It could be a new studio album if it weren't for the cheers and hoots of the audience. [Jul 2026, p.101]

Fans of ATG's tremendously influential early albums will welcome the unforgiving tempos and the slick solos that gave the original music such audible contrast. [Jul 2026, p.92]

There's an underlying urgency to the elegance, this time. [Jul 2026, p.102]

In sweet-toned, self-sufficient sound and spirit, Philadelphia's Been Good To Me delivers deeper homefront dispatches: warming and deceptively wide-ranging tributes to his roots and the gifts - friends, family, music - they've given. [Jul 2026, p.100]

The band's 11th studio album feels crisp and revitalized. [Jul 2026, p.101]

This new offering is a more emotive and tighter take on that approach [on debut New Brigade]. [Jul 2026, p.101]

Inferno is, in the least-predictable, most ripe-for-discovery manner imaginable, more of the same. Across 18 tracks which run to exactly 70 minutes, the duo's sonic signature is gloriously intact. [Jul 2026, p.102]

They advance the concept that pop is a debilitating virus, injected non-consensually into our veins. Sometimes it's awfully (brilliantly) accurate. [Jul 2026, p.102]

Brock's determination to cram multiple styles into 15 tracks furnishes hangdog intrigues and knotty wisdoms aplenty. [Jul 2026, p.102]

An album of the year contender. [Jul 2026, p.102]

A fine set from a superlative group of musicians. [Jul 2026, p.102]

As a producer, Rostam knows modern pop flourishes, but this thrives on the simple pleasures. [Jul 2026, p.103]

Their latest Grand Guignol is a more direct and, dare we say it, tuneful affair than previous offerings, though Fantasia still hits you like a slab of concrete. [Jul 2026, p.103]

Childish albums arrive at a wild pace, too, but always manage an offhand brilliance. [Jul 2026, p.103]

The hour-long set veers from the 13-minute Countermovement to several three-minute single-like tracks such as the guitar-driven romp All Hands On Deck. [Jul 2026, p.103]

The full 22-track version (31 on digital) is notable mostly for the curio of four ragged, very early songs featuring future actor Rhys Ifans on vocals, with the rest balanced between the worthwhile and the completist. [Apr 2026, p.100]

It does the job in just over 25 minutes, ending on an oddity, the off-kilter jazz of Happy Families channeling Tom Waits. [Apr 2026, p.107]

Sutherland's fourth album of dependably solid Americana leaves its biggest impressions when the self-penned songs take on dramatic tones. [Jun 2026, p.103]

Possesses all the brimming feelings and melodies of her main gig. [Jun 2026, p.102]

Beauty Land has a surplus of his specialty: beautifully short, simple, sparse, bittersweet songs that seem impervious to the outside world, self-deprecatingly leaning into his personal struggles. [Jun 2026, p.102]

Excellent collaboration, a fully thought-through concept album. [Jun 2026, p.101]

If these nine ‘new’ songs plus a remake are to be the last of Neil’s stellar career, their release is justified. [Jun 2026, p.91]

Poppier but also more mature than before, Marmozets execute their frenetic, catchy punk with gusto and aplomb. [Jun 2026, p.102]

The Boys Of Dungeon Lane does everything a Paul McCartney album should do. The vulnerability in his voice adds a peculiar charm: it’s a man looking at an ever-decreasing road ahead with his trademark optimism.

It's an utter delight, an album that touches on all those influences [rocksteady, doo wop, soul, ska and 2-Tone] but still sounds like nothing but The Coral. [Jun 2026, p.101]

As it ends, you come away with the impression that O’Brien’s solo career has truly taken flight second time around. [Jun 2026, p.100]

Sometimes the album sparks the alt-country life as with the guitar crackle of Fish Sticks; sometimes it resembles incidents asides between buddies, as on the title-track. [Jun 2026, p.102]

The opening, high-octane title track gives way to more ruminative pieces. [May 2026, p.90]

It's punkish, gleefully nasty fun. [Jun 2026, p.103]

Among the standouts are the restless Keep Going, which evokes Miles Davis' avant-funk phase; the pugnacious Panamanian Fight Song; and the mellow mindfulness of Vibrate Higher. [Jun 2026, p.90]

Melding the ethereal and otherworldly with some wonderfully punishing basslines on future classics like Ring The Alarm. [Jun 2026, p.103]

Frontman Ellery Roberts remains elliptical of word and gravelly of voice, and even if their clear shot for profundity is not always matched by their sound - Letting Go sounds like a hipster take on Joshua Tree-era U2 - there is no doubt this is once again powerful, arresting stuff. [Jun 2026, p.103]

Another highly enjoyable country set that sees Ringo wear many (cowboy) hats. [Jun 2026, p.103]

Another deceptively sparse collection, the sonic progression has been developed still further, several songs enhanced by hushed, brooding electronica. But the words surprise and dazzle like never before. [Jun 2026, p.102]

It's best listened to in its entirety if listeners are to appreciate the fantastical story the US singer-songwriter threads through it. [Jun 2026, p.101]

