Something is like a grand, multi-branched, ageing tree of 80s synth-pop, encompassing every variance of style and genre and recreating each classic movement with honour and aplomb.

Tearing its way through nine songs of heady, humid, pop music in quick, effortless succession, La Roux is quickly establishing herself as a formidable force of pop, and it will be interesting to see where Elly Jackson goes from here.

Although the British summer is a mixed bag of rain and more rain, ‘Alchemy’ could convince anyone there’s sun outside.

'Shrines' is a joy from start to finish, with a sticking power that so many others seem to lack.... It would be no surprise to see Purity Ring top the end of year round-ups.

‘Ultra Mono’’s step towards a more neoliberalistic message of positivity does serve to take some of the wind out of IDLES’ sails. If ‘Ultra Mono’ is their attempt to critique their own pedestal, it might not read as radical as they would have liked.

Hayden Thorpe is still feeling out the next leg of his musical journey, but has the distinct advantage of making every left turn he takes sound assured.

There’s a minimalism in places here that even ardent fans might find a touch disappointing given how predisposed she normally is to extrapolating on her ideas. In fairness, though, the whole point of Documents is to capture the sound of a band, still hot from the road, bringing that energy to the studio. In the Same Room delivers.

For some, this might be too tame. An album full of ‘Bluish’ rather than ‘Fireworks’. But for others, that means it’s the most accessible.

It fits within its own logic, but no others, resulting in a succinct record that should be anything but.

Darkness and doom prevail. Just how enjoyable that is depends entirely on how much you are prepared to embrace the darkness, and to submit to Ethel Cain’s semi-fictional world.

There are strokes of brilliance on Twin Shadow's second full length, 'Confess', as Lewis Jr. blends 80s influences with dashes of funk and pop to create a largely cohesive record that is steeped in lustful atmosphere.

They’re not re-writing the rule book, but on ‘Chopper’ Kiwi Jr lift off towards becoming cult favourites.

With its warmth and energy, it will easily see you through these cold winter months.

The more spacious, reflective nature of some of the tracks means that each member of the band gets a chance to shine in the spotlight. But there’s also a great amount of pleasure to be had simply from searching out all of the tiny details that add even more dynamism and intrigue than usual to the album.

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.

'Incorruptible Heart' is a frustrating listen. You are left with the sense that there is a brilliant pop group waiting to burst out but for the most part, they are sadly suffocated by the arrangements.

It's never boring, the dynamism of the tracks means they all have a sense of motion. It's just, after a while, there doesn't seem to be a destination in mind.

For better or for worse though, Moh Lhean mostly moves to the beat of its own, strangely laid-back drums. It just would have been nice to have a little more variation buried within those meditative vibes.

It is a fine album. Pointed without being preachy, cerebral without being inaccessible and never anything less than thrilling.

There's little doubt that Mudhoney intend this to be an obtuse, difficult listen--the lyrical allusions to GG Allin certainly suggest as much--but its lackadaisical approach leaves it feeling toothless rather than effortlessly cool.

Land Of CanAan's mix of warmth and sorrow sees Marques Toliver finally create an accomplished and whimsical sound that we only had glimpses of in other artists’ work.

It’s all teeth, blood and bones, spit, grease and sweat but it’s a snarling yet intelligent beast of an album that stalks the landscape of British music like the unstoppable monster it threatens, and with a certain bloodlust, deserves to be.

At times it feels far too long.... Yet on the whole it remains impressively cohesive, and perhaps more importantly (and surprisingly) never feels like they're going through the motions.

The rich swells of optimism that characterised earlier cuts such as ‘Skipping Stones’ or ‘Lost Dreamers’ have been replaced with a yearning melancholy.

Channeling everyone from Talking Heads to ESG, BODEGA remain as giddy and funked-up as ever. And on this highly danceable new addition they barely make a mis-step.

Yes, years in the industry can teach you a lot, but ‘Metal Forth’ feels like pure, instinctual exploration.

Throughout the record, Doja has the method for seeing soaring stats down: Instagram caption ready lyrical quips, a flurry of famous pals (The Weeknd and JID also appear), and an effortless kaleidoscopic pop soundtrack backing it all up.

It can’t match the drive and power of his electric projects by its very nature, so it may well remain a release for the hardcore fans.

As is always the case with albums of this nature that brim top-to-toe with guests, it’s sometimes hard to locate the thread that runs through it all. Nevertheless, there’s a terrific bounty to be enjoyed in the centre of the Vernon-Dessner Venn diagram.

It's one of the best rock albums of the year and shows there's no age limit on kicking up dust and splitting ear drums.

