Thirty Seconds to Mars - It's The End Of The World But It's A Beautiful Day (Album Review)

Photo: Bartholomew Cubbins Whether it's down to an artist’s maturity, necessity or the shifting tides of public taste, change is the only constant in modern music. Thirty Seconds To Mars has always worn that fact on their sleeves, and over the course of 25 years have shifted from emo-flecked rock to electronic art-pop with various stops in between. With their sixth album 'It's The End Of The World But It's A Beautiful Day' their unknowable journey continues, but the scenery is a drag.

Written by: Jack Terry | Date: Wednesday, 20 September 2023

Corey Taylor - CMF2 (Album Review)

Photo: Marina Hunter It has been less than a year since Slipknot’s last album, and yet their force-of-nature frontman, Corey Taylor, is already back with his second solo outing. ‘CMF2’ riffs on the title of his first effort ‘CMFT’ — in other words, Corey Mother Fucking Taylor — and fittingly does the same with its sound, carrying the baton forward while simultaneously heading into uncharted territory.

Written by: Rishi Shah | Date: Wednesday, 20 September 2023

Baroness - Stone (Album Review)

Photo: Ebru Yildiz Few metal or metal-adjacent bands ramp up their heaviness as they age. It takes extreme skill and ambition to find new ways to deliver crushing blows across careers that span multiple albums and, potentially, decades.

Written by: Tom Morgan | Date: Tuesday, 19 September 2023

Courtney Barnett - End of the Day (Album Review)

Anonymous Club, Danny Cohen’s documentary about Courtney Barnett, threw up an interesting treat for fans, offering insight into the Australian indie-rocker’s journey to international recognition. Now, ‘End of the Day’ takes the film’s score and gives it its own release, pulling down the curtain on Milk! Records, the label Barnett started a little more than a decade ago, in the process.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Monday, 18 September 2023

Giggs - Zero Tolerance (Album Review)

"I got the scene / where it needs to be / I got receipts," is a bold statemen, but coming from the opening track of Giggs's 'Zero Tolerance', it makes a lot of sense. The Peckham rapper has been at the forefront of the British scene, contributing to some of its defining moments, for almost 20 years now. He really has helped elevate the craft to the chart-topping success that it is today.

Written by: Jack Terry | Date: Monday, 18 September 2023

Angel Du$t - Brand New Soul (Album Review)

Photo: Elyza Reinhart Angel Du$t’s ‘Brand New Soul’ might as well be the soul of Justice Tripp pressed to vinyl, pulling together his status as a hardcore figurehead and jangle-pop experimenter in a manner that we haven’t seen before.

Written by: Jack McGill | Date: Friday, 15 September 2023

Olivia Rodrigo - Guts (Album Review)

Photo: Larissa Hofmann With her powerhouse voice, lyrics that nail an under-explored young female experience and A+ student attitude to musical history, Olivia Rodrigo's second album demonstrates a pop star who is  still way ahead of her age. 

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Thursday, 14 September 2023

Royal Blood - Back To The Water Below (Album Review)

Photo: Tom Beard The last time we heard from Royal Blood, they were dancing through their anxieties with their brightest, most uptempo two-person soundscapes to date. Two years on from the release of ‘Typhoons’, though, things are looking murkier. 

Written by: Emma Wilkes | Date: Wednesday, 13 September 2023

Speedy Ortiz - Rabbit Rabbit (Album Review)

Photo: Chris Carreon Meandering guitar lines and off-kilter vocal melodies have been a distinguishing feature of Speedy Ortiz’s music from the very beginning. Since the release of the Philadelphia-based band’s understated yet self-assured debut album ‘Major Arcana’ a decade ago, songwriter, producer, vocalist and guitarist Sadie Dupuis has displayed a unique ear for captivating tracks that can be enjoyed without always being fully understood.

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Tuesday, 12 September 2023

Sparklehorse - Bird Machine (Album Review)

Photo: Danny Clinch Across four albums spanning nine years, the late Mark Linkous produced a body of work that made any announcement of posthumous Sparklehorse material a cause for trepidation. Some of those initial fears were allayed when it was revealed that Linkous’s little brother Matt and sister-in-law Melissa Moore-Linkous — confidants who were valued friends and fans alike — would be bringing them to light.

