Phantom Island is a mature reflection on grappling with success. Musically, King Gizzard may never step foot in the same stream twice, but it's clear they're here for each other wherever the current takes them.

This is new, fresh, young rap with an edge.

With the exception of the title cut, which is among the band's best-ever songs, Hug of Thunder isn't a life-changing album. That said, it's a case of a classic group sticking to their guns and highlighting what made us love them in the first place.

This one is cohesive and feels like a band affair, feels like an album, feels like it has the chemistry Velvet Revolver frustratingly didn't quite have but a certain other band had once upon a time when Slash was in that crew.

If you wait, there is a reward for those interested in committing to a whole album; a final refrain. This is the reality of taking chances — and, as the protracted ending of "Match-Lit" proves, Case refuses to compromise for her artistic vision for digestibility or easy answers.

Perhaps it's the vulnerability at the core of THE BPM that really makes what Sudan Archives is doing still feel so fresh. Standing out in the club music scene, it sets a new standard for anyone interested in playing with sound while maintaining an accessible heartbeat.

Despite Snocaps' supergroup pedigree, their debut album feels less like boygenius-style star-making moment and more like a low-stakes romp. With a spirit of fun and camaraderie, this feels a bit like the rock-leaning cousin to Katie Crutchfield's band Plains.

The tracks are of such quality, though, that their position as part of something larger is mostly irrelevant.

Never Hungover Again is fully-grown and moves at a steady pace, while remaining characteristic to Joyce Manor's roots.

No Better Time Than Now is a mature, immersive work that carries with it an intense emotional weight--the passionate, human energy of the live drumming dovetails beautifully with the optimism and spiritual healing expressed in the melodies.

He masterfully delivers a snapshot of a disjointed, vibrant and inherently flawed system as seen through one of electronic music's longstanding visionaries.

Snaith's work is meaningful, and it pushes music forward in a way that's genuinely exciting.

The Heliocentrics' most beguiling effort to date.

All ten of the album's songs overflow with sparkling synths, sighing pop hooks and made-for-summer beats. The lyrics are often difficult to parse, particularly since Mars frequently dips in and out of Italian and French, but the overall impression is one of sweet, big-hearted sincerity.

Summer 08 may not have been designed to build on the success of Love Letters and The English Riviera, but it still very well may; it's every bit as resourceful, offbeat and pleasing as anything Mount has done to date.

Overall, In My World is a first-rate sophomore effort.

While the stories told within Few Good Things are definitely the focal point of the record, the musicianship that accompanies it matches and at times even exceeds it.

Last Patrol is an incredible display of mature stoner metal from dudes that view aging as more than just graying beards.

Like sun shining through the clouds after a storm, Isa is equal moments tumult and bliss.

Empath is by no means a shortcut to deciphering all of Townsend's output, but its incredibly hard not to marvel at the way in which he wields these influences to exceed the confines of his "progressive" qualifier--not to mention the sheer enormity of it all.

There is just enough difference in the two voices to keep things interesting, while producer Teddy Thompson corrals an A-list of session players, including Benmont Tench, Davey Faragher and Doug Pettibone to add empathetic instrumental accompaniment.

Overall this is a meditative collection that eloquently expresses a great deal of uncomfortable feelings few other songwriters are capable of addressing.

Vocals, samples and soundscapes are all treated as equals, resulting in a slurry of sound that remarkably works both as a mixtape comedown and as a salient whole.

It's a smothering, enveloping textural experience, alternately threatening to cocoon or drown the listener.

On Vermont II, Plessow and Worgull have crafted an experimental piece founded upon its creators' departure from their respective comfort zones.

Instrumentally, this record doesn't do anything revelatory that distinguishes it from their other releases. However, in maintaining their usual glitchy post-punk instrumentals with this clearer lyrical concept, the duo emphasize the emptiness of the automated economy.

While these haunting mood-pieces aren't exactly uplifting, they have a melancholic beauty that's comforting in this troubling times. Even if we're lonely, we're in it together.

Too often, supergroup side-projects come across as ego-building exercises, yet Banks has managed to avoid this with both his collaboration with Wu Tang Clan's RZA (on Banks & Steelz) and now with Muzz.

Serving as an exercise in humility, Black Friday is a testament to the value of tenderness in a world steeped in trepidation. For new listeners, the album should function as a cohesive introduction to a band on the rise — and a great point of entry to an already impressive discography.

The smooth way in which Alexander's voice blends between shifting country and soul backgrounds demonstrates versatility, and his clear and accessible vocal delivery helps tie together these different strands like a good leader.

There's nothing mild about Emotional Mugger; it has an overwhelming sense of madness, but it's addictive nonetheless.

If you need an entry point into an incredibly potent piece, Gibbons and company offer a take on Symphony of Sorrowful Songs that lingers.

12 is arguably the most well-rounded album they've made since 1999's underrated Between the Bridges.

Okkyung Lee has delivered an album so achingly tender that it is bound to stand as one of this year's best neoclassical releases.

