It’s yet another release from one of Sweden’s many stunning exports that make us want more of their “less”.

It’s phenomenally exciting to have that sense of danger back in music. It’s subtle, malevolent and utterly charming noise, and if Glass Animals turned out to be buttering you up with a cannibalistic lick of the lips, you’d let them gnaw away.

In another step away from her new-folk singer-songwriter roots, Emmy The Great has delivered with a well-considered venture into a wider, colder, dystopian world.

This is a songwriter who has mastered his craft and now has applied a frivolity to his record and the outcome is the most essential release to date.

Garbage’s seventh record No Gods No Masters is their most direct and overtly critical to date, making for a visceral, re-energising listen.

It’s an overdose of things that would, individually, be fantastic, but are made lesser by their combination.

Musically speaking, there are a few hopefully upbeat indie-folk numbers to provide a certain spark to the otherwise bleak lyrical subject matter.

His perfectionism has done him proud, as Telluric is a masterful glimpse into the mind of a man who has much to say, and who says it beautifully.

Smash the System isn’t too forthcoming with answers, but it is a fully engaged conversation with pop’s past and present.

Monument Builders doesn’t offer a happy ending, but nor is it devoid of hope. Perhaps Loscil’s most confrontational record, it processes the darkness in order to expunge it.

Both albums [Quazarz: Born On A Gangsta Star and Quazarz vs. The Jealous Machines] deliver uneasy commentary on modern times, and the music that supports it is as equally challenging.

Whilst at times DISCO::4 Part II might feel morbid, its urgent, vital sounds provide a much needed antidote to the anxieties of the world we currently live in. It’s also further proof that HEALTH’s talent and appetite for collaboration is as potent as ever.

Djo yet again proves an adaptable vehicle for such madcap energy and chameleonic shifts in style, an earnest and well-finished delve into another sphere of Keery’s artistic voice.

Most reformed bands are creatively barren, hawking around twenty five year old songs, so for Medicine to break this cliché is a great, great thing--it’s just a shame that some of the interesting sounds they create here couldn’t have incubated for a bit longer.

Breathtaking debut album. ... Basic Volume is one of the most cohesive and meticulously thought-through albums of the year.

In Search of the Miraculous finds Desperate Journalist striving and challenging themselves, happily searching for that sense of the sublime in a world that will outlive us all.

Garratt’s latest offering is a triumphant return. It is an album that does not ask you to relate to his pain, nor tells you to dance over your problems. It is an album that tells a story and ultimately, holds no fear.

The muted “Eat You Like A Pill” and FKA-Twigs-esque “Bad Habit” find their home in the warm comfort of swirling, breezy electronics and echoey vocal performances – offering a balanced, well-rounded edge to the record.

Invite The Light stays true to the hallmarks of Dam Funk's sound; winning formulas never need much adjustment.

Uniform Distortion may be the most straightforward sounding a set of Jim James songs has ever released, but they’ve somehow absorbed the distortion of today’s world and turned it into something we can all make sense of, and in which we can seek some solace.

Quantum Baby is relaxed and a little uncomplicated but continues her dependable streak as an athlete, sex icon, visionary, and artist rolled into one. The best part is she’s never satisfied staying still.

Much like their self-titled EP, ...Does It Again has ear-worm songwriting paired with fuzzed out production, making for an overall engaging, if one-track, listen.

Tempest is an epic talent, definitely, but this doesn’t quite nail it down.

This really is just a trio of mates having a bloody good time celebrating their heroes while making something dazzlingly new.

With its less harsh sounding vocals, it [Winter Weather] is the perfect closer, further demonstrating Khan’s desire for a more mature sound on his solo debut.

The record’s strongest moments originate in its audacity rather than precision: Desert Window opens up the ambient ideas she’s perfected in the past into riskier, roomier territory.

Songs is the sound of a talented man with a little too much focus on trends and on a too-wide cache of influences, to the point where even he sounds unconvinced by his own music.

Minor setbacks aside, it’s another beautiful, consumable collection of music from Bibio that no other artist could make sound so inherently theirs, and one that leaves Wilkinson's future musical trajectory as wide open as it’s ever been.

There’s nary a misstep to note here. Schreifels, drummer Alan Cage, bassist Sergio Vega and guitarist Tom Capone resist taking a victory lap and come out ahead, still sounding like themselves.

Though it’s clearly crafted with a visual accompaniment in mind, it does just about work as its own album; albeit one of their strangest, and most inventive.

FREE SPIRITS brilliantly represents the pairs growth into themselves and into the reality around them. It’s as playful as you’d expect – the features all doing their part to add to the dizzying hold on to actuality – but beneath the smirk lies something more deliberate.

Future Islands seem to communicate certain fundamental truths about the travails and triumphs of themselves and their compatriots with an eloquence that is unparalleled by virtually any of their current peers; moreover, they have obtained access a significant international audience for their ideas without compromising their artistic approach.

It is an album as confident as its predecessor and just as able to deliver upon it. It is Aksnes’ finest release to date and guarantees the essentiality of her artistic duologue.

