Olly Alexander - Polari (Album Review)

Olly Alexander has had a mixed time of it since folding Years & Years a couple of years ago, beginning with a musically promising Eurovision effort last year that sank like a stone at the event itself. But the singer is now ready to take a stand with ‘Polari’, his first full-length release under his own name.

Written by: Issy Herring | Date: Friday, 14 February 2025

L.S. Dunes - Violet (Album Review)

Photo: Shervin Lainez The good news is that L.S. Dunes’ coming together hasn’t turned out to be a momentary spark in time, or a relic to be preserved only in the deepest alternative lore. Pulling together members of My Chemical Romance, Circa Survive, Coheed & Cambria and Thursday, the supergroup’s gritty 2022 debut ‘Past Lives’ set in motion some unique tours and festival appearances, offering the chance to see Frank Iero and friends on the sort of small stages they have long outgrown in their day jobs.

Written by: Emma Wilkes | Date: Thursday, 13 February 2025

Heartworms - Glutton For Punishment (Album Review)

Photo: Gilbert Trejo Some artists struggle to cement their aims on their debut, but Heartworms’ Jojo Orme isn’t one of them. It might not always hang together perfectly as a whole, but ‘Glutton for Punishment’ is a gothic indie-pop statement of intent — if Edgar Allan Poe had a Telecaster and a drum machine at his disposal, one can imagine the results would not be too dissimilar.

Written by: James Palaczky | Date: Wednesday, 12 February 2025

Dream Theater - Parasomnia (Album Review)

Photo: Mark Maryanovich In prog circles there are few bigger deals than ‘Parasomnia’, Dream Theater’s first outing with returning drummer Mike Portnoy since 2009’s ‘Black Clouds and Silver Linings’. Wearing that weight of expectation lightly, the record is a typically complex labyrinth, blending nightmarish metal soundscapes with razor-sharp thrash riffs.

Written by: Jack Press | Date: Tuesday, 11 February 2025

Inhaler - Open Wide (Album Review)

Photo: Lewis Evans Inhaler’s sturdy, reliable brand of indie has made them a breakthrough act in recent years, with two commercially and critically successful albums already under their belt. In that context, the young Dubliners’ third LP ‘Open Wide’ is a canny move, moving in some fresh directions while retaining their established style.

Written by: Chris Connor | Date: Monday, 10 February 2025

Circa Waves - Death & Love, Pt. 1 (Album Review)

Photo: Polocho Over the summer of 2015, Circa Waves quickly became one the UK’s hottest new bands and the toast of the country’s festival circuit. Their mainstream appeal was obvious and indie anthems such as T-Shirt Weather and Fossils felt tailor-made for soundtracking carefree days in the sunshine.

Written by: Matthew McLister | Date: Wednesday, 05 February 2025

Brooke Combe - Dancing at The Edge of The World (Album Review)

Photo: Sam Crowston Brooke Coombe has really made a name for herself of late thanks to a throwback approach that dials up the sound and feeling of Northern soul classics. The Scottish vocalist may have appeared on some listeners’ radar thanks to her work on Courteeners’ ‘Pink Cactus Café’ but with her debut LP she steps out on her own in wonderful style.

Written by: Chris Connor | Date: Monday, 03 February 2025

Anna B Savage - You and i are Earth (Album Review)

Photo: Katie Silvester  During the past few years, almost everyone will have felt the urge to escape our polarised digital present, if only for a short while. Escaping into nature is a welcome panacea, like sinking into the moss and ferns on the cover of ‘You & i are Earth’.

Written by: Tom Morgan | Date: Thursday, 30 January 2025

Mogwai - The Bad Fire (Album Review)

Photo: Steve Gullick Few rock bands do instrumental music as well as Mogwai. The Scottish post-rock veterans are one of the greats of the genre, crafting dynamic, almost entirely vocal-free music that nonetheless courses with rich storytelling and emotion.

Written by: Tom Morgan | Date: Wednesday, 29 January 2025

FKA Twigs - Eusexua (Album Review)

The title of FKA Twigs’ new record requires some unpacking. Coined at a rave in Prague, ‘Eusexua’ is a neologism encapsulating the transcendent feeling of losing oneself entirely in the present moment. Whether it's channelling the ecstatic abandon of all-night dancing or the intoxicating intimacy of a deep connection, the accompanying collection captures that blissful state of oblivion. 