Your Favorite Toy is more a reaffirmation of the joys of rock'n'roll as an outlet for catharsis. [Jun 2026, p.101]

While Andrews eventually got back on track while sifting through the music and adding lyrics, that initial uncertainty lingers throughout the album. [Jun 2026, p.101]

While Vernon's use of autotune is excessive at times, his stripped-down cover of Mahalia Jackson's A Satisfied Mind reminds us that it can be a compelling stylistic choice. [Jun 2026, p.101]

Ultimately, it's yet another great set of songs from one of America's best. [May 2026, p.102]

There are moments of inspiration, such as the alacritous and emphatic I'm On Fire featuring Caveman, but too often it feels committee-led, with potential hits trumping soulfulness. [May 2026, p.101]

There are some wrong turns, but there's ample fierce flair here to suggest Modern Woman could join the likes of English Teacher at the top of the 2020s class. [May 2026, p.103]

A savvy set oozing with all the assuredness and class one might suspect from a bunch of wisened sixty-somwting. [May 2026, p.102]

Look For Your Mind! is another winner for the d'Addarios, packed tight with stunning musicianship, sparkling songcraft and ingenious arrangements. [May 2026, p.98]

The ball keeps rolling. A rare hushed ditty, That Was My Brain On elves, is surreal and witty. The other five have muddy, chunky basslines and spearing guitars. [May 2026, p.102]

Throughout, a balance of reflection and celebration is finely struck: while Feist-sung elegy What Happens Now is a tender beauty, Paying For Your Love blasts off like an indie E Street Band in full flow. [May 2026, p.101]

Self-produced, the accompaniment is lush, woody, spatial, and rich in unexpected details. [Jun 2025, p. 101]

Angel In Plainclothes is an intensely quiet - and quietly intense - listening experience that infuses itself into your veins. [May 2026, p.101]

It’s their fuzz-guitar take on Dr Feelgood’s She Does It Right that holds the, ahem, key to the majority of selections. Dan Auerbach and Patrick Casey spend a lot of the record mining the catalogues on non-household names from the world of blues. [May 2026, p.100]

This package gathers all the hit albums in both mono and stereo mixes, a brace of quirkier film soundtracks, plus a couple of solid but comparatively underwhelming post-Sebastian releases, all with a generous helping of bonus cuts. [Apr 2026, p.98]

The album has a twin-guitar roar urging forward fast, furious and catchy numbers - (How How How) How Do You Wanna Be Loved - but there's also a thoughtful side, a deft delicacy on tracks such as Ramona. [Apr 2026, p.98]

A fearless oasis of natural calm for a world that desperately need it. [May 2026, p.103]

Sharpening her songs' focus and melodies with spartan precision. [May 2026, p.101]

Weller's maturing voice, grainy, textured, and perfect for singing Stax. Another high is provided by Have You made Up Your Mind. [May 2026, p.96]

There are fever-dream phases of Queen II which are as thrilling as anything made that dazzling decade. .... Its reissue is significant. [May 2026, p.97]

If all Kneecap offered was the spectacle of someone stirring shit up, like the Pistols, PE and early Manics in previous generations, they would still be worth having around. But Fenian offers far more. Their day has come. [May 2026, p.100]

As If You're Here has a sunny, surging drive-time glint to it too, but a little too much of Romanticize... is all clinical chill and no thrill. [May 2026, p.103]

13 glides fluently from the Russ Ballard-ish Chew Nails to the funky Crossfyre, delicious dub-pop of standout Keep Calling Me (Baby) and Beck-ish squelch funk of That's Rap. [May 2026, p.103]

It's not as immediately brilliant as its predecessor, but still possessing some fine moments. [May 2026, p.101]

Beautiful. [May 2026, p.103]

This is over-produced and underachieving, [May 2026, p.103]

A fourth album full of vibrant, varied takes on pop interspersed with some more downbeat, sensitive ruminations. [May 2026, p.103]

There are flashes of their old brilliance. [May 2026, p.101]

This fine album is further evidence of the innovative artistry of contemporary folk-related performers. [May 2026, p.101]

Remarkable album. [May 2026, p.101]

This Richmond, Virginia quintet bring as much energy and focus to the music as they ever did. [May 2026, p.92]

There's plenty of fun but there's also melancholy too. [May 2026, p.103]

Never superfluous, always essential. [Apr 2026, p.109]

Butler's increasingly woodsy timbre serves People Move On nicely. It's not as stirring, with Butler's intimate tilt at post-Suede liberation anthem Not Alone losing the original's euphoric flush, though the trio's euphonious harmonies prove reliable - if occasionally drowsy - elsewhere. [Apr 2026, p.105]

There are numerous examples of predictable usual suspects (the fuzzy goth of The Cure's Primary, a trippy twist on The Cramps' Goo Goo Muck), but deeper riches are found in what, on the surface, might be seen as curveball choices. [Apr 2026, p.105]