Slowness doesn’t surrender its wonders easily. But when it does, and there’s no guarantee it will for everyone on every listen, it can be perfect.

In Highest Point In Cliff Town, Hooton Tennis Club have produced a debut that’s utterly irresistible: a summer soundtrack that makes staring out of the train window significantly less mundane; an album that restores positivity in the type of Mondays that Courtney Barnett knows oh so well.

With plenty of sweet to balance the sour, this is a record that will resonate with anybody rebuilding themselves in the aftermath of self-doubt, and easily confirms itself as her most honest work yet.

Taken together, the albums are overwhelming in their stylistic diversity; one minute, she’s serving up clattering electro on the likes of iii’s ‘Skullqueen’ or ‘Ripples’, and the next, we’re hearing her break classic ideas of what ambience should mean to fit her own mould on the Oliver Coates-featuring ‘Esuna’.

It is a dynamic and sensual album, rich with imagery, peppered with romance, and imbued with joy.

It’s an album that feels rich and invigorating, and proves they’re still one of our most treasured bands for a reason.

Coxon's most accomplished solo album to date.

For the rest of us, Natasha’s first real pop effort since ‘Fur and Gold’ is an impressively lean and infectiously hook-laden romp; doomy disco for dark times.

Shriek is certainly a considerable statement that opens up endless vistas of possibility for a reinvigorated band.

Baths’ second album is dark and distressing but ultimately compelling.

British Road Movies feels like a trip in the truest sense, and representative of that which Jackson herself has gone on: from leader of one of Britain’s most sorely missed bands, via eight years out of the game, to returning as one of its most intriguing new solo artists.

In boldly delving into their pop sensibilities, the group have created an album that encompasses their intriguing convictions for different genres and refined it into a record of high quality.

While his lyricism is filled with youthful nostalgia, his sound here is more mature than ever. Introducing an auto harp, his soundscapes are filled with a toned-down joie de vivre which makes the album stand out with its lucid simplicity.

Perhaps not the album that will secure the band’s legacy, but one that reminds their cult following that the boys can play hard as well as work hard.

For creating something as fresh and strong as this at album number eight, Portugal. The Man deserve to be applauded.

Chelsea Light Moving should feel like a tired hashing-over of sonic tropes, considering what a prolific career the front man's had. But it doesn't; it's a lively, noisy semi-resurrection.

Quiet River of Dust won’t be for everyone, but you can’t help but marvel at its ambition.

‘Sorry For The Late Reply’ is an album that’s taken the playful spark of their debut and refined it into a bolder beast.

‘DANDELION’ is pleasant if forgettable among the maelstrom elsewhere, and the sadness of ‘SOMEWHERE’ threatens to sink into lethargy, but overall, third time is largely lucky for Just Mustard.


Just like a big night out, or indeed its afters, the record is dizzying but flies by too fast and leaves you wanting just a tiny bit more to savour.

A thread of hope and resilience runs through, via bright, surfy punk and power pop.

For all its unoriginality, Clarietta more than makes amends with the proficient psychedelia of its groove-based jams.

[The off-trend songs like Alaska, Sawzall and Hawaiian Mazes] feel freer, more exciting and more innovative. But III isn’t that. Instead, for the most part, it feels like Banks-by-numbers.

Their particular brand of punk never pauses for breath: it’s thirteen unabating tracks, fired up on adrenaline and the thrill of just not giving a shit.

A typically playful, often infectious pop record.

’History Books’ is an album that personifies The Gaslight Anthem’s magic all over again.

On the surface it may appear comparably safe in tone; a softer and arguably less frustrated sound runs throughout. Yet it never shies away from the unmistakable fact that Shamir has something to say, and that it’s always worth listening to.

It’s easy to see why Sam Fender took the outfit out on his recent UK arena jaunt, possessed as they are with heartfelt songs based in place and time, with a few fist-to-the-chest moments.

The strength of A.L.L.A is when Rocky dodges the conventional diss tracks and instead tells his story without any strings attached.

They’ve taken the strengths of ‘Teen Dream’ and ‘Bloom’--reaching pop highs with ease--before being deceptive like it’s some kind of game. It’s not unfamiliar in the good sense, and it’s an odd outlier in an otherwise brilliant back-catalogue.

There is certainly well crafted song writing, but the album suffers for having a rather one dimensional sound; the most interesting track ['Sweet Dee'] is, notably, the most different.

A curious album that is well worth investigating.

Not a punk record for people who like Blink-182 but a punk record for people who like punk.

A promising album that should make the next journey with them all the more exciting.

Through exhibiting effortlessly strong songwriting with infectious hooks and warm, albeit slightly corny lyricism, the other slacker from Canada has matured into an amorous connoisseur of alternative pop.