Written by: Katie Macbeth | Date: Friday, 24 January 2025

Mac Miller - Balloonerism (Album Review)

It has been almost seven years since Mac Miller’s death, but in that time we have received regular reminders of his creative genius. Originally recorded between 2013 and 2014, ‘Balloonerism’ is the latest of them — an experimental, introspective record that leaves a bittersweet aftertaste.

Written by: Issy Herring | Date: Thursday, 23 January 2025

Jasmine.4.t - You Are The Morning (Album Review)

Photo: Matt Grubb Brimming with tales of heartache, loss, love, self-acceptance and finding a place to belong, ‘You Are The Morning’ is an authentic, defiant body of work that justifies every ounce of hype behind jasmine.4.t.

Written by: Nieve Elis | Date: Wednesday, 22 January 2025

David Gray - Dear Life (Album Review)

Photo: Robin Grierson As David Gray returns with his first album since 2021, the shadow of his greatest achievement remains long. While later albums have been warmly received, it remains true that the singer-songwriter has struggled to replicate the impact of 1998’s ‘White Ladder’, one of the biggest-selling albums in the history of the UK charts. Having gone to the nostalgia well with an anniversary tour for that breakout release, he’s now rekindled his distinctive folktronica blend for ‘Dear Life’, which is a fine example of the form.

Written by: Chris Connor | Date: Tuesday, 21 January 2025

Ringo Starr - Look Up (Album Review)

Photo: Dan Winters With the recent success of Martin Scorcese’s Beatles ‘64 documentary and Sam Mendes’ ambitious series of Beatles biopics in the works, the seemingly never-ending lust for Fab Four nostalgia isn’t going away anytime soon. But, in the background, the band’s surviving members are still cooking, remaining present in the here and now.

Written by: Matthew McLister | Date: Thursday, 16 January 2025

Moonchild Sanelly - Full Moon (Album Review)

Moonchild Sanelly has her own lane. With 2015’s ‘Rabulapha!’ and 2022’s ‘Phases’ her “futuristic ghetto funk” bridged the gap between sounding like it’s come from 50 years in the future while remaining rooted 50 years in the past. With ‘Full Moon’ she displays her whole self in a body of work that’s wholly unapologetic without always nailing the fizz and fire of her best music.

Written by: Jack Butler-Terry | Date: Monday, 13 January 2025

Franz Ferdinand - The Human Fear (Album Review)

It has been a while since Franz Ferdinand became one of the biggest indie success stories in the UK off the back of a few indelible hits, and don’t they know it. The Glasgow band’s first studio album in seven years, ‘The Human Fear’, offers a return of sorts to the sound of their early work, but shown through a prism of everything the intervening period has taught them.

Written by: Chris Connor | Date: Friday, 10 January 2025

Ethel Cain - Perverts (Album Review)

Photo: Silken Weinberg It’s not a new question, but it is a pointed one: how do you follow up a debut album that catapulted you into the mainstream consciousness? If you’re Ethel Cain, you opt to do so by delving into the most impenetrable, experimental noise you can.

Written by: Will Marshall | Date: Wednesday, 08 January 2025

White Denim - 12 (Album Review)

Photo: Charlie Weinmann White Denim may have changed line ups several times, but they’ve remained a consistently excellent rock ‘n’ roll band for nearly two decades now. The Texan outfit began as raucous garage-rockers on their 2008 debut ‘Workout Holiday’ but in the intervening years they have developed towards a more polished, bluesy style that remains difficult to pin down.

Written by: Matthew McLister | Date: Friday, 20 December 2024

Angel Olsen - Cosmic Waves Volume 1 (Album Review)

Photo: Maxim Ludwig Since emerging in 2010 with the EP ‘Strange Cacti’, a collection of stripped-back songs teeming with folk influences, Angel Olsen’s palette has rapidly expanded. While remaining a constant in the indie sphere, the singer-songwriter has dabbled in country, pop and heartland rock while collaborating with artists including Sharon Van Etten, Mark Ronson and Emile Mosseri.

Written by: Nieve Elis | Date: Thursday, 19 December 2024

The National - Rome (Album Review)

Photo: Graham MacIndoe The National have almost delivered the perfect live album with ‘Rome’, which positions you side stage for a career-spanning show where these unlikely world-conquerors breathe entirely new life into cuts old and new. 

Written by: Jack Press | Date: Monday, 16 December 2024

Lauren Mayberry - Vicious Creature (Album Review)

Photo: Charlotte Patmore Following more than a decade as singer of Scottish synth-pop trio CHVRCHES, Lauren Mayberry has now stepped into the spotlight solo, promising “an exercise in empowering myself to listen to my own intuition” and largely delivering on ‘Vicious Creature’. 

