QUICK FIRE REVIEWS #3 // DEFTONES, NICK MOBIN, SABRINA CARPENTER, TYLER THE CREATOR, HAYLEY WILLIAMS

Some more quick fire reviews today, because I have so much to gush about and so little patience to write out individual reviews - so here we are! Some really exciting new records from some massive artists, as well as one a little closer to home - all these records are hot off the press from this year too, so enjoy these five albums and my quickfire reviews!

Deftones - Private Music - 2025

A triumphant and rip roaring return to form for the ever impressive Deftones. Full of chunky riffs, a massive live drum sound and some awesome vocal moments from frontman Chino Moreno, this really is one of the best and most immediate record in this bands discography. However, this new digitally tinged style takes serious hold throughout, and this album does suffer from a but of fatigue on the latter end. All of the tracks have very similar sonics, and although they're all awesome I feel like this is an album to be enjoyed more as part of a playlist than front to back. Some real standouts to me are My Mind is a Mountain, Locked Club and Cut Hands - but there's a lot to love, even if by the end of its 40 minute runtime I was a little worn out. I'm giving this one a solid 8.5/10.

Nick Mobin - Better with Me - 2025

On his debut EP, singer songwriter Nick Mobin flexes his song writing chops like never before. Moving slightly away from the classic guitar tinged ballads of his previous releases, we get to see a new dimension, more electric and polished to a serious shine. Lyrically he's at his most vulnerable, and you hear that reflected in his beautifully controlled cadence throughout every track on this record. Production is crystal clear and fantastically varied - some hard hitting, others focused around slightly distorted electric guitar and live drums. Guaranteed to hit all the highs in its 11 minute EP runtime, this is such a promising start to Mobins career - it's no wonder even the BBC is taking interest. An easy 10 here - I can’t wait for more!

Sabrina Carpenter - Man's Best Friend - 2025

I had some great things to say about Sabrina Carpenters last record, and I have very similar praises for this new album Man's Best Friend. It's easy to listen to, full of quotable lines, and pumped full of classic Carpenter humour - it's hard to listen to any of these new tracks without breaking out into a smile - Tears is a prime example. It also has some similarly clean production as the last, seemingly doubling down on all those things that made the last one so good, and that's by no means a bad thing - even if it's produced by my least favourite producer on earth Jack Antonoff. However it does experiment in some tracks, like When Did You Get Hot?, with a smoother almost R&B feel to it - and it works amazingly in her favour. This is just a fun listen, and I'm rating it a 8.5/10.

Don't Tap the Glass - Tyler the Creator - 2025

I really enjoyed Tyler the Creator's last record, so thought I'd give this one a try and see how I felt - and I'm glad I did. This record is just pure fun, with some really classic R&B production. Thumping bass, catchy beats, and some of the most playful song writing I've ever heard from Tyler before - it's a ride. This record was made for fun, to get people moving and singing along, and I love the lack of serious stakes - it reflects that lightness all the way through. It has such a distinctive style, full of synths and thumping electronics - and it works perfectly against his vox, full of attitude and swagger. Some small things grate on me slightly, mainly in the second half of the record it looses a little bit of that energy, but that's me seriously nit picking. It has some real replayability, and I find myself coming back to it again and again just to get a bit of that vibe injected into my day - this gets a 9/10 for me.

Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party - Hayley Williams (2025)

Hayley Williams has such a power in her song writing. I don't know what it is, but whatever she touches turns to solid gold. This record, clocking in at almost an hour long, is a rollercoaster ride of gleaming R&B, indie pop and some seriously hardcore moments that feel like an offhanded reference to Paramore but in her own sometimes playful, and sometimes heart breaking style. There are some real highs to this record, sweeping moments of beautiful chaos and insanity, sweeping synth and vocoded backing vocals, but also some of the heaviest and emotional song writing I think I've experienced sound tracked to either beautiful indie pop instrumentation or sparse soundscapes - of course I'm talking about Parachute. The breakup song to end all breakup songs, with vocals that rival Blood Sport by Sleep Token for their sheer gritted-teeth growl. If you can listen to that track without getting a bit choked up, you've either heard it before or are a registered psychopath. What more can I give this record than a perfect 10/10 - I'll be revisiting this one for sure.

Overview: What a good few months for music huh? There have been some massive new records released that I've thoroughly enjoyed, and I really enjoy writing some little bite sized chunks of reviews instead of the full format sometimes. There's a time and a place for records like that (most likely Breach so strap in for that on the 12th!) - but I reckon I'll be back to this format again soon, there's so much new music on the horizon, so I look forward to writing about it when I can.

Highlights: My Mind is a Mountain, Locked Club, Cut Hands, Better with Me, Be Mine, Get out of Mine, Want Me, Tears, Manchild, House Tour, Sugar on My Tongue, Sucka Free, Ring Ring Ring, Ice in My OJ, Hard, Mirtazapene, Parachute