It contains more successful experiments than usual, and a few moments of genuine splendour.

On Days of Abandon, the Pains continue to demonstrate why they've been able to find this sweet spot that so many bands strive for.

Gogol Bordello have created music that feels revolutionary and well-timed on Seekers and Finders, an album on which the veteran, self-described Gypsy-punk group channel the power and immediacy of their fantastic live show into a tight 38 minutes.

Creativity is what keeps Ill Times pretty damn fun despite its darkness. While soul-meets-rock can easily slide into awkward pastiche, the synergy behind this collaboration keeps its collage of free-floating ideas tight, yet effortlessly unrestricted.

In the wake of the recent bass explosion, there's no shortage of artists making similar music, but few of them are anywhere near as compelling.

Lyrically, all three mine traditionally sombre territory in their solo work, tying into broader cultural conversations regarding gender and mental health, and the words of boygenius maintain the same power and urgency.

Whether you came of age in the '90s or were just born then, the History of Apple Pie have what you need.

In constructing such an ornate snarl of emotion and eloquence, Le Bon has effectively created in Michelangelo Dying a bummer album that doesn't actually require any wallowing to digest.

A fully realized album filled with beautiful soundscapes and dreamy vocals. It already seems permeated by a certain nostalgia, making it a perfect record to make memories to.

For the most part, Home on Native Land is filled with Gibb's signature breaths of melodic fresh air, healthy for a Canadian folk scene that could use some idiosyncrasy and a dark sense of humour, even if Gibb is only a passing visitor.

Coming across as a viscera-churning blast of pure sub-bass propulsion, Borders demonstrates that while Emptyset's methods may have morphed, their madness is still intact.

They've elevated their music from songs you listened to at your job in a coffee shop or in your parents basement, to music you want to play in the car or in your grown up apartment. You can find a sense of nostalgia without losing some of the comfort that age has brought you.

Lyrically, the songs are often about longing and seemingly missed connections, but by creating such a rich and textured album, NZCA Lines connect strongly, expanding their sound and blossoming accordingly.

It's an expertly recorded, dynamically performed and totally fun celebration of some of his best work, especially for those who cherish his earlier material.

At 16 tracks and a whopping 110-minute runtime, there are some songs that blend into the other, but it's a testament to Goldie's creativity and flexibility as an artist that there's never a single moment on The Journey Man that sounds compromised.

Parry's work here is sombre yet uplifting, as he goes after the hard stuff with impassioned resolve and a rich and varied musical landscape (there are maybe a million instruments employed on this out-of-genre release) that is as singular as it can be.

Gou has invited us into her musical world, showcasing the artists whose music she's studied to guide her into crafting her own sound. If the LP she's currently working on will sound anything like this, we will be in for a real treat.

With Crawling Up the Stairs, the masks are off for the world to hear.

Each Liars album has kept us guessing and WIXIW is no exception, offering us another glimpse of Liars' infinite supply of uncompromising, yet succesful ideas.

He's has created a blistering and often beautiful protest album. Let's hope his fever catches; it'd do us all some good.

Like that excellent mid-period of Entombed where they embraced raw production and an honest approach in every aspect of their music, Struck by Lightning have it all, minus any songs that worm their way into the listener's head.

Cool and calculated, it's sure to rub listeners who are anything but the wrong way.

Its tendency to slip into trance-like arrangements can make b'lieve feel a bit too sleepy at times, but moments pop up just in time to pull you back.

Now, Then & Forever is a more than worthy addition to the Earth Wind & Fire catalogue.

Fe3O4 ― Magnetite will not come as a huge surprise sonically to those familiar with his back catalogue. That said, it is nonetheless sufficiently perplexing, abstract and rich to offer much incentive to return to it for any listener willing to be absorbed into his forbidding sonic universe.

With Struggler, he's proven that he's a singular talent, overcoming the sophomore slump and putting the world on notice by taking everything that made Smiling with No Teeth so special and digging deeper, building a world that's uniquely his own.

The music — a mix of digital sound with electric and acoustic guitars and live (or at least live sounding) drums — complements their newfound humanist approach to songwriting. 2022's Glitch Princess shattered pop music into a million little pieces. Here Ćmiel has glued things back together, but the cracks are still visible in the way they pair genre tropes.

The music is raw, melodic and explosive, and captures the inner reflection one must undertake to properly envision the future.

The partnership of Stephen Ramsay (Young Galaxy) and Jace Lasek (Besnard Lakes) offers up five songs in tectonic waves, their instrumentation carefully modulating into a slow-burn intensity.

Hardy and her band have written an album that meets the daily crises of life head on, finding light in the darkness and the motivation to keep going. That victory was born out of a very personal fight, but with Survival, Wares make the personal universal.

This might not be their best work--that's still the cohesive, mind-altering Nootropics--but Escape From Evil finds Lower Dens continuing to push themselves into new sonic territory, the hallmark of any great band.

