumping around at shows, and sing-along oh-oh-ohs throughout. “Sparks Fly” begins softly and builds throughout to an awesomely strong ending. “Can’t Take Back the Bullet” and “You Don’t Love Me Like You Should” shift course from the earlier songs. With their edgier sound, epic guitars and a bit grittier vocals, vengeful Hey Violet might be the best yet.

ATP! Album Review: Bea Miller - Not An Apology

At only 16, Bea Miller is already taking the music world by storm. She’s opened for Demi Lovato and Fifth Harmony and her “Young Blood” music video has over 6 million views on YouTube. Miller’s debut album, Not An Apology opens with her two officially released singles, “Young Blood” and “Fire N Gold.” Both are strong, powerful songs, the latter being the better of the two. It showcases the smoky vocals of her lower register while displaying her letting loose and belting out the chorus.

ATP! Album Review: Nekokat - Communication EP

Combining members of The Ready Set and The Summer Set, Nekokat was formed with the desire to get back to something that felt “fresh and new,” according to The Ready Set’s Jordan W. They succeed in their efforts with their debut EP, Communication -- a fun set of songs that are buoyant and joyful.

ATP! Album Review: Allie X - CollXtion I

Allie X is a bit of a mystery. To us, and to herself. However, the Canadian indie pop-tress has had us hooked on her enigma ever since Katy Perry-approved debut single “Catch” was launched unexpectedly via SoundCloud last year. Now, Allie X has returned with her first cumulative release, CollXtion I. While the artist says the compilation is neither an EP nor an LP, the seven tracks come together in a way that is far from ambiguous.

Opener “Hello” beckons a sweet, xylophone-tinged greeting that could not be a warmer welcome. While the candy-coated melody and lyrics of jubilant yearning are reminiscent of Carly Rae Jepsen’s formula, the unmistakable influence of Allie X’s musical theatre past shines through in the building layers of soaring harmonies in the bridge, akin to a grandiose opening number.

ATP! Album Review: The Maine - American Candy

The Maine has dropped their first album since the 2013 masterpiece Forever Halloween, and the record does not disappoint. American Candy showcases the pop-rock quintet’s outstanding lyrics and a much more upbeat vibe.

Immediately upon the release of the lead single, “English Girls,” it was clear that American Candy was headed for a new sound. This song is a simple story about an English girl and an American boy who are discussing how they should spend their night. With lyrics like, “Smoke whatever you’ve got left, it’s getting late and we don’t have much to lose,” the song has a simplistic beauty to it. Other standout tracks include “My Hair,” which sends a lovely message about loving oneself without regard for thoughts of others. “Am I Pretty?” shows feelings of inferiority with hints of sarcasm. This entire album is likely to have a relatively even distribution of favorite songs among fans.

ATP! Album Review: All Time Low - Future Hearts

Baltimore based quartet All Time Low is a favorite here at Alter The Press. You know this, they know this, we know this. This is why when they release something new, we always go in with a mix of sheer excitement and mild trepidation. There’s always a chance, with a love as great as ours, to be let down. It’s a fear that is ultimately unwarranted, as All Time Low still has yet to actually let us down. In fact, they only continue to amaze us, as the most certainly have with their sixth studio album, Future Hearts.

ATP! Album Review: Olly Murs - Never Been Better

Olly Murs is, without a doubt, a sensation in the UK, even if he hasn’t quite broken into US mainstream just yet. However, we think this artist’s day in the American spotlight is coming – and very soon. Recently appointed Radio Disney’s “Next Big Thing” featured artist, Olly Murs has dropped a new album, Never Been Better, and performed the lead single “Wrapped Up” with Travie McCoy on Live With Kelly and Michael. It’s clear that Murs is on his way to establishing himself stateside.

Never Been Better features a varied blend of genres, all of which Murs does pretty well. First track “Did You Miss Me?” is a standout and almost has a Michael Jackson-esque feel to it, while second track “Wrapped Up” is a funky pop sing-along ready to be played all over the radio. “Beautiful To Me” gives Murs a chance to show off his falsetto in a beautiful love song about his girl never changing who she is. “Up” features Demi Lovato, wonderful as usual, making a nice duet something truly special.

ATP! Album Review: Marina and The Diamonds - FROOT

Marina and the Diamonds unveiled FROOT and its accompanying title track back in October of 2014. After mixing in equal parts of grapes, lemons, blueberries, cherries, and apples, the resulting smoothie is a space-disco exhibition exploring the long road to our imminent demise and the struggle to leave our mark on the way there.

While the saturated cover art looks inviting, Marina Diamandis dives in to some of the heaviest topics of her career. Pure selfishness, solidarity and sorrow are readily available in tracks like “Immortal” and “Solitaire.”

ATP! Album Review: MisterWives - Our Own House

There’s a reason why MisterWives has been touted as the “next golden children in pop” by the likes of MTV’s Buzzworthy and just about anyone else who released a list of artists to listen to in 2015, and the group’s debut album Our Own House proves them all right. The New York based quintet has found a genre that they fit within perfectly, and may actually be the leaders of, if their latest release Our Own House is any indication.

Opening with the title-track, it’s a full-bodied pop song filled with horns and enough highs and lows that perfectly exemplify what listeners have waiting for them in the following tracks. The culmination of the 12 songs created a perfect pop release – so perfect, in fact, we feel it is necessary to tell you to just stop reading here, purchase the album, and then continue with this review, because from here on out, we basically just talk about how much we love it. Which is a whole lot.

ATP! Album Review: Catfish & The Bottlemen - The Balcony

Catfish and the Bottlemen are destined for great things. It’s hard to explain, but this 4- piece from Wales has the potential to be the next big rock band. One year after releasing their first three singles, Catfish and the Bottlemen were already playing Reading & Leeds, T in the Park, and the Governors Ball in New York City. After releasing their debut album The Balcony in the UK and seeing the success it had, the band finally released The Balcony and embarked on a tour in the US, and we’re really glad they did.

ATP! Album Review: Hayley Kiyoko - This Side of Paradise EP

There’s something to be said about a Disney girl who breaks out of the Disney mold, and des it successfully. Hayley Kiyoko joins this elite club, which includes the likes of Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato and Miley Cyrus with the release of her sophomore EP, This Side of Paradise.

Long gone are the days of bubblegum pop as Paradise dives right into “Given It All,” which features an extremely catchy and repetitive chorus composed of only six words: “I’ve given it all to you.” Kiyoko’s voice is determined, almost defiant, as she negotiates with a distant lover, supported by a simple background synth.