In short, it’s a bit of a misfire.

Yes, it’s an unashamedly ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ record – but who really cares when the results are so enjoyably convincing?

Sure, it’s chorus-driven and a touch too slick, lacking the density and the ambition and the sheer bloody nihilism of NIN’s 90’s heyday, but Reznor’s not that guy anymore--that guy died with the heroin overdose. But there are more than enough moments here to suggest a maker not--whatever the protestations of one of its tracks--yet at peace.

This is an album that lacks the fun and hooks of their earlier outings.

Far from showing signs of slowing down, Nadler sounds more focussed here than ever, continuing to challenge herself and evolve, with her eyes fixed firmly on the horizon.

How Big How Blue How Beautiful is a cathartic, devastatingly honest personal diary set to music.

Even if you’ve hated Bird for the past twenty years, Are You Serious is the kind of record that is so breathtakingly alive and enjoyable that you should take the time to listen and consider rethinking your stance on him as an artist.

Some tracks sound like Elvis ballads drowned out by faulty styluses and retro sound systems. Others are breathy song-cycles of gospel folk. For all the rich breeze and slinking Tarantino guitars in "Hope To Die", the track more resembles an ‘80s Mazzy Star-era shoegaze piece for the country purists to languish on. With Pony, Orville Peck has put himself in the boxing ring for his own ’68 Comeback Special.

New probably won’t reverse the malaise that his public profile is slowly suffering in Britain, but it’s enjoyable fare all the same.

The band’s strongest set of songs to date. Between the increased production, the reaching-slightly-too-far aspiration, and sharper focus, AYP comes closest to fulfilling the promise shown since Citizen’s inception.

It’s true that the concept is the most rewarding aspect of these songs, but the choice of character does chime greatly with the historical moment and makes the album more distinct than it otherwise might have been.

Antony commands a stadium with his vocals and tone, or in this case the Barbican in London, while the fragile live air has not failed to be captured in the final product of Turning.

Despite being an excellent release in many ways, Networker nonetheless reinforces the belief that we are only scratching the surface of what Omni have to offer.

It's a strong debut that will in no doubt be held in reverence for its musical deftness as it will its personal exorcism.

On paper Milano should be a mess, but it's a resounding triumph. Luppi has crafted a fast-paced and fashionable record which taps into the lifeblood of his beloved Milan; seductive, hedonistic and super stylish.

A luscious, intricate body of work, Shadow Offering recounts pain, heartbreak, anger, and everything else that nestles in the heart of humanity before lifting the trodden towards the light of hope.

Add Violence is not an obviously human piece of work; it's electronic to the point of sensory detachment, and certainly never feels like a flesh-and-blood piece.

The berserk, nihilistic energy that made Andrew W.K.’s name is gone. In its place is something more affirming but more ponderous. Song after song goes for big, anthemic goosebump moments, but the melodies aren’t memorable enough and the sentiment, even as sincerely as it is delivered, feels forced.

If you like your music ordered and predictable, then Cheater probably isn’t for you. But if you’re the kind of person who embraces chaos and doesn’t care if the can of fizzy drink has been shaken up before you open it because the resulting sticky mess is just as sweet, then you’ll love this album.

Most Normal is mostly freeform pieces with no real beginning, midpoint or end. It's typically confrontational, throwing the listener face first into their wall of noise with some spectacular excursions into how to make naturally rhythmic instruments sound ugly, aggressive, unpleasant and ultimately cathartic.

Try Not To Freak Out is a decent album, but on the whole, there’s really not a great deal to say about it, unfortunately.

Gist Is shows a lightness of touch that’s few and far between on debut records.

When Migration is at its best all is forgotten: Bonobo's ability to immerse the listener in a gorgeous electronic escapism is better than ever.

Hypnotic Eye is little more than a decent record with a few ideas above its station.

Though it will never be something you can boogie on down to, or strut your wiggly bits at, it will, without a shadow of a doubt, hold your attention.

Terrible/Beautiful has some wonderful songs and does emit glints of growth, even if it is a tad long and flabbier than previous outings.

All irony aside, this bold debut is something to be admired--a creative and eclectic gem to be cherished and nurtured.

E.MO.TION has all the tenets of a successful pop record, but feels more cultivated than previous work.

Overall All Yours proves that taking a little time out to breathe can work, and this airy record captures that feeling.

That isn't to say the record is particularly socio-political, it's just that nestled between the grooves are wry examinations of the aforementioned, often only revealing themselves after several listens.

There are certainly more strong points than weak points to be concentrated on here. All the tracks that centre around Posdnuos, Trugoy and Maseo see De La Soul at full strength with their rhymes as sharp and playful but seemingly wiser than ever before.

Out Her Space is Introducing’s twisted older sibling. Though some may be perturbed by the departure from Introducing’s Nashville direction, those open to Blau’s versatility as a composer and songwriter will find much aural stimulation in the united multiplicity of his works.

There’s still something fun and interesting to be found in what the band do and Little Dark Age is proof that they’re nowhere near done with inter dimensional meddling.