Birding takes wing with mellifluous delicacy and sturdy dynamism, held in fine balance. [Apr 2026, p.105]

Indigo Park is effortlessly one of the most intriguing, accomplished, inventive and rewarding records of Hornsby’s long career, rich in the mellow vibes of his most radio-friendly past recordings, but at the same time resolutely, restlessly pushing envelopes, and its perpetually inspired maker. [Apr 2026, p.102]

"We're blossoming," she sings of a new romance, but she could easily be talking about herself and her artistic trajectory, having pulled off a daring makeover with such style. [Apr 2026, p.104]

You may rejoice, you may be bemused, or you may soil your drawers and run for the nearest exit. It's quite an experience, however you find it. [Apr 2026, p.109]

If 2021's Vertigo Days was impressive but remote, News... is more approachable and tactile in its tunes and textures, reflecting a decision to record live in the studio. [Apr 2026, p.108]

An immediate contender of one of the best psych albums of 2026. [Apr 2026, p.101]

A dense, lush and melodic blend of krautrock, psych pop, art-rock, dubby soundscaping and other styles that will forever be cooler than Keanu Reeves' icetray. [Apr 2026, p.107]

A woozy, jazzy soundscape. [Apr 2026, p.98]

Mixing habitual anxieties and a kind of caught-in-the-moment clarity with intuitive fluency, Creature Of Habit is the Sound of an in-character transition smartly captured, bottled with instinctive assurance. [Mar 2026, p.102]

There are moments of relative sonic reserve here (the understated The Ceiling Underground; the lithe indie-pop of Inhospitable/Hospital; the bending shoegaze riff of Chestwound To The Chest), but – as with the tumultuous finale of TV People Still Throwing TVs At People – it’s an album which is largely turned up to 11, emotionally and sonically. [Mar 2026, p.104]

While the sharp electric riffs pair neatly with the existential themes of the 26-year-old's lyrics on Agony Freak, its sounds are a little generic in the realm of contemporary indie-rock. Jordan does much better with the warm, Sundays-inspired jangle chords in Tractor Beam and my Maker, the album's high points. [Apr 2026, p.109]

This is a reasonably entertaining album. [Apr 2026, p.106]

These 11 tracks attack from a more humanistic point of view, rather than a didactic one, especially on The Information, an emphatic antidote to this awful AI-addled age, the highly-charged Organoid and the gorgeously dreamy Can't Lose. [Apr 2026, p.106]

One of the most powerfully intense live acts on the circuit, Prostitute have miraculously transferred that intensity to this truly extraordinary record. [Apr 2026, p.108]

High-octane strutters You Call This A Good Time and Profane Prophecy reconnect with the classic Crowes of their earliest albums, while the bluesy back-porch strum of Pharmacy Chronicles and the laconic testifying of Eros Blues remind us that Chris has one of the best white soul voices in the business. [Apr 2026, p.105]

Leaves us keen to hear what she does next. [Apr 2026, p.106]

It feels almost improvised half the time, but there's a quiet, escalating intrigue to their murmurings. [Mar 2026, p.105]

Powerful, and relentless in its attack. [Feb 2026, p.103]

What stands out most from this time is the sense of possibility and spirit of adventure. [Feb 2026, p.96]

Between bookending tracks Why Is The Lion?/Bride Of The Lion, reflections on modern fars both, (Everybody's Got A) Friend Named Joe and Vietnam Sunshine meditate gracefully and playfully on friendship and commitment. Spare settings offer breathing room, with strings, sax, flute and more colouring in the songs' fringes. [Mar 2026, p.103]

It succeeds by drawing in the listener and urging them to do some interpretative work. [Mar 2026, p.103]

Trixie’s bears many of the hallmarks the group would, a few years later, become celebrated for. Several hooks and melodies offer up the kind of earworms that helped establish Squeeze as one of the UK’s most dependable and radio-friendly singles bands, and there is already an astonishing maturity to Difford’s lyrics, often taking the form of poignant character studies. [Feb 2026, p.98]

Sometimes predictably frustrating, sometimes pleasingly fresh, Make-up Is A Lie is a reminder that Morrissey probably couldn’t stop at this stage of the game, much less change. [Mar 2026, p.100]

Praying at the church of Eighties pop and boingy synths - from Madonna to Tears For Fears - they add just enough heavy-ish rock detail to prevent it getting sickly-sweet, and the beaming bravado wins you over. [Feb 2026, p.101]

The musical palette has broadened, the lyrics sharpened. [Mar 2026, p.104]

The Mirror radiates a collaborative spirit if curiosity, seeking - and finding - wonder and mystery in the everyday. [Mar 2025, p.103]

These shoegaze lovers from Philadelphia pick up where they left off with their first record in five years. Nothing excel at dynamics. [Mar 2026, p.105]

The intensity with which she details her local ecosystem is something to behold. .... On this evidence, the cult of Mitski isn't about to die down anytime soon. [Feb 2026, p.102]

The result is a record of many radiant treasures, inviting and rewarding maximum immersion. [Mar 2026, p.105]