The latest album from Michael Joseph Green — V — marks his fifth release in five years, and he doesn’t let up for a second. Who even puts out an album a year? He’s obsessed with chasing a new hook, and it seems like he’s bored sticking to any one genre.

Right away, within thirty minutes of listening, a whole bouquet of images popped into my head. There’s twisted-up indie rock, jazzy detours, a dose of soulful groove, and on top of that electric backdrop, he’s laced in hip-hop lyricism. This explosive mix makes you want to restart a track or two just to figure out how it all fits into a single album. Strangely enough, it does — and holds together tightly.

Out of the ten tracks, a few had me stuck on repeat. One of them kicks off with a light piano motif before a saxophone crashes in. Another rides on a flamenco-style kick drum, sounding like your soles might start dancing on the pavement on their own.

There’s also a song that feels like an intergalactic jam session — bass rolling through your ears, synths slicing through the air, stirring up flickers of ease and sudden waves of melancholy. This album has tracks you can’t just skip — doing so would be like brushing past a letter from an old friend without even opening it.

And here’s the kicker — this whole chaotic, genre-hopping, beautifully unhinged journey? It actually works. Like, coherently. Which is wild. Because on paper this should be a mess. Too many flavors. Too many ideas. But Green doesn’t throw genres around just to show off. He’s not going “look what I can do.” He’s more like, “this is what I hear in my head, and I’m just as surprised as you are.”

BLUE RUIN opens Michael Joseph Green’s new record with a dense, confident burst — indie rock tangled with jagged jazz overtones and basslines that dig straight into the floor. Then comes YOUR MOVE, shifting into an entirely different mood. Warm, thick R&B fluid stretches across the track, like brewing tea while someone plays velvet jazz in the corner as the sun sets. The vocals, filtered through a soft layer of country-tinged melancholy, hold the line. Honestly? This one plays like fine wine in a plastic cup — stylish, unexpected, and a little against the rules. Next is 32 — soft synths, light strings, and that signature Green sound that sits somewhere between soul and electronica. It lands in that space between a street-side sunset and the sound of rain just beyond your window.

ROMANTIQUE wipes the slate clean. There’s no relaxing here. The track moves like a theatrical argument between drama, rhythm, vocals, and instrumentation — now slow, now sharp. Now jazz, now rock. KILL DARLINGS shifts the pace again. The bassline here deserves its own cigarette. The vocals come in stronger, with a raspy edge. Hints of synth-pop flicker through without clashing with the rock delivery. It’s all executed with care: the pop sheen of the chorus makes it broadly listenable, but underneath, it still carries a raw experimental streak.

Then there’s VITAL — a surprising moment of tenderness. A hip-hop beat sways in slow motion, while the strings cut through the noise with surgical precision. And finally, CHEAT CODE ties it all up in a sharp finish. A hip-hop backbone, guitar lines polished to a shine, sharpened with intent and aimed squarely at this verse. There’s something gritty yet refined in it. The vocal stays steady until the last moment — then hits full force in the finale.

The funny thing is, when a musician blends this many styles, the result usually ends up either messy or overly showy. Here, though, everything falls into place — the transitions between tracks pull you in, and each one feels like a short chapter in the story Michael Joseph Green is telling. The album flows slowly, but never drags. It finds its own rhythm, and while you’re listening, reality fades a little: whether you’re in a bar or under a blanket with headphones, there’s this ongoing dialogue between you and the music.

On top of that, there are ten tracks, each leaving its own aftertaste — like sipping whiskies of different ages. You could throw this album on in the morning to cut through the early silence, or spin it at night when the streetlights are already glowing and you’re craving something that’s both rhythmic and tinged with melancholy. Michael Joseph Green has crafted something that doesn’t need much hype. Just give it a shot, and it’ll pull you under — drawing out flickers of nostalgia or nudging you toward living a little bolder.

So if something inside’s itching for a shake-up and your brain’s in the mood for a new soundtrack, crank V up loud. Don’t worry if your neighbors don’t appreciate the sudden swings from soul to jazz. Music’s meant to stir resistance to routine every now and then — otherwise, why are we even listening to these wild records in the first place?

*This review was made possible by SubmitHub