Review / 200 Words Or Less
Kacey Musgraves
Golden Hour

MCA Nashville (2018) Brendan Hilliard

Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour cover artwork
Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour — MCA Nashville, 2018

Let’s get it out of the way: Believe the hype. All of Kacey Musgraves’s records are the real deal – slices of contemporary country that don’t sound like shit and hint at something greater and more progressive. Hint no more. Golden Hour is Musgraves best and most fully realized record, one that transcends country, or any genre really, with the focus on crystalline songwriting, gorgeous arrangements and something entirely different with the startling disco bump of “High Horse”. It’s the defining career achievement of which there are already many moments that have had that mantle previously. Just don’t waste any more time not listening to it.

Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour cover artwork
Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour — MCA Nashville, 2018

Recently-posted album reviews

Vial

Hellhound
Trout Hole Records (2026)

I was really into the last Vial record, a quick burst of peppy and pointed brat punk. The early singles off Hellhound lean way more grunge, so I was curious how the band had developed in the past couple of years. And while my very first impressions of "Infected" and "Scorpio Moon" had me thinking of L7 and Nirvana, by … Read more

Mauled

When Your Eyes Are Shut
Silverback Gorilla Records (2026)

Deathcore has spent the last decade mutating into increasingly technical, polished, and theatrical territory. Some bands chase symphonic grandeur. Others lean into hyper-technical brutality. The Indianapolis wrecking crew named Mauled take a different approach on When Your Eyes Are Shut. They drag the genre back toward the raw chaos of its early years. This six track EP feels deliberately rooted … Read more

DMZ

The Lost Studio Sessions-1978
Crypt Records (2026)

The Lost Studio Sessions 1978 finally sets the record straight. This is the raw, ugly power the band’s debut never touched. For years, the DMZ legacy has been misunderstood because of that Sire LP. Look, it was the first record of theirs I ever heard and I still love it—but Flo & Eddie’s production smoothed over everything that made them … Read more