They have managed to create an almost flawless punk album.

Bringing together two parallel creative paths, the result is an irresistible tautness that shapes their entire first full-length, angular lines competing with Trilling’s diary scribble writing; her vulnerable admissions bolstered by a serious punch.

On a record that outwardly calls for the end of us, there’s plenty to live for, even if it’s simply the subtle beauty of Nothing.

Their deep sea dive of a debut gradually evolves into a rich and colourful source of escape, like a coral reef excavation with the occasionally grizzly-toothed white shark thrown in for good measure.

With Loom, Fear of Men have created something more than mere fragments; a record which could engulf you if you give it chance; where sounds and textures merge together to create a beautifully bleak story.

It’s a distinctly eclectic affair – the product of a Devonshire writing retreat on which Liu evidently experimented with new equipment and ideas – but there’s nevertheless a cohesion that prevents her often touching lyrical subtlety from becoming overwhelmed by uncanny instrumentation. And it’s the gentle push and pull between these two facets that colour the album as somehow both intimate and personal, yet fundamentally universal.

Often doesn’t even sound like a record at all, and more like a live set.

It’s all effortlessly pulled together by Frances’ distinctive and enthralling vocals.

‘Printer’s Devil’ is the sound of a band who seem to have had a significant boost in their sonic confidence, even if Julia’s words are as fraught as ever.

They’re not boasting rock and roll’s supermodel aesthetic for sure, but it doesn’t mean a lot of people wont fall in love with that scruffy rock band next door.

It’s all executed with the same kind of effortless charm that’s characterised Malkmus’ entire career.

Deap Vally were always turned to eleven, Femejism has them reaching for twelve.

It’s already been a long journey for this band, but it feels like they’re only just beginning to take the right track.

The album suffers from a few rough patches, but Geese have freed themselves from all expectations, which is a rare feat for a second album, and worthy of praise.

Releasing two similar albums in such close proximity might seem like a cynical attempt to double-down on the success of the first, but rather than feel like a re-release thrown together by label execs, these were the tracks as they should be; rich, nuanced, and steeped in major key melodies.

Overall, Write In shows that, beneath their more leftfield influences, Happyness have it in them to be classic songwriters of considerable skill.

It seals the chapter of Jordan’s late teens, early twenties, and it lands up being his finest work by a country mile.

Despite all the doubts and the self-admonishing, in a strange way you won’t find a more affirming album all year.

‘Don’t Forget Me’ is the sound of an artist finally beginning to sink cosily into her own skin, and enjoying herself enormously in the process.

With a buoyant and self-aware use of slang that will have you opening up Urban Dictionary, paired with the one-track-per-week release schedule and the songs to back it up, Kim proves herself to be a true millennial pop princess in waiting.

Overall, ‘Antidepressants’ is a solid, pleasantly dense record from a band who’ve been solid for decades yet.

Pip Blom haven’t changed their sound, but they do feel like they’ve got to know it better.

Seeking Thrills sees Georgia lean in much more eagerly on the late-night grooves that have been supporting her breakthrough. ’Started Out’ and ‘About Work The Dancefloor’ make for solid, established openers, but there’s no shortage of other ideas that make complete sense in the soundtrack of modern lives.

A tightrope walk between impulse and laser-point precision, Human Performance is Parquet Courts at their most knotted.

Being aware of the context, it’s not the easiest listen, but it’s extremely rewarding.

A racing sense fun propels much of The Julie Ruin’s latest, and it’s a more refined step forward from the debut.

‘God Said No’ is profound and romantic, decadent and suave, and as ever, Omar is at the helm.

The labyrinthine complexities of human nature are explored here in all their grit and glory, but it’s the combination of Stormzy’s charm and his knack for storytelling that allows ‘H.I.T.H’ to glimmer with a universal appeal that will please both his mainstream audience and grime fans of old; an almost impossible task that he’s amazingly pulled off.

The lushest, most fleshed-out Cola record so far.

Throughout, Andrew’s eccentric lyricism leans away from the paranoia of ‘MGMT’ and ‘Little Dark Age’ and towards a search for love in the midst of darkness; quietly, he and Ben continue to plough their strange pop furrow with aplomb.

1, 2, Kung Fu! is a fun, beautiful, and accomplished reminder of the joy of discovery. It’s the kind of record that encourages you to keep a close ear to its many layers, peeling each one back to reveal a Krautrock pulse here, a soul groove there.

Emotional Education is a thoughtful, carefully-constructed synthpop odyssey, based at its core around the vocal harmonisation by Lily Somerville and Megan Marwick and lent some tasteful gloss by production work from The xx collaborator Rodaidh McDonald as well as duo MyRiot.

