Maxïmo Park - Stream of Life (Album Review)

Photo: Moja When Maxïmo Park emerged almost two decades ago their well-read indie-pop quickly pushed them to the top of a thriving British rock scene, with indie disco ubiquity becoming a brief flirtation with mainstream celebrity. Given the shifting sands of the industry, the Newcastle band’s stock isn’t quite as high today but ‘Stream of Life’ is performed as though they’re still in their mid-‘00s heyday.

Written by: Matthew McLister | Date: Monday, 07 October 2024

Sunflower Bean - Shake (Album Review)

Photo: Yulissa Benitez Sunflower Bean’s run to date has been defined by their willingness to dabble in multiple genres and their new EP ‘Shake’ is no different. The New York trio’s latest has more grit and edge than a lot of their previous work, while retaining their love of pleasing melodies and low-key, dulcet vocals.

Written by: Nieve Elis | Date: Monday, 07 October 2024

Christian Lee Hutson - Paradise Pop. 10 (Album Review)

Photo: Michael Delaney Christian Lee Hutson’s fourth album of character studies disguised as intimate folk-pop ditties is his most immersive to date. Assuming the role of an airport-stranded people-watcher, ‘Paradise Pop. 10’ explores the complexities of interpersonal relationships with new found compositional verve.

Written by: Jack Press | Date: Friday, 04 October 2024

Ezra Collective - Dance, No One's Watching (Album Review)

Photo: YOUT The rise of Ezra Collective has been nothing short of astonishing. Already a cornerstone of the blossoming London jazz scene during the past few years, the ensemble's rise was capped with the 2023 Mercury Prize for their album ‘Where I’m Meant To Be’. Naturally, there is a feverish sense of anticipation for its follow up, the aptly-titled ‘Dance, No One’s Watching’. But it delivers, and then some.

Written by: Chris Connor | Date: Friday, 04 October 2024

Pale Waves - Smitten (Album Review)

Photo: Kelsi Luck Over the course of a decade, Pale Waves have developed a large fanbase thanks to their pairing of ‘80s-inspired synthy indie-rock with a cool, grungy aesthetic. Their fourth album doesn’t do away with this formula but it does offer a twist, taking their sound in a softer, more outwardly pop direction. As its title suggests, ‘Smitten’ could easily serve as the soundtrack for a heartwarming queer coming-of-age love story. 

Written by: Nieve Elis | Date: Thursday, 03 October 2024

Thurston Moore - Flow Critical Lucidity (Album Review)

The first thing that comes to mind when Thurston Moore’s name is mentioned will always be Sonic Youth, a band that made indie-rock all the more malleable for later generations. But since their demise he has had his finger in many pies, as a teacher, author, label owner and solo artist, which is where we find him on the meditative ‘Flow Critical Lucidity’.

Written by: Jack McGill | Date: Wednesday, 02 October 2024

Bright Eyes - Five Dice, All Threes (Album Review)

There is a feeling of whiplash at the heart of Bright Eyes’ ‘Five Dice, All Threes’, where an undercurrent of joy meets Conor Oberst’s pen as he wages war on existential dread once more — suicide references pock almost every song, while religion and politics plague joyful pots and pans indie-folk that doubles down on discordant harmonies, poetic juxtaposition, and chaotic sound collages.

Written by: Jack Press | Date: Wednesday, 02 October 2024

The Jesus Lizard - Rack (Album Review)

Photo: Joshua Black Wilkins It’s been a quarter of the century since The Jesus Lizard disbanded. Sure, there was a brief live comeback in the late 2010s, but the Texan noise-rockers soon went their separate ways again. It seemed for all the world that the final chapter was written. What a delight it is, then, to have ‘Rack’, the band’s seventh full length album, with us. What’s even more delightful, though, is that it makes it feel as though they never went away.

Written by: Jack Butler-Terry | Date: Tuesday, 01 October 2024

The Voidz - Like All Before You (Album Review)

Photo: Cheryl Georgette Away from the more straightforward garage-rock style of The Strokes, Julian Casablancas has used The Voidz to indulge in the sort of experiments that wouldn’t light a fire under his main band. Not that everyone has been on board with this approach, however. When their debut ‘Tyranny’ arrived in 2014, reviews were somewhat mixed — it was either unlistenable or refreshingly eclectic, depending on who you asked.

Written by: Matthew McLister | Date: Monday, 30 September 2024

Nada Surf - Moon Mirror (Album Review)

Photo: Paloma Bomé For more than 30 years, Nada Surf have crafted album after album of consistently impressive power-pop delights. If ‘Never Not Together’, released back in 2020, found the New York band in a different mood, largely down to current affairs, ‘Moon Mirror’ is the sound of a band having fun. 