Written by: Matthew McLister | Date: Friday, 13 December 2024

ROSÉ - Rosie (Album Review)

Photo: Kenneth Cappello ‘Rosie’ is the debut from BLACKPINK’s ROSÉ, with the K-pop superstar appropriately using her first solo outing to delve into her most vulnerable and honest work yet. Here she fully showcases the extreme nature of growing up in the public eye, with social media trolling walking arm in arm with heartbreak.

Written by: Issy Herring | Date: Wednesday, 11 December 2024

Dua Lipa - Live From The Royal Albert Hall (Album Review)

Photo: Elizabeth Miranda With her distinctive blend of pop and neo-disco, Dua Lipa has become one of the most well-loved pop stars to emerge from the UK in recent years. This live album is both a celebration of that fact and a reset of sorts.

Written by: Chris Connor | Date: Monday, 09 December 2024

Kim Deal - Nobody Loves You More (Album Review)

Given the size of her footprint on modern rock, it almost feels like a glitch in the Matrix that Kim Deal is only now releasing her debut solo album. But ‘Nobody Loves You More’ proves to be well worth the wait.

Written by: Matthew McLister | Date: Thursday, 05 December 2024

Poppy - Negative Spaces (Album Review)

Photo: Sam Cannon On her sixth album, the YouTuber-turned pop acrobat Poppy has launched herself into alt-metal. The result is largely impressive, pulling together hard-edged metalcore with tuneful asides and occasional balladry.

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Wednesday, 04 December 2024

Juice WRLD - The Party Never Ends (Album Review)

Photo: YouTube Five years have passed since Juice WRLD’s death but with ‘The Party Never Ends’ his legacy is still shining. The rapper’s third posthumous release is as poignant as it is hotly-anticipated following years of leaks and slow-moving progress behind the scenes. Its quality ensures a bittersweet send off.

Written by: Issy Herring | Date: Tuesday, 03 December 2024

Michael Kiwanuka - Small Changes (Album Review)

Photo: Marco Grey The title of Michael Kiwanuka’s latest record doesn’t necessarily represent an accurate depiction of the way his life has played out since he won the 2019 Mercury Prize with ‘Kiwanuka’. That prize in itself hardly fits the category of ‘Small Changes’, but it’s dwarfed by the birth of two children and a move out of his native London.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Monday, 02 December 2024

Father John Misty - Mahashmashana (Album Review)

Photo: Bradley J. Calder Father John Misty has parlayed a distinctive sense of humour, unique vocal delivery and undeniable songs into a silken sound that’s always been undercut by a sense of restlessness. Josh Tillman’s music is hard to categorise, slipping seamlessly from pop to jazz and singer-songwriter fare to indie-folk, often covering multiple genres in one album. On his sixth LP this mix is as beguiling as ever, with ‘Mahashmashana’ charting sounds both familiar and new for the chameleonic artist.

Written by: Chris Connor | Date: Friday, 29 November 2024

Kendrick Lamar - GNX (Album Review)

Photo: pgLang In many ways, 2024 has been Kendrick Lamar’s year. From his high-profile beef with Drake and the slew of accompanying (some might say career-defining) diss tracks he gave us, to being announced for this season’s Super Bowl halftime show, it’s been impossible to avoid him. It only makes sense, then, that he’s closing it out with ‘GNX’, a surprise album that’s also one of the best things released in the past 12 months.

Written by: Jack Butler-Terry | Date: Tuesday, 26 November 2024

070 Shake - Petrichor (Album Review)

Photo: Gianni Gallant ‘Petrichor’ is the third album from New Jersey native and former Kanye West protégé 070 Shake. Now signed to Def Jam Records, the rapper-turned-singer has delivered an album of thrashy pop R&B synth dirges that are sometimes angry, sometimes tender, but frequently quite low-slung, stodgy and a bit difficult to listen to.

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Monday, 25 November 2024

Warmduscher - Too Cold To Hold (Album Review)

Photo: Babycakes Romero If a monologue from Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh about DMT doesn’t sell you on an album, then perhaps Warmduscher’s fifth outing isn’t for you. But if you are in the market for a bit of maximalist surrealism, then look no further.

