Wonderfully engaging from the first line of opener ‘Our Girl’, this cracking debut mirrors the nuanced nature of modern life with equal parts noise and softness.

Lighting Matches isn’t a bad album, but sadly it doesn't excel either.

Move Through The Dawn is an album sadly bereft of impact, from its lacklustre cover onwards.

She’s broken the curse, she’s woven a spell--and the self-described ‘luckiest little Scottish witch in the world’ is safe to cackle back off into the night, having created possibly the best album we’ll hear all year.

Taking inspiration from Al Green, Barry White and D’Angelo, produced with her long-term friend and collaborator Micachu, Tirzah manages to create a warped ‘90s R&B record with a soulful core and enough electronic dissonance for the modern age.

With Qualm, Helena Hauff has created the record we both wanted and needed. It’s a statement of romantic infatuation amongst an otherwise hash, twisted and raw landscape. A glance into the past and a look to the future. There is nothing apologetic about this record, and that’s what makes it so great.

RL Grime seemingly wants to keep everyone happy and while that approach will almost certainly find success in the clubs or the fields of Coachella it often hinders rather than helps his studio efforts.

While this ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ ethos doesn’t always hit, No Sounds Are Out Of Bounds’s jovial attitude towards its own self-existence makes for an endearing listen that’ll no doubt flourish over time.

Everything feels so much more alive, everything so much more stark; Longstreth seems to have emerged from a year-long slumber, and there is no more sleeping in sight.

On OCHL they’re keen to take risks, side step that familiar territory and play with the formula. That consistent need to innovate and grow is what makes Deafheaven so divisive, so unpredictable and so extraordinary.

All of this ultimately comes together to create an utterly enchanting piece of work. A record filled with countless intricate and carefully considered elements, and yet one that never feels cluttered, or at risk of losing its pervasive emotional resonance.

Joy is like a rickety wooden rollercoaster--there are a few nice inclines with some mildly disappointing drops between some pulsating flats, and you end up getting off slightly begrudgingly.

Their astutely crafted synth-pop cements their place as Pet Shop Boys’ spiritual successors.

Lotic has pushed the envelope sonically, and compositionally, to create a brave and breathtaking view of gender in 2018 and, ultimately, what it means to be alive.

This album signifies a moment for UK jazz but more importantly this a moment for Kamaal Williams.

Scorpion might not be Drake’s most innovative work, but it does help to cement 40’s status as one of the best, and most consistent, producers of our generation, and sees Drake breaking ground commercially if not creatively.

Opener ‘Shock Out’ illustrates a playful approach that floats on the periphery of danger while ‘Slay’ sees her really flex her lyricism complete with a wavy flow. As is to be expected, The Bug’s production floats in the oxymoronic universe of heavy and atmospheric that is both haunting and devastating.

BDL Bipolar will give Narstie’s fanbase plenty to enjoy, and while the juxtaposition of staid instrumentals with subversive lyrics is jarring, he remains a gifted MC, worth hearing out.

Fletcher and Parkin have released an album that doesn’t fit into the confines of what an ‘alternative’ album should be in 2018. Instead they’ve crafted 11 songs that show off their love of retro sounds, an infectious joy for life, a good melody and a catchy chorus.

Endless Scroll is 14 snappy, spirited and occasionally incantatory songs.

Serpentwithfeet teaches us to be ourselves, to endure and be happy and love each other, and it’s rare to hear these simple, well-known things being delivered with a power and strength that can transcend the medium of music itself, turning it into a pure magic.

Many may still see Vynehall as a specialist in euphoric house, but this album has a richness and depth that transcends the dancefloor.

Stripped back and unapologetic, Florence Welch’s fourth record as Florence + the Machine carries a sense of nakedness never seen before--it’s self-aware, remorseless, and raw.

This mature, experienced point of view on the nation’s favorite pastime is bound to rock clubs this summer.

Free For All is a debut album from a producer continually finding new perspectives on your favourite sounds.

While never quite holding together as a set, NIN continues to admirably cover new ground while doing what they do best, namely reflecting humanity’s worst impulses.

All in all, this is a good album. While it has some magnificent moments, it doesn't quite come together enough to make a for a completely stellar ride.

If they’ve perfected the modern pop template associated with acts like SOPHIE (on production duties here) - and they have - it’s somehow not the most impressive element of the record. The second half of the album includes a pair of breathtaking epics, ‘Cool & Collected’ and ‘Donnie Darko’, that showcase a songwriting maturity well beyond their 18 and 19 years.