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Friday, 27 September 2024

Katy Perry - 143 (Album Review)

If Katy Perry’s seventh album had been released in 2013, it’d have been everywhere. You’d dance to it non-stop in clubs, hear it non-stop on the radio, and slap down your hard-earned cash to sing your heart out at her mega-concerts. But ‘143’ wasn’t released back then. It’s been released now. And time isn’t kind to old ideas.

Written by: Jack Press | Date: Thursday, 26 September 2024

Jamie xx - In Waves (Album Review)

Jamie xx first appeared on the scene as one third of gloomy hipsters The xx, before establishing himself as a solo producer and DJ with his era-defining masterpiece ‘In Colour’ in 2015. As such, his second solo album has big shoes to fill, and the good news is that it pulls it off. ‘In Waves’ is a superb dance record, blending compositional chops, avant-garde arrangements and sampling to deliver a tapestry of terrific poise and hedonistic abandon.

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Thursday, 26 September 2024

LL Cool J - The FORCE (Album Review)

Photo: Cory Grimes Being one of rap’s first superstars does not make you impervious to the ravages of time and slipping taste. For the latter part of LL Cool J’s career, his stock has plummeted through a string of ropey records that failed to match the heights of early gems such as Mama Said Knock You Out or Mr. Smith. But, more than a decade on from his last offering he returns on ‘The FORCE’ — that stands for Frequencies of Real Creative Energy — sounding hungrier than ever.

Written by: Jack Butler-Terry | Date: Wednesday, 25 September 2024

Katy J Pearson - Someday, Now (Album Review)

Photo: Seren Carys On ‘Someday, Now’, Katy J Pearson seems to have reinvented herself somewhat. The Bristol artist has traded the threads of Americana that held her first two albums together for bundles of ever so slightly sullen pop that have her audible self boldly sprawled across them.

Written by: Jack McGill | Date: Wednesday, 25 September 2024

Porches - Shirt (Album Review)

Photo: Jason Al-Taan Led by Aaron Maine, Porches have made a name for themselves as an introspective genre- bending indie group since their debut record ‘Slow Dance in the Cosmos’ arrived in 2013.

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Tuesday, 24 September 2024

London Grammar - The Greatest Love (Album Review)

Photo: Tarek Mawad London Grammar have spent the years since their 2013 debut ‘If You Wait’ finessing their sound, drilling down into an emotive space where vocalist Hannah Reid can shine. Their fourth LP ‘The Greatest Love’ is an often excellent amalgamation of mature songwriting and lyrical vulnerability, vividly depicting the trials and tribulations of a romantic relationship.

Written by: Issy Herring | Date: Monday, 23 September 2024

Suki Waterhouse - Memoir of a Sparklemuffin (Album Review)

Photo: Jeremy Soma Suki Waterhouse’s ‘Memoir of a Sparklemuffin’ represents a remarkable step up from her debut, demonstrating growth, confidence in her abilities and no little ambition. This double album’s 18 tracks may seem like a lot to take in initially, but when viewed as a whole each intense, personal segment feels indispensable, as though we are leafing through different chapters in her story.

Written by: Katie Macbeth | Date: Friday, 20 September 2024

Snow Patrol - The Forest Is The Path (Album Review)

Photo: Tom Beard Thanks to huge hits such as Run, Chasing Cars and Take Back The City, Snow Patrol’s pop-rock has been part of the fabric of UK music for the past 20 years. Their eighth album, ‘The Forest Is The Path’, retains their anthemic sound while serving up a mixed bag when it comes to anything outside of their comfort zone.

Written by: Chris Connor | Date: Thursday, 19 September 2024

Nilüfer Yanya - My Method Actor (Album Review)

Photo: Molly Daniels There is something deliciously meta about Nilüfer Yanya’s shapeshifting third album — titled ‘My Method Actor’, it finds the guitarist and vocalist inhabiting elements of her 2019 debut ‘Miss Universe’ in order to find the best route forward.

Written by: Jack Press | Date: Wednesday, 18 September 2024

Floating Points - Cascade (Album Review)

Photo: Dan Medhurst Are we in a golden age of UK dance producers? Alongside individuals such as Jamie xx, Jon Hopkins and Four Tet, you also have amazing duos in the form of Bicep and the (still sensational) Chemical Brothers. There is certainly a lot of high quality work out there.

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Wednesday, 18 September 2024