BTS, Map of the Soul: Persona
"Boy With Luv" was the one they brought to SNL, the award shows, and the charts, becoming their biggest Hot 100 hit yet thanks to its irresistible groove, knockout chorus and inspired Halsey cameo. But it's just one of many looks the band offers on their varied and dynamic new seven-track set, which also includes a breezy (and brassy) Ed Sheeran co-write ("Make It Right"), panoramic Tears For Fears-style new wave ("Mikrokosmos"), and bombastic rap-rock that's an English translation away from being mistakable for something from Kid Rock's Devil Without a Cause ("Intro: Persona"). Even as BTS' popularity continues to shoot higher, it's the width of their sonic expansion that continues to really impress about their development. -- ANDREW UNTERBERGER
Cage the Elephant, Social Cues
If you’ve ever seen Cage the Elephant's restless, manic live show, you know subtlety is not singer Matt Schultz’s jam. But the group’s fifth album, Social Cues, pulls back the reins on that explosiveness -- just the right amount. A chronicle of surviving both a romantic break-up and ear-popping career pressure, it explodes out of the gate with the Devo-like nu-wave alienation sprint “Broken Boy” and the Bowie-adjacent title track, before settling into a mostly minor-key ride that adds a subtle new shade to the band's already-Technicolor palette, a fresh, vital addition to the canon of classic heartbreak albums. Plus, amid the darkness and doubt, there’s always the soul-swelling ray of sunshine “Love’s the Only Way,” Schultz singing the timeless sentiment, “I can see the sunshine, breaking through the skyline/ I can feel the warmth it brings/ I can’t help but stop and think/ There’s gotta be a place/ Love’s the only way.” -- GIL KAUFMAN
Carly Rae Jepsen, Dedicated
If nothing else, years after scoring a Hot 100 No. 1 single and then recording one of Pop Twitter's most-worshipped albums of the decade, Carly Rae Jepsen is an artist facing a number of different expectations. Her fourth studio set Dedicated shows that she is well aware of those hopes, and is eager to reward her her fans for their patience with new spins on the ecstatic bops that they've been aching for. From her signature synth-pop bangers like "Now That I Found You" and "Julien," to more funk-inspired creations like "Right Words Wrong Time" and "Everything He Needs," Jepsen continues to deliver the shimmering, earnest pop music that both made her a star and a fan favorite. -- STEPHEN DAW