At times ‘Kaiser Chiefs’ Easy Eighth Album’ feels uneven and grating. However, the band should be applauded for their risk taking and sonic shift and there’s no doubt that the album performed live will be full of the energy and polish that is synonymous with their shows.

There are moments of schmaltz, but these Little Green Cars exude a lorry-load of charm.

Like a lot of compilation albums, C-ORE struggles with coherence, but still makes for a tantalising selection box and entry point to the DMG project.

This range of styles on New could have been distracting if not for the material’s solid foundations, spontaneous energy, and frequent naked emotions.

Together with bassist Micayla Grace, their second album is an all-round punkier, slicker, catchier and heavier affair.

Taylor’s brilliantly bonkers pop odyssey certainly lives up to its title and ultimately, is an impressive, if uneven addition to his already stellar discography.

The result is a joyous and soulful collection of summery pop songs and urgent sun-drenched ditties that grow with you over time.

It’s an imperfect album that still manages to shine with catchy singles and gratifying deep cuts, even if never quite reaches the height of its predecessor, ‘OK Human’.

The album perhaps sags a little in towards the later stages--weighed down by the claustrophobic washes of sound. But as a whole, it compliments the rest of their back catalogue well.

An album of huge promise rather than an instant classic - 2:54's time will come.

It might not cut as hard and sharp as Van Etten, but her careful lullabies ooze with enough steady sadness that when the light finally does break through, typically via bubbling layers of instrumentation doused in near shoegaze-ready echo, the result really is akin to soaring above the pines.

Solid if unspectacular then, yet you’ll find that, much like when in high school, it’s always worth checking out the Art Department.

t’s open season on genres here. There’s the puerile punk of ‘Hollywood’ (“makes me wanna puke”), and the misguided balladry of ‘What’s With You Lately’. But they’re the only real bum notes. This experimental streak finds better pay off on ‘Hymn (Remix)’, crammed with juddering synths, and the delicious 80s pop of ‘Can’t Cool Me Down’. Sometimes, they veer almost to the middle of the road, radio-friendly hit ‘Martin’, warmed up with muted brass and intricate looping.

An album of summer anthems this is not, then, and its collision of sorrow-tinged dreaminess and ethereal symphonies ensure it’s not just good wallowing material, but good material full stop.

For every Beyoncé, there’s a Michelle Williams. For every Harry Styles, there’s a Niall Horan. There’s no doubt this is a good record but only time will tell which side of the road JADE will land on.

This LP has a distinct retro feel to it, with elements of blues, psychedelia and an earthiness that results in the band's best album of the year so far.

This is an album that if you don’t engage with straight away, give it some time and try again. I’m not sure how often I’ll play ‘Through Other Reflections’ going forward but there is something wonderful going on under the surface that is captivating.

This record can be the perfect soundtrack to slacking in the sun or it can be deconstructed, stripped of its intricacies and analysed in great depth, allowing for new discoveries even on the 20th listen--and it’s this diversity that proves why Splashh are not a drop in the ocean.

It’s just irresistible and should proudly sit alongside the successes of their Bella Union labelmates.

Freed from self-imposed musical constraints, ‘Field Music (Measure)’ is big, bold and beautiful.

‘Fast Idol’ sets out what it aims to do. It’s one of those albums that leaves you mulling over the lyrics, itching to find some kind of meaning but feeling ever more distant from finding it with every attempt.

Black Rainbow Sound is an album that shows a band in flux. The songs sounds bigger and more articulated. Menace Beach are using a larger musical palate and it mostly works.

Lapalux has a great touch, but a bit of attention on the parts of the project that feel slightly off could bring out all the fantastic in this record.

Fusing fragility with fierceness, ‘Polari’ is a confident debut offering from Olly and is an expressive and euphoric collection of floor-filling, punchy tracks that oozes confidence, colour and charm.

The best thing about the album, and there are a lot of good things to it, is just how simple it is. Nothing feels overthought, calculated, or insincere. The songs come across like gentle gusts of warming wind when you are out late without a coat.

It’s gripping, and we suspect the follow-up will be truly special.

It’s a slow burner - a passable Twin Peaks album that could, with time, become a great Twin Peaks album, but as of now, we haven’t quite gotten there yet.

Never straying too far to their admired soundscape but enough so to still be refreshing. ‘IWH2BMX’, ‘Get It Til I’m Gone’, ‘Nocturnal’ ooze confidence.