Pop, chillwave, and clever riot grrl-friendly pop punk headline the Latchkey faves of the week:
Caity Baser - Still Learning
Remember Lady Sovereign, the rowdy London rapper with the iconic chav accent who could spit at a million miles an hour? If you took a dash of her and added it to the Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse collab version of Valerie, then stretched it into an album, that would be Still Learning. This might be my first true obsession of 2024. I can't stop listening to the first track, "I'm the Problem." If you like pop music, start here.
Thievery Corporation - Saudade
Somehow, I had never heard Saudade until we got the notice for this album. It's a quieter album I expected, and it feels deeply influenced by mid-century European cinema soundtracks. There's a subtle pace driving many of the tracks, but it feels like a soundscape that's meant to pair with cinematic visuals rather than take center stage itself. If you work or study to music, you're gonna love Saudade.
Tacocat - NVM
This album was a big damn deal in the 2010s, but NVM has faded in the cultural memory since then. This 10th anniversary pressing will slap you in the face with all the best things about Tacocat — razor sharp wit, danceable punk riffs, and patriarchy-challenging energy. If you like Latchkey, you probably like those things. So do yourself a favor any get NVM before its gone.
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