Written by: Jack McGill | Date: Monday, 25 November 2024

Westside Gunn & DJ Drama - Still Praying (Album Review)

When Westside Gunn announced that he wouldn’t be making albums anymore, many fans probably thought he’d go quiet musically. But in fine hip hop retirement tradition, it turns out the Buffalo rapper and record exec isn’t going anywhere. His new collaborative mixtape with DJ Drama serves as a bit of a victory lap.

Written by: Jack Butler-Terry | Date: Friday, 22 November 2024

Mary J. Blige - Gratitude (Album Review)

‘Gratitude’ is the latest album by the self-styled queen of hip hop soul Mary J. Blige, and it sees the multi-time Grammy winner deliver rich storytelling and vocal expertise while retracing some of the musical motifs of her 1990s heyday. But, despite its talented and varied cast of collaborators, it sounds like she’s phoning it in a bit.

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Thursday, 21 November 2024

Freddie Gibbs - You Only Die 1nce (Album Review)

Photo: Nick Walker Freddie Gibbs has been one of hip hop’s most consistent artists for 20 years now. The Gary, Indiana native has long stood out for his singular ability to fashion his flows and lyrics into wicked tools of destruction, entertainment and insight. He’s a rapper’s rapper, if ever there was one. ‘You Only Die 1nce’ continues that legacy, but it also threatens to undo it at times, with some questionable and unfocused moments blotting his copybook.

Written by: Jack Butler-Terry | Date: Wednesday, 20 November 2024

Linkin Park - From Zero (Album Review)

Photo: James Minchin III Linkin Park’s ‘From Zero’ faced an uphill battle from the off, with sky-high expectations in place as the band sought to uphold a tremendous legacy. It’s telling, then, that their first record since reuniting isn’t a continuation but a reset. 

Written by: Will Marshall | Date: Tuesday, 19 November 2024

Ab-Soul - Soul Burger (Album Review)

‘Soul Burger’ is the sixth studio album from Ab-Soul, and it finds the Californian rapper, singer and Kendrick Lamar collaborator spit dynamic, versatile bars over an understated range of beats, motifs and samples. It is a decent enough hip hop album, with the occasional avant-garde flourish, but it doesn’t really deliver any bangers or live long in the memory.

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Monday, 18 November 2024

Gwen Stefani - Bouquet (Album Review)

Gwen Stefani’s early solo work slotted into a vibrant era of pop music, with the infectious energy and bold attitude of songs such as Hollaback Girl and What You Waiting For? offering a refreshing extension of her latter-day work with No Doubt. If her new album is anything to go by, though, the past couple of decades have eroded the rebellious spirit that once defined her music. 

Written by: Katie Macbeth | Date: Friday, 15 November 2024

Primal Scream - Come Ahead (Album Review)

Photo: Peter Johnson If Primal Scream somehow ended up amid the tea towels, mixers and gingham of Bake Off, ‘Come Ahead’ wouldn’t put them in line for a handshake. Their 12th studio album, much like their entire career, is an inconsistent series of 11 bakes. Some are burnt, some underdone, and a few are cooked to perfection. They simply can’t weigh their ingredients.

Written by: Jack Press | Date: Tuesday, 12 November 2024

Lil Uzi Vert - Eternal Atake 2 (Album Review)

Photo: Garrett Bruce It’s been four years since Lil Uzi Vert’s much-anticipated second album ‘Eternal Atake’ landed, delivering on the promise shown throughout the rapper’s mixtapes and on their debut record ‘Luv Is Rage 2’. The intervening years have been a mess of dramas and beefs and it seems that all of that has become distracting — the terrible ‘Eternal Atake 2’ is the work of someone who has forgotten what made them such a hot commodity in the first place.

Written by: Jack Butler-Terry | Date: Friday, 08 November 2024

Tyler, The Creator - Chromakopia (Album Review)

Photo: YouTube Tyler, the Creator is 33, and you can tell. Proof that the rapper has settled into the fourth decade of his life can be found throughout ‘Chromakopia’, a record that is just as textured, challenging, exciting and rewarding as that period of time can be.

Written by: Jack Butler-Terry | Date: Thursday, 07 November 2024

Autre Ne Veut - Love, Guess Who?? (Album Review)

Photo: Bellamy Brewster Autre Ne Veut first emerged from the New York underground scene in 2010 as a bruised but soulful solo artist, and over three albums developed a sound and persona that was one part Usher, one part Justin Timberlake and one part Frank Ocean. They made a name for themselves in a scene that is referred to semi-pejoratively as PBR&B — a pun on the Pabst Blue Ribbon beer that is often associated with hipster dive bars and warehouse gigs.