Written by: Craig Howieson | Date: Monday, 11 September 2023

Slowdive - Everything is Alive (Album Review)

With their impressive phoenix from the flames act on their self-titled album in 2017, Slowdive proved that they are still very much alive. Staggeringly, the shoegaze greats’ fifth record ‘Everything is Alive’ is better still. Dedicated to Rachel Goswell’s mother and Simon Scott’s father – both of whom were lost during that annus horribilis of 2020 – these songs are rich and, fittingly, heavenly.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Friday, 08 September 2023

Empire State Bastard - Rivers of Heresy (Album Review)

Do you ever listen to Biffy Clyro and wish they made weird, arthouse grindcore instead? If so, here’s some great news — that's Empire State Bastard. Formed by Biffy mainman Simon Neil and Oceansize's Mike Vennart, who has been their touring guitarist for years, the band makes good on a dream they fostered by sharing the oddest, nastiest music they could find with each other while on the road.

Written by: Will Marshall | Date: Thursday, 07 September 2023

Jeff Rosenstock - Hellmode (Album Review)

There aren’t many musicians out there like Jeff Rosenstock. Returning with his fifth solo record 'Hellmode', he is now a major player in the alternative scene, boasting healthy streaming numbers and sold out tours, while still seemingly doing whatever the hell he pleases, prioritising a genuine punk ethos and an inexhaustible work ethic.

Written by: Craig Howieson | Date: Wednesday, 06 September 2023

Ashnikko - Weedkiller (Album Review)

Photo: Vasso Vu Ashnikko doesn’t do things by halves. After their breakthrough single Stupid and mixtape ‘Demidevil’ showcased an artist unafraid to marry the fantastical with alt-pop, rock and rap, the multifaceted musician slowly but surely put the finishing touches to their debut album ‘Weedkiller’, a sci-fi concept album that explores trauma, sexuality and more through their own unique pop lens.

Written by: Will Marshall | Date: Tuesday, 05 September 2023

Morgan Wade - Psychopath (Album Review)

Photo: Matthew Berinato Although some people are genuinely fearless, tackling everything in their path without flinching, can that really be classified as brave if they don’t experience apprehension beforehand? Surely real courage is when someone feels scared about the road ahead but still pushes forward? In which case, if it weren’t already synonymous with a former Nashville darling, ‘Fearless’ would definitely be the perfect title for Morgan Wade’s bold and beautiful return.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 04 September 2023

Ratboys - The Window (Album Review)

Photo: Alexa Viscius ‘The Window’ is the latest full length from Chicago four piece Ratboys, and while it may provide a view of the world that surrounds them, it also acts as a portal into their innermost workings.

Written by: Craig Howieson | Date: Thursday, 31 August 2023

Buck Meek - Haunted Mountain (Album Review)

Photo: Shervin Lainez Listening to Big Thief guitarist Buck Meek’s solo work is like exploring Marvel’s cinematic universe — it offers the chance to spend more time with characters you love, while exploring worlds that feel fresh and reassuringly familiar all at once.

Written by: Jack Press | Date: Wednesday, 30 August 2023

The Armed - Perfect Saviors (Album Review)

If you’re unfamiliar with The Armed, go read about some of their reality-smashing pranks. From sending journalists on bizarre wild goose chases to stealing Frank Turner’s vocals, the Detroit collective were once as much a postmodern art experiment as they were a band.

Written by: Tom Morgan | Date: Tuesday, 29 August 2023

Hiss Golden Messenger - Jump For Joy (Album Review)

Photo: Graham Tolbert Over the past 20 years one consistent trait displayed by Hiss Golden Messenger’s M.C Taylor has been his love of music, and his unwavering belief in its power to overcome. In the face of failures, periods of depression and the general toll that life can take he has been steadfast in his commitment to creativity, and the restorative effect it has on both him and his listeners. His latest release ‘Jump for Joy’ may well be the best example of the jubilant feeling that lurks deep within all of his work.

Written by: Craig Howieson | Date: Friday, 25 August 2023

Hozier - Unreal Unearth (Album Review)

Photo: Barry McCall Make no mistake about it, this is going to be huge—one of those records that sticks around. Employing an army of outside writers and producers to help fashion its ruminative collection of eclectic and ambitious sonic paintings, Hozier’s third record, despite its tortured sentiments, is a hugely accessible offering. Yet, by surrendering creative control in order to push his sound forwards, it also represents a disappointing step into homogenous territory at the expense of its creator’s most bewitching traits.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Thursday, 24 August 2023