An album that’s sometimes a little too abstract to truly connect with.

Two Door Cinema Club have learnt how to harness their mainstream power while taking creative risks. They pay off almost every time.

Another smartly-crafted step forward.

CLAMM may not be the first group to venture out into the fuzzy Australian wilderness, but with Beseech Me, they’ve shown they might just be the best.

Against Justin’s increasingly interesting way with words, it feels like the purest Vaccines album yet.

On ‘A Fistful of Peaches’ Black Honey have doubled down on what’s worked for them to date, while offering a glimpse at potential future directions.

A glorious running of pure pop’s emotional gamut, ‘The Good Witch’ is an accomplished, bewitching listen.

Here, he does indeed examine music’s most ubiquitous theme - namely, the deeply personal yet universal anguish of matters of the heart - but elevates it such that even the most quotidian of details becomes filmic.

There’s also the disappointing ‘Sinking Kind Of Feeling’ and opener ‘Other Side’, the latter’s slow build at odds with the overall tone of the record. Still, it’s a great stride forwards with some tracks that’ll likely go down as some of the band’s best.

Throughout the album, hidden instrumental flourishes surface with repeat plays, though some stay too buried. Elsewhere, the decadent production swallows her breathy voice (‘The Answer’, ‘Hold Fire’).

The perfect soundtrack to the festival season and those long days when you sit in the shade with a cool drink.

It meanders a touch in the middle, but in general Olympia is a genuinely bold attempt from Austra to expand on their debut while retaining most of what it was that made them stand out in the first place.

While ‘I Love You Like A Brother’ was littered with memorable choruses that would be lodged in your brain after one listen, it takes a good while of digging into ‘The Best Of Luck Club’ to find something that sticks.

All-in-all, ‘Man Made’ is an impressively accomplished, ever-giving record that rarely fails to enchant.

Whilst they haven’t stumbled at the unshakeable hurdle of the difficult second album, the ‘Wow’ factor of their debut has since diminished. Thankfully, there’s enough youthful grit and promise on show here to suggest that that spectacular something is on the horizon.

A tense and absorbing record that creates its own world for you to live in.

Not only safe, Music Complete serves to dilute New Order’s output.

‘Soberish’ sounds more like her early work, with its lo-fi stylings and ramshackle guitars. Lyrically, this record teases her more sentimental side, but even then, she openly admits to not wanting to reveal her true self to the listener.

Too is a big, dumb-smart, happy-sad, universally-specific beast of a record, then.

It’s not necessarily one to be filed alongside ‘Parklife’ or ‘Definitely Maybe, but there’s a distinct whiff of the era’s wistfulness across ‘Human’ and ‘Spies’ - plus a cheeky repeated “hello” in ‘Pretty Face’ that’s surely a nod to the Oasis track of the same name.

It's not a record that will convert anyone who had previously dismissed these two Canadians, but it preaches a sermon that the present congregation will enjoy to their heart's content.

Contrary to the band’s name, there are a lot of joys to be found in Wait To Pleasure.

New Moon is a rare and very special album.

Meiburg and the group have swapped the muddy tranquillity that kept them muted and unheard for a daring dose of starry eyed wonderment that really should unleash the groups collective wings, enabling them to fly higher than ever before.

Ultimately an exercise in Sunflower Bean showing off that they can do just about everything well.

As a record, it lacks a coherent identity.

From what they’ve cooked up here, it’s hard to imagine hearing a record this immersive and mesmerising from anyone else.

This record still feels raw, it still feels intimate, but a little more bold in its sentiments. It’s in those moments of bravery and risk that Rice still stands worthy of his heart-wrenching troubadour title.

Alexis Taylor’s discovery and consequent understanding of the importance of religion and its expansive scriptures are well captured in this reflective release.

While songs like 'Significant Bullet' and 'Leominster' feel like slightly unnecessary inclusions and can cause the listening experience to drag slightly, this is a very impressive record with some truly excellent songs.

It’s a collection of songs that reflects anxiety and paranoia, a distrust of the present but also belief in their own ability. It also presents a band with a future in which they have opened up new avenues for themselves.

‘PREY//IV’ does not shy away from Alice’s story; instead, its imagery is violent and visceral, with portraits of isolation (‘PINNED BENEATH LIMBS’) and self harm (‘BABY TEETH’) riddled throughout an album defined by a sort of constant itchiness, a wish to rid itself of trauma by occupying it so fully.

At its core, ‘Girl Violence’ is a portrayal of melodramatic love and its overwhelming possession that’s as earnest, self-indulgent and womanising as expected from the King Princess demeanour.