Sucker Punch does much as the name suggests. It’s full of swooping, dramatic choruses and clean-cut vocals, where almost every song is a potential radio hit--only that’s not a bad thing.

In 12 songs, they make it pretty clear which side they’re on, and it looks like the winner - smart, engaged, and willing to crack a joke with the faith that their musical dexterity will speak for itself. Love them or hate them, dismiss them at your peril.

Whiteout Conditions is a consistently engaging and occasionally irresistible collection of pop songs, carried off with the unmistakable assurance of old hands.

Across the record, Thrice conjure an atmospheric beauty but maintain a connection to the dirt beneath their feet.

Faris Badwan’s cool vocal command - something which belies the fact that lyrically, ‘Night Life’ is unafraid to reckon with the violence and chaos of the present moment. He’s done some of the finest writing of his career here, on a record where The Horrors burn the midnight oil with a new intensity.

The Seduction of Kansas is another evocative and considered album, the band reiterating their ability to present topics with tremendous clarity and depth. Which, given the complexity of their themes, is exactly what most of us are crying out for.

he 2 Bears have once again triumphed at what they do best, serving up a vibrant and joyous take on the music that has shaped them.

After years of reflection, this is a steady steep back towards the future.

Omnion can feel somewhat familiar musically and while it’s unlikely to break the ground of earlier releases, nor does it need to--Andy Butler has carved out a unique space that he’s remained true to, with little desire for reinvention.

Sharp, vivid songwriting is central to Samia’s craft, and with ‘Bloodless’, her superpower lies in her curiosity for the unknown, and an ability to turn herself inside out, facing the raw, uncomfortable, and deeply human parts of herself head on.

‘Haunted Painting’ sees Sadie Dupuis finally letting go of the grief that has worried at the back of her head, processing her emotions head on in order to create work that she describes as being ‘truer’ than anything before. As a result, ‘Haunted Painting’ makes for surprisingly light relief.

‘Beatopia’ shows growth without risking losing the charm that has made Bea a firm favourite.

She’s created a world of her own, and on this latest record she sinks deep into its clutches.

While ‘Endless Rooms’ chronicles a darker period in RBCF’s time as a band, it’s an album that paves a sonically brighter and broader future ahead.

American Football meanders a lot less than its predecessor, and it’s a much more focused record, every move carried out with precision.

Hurrying urgently down the rushing veins of every song, colliding surreally poetic lyrics with thumping racket in a tense, on-edge mess, Untitled could well’ve put WALL on the same trajectory as their equally absurdist contemporaries Parquet Courts.

It still has the eccentricities that make them such an intriguing band, but without compromising on these elements Tune-Yards have still made their most accessible, danceable and thought-provoking album to date.

A truly astonishing, unique and unchallenged sound.

Pulling together synth, strings and warped melodies, the love song [‘Winter Is Hopeful’] is tender yet distant, disarming yet comforting, discordant yet oddly harmonious - the way this album sounds.

Richer then than even the sum of its parts, The Bride is a beautiful, complex and often harrowing listening experience.

II is an advert to be a whole new generation’s Sonic Youth or Nirvana and on this performance, you’d be foolish not to buy in.

Instead of sewing the seed for a brighter future, TV on the Radio leap ahead with a renewed sense of being.

This far into his career Mark Lanegan was unlikely to start making albums that are any less than engaging, but it’s still testament to his creativity and love of his art that ‘Phantom Radio’ is such a successful departure from bluesy rock and roll.

Given time to develop and augment their tribal leanings, Ibeyi could and likely will prosper--but in current form it feels a little to offer a half-hearted hand on something more sacred.

It's rich, vivid, and occasionally odd enough to give you a start.

‘Fine Art’ should be viewed much like any great work: as a whole. And as a whole, it’s totally unique, totally committed and totally thrilling – just don’t tell the government.

There’s a great and clear leap forward this time around, but this still has all the cornerstones of what drove so much attention: the ability to lull listeners through power pop or be taken in dreamlike trances, lyrics that take you on new journeys with every listen.

There's a certain urgency lacking to 'Kill My Blues' - Tucker seems determined to tap in to a certain rage and angst, yet still manages to sound rote and homogeneous.