Lavender Sound | Lavender Sound (Max Freedman) | Substack

New to Lavender Sound? Start Here (2026 EDITION)

I'm operating VERY differently in 2026 than I did in 2025. Please read!

Jan 6 • Max Freedman

EOY 2025

The Year in Chappell Roan

2024? Big year, YUUUGE. 2025? Well...

Dec 23, 2025 • Max Freedman

Lavender Sound's Favorite Albums of 2025

Dec 18, 2025 • Max Freedman

5 LGBTQ+ Music Writers on Their Favorite Songs of 2025

Ranked and unranked lists

Dec 15, 2025 • Max Freedman

It’s My Birthday So I’m Republishing an Old Piece I Love

Do you love Marie Davidson yet? Why not?

Dec 11, 2025 • Max Freedman

Transient Peak: What Your Favorite Album of 2025 Says About You

Roasting you by your favorite album of 2025, "WAY too many queer discourse jokes" edition

Dec 10, 2025 • Lavender Sound (Max Freedman)

Ethel Cain’s 'Willoughby Tucker' and the Pain of Choosing Yourself

A container for my sadness

Dec 9, 2025 • Lavender Sound (Max Freedman)

Recommendations

Front Row & Backstage

Front Row & Backstage

Brad Kyle

Musings Of A Broken Record

Musings Of A Broken Record

Mark Edward Randall

PalCinema, Television, & Music

PalCinema, Television, & Music

Dan Pal

Hunter Kelly / Untethered Southerner

Hunter Kelly / Untethered Southerner

Hunter Kelly

Qstack | The LGBTQIA+ Community of Substacks

Qstack | The LGBTQIA+ Community of Substacks

Mr. Troy Ford

Lavender Sound

Lavender Sound

About music, by and for LGBTQ+ people.

1-Year/10-Year Retrospectives

10 Years Ago, Julien Baker Saved Me a Bit

An album anniversary, and a personal essay

Oct 23, 2025 • Max Freedman

‘E•MO•TION’ Still Sounds Vital 10 Years Later

In seizing her post-“Call Me Maybe” moment in a dumbfoundingly obvious yet sneakily savvy way, Carly Rae Jepsen ensured her icon status among LGBTQ+ pop…

Jun 19, 2025 • Max Freedman

St. Vincent’s Last Album Was Really Good. Why Does Barely Anyone Talk About It?

Minus her Grammy win this year, ‘All Born Screaming’ kind of came and went. It deserved better.

Apr 24, 2025 • Max Freedman

Björk Hit The Reset Button 10 Years Ago And We All Needed It

Thank god for album leaks.

Jan 16, 2025 • Max Freedman

Commentary

I'm changing the way I listen to music

Why (and how) not to stream music in 2025

Jan 8 • Max Freedman

PT. 2: Glitter'n'Glum: Tom Robinson and Jobriath Meet at the Gay Crossroads of Rock & Role

Brad Kyle guides us through two lost icons!

Nov 17, 2025 • Brad Kyle

PT. 1: Glitter'n'Glum: Tom Robinson and Jobriath Meet at the Gay Crossroads of Rock & Role

Brad Kyle guides us through two lost icons!

Nov 11, 2025 • Brad Kyle

PT. 2: Without Anyone’s Consent, Bronski Beat Made a Historically Queer Album 40 Years Ago

Dan Pal’s track-by-track revisiting of a pivotal LP

Nov 10, 2025 • Dan Pal

Album Reviews

Lorde's Virgin encourages us to get dirty and be ourselves

Let's hear it for the (wo)man of the year

Dec 4, 2025 • Tawny Lara

EOY Album Review: PinkPantheress, 'Fancy That'

Dec 2, 2025 • Max Freedman

Album Review: CMAT, 'Euro-Country'

Campy, earnest, an all-around hoot

Nov 25, 2025 • Max Freedman

'Eusexua Afterglow' Is FKA twigs' Weakest Album

What doesn't work (and what does)

Nov 20, 2025 • Max Freedman

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