Night Time, My Time＜Splatter Vinyl＞

After a slew of EPs and delayed release dates, Sky Ferreiras debut album Night Time, My Time finally arrived in October 2013 and confirmed her status as pop musics dark horse. And while its most outrageous touches -- the equally alluring and disturbing nude album cover shot by controversial film director Gaspard Noe, the Suicide-goes-Top 40 track Omanko, named after the Japanese slang for a womans genitals -- would make Miley Cyrus blush (or more likely, scratch her head), the most shocking thing about the album is how consistently good it is. Ferreira manages to balance her teen pop past with her current interest in indie rock in surprising, creative, and always catchy ways on songs like the new wave-tinged Love in Stereo, while I Will and Youre Not the One both mix hard-hitting beats and big guitars in ways that sound perfectly natural. And while the somber title track sounds closer to Cat Power than Kelly Clarkson, it hints that Ferreira has even more surprises for listeners in the years to come. ~ Heather Phares