Accompanied with her scatter board samples and untold charm, ‘Juno’ is a resounding celebration of existence and Remi Wolf is the MC.

There are whispers of similarity to her queer contemporaries, too, from Shura (’Pandora’s Box’) to Years & Years (’Nightingale’), that make this break-up record much more exciting than its conveyor belt competition.

Between sombre tones and esctasy highs, and with tracks like 'Folk Hero Shtick' and 'Reagan's Skeleton', this will leave you with a grin on your face and a confidence music will keep going.

Crimes of Passion is playful, real, genuine, and just a bit naughty.

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.

Every single moment of ‘A Situation’ feels dreadfully real and groovy as heck, so prepare yourself mentally - you may start to believe the matrix is real.

The album’s most engaging moment arrives in ‘A Portrait Of’. Giving voice to anxieties and doubts only to shatter through them with a screaming crescendo of steadfast resolve, this is the sound of Sorority Noise at their strongest.

We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors Of Peace And Magic is a great full-length debut that is far more than a nostalgia trip.

There's clearly something here, there's an evolution in what Shields is doing. But, is it any good? Yes. Is it better than 'Loveless'? Probably not--and it's unfair to compare it to a predecessor that we've had two decades to live with and love. Given its gestation, it perhaps suffers from being a less cohesive body of work.

This time around, she delivers more of the same: tracks for the club with a sense of restraint and melancholy, as well as a poppy accessibility.

Melody’s weird medley may not be as accessible as her debut, but it’s a work of art that deserves to be beheld for its impressive and unique innovation.

It’s perhaps more cohesive than 2023’s shamefully underrated ‘Good Luck’.

Their second record hits harder, digs deeper and lingers longer than that promising debut, and keeping all eyes on their art proves to be the best statement Preoccupations could ever have offered.

‘Forever’ balances the frivolity of youth with its turbulent realities, all through the sun-kissed lens of the past and the band’s almighty guitar pop sound.

Taiga is more of an achievement than that; it’s the mark of someone who has truly taken their time over their work. Cooped up in a friend’s holiday home in Washington, Nika Roza Danilova crafted a small slice of perfection.

They channel the essence of previous decades. Throughout, the band use a variety of vintage synth tones and guitar and basslines that even Nile Rodgers would kill for.

While the classic Warpaint tropes - clever, heady interplay; four voices weaving as one - are present and correct, this time the more icy edges are rounded off in favour of softness and a nurturing sense of femininity.

Bikini Daze proves that MØ has pretty much mapped out every aspect of her identity; it's up to her which path she chooses to take.

The Los Angeles natives are more cautious in their ecstasy, in equal parts as celebratory, uplifting and outright horny as they are aware and angry, yet as affirmed on the brilliantly rousing ‘So What’, there’s more than enough love to go around.

Harsh, aggressive, hungry, and urgent, Adore Life is everything a Savages album should be. Unexpectedly - and this proves its greatest success.

The fact that Words To The Blind doesn’t really make any kind of conventional sense, though, is perhaps the point of the entire endeavour. On their own terms Bo Ningen and Savages have succeeded.

It’s the underlying sense of unease and something to prove that really adds the edge here.

A record that feels both raw and refined, this will shake you to the core.

A master of eulogising the grubby underbelly, Baxter’s is the kind of voice that’s utterly out of step with the modern, fearful, social media-courting world, and all the better for it.

The witching hour is here, and ‘Miss Power’ is mesmerising.

In all, ‘Loner’ is a worthy follow-up to his debut that’s suited to soundtrack dancefloors to come - and more crucially, other places too.

An ambitious double album filled with reverb and distortion this it not, but if a new, playful kind of Biffy Clyro take your fancy, there’s more than enough of Ellipsis to dive headfirst into.

A ten-track album that combines both of their styles to create something that doesn’t sound quite like either of them.

The album’s centrepiece, meanwhile, is classic Mogwai in both title and sound (‘If You Find This World Bad, You Should See Some of the Others’), but for the most part here, the band have committed to subtle reinvention.

Margaret still sounds the most at home with her string instruments, but her foray into experimenting with electronic music has paid off.

‘Surrender’ proves Maggie can use motifs from the past to build worlds and stimulate memories while always looking forward.

‘Hotel Surrender’ must surely be one of the most cathartic records of the year. From the laid-back cool of opener ‘Oh Me Oh My’, it seems the Faker brand of chill beats is back. The self-production adds to the organic nature of the record, and is often quite bold, with strings and saxophones aplenty.

