Summer 08 is the banger-filled record Mount has always wanted to make, for fun, and we’re very much glad that he did.

If Hynes had truly wanted to create an album about black identity as opposed to his own identity, he would have included the powerful ‘Sandra’s Smile’ and focused on the matter across all 17 tracks. He would have made a record dedicated to togetherness rather than individuality and it would have been equally excellent. Instead it becomes an underdeveloped aspect of what is otherwise an expertly tailored and politically-charged work of pop.

The frustration bubbles under the surface for the listener, that, competent and effecting as this album is, it could have been so much more. Here’s to next time.

The first few tracks revel in the heady days of a budding relationship, all stolen kisses and duvet-cloaked promises. But as the seasons flutter by the untenability of their situation gradually dawns on our two lovebirds.

There's parts of On Desire that feel all too familiar, and there's parts that simply don't work. For every negative though there's a melody or lyric that makes it shine, and for that, the band are worth sticking with, at least for the time being.

Breakin’ Point is a technicolour blur worth your time.

After sinking your claws into this offering from PAWS one thing will become certain, their ramshackle approach to delivering scuzzy punk rock drenched in delicious distortion is enough to make anyone short of breath.

At worst, it’s forgettable--at others, it’s actually annoying in its repetition.

Raw, rambunctious, rollicking and rowdy, Spring King’s debut offering is further proof that the future of rock ’n' roll is achingly thrilling.

Faraway Reach is a happy place full of group hugs and big shiny grooves.

Ripe with subtle nuance, Fading Lines is an exquisite debut. Seemingly simple yet running far deeper than cursory listens reveal, it’s a record that sticks with you long after the closing notes of the aptly titled ‘White Fuzz’ fade out.

The songs sway with gravitas and hit home whether you’re wrestling with innate and confounding dependence (‘Crack Baby’) or trying to pilot your own mental health (‘Happy’), Mitski feels dedicated to those who, for once, just want to set their own pace.

Alpha divides its time between striking out, tempering aggression and giving time to think and go deeper, walking the line between something to respect and invest in. For a producer with as marked an evolution as Dear, that’s pretty clear cut.

Unpredictably diverse and unexpectedly personal, this album sees Bugg managing to maintain the relatable style which won him so many fans in the first place, while taking the necessary risks that allow him to grow as an artist.

This carefully constructed and cohesive record really is a big deal.

If you like your pop with a bit more bite to it, then Tegan and Sara are everything you’re looking for.

Unmistakably catchy piano riffs and heart wrenchingly honest lyrics form the basis of the record much like Odell’s debut, however by amplifying the intensity on the new tracks proves that maybe, just maybe, more is more.

The brilliance of The Getaway is in its subtleties, which define their most intimate and expressive album to date, and suggest that, after 32 years, the Chilis can still keep us guessing.

Occasionally Rae slips into serviceable, insipid pop, but it’s a minor grievance in a record that takes her from monochromatic to technicolour dreaming.

Delicately beautiful, this is a real trip.

A collection of pulsing synths, bouncing beats and empowering vocals, X-Communicate may have seen Kristin Kontrol strip away her former image, but it’s left the singer’s sonic presence stronger than ever.

Much like Philadelphia’s Hop Along the group have managed to infuse occasional explosions of guitar with an emotive heart too often missing from the scene. It’s big, it’s clever, it’s Big Thief.

In its relentless fixation upon youth Light Upon The Lake seems to have stumbled across the timeless.

Although uncompromising in it’s vision and delivery, Stranger To Stranger ultimately, serves as another fine testament to Simon’s craft and ingenuity as a songwriter.

Here everything seems whole and fully realised, the sound of a fleshed out band sure in its own identity rather than the end result of a prolonged mixtape crush.

In carrying on from their debut and giving it a more personal feel, Folding Time tweaks into a malleable multi-purpose listen.

The Yard Work Simulator may not be everybody’s cup of tea to listen through from beginning to end, but as a piece of work it is more unique, exploratory and interesting than many others that will be released this year.

Fitzpatrick latterly allows breathing space by lessening the intensity to a measly 85% or so; the beats keep rolling to a ubiquitous clatter of hi-hats until you’re flintstoning your dancing shoes and moving Zombie-like to the less than subliminal command of Session Restore’s ‘Speak Out’.