The best Criticism newsletters

The Drift's newsletter shares essays, interviews and reviews from its print and online magazine on culture and politics. Readers get long-form cultural criticism on topics such as literature, photography and wellness trends.

Midbrow is a local arts criticism newsletter covering exhibitions, concerts and theatre productions, mainly in Tulsa and Hartford. Each issue offers first-person reviews that describe specific works and performances and weigh their strengths and flaws.

The Metropolitan Review is a books and culture magazine offering long-form essays, interviews and criticism on film, literature and society. Readers get sharp reviews and original reporting on cultural figures and new releases, with a literary bent.

Will Hermes, a longtime music critic, shares new songs of the day, playlists, record reviews and personal essays on music history, with a focus on new releases and rediscovered older music. Readers get curated listening picks with informed context and anecdotes about Afropop, Irish punk-folk and New York scenes.

A personal music writer shares essays on guitar music, from solo guitar records and Sandy Bull to Bill Callahan and Jeff Parker. The posts blend listening notes, memories of live shows and reflections on how music resists being put into words.

Eli Schoop's Constantly Hating is a personal music and culture newsletter offering essays on hipster subculture, internet mysteries and playful song recommendations. Readers get witty, opinionated takes on underground and online music with pop-culture references and year-end style lists.