For the most part, ‘The World Is Not Good Enough’ is, yes, as wholly pleasant as its colourful, cute-adjacent cover would suggest.

This isn’t them superficially cashing in on a new generation’s fascination with ‘indie sleaze’; it’s the sound of songwriting duo Emily Haines and Jimmy Shaw bridging the gap between who they were then and who they are now. Sonically, they do that by leaning into the fundamentals.

To deem ‘Forever Ends Someday’ a grower might be a little disingenuous, as if there’s nothing to grab onto on first listen. But be sure, once immersed in its many hooks, they’ll be difficult to shake off.

It’s a record that leaves the kind of impression more associated with acts with far lengthier histories; second records are usually places where acts attempt to showcase their breadth, to be seen to expand on or rebel against their past selves, not double-down with quite this much confidence and depth.

Jessie continues her journey to becoming a modern, soul-pop legend with a set of songs so palpably feel-good that it’s impossible not to start shoulder-shimmying at any given moment.

Doubling down on Lime Garden’s refreshingly unpretentious sound, ‘Maybe Not Tonight’ is a new indie disco essential.

There is no reinvention of the wheel here from Tigers Jaw, but when they do heart-on-sleeve emo this convincingly, that doesn’t matter.

A resplendent wonder that’s also a showcase of excellent songwriting.

Crucially, this project feels born from a pure place of fandom and community; much greater than the sum of its parts, it’s a meeting of minds that definitely feels worth the wait.

It’s at once a fever dream and a museum of Cameron’s dreams, desires, and influences - a postmodern kaleidoscope, if there ever was one.

Taking learnings from her heavyweight counterparts, ‘To Love Somebody’ and ‘White Noise’ pair her bittersweet melodies with driving pop, while the beautiful ‘Blue Dream’ pulls the likes of Gracie Abrams or Taylor further into their vulnerability.

It’s an album that feels lived in, drawing listeners into its world while leaving room for their own experiences to settle between the lines. In the tension between euphoria and comedown, connection and isolation, Arlo Parks delivers her most vividly realised and affecting body of work to date.

A swift album that’ll prove difficult to grow tired of.

‘Creature of Habit’ has some great moments, but they’re moments which suggest yet-still-untapped potential.

While the inspirations are obvious, ‘Ricochet’ isn’t simply a cobbled together pastiche; those inspirations are greater than the sum of their parts, and often complemented by big string arrangements for a lush and expansive soundscape.

It’s huge, expansive, bonkers and brilliant. It’s RAYE at her very core, and it’s fantastic.

Returns to the Max Martin collaborative bangers that first turned the world onto Robyn. That pop brilliance runs through ‘Dopamine’, the driving beat of ‘Talk To Me’, and the rousing chorus of ‘Into The Sun’.

As the soundtrack to a night in a sweaty underground club, ‘Crystalpunk’ stands tall - all the more for its thematic emotional heft. A daring - if, at times, a little overdone - and ambitious statement.

As a collection, ‘GOLDSTAR’ is the type of first impression that may well leave one slightly lost, a little confused, and with their head certainly spinning, but after it all anyone who meets them will be damn happy they did.

Not perfect, then, but further evidence that their upwards climb remains a steady one.

Tempering the unfettered experimentation of their last outing, 2022’s ‘Tableau’ (where tracks clocked in anywhere between 50 seconds and eight minutes), ‘Only You Left’ does indeed emerge as a more structured project, roughly bound by a central polarity of “wood versus metal”.

A record that couldn’t be more consistently him. It paints this, his seventh studio album, as a compendium of his best parts, and perhaps his first to truly do so.

‘Book of Churches’ is a debut effort rich with promise.

Here, Kim Gordon effectively reflects the absurdity of the times, without claiming to offer a solution.

The project’s peaks tend to dominate the landscape, yet for something that sits somewhere between music’s most illustrious meet-up and a bona fide 2020s Hall of Fame, there truly is something here for everyone.

An excellent record that is at points raw but more often joyful, but is also proof of the importance of taking time out.

By balancing the mastery of her nostalgic sound with universally relatable lyrics, Mitski turns the unlikely into generational truths.

It adds up to a gorgeous album that overflows with easy-going energy.