The Lead Sheet ~ 10/7/25

Global pop titan Taylor Swift’s long anticipated new album, The Life of a Showgirl dropped this week and has pretty much dominated all music conversation post-release, as per usual with new Swift projects. Forums on completely unrelated genres can’t help but mention it in passing, but for The Life of a Showgirl, the consensus is fairly poor. Even the most die-hard “Swifties” admit the album is bizarre and immature for the thirty-five year old pop star, who on Showgirl seems to have a weird, lascivious beef with Charli XCX. It seems like fans have been craving refinement from the artist, but listeners and critics are turned off by the sudden left turn into explicit lyricism. It’s common for young pop stars, in an effort to shrug off clean, adolescent marketability, to suddenly rebrand as edgy and adult, and listeners cringe at Swift seemingly hitting this phase now. The Life of a Showgirl is Taylor Swift’s twelfth album to date. 

Los Angeles based black metal band Agriculture, released their second full album, The Spiritual Sound this week to rave reviews across the board. The new record focuses on human emotions like love, joy, and suffering. Despite the band’s heavy sound, the music is meant to inspire and uplift; according to guitarist Dan Meyer, the group takes an “ecstatic approach” to their songwriting. Critics and fans have high praise for the album’s authentic and powerful lyrics, as well as the explosive, chaotic energy of each track. Agriculture is on tour now in the United States, and will wrap up November 18th in Vancouver, Canada. 

English singer-songwriter Dorothy Miranda Clark, known professionally as Dodie, has a new album out this week, titled Not For Lack of Trying. The new project is the artist’s second full album and is a continuation of her 2021 debut record Build a Problem. Lack of Trying’s pop sound is cinematic, with some folk influence, and listeners appreciate Dodie’s maturation as a songwriter with tracks like “I’M FINE” and “I Feel Bad For You, Dave”, the latter of which tackles the subject of internet trolls from a perspective of pity. The album’s composition also has a wider range, using rich string arrangements and softly-plucked guitars to play with dynamics. Most agree the album’s first half is both powerful and effective, but some feel Lack of Trying’s second part loses a bit of steam and isn’t as polished. Overall, fans and critics are in agreement that the album is a great follow-up without relying too heavily on formula.

After a six year LP hiatus, Scottish post-hardcore group Idlewild released their 10th studio album, also named Idlewild on Friday to mostly positive reviews, with critics rating the album slightly higher than general listeners. After nearly three decades in music production, the band has explored a diverse range of sounds, like folk, indie rock, and Britpop, and Idlewild is a nostalgic tour through their various eras. Listeners feel Idlewild is a fantastic comeback after some time off, and standout tracks like “Stay Out of Place” and “Make It Happen” are being called some of the band’s best work. Idlewild will tour this winter in the UK, finishing in January of 2026. 

Orbit Culture, the Swedish death metal band from Eksjö, just released their first album under their new label Century Media Records. The new LP, Death Above Life, is the group’s fifth to date, and marks something of a rebirth for Orbit Culture. Listeners comment that the new work sounds noticeably more polished and professional. Despite signing with a major label, reviews on the whole for Death Above Life are divisive; some can’t get enough of the record’s aggressive thrash sound, others feel the tracks start to bleed together and become monotonous. Death Above Life still has some interesting and creative instrumentation -- the group cites film composer Hans Zimmer as an inspirational source, and his influence is observable in the distorted cellos present on “Hydra”, and an atmospheric, cinematic quality present on several other tracks.

Taylor Swift - The Life of a Showgirl

Released October 3, 2025

RCA Records

Agriculture - The Spiritual Sound

Released October 3, 2025

The Flenser

Dodie - Not For Lack of Trying

Released October 3, 2025

Universal UK

Idlewild- Idlewild

Released October 3, 2025

V2

Orbit Culture - Death Above Life

Released October 3, 2025

Century Media