Despite moments of variance, Firepower still finds Priest as focused as ever. Although they don’t break the mould on every track, it’s important to remember that it’s a mould that they set, and Firepower fulfills as some of this year’s most prospering and ferocious heavy metal.

They're far more adept at widening our eyes than most realise, with a vicious soundtrack to boot. This pair are one of the most exciting and forward-charging rock bands currently active.

["Heels" is] a track capturing the whirling chaos of a turbulent time, and the intensely liberating experience of charging through to its end--battered but unbeaten. This turbulence rocks the rest of the album as well, but it’s now a bumpiness that Sir Babygirl rides like a pro.

Despite moments that may lull, Night Moves exude with charisma and reformed creative panache on an LP that will find favour with seasoned fans and new listeners alike.

It’s a raw, cathartic, but incredibly gentle record that pushes through personal boundaries, and wonderfully reiterates the fact that it’s okay to be alone (even if you’re sleeping with your “key in the door.”)

Overall, it’s clear that King Gizz’s tireless effort over the past 8 years still has no end in sight as they release yet another radical and innovative album which doesn’t fall short of the endless inspiration that King Gizzard continue to shine.

Whether due to the pandemic or not, Contender however suffers from a lack of consistency mirroring the context in which it was created. Despite nuanced shifts in their sound, the blueprint remains much the same.

Even in the few moments of weak songwriting or flagging energy, the band sounds powerful and unapologetic. Bad Waitress revels in that power, fusing wiry punk thrills, tangled interlocking instrumentals, and alluring acerbic charms with their debut.

Always Inside Your Head is a dizzying blend of the old, balanced artfully with the achingly new.

Overall, on their third record, The Big Moon stay true to their title and lay bare all that they have. They’ve shown us their rawest moments and the deepest parts of their psyche and said, simply, “Here is everything”.

Higher Than Heaven is pure candy floss in the best way – little substance, but the sugar rush is so immaculate it ends up not mattering.

Tidal Memory Exo is overwhelming, detailed, textured, and wildly bottom-loaded, but then it continues.

You can’t help but to admire Gavin’s inescapably raw approach to this project. Sheer honesty is burrowed into every line, sometimes even at the cost of lyrical flow.

It’s so unrestrained that it sometimes loses its grip, condensing several albums worth of ideas into a single project that isn’t quite as compelling as the sum of its parts, the sum of its collaborators, or the sum of its energy.

With her new album, Saputjiji, Tagaq continues to mine hardcore proclivities, stepping fully into the role of devoted subversive and guerilla artiste.

Almost inevitably, the result is something that makes most commercial music look like a palid, indistinct, homogenous mass.

Tedious genre classification aside, it’s a fascinating record that begs softly for closer inspection and possibly even adoration.

Fibs is thrilling because it doesn’t adhere to the usual. A freewheeling, freethinking treat for the senses which reveals a musician at the height of her powers.

The uneven narrative is often jarring, but as an attempt to put a modern spin on old-time rock and roll, Liberation! hits more than it misses.

Every Open Eye is full of epic singles that reverberate dizzingly around the head.

Fans of Oldham pre-BPB will be presented with a wealth of nuance and points of comparison, though first-time listeners would likely be alienated by its understated sound and self-referential motifs.

The vast bulk--and on an album as thick with ideas as this, vast is the operative word--of Furfour is a masterclass in modern psychedelia, experimental enough to satiate the genre’s connoisseurs yet fluid and welcoming enough to be accessed by audiences from across the popular music spectrum.

The Shadow I Remember suggests something is incomplete, the band failing to consistently scale the heights capable at their gut-punching best.

A record that is as self-aware of the pressures of romance and stardom as it is a bare, naked representation of the singer’s heart and soul.

Atomic doesn’t quite hit the heights of their greatest soundtrack successes, but as a further document of a restlessly inventive band constantly tweaking their sound, it’s well worth approaching with open ears.

They’re sounds we’ve all heard before but done spectacularly.

The best moments of the album work by adding a more considered approach to material that, in the wrong hands, could sound slapdash. However, the albums least remarkable moments are plodding at best and mawkish at worst.

Even with their most straight-ahead record to date, GBV still show that they’re capable of surprises, and no matter how much more they release in the next [insert arbitrary period of time here], will always be worth following.

Power is a rampaging success at being theatrical, dramatic, grandiose and, simultaneously, tasteful.

While it might sometimes lose that heart, when it rediscovers its path again, it becomes an incredibly immersive and exciting album.

Ultimately In Amber demonstrates an unexpected mastery of dance floor inflected, gothic-folk tinged, post punk, driven by raw feeling and humanity. With topics as grave, the fact these songs only occasionally teeter on the hazardous borderline where meaning meets portentention is a mark of the sheer skill of those involved.

As the tracks ebb and flow, the record provides the perfect accompaniment to the current heatwave we're all struggling to survive. Santigold has dropped this full-length artefact at exactly the right time, and she deserves all the recognition she gets.