'Between The Times & Tides' is a beacon of craftsmanship and invention coated in [a] marvellously empathetic collection of pop tunes.

It’s not just its hooks sunny disposition that makes Bay Dream the album it is, however. From start to finish, this is one of the finest examples of punk rock songwriting we’ve seen in 2018 so far from a band whose momentum off the back of last album ‘Peach’ should only increase in velocity off the back of this

Relatability abounds on Blisters In The Pit Of My Heart, perhaps not least on retail romance tale ‘Precarious (The Supermarket Song)’ where “I’m like an unexpected item in your bagging area” emerges as a contender for lyric of the year.

Grant has a fascinating combination of wisdom, world-weary cynicism and righteous anger; it never grates.

Kid Wave succeed the most when they go huge on the hooks and choruses.

Father Of The Bride is a joyous, fearless listen that builds on Vampire Weekend’s steeped history while simultaneously paying less attention to it than ever.

In a year when the world’s biggest artists have put their necks on the line--Rihanna’s leave-me-alone, independent streak of ‘Anti’, Kanye West’s scatterbrained ever-changing doodle ‘The Life of Pablo’--Beyoncé can count herself as a risk-taker breaking new ground, up there with the bravest.

The uncompromising rave punk spirit that has driven them for over 25 years seems stronger than ever on a record that will delight old fans and capture a whole new era of angry youth.

A kaleidoscope of charming sounds.

‘Endure’ marks Special Interest’s debut for Rough Trade and manages to plant a foot in both worlds - the resolutely uncompromising punks of old, and a band capable of infiltrating at least the more alternative end of the radio - with gusto.

‘moisturizer’ is a wonderfully crafted piece of work that cements Wet Leg’s staying power, an album to soundtrack hugging loved ones and spending the day with them doing nothing at all.

Deceiver is his first truly clear-eyed artistic statement - it’s also his most mature.

It’s ambition that’s realised in every form that it takes, offering enough distinctive moments of euphoria to win you over first time round, and enough in each new listen to have you coming back for more.

There is perhaps no band with a greater appreciation of the sheer joy and thrill of pop music in its purest form than Saint Etienne. 'Words And Music By Saint Etienne' is not only their own unique take on what pop means to them it is also an incredibly fine album.

Cemetery Highrise Slum is a maze; disorienting and satisfying in equal measure.

Concept albums may not be for everyone, and that's understandable, but they usually prove interesting at the very least, and this is no different.

In ‘Harry’s House’ lives a songwriter confident enough in both to start playing with convention.

On all fronts, this is a stirring return to form.

‘A Beautiful Revolution Pt. 2’ is a sweet paean to music’s mood-boosting properties, as well as it capacity to effect meaningful change.

Monomania is an easy album to become monomaniac about.

A carefully crafted and expansive release from a group of young musicians truly coming of age.

A curious collection of contrasts. Most notably, that between the protagonists’ own voices. ... That said, the duo know when to complement each other, too.

Subtle swells of synth and strings back up the album’s most emotionally intense moments, but her vocals can do the job on their own, especially on beautiful highlight ‘cradle’.

HO99O9 get it right far more frequently than not. This record remains incomparable to anything else being made right now.

WHY? have always been an acquired taste but anyone with a shred of interest in Yoni Wolf's idiosyncratic talents will find much to savour on a very impressive return.

A witty, succinct debut album.

Panda Bear’s penchant for innovation has always seemed to conflate seamlessly with his distinctive creative vision. On ‘Sinister Grift’, this takes a more accessible form, showcasing the robustness of his songwriting and ultimately cementing itself as a complete and vivid work.

Offering up another soundtrack for the disenfranchised and downtrodden, Sister Cities is a renewed example of just how powerful and poignant The Wonder Years can be.

Its lack of slickness and idiosyncrasies are where its charm lies.

Consistently, Short Movie is wonderfully unlike anything she has ever attempted before.

Slight emptiness aside, this is one of the most confident, self-assured debuts of the year--striking, exciting, and intimidating to Little Dragon fans everywhere.

The Sea & Cake could have been in danger of becoming an indie-band-by-numbers, but 'Runner' is performed with all the vigour and aplomb of fresh-faced youngsters and executed with the deftness of touch of grizzled old hands.

Expect to cry - then get fired up.

Beneath the familiarity, Tame’s fourth is operating in a subtly different world. Where ‘Currents’ doffed its cap heavily to R&B within its pop smarts, creating his most commercial work yet, ‘The Slow Rush’’s ingredients feel slightly more disparate.