Thirstier marks a turn towards a bigger, more bombastic sound for Torres. Guitar-driven walls of sound, reminiscent of producer Butch Vig’s work with Garbage and Nirvana, surge and dissipate like surf in high winds, carrying Scott’s commanding voice to the fore. From the sparkling country romp of “Don’t Go Puttin Wishes in My Head” to the sour grunge bite of “Keep the Devil Out” and the unabashed, overflowing devotion of the album’s title track, Thirstier clasps together love songs from all angles.

Mega producer of the stars (T. Swift, Lorde, Clairo) Jack Antonoff's third album as Bleachers, is a heartfelt batch of tracks written with boundless enthusiasm for those grand, euphoric moments of our lives. Unstoppably catchy hooks push their way through boisterous, stadium-rocking arrangements, making it an all-caps endeavor. When he’s not serving some of pop’s most visionary artists, Antonoff is someone earnest who knows how to translate his nostalgic longing into passionate sing-alongs.

Electro Melodier takes a slight turn from 2019’s politically pointed Union to a series of songs that asks questions rather than demanding answers – think of “Living in the U.S.A.” as Farrar’s version of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.,” Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World” or Patti Smith’s “People Have the Power,” an anthem to unite the populace. It all helps remind us to be thankful of what we still have – new music from Jay Farrar and Son Volt, 25 years on.

LA’s Los Lobos are influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, zydeco, folk and traditional music such as cumbia, boleros and norteños. With Native Sons, the band set out to showcase all of these influences with their own take on the songs of Los Angeles. Featuring 13 songs from well-known LA artists such as Buffalo Springfield, WAR, Jackson Browne and the Beach Boys as well as deep cuts from the Jaguars, The Basters and The Premiers.

Leave A Scar is an illuminating plentitude of angst etched in time, serving as a musical refuge and expressive output for the legendary heavy metal vocalist and pop culture pillar Dee Snider. This auditory time capsule written to express the anger, unease and pain he experienced during lockdown emerges as not only blisteringly heavy, but relentlessly powerful. If 2018’s For The Love Of Metal ignited Snider’s eminent surge into a new era, Leave A Scar sets it ablaze.

Game Changer opens with all the subtlety of a kick to the throat. “On the Horizon’s” bombastic drumming (Chris Lepre) pummels while the twin guitars’ (Tony Lepre and Billy Sablan) one-two punch set up a snarling detour into old school Testament thrash riffage. The tone is set – pure, melodic mayhem. 70’s riff rock to early 80’s east and west coast metal, Game Changer is a work of art the appeals to al metalheads, old and new school fans alike.

This R&B collection is birthed from extended late nights at the L.A.’s Gold-Diggers studio and celebrates Leon’s immersive experience of creating music in the same East Hollywood room where he lived, worked and drank over the course of two years. The soulful collaboration between Leon as an artist and the space itself was so encompassing that he chose to name the album after the soon-to-be legendary complex.

Spiral marks the long-awaited return of Nicolas Jaar and Dave Harrington's experimental electronic side-project. "From the beginning, Darkside has been our jam band. When we reconvened, it was because we really couldn't wait to jam together again,” says Jaar. Harrington echoes this, “It felt like it was time again. We do things in this band that we would never do on our own. Darkside is the third being in the room that just kind of occurs when we make music together."

Lyrically, Sensational aims to dismantle the stereotype of single women looking for love, tackling relationship dramas and the toxicity of dating – a chance to rewrite scenarios in ways that empowered de Casier, fantasizing about what could've been. Musically, it’s as much influenced by Aaliyah and Janet Jackson as house, garage and techno. With hushed, pillow-soft vocals and production that references turn-of-the-millennium sounds, de Casier's sound surveys the past while looking to the future.

The defining blues voice of his generation releases the eagerly-anticipated follow-up to his Grammy-nominated debut, 2019's Kingfish. 662 is a powerful and personal album, a fiery coming-of-age record. The lyrics reflect Ingram's newfound maturity and how your roots inspire where you're heading. The record also delivers a heaping helping of the deep, visceral Ingram guitar magic his fans love, fueling a combustible mix of molten blues rock, down home shuffles and soulful grooves.

Nearly five decades since his debut LP, Jackson Browne’s Downhill From Everywhere sustains the soulful intimacy of his first release, combined with a power and wisdom gained from a life pursuing positive change. Perhaps sensing the inevitable arrival of his mortality, Browne lends parental concern and ultimately hope for a future of which he won’t be a part. “I’m still looking for something,” he sings on the opening track. “I’m way out over my due date.”

Written during the great political, environmental and economic upheaval that has marked recent years, the chaos encouraged Crowell to look inward for solace and answers. The result is Triage, a series of songs that contend with these themes, but approaches them from a place of healing, love and solution. That they are being released while we find ourselves walking through a global pandemic, is a gift of perfect timing.

Parabellum is the best example yet of guitar/composition virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen's creative spark lighting a raging fire that is surely set to burn brightly for many years to come. What truly makes it remarkable is the undoubted joy radiating through each of the songs here. "The bottom line for me is that the passion I feel for the music I make has to be obvious,” Mamlsteen says. “I wanted this album to have a joyous, spontaneous atmosphere. I want fans to experience the delight I had in making it."