Ariana Grande's personal drama isn't for everyone, but there's no denying that it leads to great music. On Eternal Sunshine, she teams up with pop genius Max Martin to craft 11 of the 13 infectious heartbreak/rebound tracks. There's a lot of midtempo goodness here that pairs well with alone time or a dinner party. Her Wicked training also paid off—Ariana's never sounded sharper or clearer.
Jack Antonoff has arguably become better known for creating music with Taylor Swift and Carly Rae Jepson (among others) than for his own work. But his band Bleachers just dropped a Springsteen-esque LP that indie rock fans will love.
Curve were way ahead of their time as a 90s industrial pop act. Bands like Garbage became more famous, but nobody did it better than Curve (except Trent Reznor, but he's in a category of his own). If you love wall-of-sound pop with infectious grooves and haunting female vocals, Curve will blow your mind. Cuckoo is their most rock-influenced LP, so fans of Ministry, Faith No More, and the like will especially dig this one.