Consistently pumping out hits for years, trailblazing country duo Florida Georgia Line is back with “Life Rolls On” (BMLG), a record whose motto is if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. “Life” isn’t a bad record – the smiley face emoji should preface most of the song titles. “Life Looks Good” is pure singalong, while talented twosome Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard offer a go-to on songwriting techniques with “Countryside.” Oddly however, on Jan. 1, Kelley and Hubbard shocked the country world when they announced that the two of them would be focusing on their solo careers moving forward after the release of “Life.” Fans are already speculating whether or not there will be another FGL album in the future. So, in the meanwhile, fans can chew on this. Fittingly, the album plays heavy on nostalgia. “Good to Me” is a prime example, as they sing, “Burnt down bridges that�…I�…couldn’t build back/ Might’a�…had to learn the hard way/ had my share of hard days/ How the hell I ever make it through all that?” Bona fide crowd pleasers, many of the slow-burn love songs on the record talk about the physical side of love. “Long Time Coming,” a steamy cut, finds the singer explaining that between his kids and his busy work schedule, they’ve not made enough time for themselves. Maybe that’s why their announcement of pursuing solo ventures is even more timely than previously guessed. Regardless, FGL have had a revolutionary impact on country music, and country living itself.

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Yungblud, a.k.a. Dominic Harrison, is a bit of an attention grabber. On his new album, “Weird!” (Locomotion/Polydor Records), the Gen-Z rocker doesn’t take the genre bait and channels his icons like Freddie Mercury, David Bowie and Lady Gaga through 13 tracks of punk-pop, psychedelia and balladry. Harrison is like the rowdy party guest that’s the last to leave the shindig. On the speed-thumping “Acting Like That,” he teams with Machine Gun Kelly on a radio-ready anthem: “You’re way too hot to be acting like that,” Harrison sings with a snarl.

Elsewhere, the record is essentially an ode to his audience of self-identified misfits, the Black Hearts Club. Harrison is weird, aptly so, and flamboyant – he’s practically a male version of singer Pink, replete with sneers and cartoonish faces. On the reflective “Quiet in Beverly Hills,” Harrison reins it back a bit, while the pop-based “Cotton Candy” is as fluffy as the title would suggest. “So tell me your name and tell me your problems/ I got the same/ And I wanna get stuck between your teeth like cotton candy,” so it goes. A British Justin Bieber he’s not, although “Love Song” sounds a lot like Biebster wrote it in the shower, on a song that throws up its hands at that very emotion, citing his parents’ dustups and lack of self-regard. At its best, “Weird!” lives up to its name, raunchy and raucous, but it’s also a trip of an off-beat effort.

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Indie folk-pop treasure Passenger (Michael David Rosenberg) follows up his 2020 quarantine set, the EP “Patchwork,” with a fitting examination of dissatisfaction on his 13th studio album, “Songs for the Drunk and Broken Hearted” (Nettwerk Records), an aptly titled project that focuses on the realities of a breakup. The plaintive opener, “Sword From The Stone” beautifully discusses the inability to move on from a recent relationship. “How you feeling, sweetheart?/ Are you moving on?/ Are you sleeping okay/ Or do the nights go on and on?” he laments. This is far from a happy record, but it’s also a sign of the times. Rosenberg initially planned on releasing “Songs” in May of last year, but he chose to delay it, instead diving deep into the songwriting process. The title track picks up the tempo on the record ever so slightly, while “London In The Spring” the last track on the album, contrasts the opener with a glimmer of hope for happiness. Some may consider this a fine record, while others may find it too gloomy (right down to the Emmett Kelly, Jr., clownish album art). Rosenberg is a maturing artist and sometimes, you have to take the good with the bad. “Songs” does both.

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Manchester, England rock outfit Pale Waves return with their sophomore release, “Who Am I?” (Dirty Hit Records), which finds the band in a bit of a time warp. Although they’ve only released two CDs, they’ve been around for the better half of a decade. The band 1975’s front man Matt Healy took the band under his wing, signing them to his record label. Vocalist Heather Baron-Gracie has a lilt to her voice, stretching her vocal cords a la Alanis Morrisette, and it’s an acquired taste. That said, “Who” nods heavily to Baron-Gracie’s idol, Avril Lavigne. Born out of hardship, “Who” is a well-worn cliché, but in Pale Waves’ case, it’s warranted. The details include a bus crash and a fractured relationship between Baron-Gracie and drummer Ciara Doran. The biggest culprit behind this album is the lack of touring, a huge blow to any burgeoning band. “Changes,” from its opening distorted kick drum has hints of Paramore and Lavigne as well, while “Easy” is an exemplary slice of romantic pop. The second half of “Who” goes “where?” Some of Baron-Gracie’s flame is diminished and the record breaks apart. Pale Waves is young, and while they look for who they want to be, if you allow them to try on hats, one is bound to eventually fit.