Woahnows - Young and Cool (Album Review)

‘Young and Cool’, the new LP by indie-punks Woahnows, has a title that suggests a knowing smirk. But its contents tell a different story. Far from being a glib, tossed-off exercise in self-deprecation, this is a heartfelt, devilishly addictive piece of work that pushes for inclusivity and kindness.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Wednesday, 06 March 2019

FEWS - Into Red (Album Review)

When multinational psych outfit FEWS released their debut,‘Means’, in 2016, it was evident where the band’s inspirations lay. Just about everything—including the kitchen sink—was thrown into its motorik, krautrock beats, probing their core sound as though they were squeezing every last drop of juice from an orange.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Tuesday, 05 March 2019

Lil Pump - Harverd Dropout (Album Review)

Gucci Gang rapper Lil Pump’s sophomore album 'Harverd Dropout' is hard to tolerate. Its 40 painstaking minutes find the Florida native going all out in his attempts to offend anyone and everyone from the jump.

Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Wednesday, 27 February 2019

Piroshka - Brickbat (Album Review)

Photo: Neil Stewart Supergroups are often given a bad name—they feel like a chance for fading artists to group together and illuminate their individual talents one last time. Perhaps, cynically, they even help with a bit of PR for the original bands that each member once excelled in.

Written by: Grant Jones | Date: Tuesday, 26 February 2019

Ladytron - Ladytron (Album Review)

You could be excused for thinking that an eight year hiatus probably spells out ‘split’. But, somewhat unexpectedly, Liverpool’s synth-pop maestros Ladytron have returned with their sixth album following a successful Pledge campaign.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Tuesday, 19 February 2019

Yak - Pursuit of Momentary Happiness (Album Review)

There is a large side order of expectation served up alongside London-based trio Yak’s second LP, ‘Pursuit of Momentary Happiness’, thanks to some friends in high places. Released on Jack White’s Third Man Records, and arriving after an endorsement from Tame Impala, the record also features a cameo from Spiritualized’s Jason Pierce for good measure.

Written by: Grant Jones | Date: Monday, 18 February 2019

Spielbergs - This is Not the End (Album Review)

To listen to Spielbergs’ debut album, ‘This is Not the End’, is to picture a room of people in black jeans and denim jackets, with the flash of a white sports sock above a tattered pair of Vans classics. It’s to picture sweat, euphoria, a giddy release of hoarse voices and spilled beer. If you are in your 30s, and coming to terms with the fact, it knows you. It feels the same way.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Friday, 15 February 2019

Girlpool - What Chaos Is Imaginary (Album Review)

Photo: Gina Canavan On their third album, ‘What Chaos is Imaginary’, L.A. duo Girlpool attempt to expand out of the sometimes kitsch folk-rock milieu of their previous releases. By truly exposing themselves honestly, they manage to do so with confidence and no little style.

Written by: Grant Jones | Date: Thursday, 14 February 2019

Ariana Grande - thank u, next (Album Review)

Five months after ‘Sweetener’, comes ‘thank u, next’, Ariana Grande’s fifth studio record. It is a detailed and emotional collection of modern pop that speaks candidly on an intense, life-changing two years for the singer.

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Wednesday, 13 February 2019

Cass McCombs - Tip of the Sphere (Album Review)

Nine albums deep, songwriter Cass McCombs has settled into the expansive world of ‘Tip of the Sphere’, a long-form blend of spoken word, minimalist psych-rock and ambient guitar moods.

Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Tuesday, 12 February 2019

FIDLAR - Almost Free (Album Review)

Photo: David Black ‘Almost Free’, FIDLAR’s third album, finds the band returning to the modest mechanics of their 2013 self-titled bow. The majority of its tracks stem from home-recorded demos, with slick production by Ricky Reed and mixing handled largely by Manny Marroquin providing a counterpoint.

Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Monday, 11 February 2019

Beirut - Gallipoli (Album Review)

Zach Condon’s fifth album as Beirut is an elegant, if twee, manifestation of his signature sound: sweet melodies woven into culturally diverse arrangements and boxy, distinctive production. It’s a decent record that will reward diehard fans, but it also somehow feels locked in the late ‘00s with Fleet Foxes and the Shins.

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Friday, 08 February 2019

White Lies - Five (Album Review)

Photo: Steve Gullick After 2016’s brilliant guilty pleasure ‘Friends’, London’s most obvious ‘80s worshippers White Lies had a task on their hands to maintain such high standards. Their fifth album continues the recent trend of adopting the decade’s glitzier keyboards, with fewer danceable moments than before. It also also does little to alleviate accusations of unoriginality, this time even down to the album’s title: 'Five'.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Thursday, 07 February 2019

Mike Krol - Power Chords (Album Review)

Mike Krol’s provocative noise-pop projects will perhaps always feel niche—this Los Angeles transplant’s raw, uncensored appeal is designed to be enjoyed live, drenched in blood, sweat and tears.

Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Wednesday, 06 February 2019

The Specials - Encore (Album Review)

The Specials’ first official album since 1980 is a rich collection of eclectic pop that covers funk, ska and reggae with great energy and verve.

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Tuesday, 05 February 2019

Sneaks - Highway Hypnosis (Album Review)

Photo: Stephanie Severance The third album from D.C. post-punk artist Sneaks, aka Eva Moolchan, is a high octane, uncensored flurry of provocation. Chiefly comprising of her signature lo-fi bass, drumbeats and mantras matched to the instrumental movements of her music, ‘Highway Hypnosis’ feels trance-inducing.

Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Monday, 04 February 2019

Better Oblivion Community Center - Better Oblivion Community Center (Album Review)

Photo: Nik Freitas The rapid pace of Phoebe Bridgers’ recent work has reintroduced a spark of unpredictability to the top branches of indie-rock’s tree. It recalls a time in the early ‘90s when Kim Deal put out five LPs with three bands in five years, and a peak celebrity Billie Joe Armstrong could pop up in Pinhead Gunpowder for a bit when he fancied it.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Friday, 01 February 2019

Blood Red Shoes - Get Tragic (Album Review)

Blood Red Shoes’ fifth studio album is a lairy procession of ‘90s-infused indie-rock songs that make great use of Laura-Mary Carter’s sexy, laconic burr. Created after the band fell out—and Carter promptly left for L.A.—the Brighton duo built bridges and got to work. The result is probably their best work since 2008’s ‘Box of Secrets’.

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Thursday, 31 January 2019

Toy - Happy in the Hollow (Album Review)

Toy’s third album, 2016’s ‘Clear Shot’, showed that the Brighton quintet had more up their sleeves than homages to their influences, the most obvious of which was Krautrock. Those hypnotic, motorik beats still remained, but there was a more experimental element, one that kept a foot in their past while thrusting another in the direction of dreamy psychedelics that would have been admired by Syd Barrett.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Thursday, 31 January 2019

Bring Me The Horizon - amo (Album Review)

Context is a funny thing, isn’t it? In 2007 Bring Me The Horizon were heavy metal outsiders, and they remained so for years. Their inventive brand of electronic-tinged deathcore was pooh-poohed and dismissed by die-hard metallers despite making Slayer sound soft, while in other quarters they were outright despised.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Wednesday, 30 January 2019