Stepa J. Groggs and Ritchie with a T are solid, if not remarkable, rappers. And that's fine. What sets them apart is that they feel like real dudes. ... Injury Reserve's real driving force, though, is producer Parker Corey.

It's a solid album from Mvula, but "beguiling potential" only begins to describe the musical authority this debut merely alludes to.

Red Night (helmed by UK pop producer Richard X) is a foot-moving triumph of ennui, minor chords and warped FX.

It's a new band, a new sound, but the same old, marvellous songwriting. It's a killer combination.

The crashing production and imperfections contrast nicely with the concise rock, creating a dangerous sound not often heard within the realm of such structured music.

New View is a lush and beautiful record that stands comfortably in such heady company.

As a group that have faced their growing pains together, Slow Pulp strike the perfect balance between soft, thoughtful and loud on Yard. Tangled up in nervousness about being either too selfish or too self-pitying, the band finds a way to wring out the drab fabric of discomfort until a bit of beauty trickles out.

By chronicling the redemptive rise and bittersweet resolution of DMX's plot-twist ridden third act, Exodus not only fulfills the tall order of giving a long-overlooked great a fitting send off. It's also the sound of hip-hop's Job finding meaning in his suffering — and, thankfully, peace thereafter.

Honest, clever and lively, Diet Cig's second record is a great juxtaposition: working through embarrassment and shame all while bouncing off the walls to the sound of sugary, cheery indie-punk. Do You Wonder About Me? turns worry and uncertainty into a celebration of being human.

Although CASE STUDY 01 may not receive the same critical reception as Freudian, it's a solid effort by an artist who is, more or less, still a rookie, attempting to diversify his sound early on in order to avoid cementing himself into gospel music for the entirety of his career.

Not an album you'd crank up at a summer patio party, but a quietly compelling work.

A LA SALA is an endlessly rewarding album. There's always something new to be discovered in its haze, a whispered lyric between the layers, a little pebble of meaning waiting to be overturned.

The Stoned Immaculate is just Curren$y at a higher grade, if you will.

It's thrilling and moving to hear Lund indulge his serious side on this gorgeously forlorn new LP.

On SUM/ONE, DeGraw avoids the trappings many first-time solo artists fall to, leaving the listener with a collection of songs that manages to exude its own indispensable personality while staying true to Gang Gang Dance's wild and wooly origin story.

Excluding its minor gaffes, More Life cements a place for genres long-overlooked by mainstream media; dancehall, grime, Afrobeat, house, trap and, of course, rap, and takes Toronto on a world tour to celebrate life--More life.

Tomorrow's Hits sees the band honing the sound of last year's New Moon into a tight collection of pop-minded rock songs.

The fifth Black Mountain album is their most driving album yet, literally. It was edited on the road, directly influenced by the feeling of being behind the wheel. Of the 22 tracks recorded, the eight that made it are as propulsive as you can get, hard-edged cerebral space trucking.

The end result is even more unhinged than expected, taking the underground approach of his many side-projects over the years, adding Pantera grooves and staying miles away from anything approaching Down in sound.

Handwritten may not break any new ground for the band, but it's easily their strongest release yet.

Lightning Dreamers is refreshing for how it demonstrates the veteran cornetist's clear and realized vision. At 58 years old, Mazurek has helped usher jazz into the new millennium by surrounding himself with genre-defying musicians, transporting the arithmetic sound of Chicago through a warped space-time continuum.

As Benton shifts his focus from big rock choruses to a grounding, direct connectivity, Lost in the Country cements Trace Mountains' evolution into a type of modern Americana.

TORRES and Baker don't fully escape the influence of their strong indie milieus, but that's part of what makes Send a Prayer My Way so special: it feels a little folky, a little Americana, and a lot country.

Tired of Tomorrow is both warm and cold, complex and straight to the point.

Like all of Barwick's work, Healing Is a Miracle is an exercise in meditation and tracing the natural flow of emotion within. Barwick masterfully creates a temporary escape from reality which relaxes tensions that slowly surrender and dissolve into its harmless components.

Basking in the Glow is an album for fans of the courteous yet invigorating style of emo that Death Cab for Cutie and Jimmy Eat World made popular. Oso Oso's latest is a brisk invitation to savour the small stuff, to embrace insecurities, and to hang on to those head-rushing moments.

There's No Leaving Now is another sweetly concise collection of ten songs by the eloquent Swede, whose nationality remains brilliantly masked by a Midwestern twang.

A fascinating, affecting statement from a musician firmly in control of her artistry.

Embracing her past while looking forward, on GOOD LUCK, FRIDAY makes her own.

An aural delight that deserves multiple spins.

A dizzying array of sounds and vocals that probably would have come off as a sonic mess if not for Mouse on Mars' crystalline vision.

Images maintains an aura of continually mounting tension that keeps you anxiously captivated throughout its ten nervously haunting tracks.

This recording is a great addition to his musical catalogue, and a fine way to fall in love with Shakespeare all over again, to boot.