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Wednesday, 06 November 2024

Kelsea Ballerini - Patterns (Album Review)

Photo: Nyk Allen While on 2022’s ‘Subject To Change’ it felt like Kelsea Ballerini was pulling her punches, the following year’s ‘Rolling Up The Welcome Mat’ EP found the country-popper hit the reset button with a right hook. Stepping off the genre’s customary carousel of songwriters by choosing to write and produce solely with Alysa Vanderheym, Ballerini channelled a divorce-sized stack of feelings into six stripped-back numbers.

Written by: Jack Press | Date: Tuesday, 05 November 2024

Soccer Mommy - Evergreen (Album Review)

Photo: Anna Pollack On ‘Evergreen’, Sophie Allison takes us back to the start. The singer-songwriter has been making music under the name Soccer Mommy since she was 17 and first began uploading her home-recorded songs to Bandcamp. In the years that have followed she’s become known for her dreamy, shoegazey sound and sentimental lyrics, but here she trades indie-rock bite in for a stripped-back sound akin to her lo-fi early days. 

Written by: Nieve Elis | Date: Tuesday, 05 November 2024

Underworld - Strawberry Hotel (Album Review)

Since forming in 1987 Underworld have helped redefine British electronic music with a style that is hard to put your finger on but familiar and easy to get lost in. ‘Strawberry Hotel’ is their 11th studio album and their first since 2019 and, with 15 tracks spanning close to 70 minutes, it is another highly ambitious project that shows the duo of Karl Hyde and Rick Smith have no intention of slowing down anytime soon.

Written by: Chris Connor | Date: Monday, 04 November 2024

Laura Marling - Patterns In Repeat (Album Review)

Photo: Tamsin Topolski Laura Marling’s no longer playing house. On 2020’s ‘Song For Our Daughter’,  the singer-songwriter made the transition into starkly sparse arrangements as she wrote guidance for a fictional daughter. Its follow up, ‘Patterns In Repeat’ follows its title’s lead — delving into motherhood again, but for real this time. Despite pulling zero punches, it still offers the warmth of a winter morning’s freshly roasted coffee.

Written by: Jack Press | Date: Monday, 04 November 2024

Beth Hart - You Still Got Me (Album Review)

To listen to Beth Hart's music is to know her. Pouring her experiences into songs that reflect the daily emotional roller coaster of living with bipolar in an increasingly turbulent world, there’s a level of necessity to her songwriting that moves beyond simply processing complex feelings. More than ever, music feels like her salvation on this thrill ride of a record.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Friday, 01 November 2024

Amyl and the Sniffers - Cartoon Darkness (Album Review)

Photo: John Angus Stewart We already know that Amyl and the Sniffers are loud and boisterous, and that they have a penchant for a trip to the pub. But thanks to ‘Cartoon Darkness’ we also know that they haven’t been too busy clowning to stop and take notice of the slowly deteriorating world around them. On album three their gritty punk vibrancy remains firmly intact, but there are added shades of grey that make any washes of bright colour pop even more.

Written by: Emma Wilkes | Date: Friday, 01 November 2024

Halsey - The Great Impersonator (Album Review)

Halsey’s ‘The Great Impersonator’ was introduced with a bit of hero-worship. Recreating  iconic photoshoots from Fiona Apple, Aaliyah, Dolores O’Riordan, Britney Spears, Stevie Nicks, and Bruce Springsteen, she provided a fascinating peek into the musical influences that informed album five. Equally, though, it was shaped by her experience of living with lupus and a rare T-cell disorder while being a young mother. As a result, this is a profound exploration of identity, illness, and the power of music.

Written by: Katie Macbeth | Date: Thursday, 31 October 2024

Courteeners - Pink Cactus Café (Album Review)

Manchester’s Courteeners have been one of the UK’s leading indie bands since the release of 2008’s ‘St Jude’, a record that set out blueprints for rock-solid songwriting and communal feeling. The group now return with the eclectic ‘Pink Cactus Café’, which takes their sound in some intriguing and ambitious directions, resulting in one of their most accomplished and varied records to date. 

Written by: Chris Connor | Date: Thursday, 31 October 2024

Pixies - The Night The Zombies Came (Album Review)

Photo: Travis Shinn It feels like every new Pixies album gets praised by some as a reinvention and criticised by others for being too familiar. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. Today, as they always have done, the band revel in taking small left turns, while retaining their signature quirky pop songwriting chops.

Written by: Tom Morgan | Date: Wednesday, 30 October 2024