An album promising to be, with a sly wink, True Entertainment, turns out to be all that and way, way more.

The musical tailoring is both electric and refreshingly liberating, with rich textures and stark contrasts. Always perfectly balanced, with a minutely tuned on and off switch that also leaves room for silence.

This is a noisy articulation of pain to be felt once but barely experienced after. It exists to shock with the intention of empathy; unfortunately, empathy takes time and is hardly elicited when all things warped and wicked are at the forefront.

Red Moon in Venus marks a consolidation of Kali Uchis's talents, a work that manages to experiment whilst distilling her artistic essence, and flexing just quite how good she is at it.

With A Comforting Notion, Orme moves between dejection and expostulations of lyrical and musical outrage, one moment wallowing in nihilism, the next celebrating the mysteries of birth, sex, death, and creativity. She has clearly absorbed many of popular music’s important templates, asserting a multifaceted voice that captures life’s highs, lows, and in-betweens.

Even when 6LACK is on cruise control, the emotional hour drives by, hiding thoughtful romanticisms and nuanced musical flashes that are a delight to discover.

Scaring often feels more like a mixtape showcasing Peggy's inimitable skills as a producer, but its the addition of Brown's frenetic flow that elevates the patchwork quilt. It's his spiky wit and tonation which delivers a cargo-load of personality needed to spark the frenzy.

Their debut album – aptly titled the record – is here in all its poetic, cutting glory; and it’s been entirely worth the wait.

The ten songs that emerged from that process are a compassionate exploration of selfhood that rewards patience and resists easy answers.

So Much (For) Stardust’s main takeaway is the palpable, radiating carefree joy.

Nickel Creek’s great storytelling and vivid imagery, in most cases, never fails to enrich these anecdotes and reminiscences.

Depeche Mode are still at the top of their game and ready to explore their vulnerabilities in new and intense ways. Memento Mori is not a one-listen album; take a few rounds to wrap your head around all the little details and let your favourite song change with every listen.

he record staggers on into “Fishtail,” a dull trap ballad, and hits a dead-end with “Peppers,” an excursion into rap which is an absolute mess; so incoherent that it's excruciating. Moments like these are baffling because, without them, Did You Know… would compete among Lana’s very best. In fact, in certain gorgeous moments – like during the strange haziness of “Fingertips” or the ecstatic climax of “The Grants” – this is a beautiful album.

A Fistful Of Peaches is a refreshingly honest offering from the indie rock scene, and Black Honey make for the perfect couriers.

On their new album, they maintain this dive into pop, but with songs that are nothing like as captivating as their back catalogue.

Death Valley Girls have collectively crafted a record worthy of their dusty Californian roots, an album which is a step up from any previous works featuring some of their most infectious jaunts.

Providing a sweet escape from the overwhelming world that inspired it, M83’s Fantasy is one that listeners will drift in and out of, but it retains the exhilarating signature sound that the multi-instrumentalist is rightly admired for.

Don’t get me wrong, Endless Summer Vacation is a good album with each track deserving of a listen, but in the same breath, the majority of them aren’t worthy of a replay either.

On their debut, MM@TA have cemented themselves as champions of olden days pop punk, repackaged and remodelled for the new generation.

Of course, though there are moments when UK Grim feels more three-dimensional than previous records. It’s still very much a Sleaford Mods record, and as such will do little to sway anyone who isn’t already a fan of the band.

On Radical Romantics, Dreijer wears their heart on their sleeve and delivers their stories of love and lust with classic Fever Ray conviction.

It’s a glowing return from Kate NV, a cavalcade of bright sounds arranged into gems of pure, often brilliantly silly fun. Her finest work yet.

If it's nostalgic, unapologetically pop inspired music you like, then this is certainly the album for you.

It doesn’t give away much more of the bigger picture, and it’s not quite clear yet how it will interact with it, but daine builds new dimensions with every move.

With a wholehearted desire to make music purely for himself, UGLY displays an artistic freedom regained, reconnecting with what drew him to music in the first place. It’s a creative direction that will most likely not stick around, but that’s what makes it that bit more authentic.

While by no means a bad record, Sam Smith’s Gloria is largely hit-or-miss.

Sure, these songs are dense, but they are dense, triumphant pop songs. They will make you want to get on up and turn it loose.

Cyclamen is immaculately crafted and the arrangements themselves would be worthy of praise regardless of whose name was attached to them, but it’s Graham’s razor-sharp lyricism and vivid vocal delivery that gives the music real heart and therefore makes the LP worthy of listeners time.

On This Stupid World, Yo La Tengo proves they are still relevant arbiters of rock.

The sound of the album is too monochrome in general, with ballads and epics all drawing from a similar palette. That being said, there are stunning moments too.

Once the tempos settle and some semblance of rational order is retained, Eye of I proves a less gnarly companion.

The slow continued pace, and almost slog of the record encapsulates a universal grieving.

It adds certain depth to its predecessor and itself, but if this came first it would’ve only made Quest For Fire better and a more enjoyable listen.

An experienced musician as Lambert is working with top producers such as Tommy English (Kacey Musgraves, Carly Rae Jepsen), Andrew Wells (Halsey, OneRepublic), and more to create a record that is beyond a covers album: it is an experienced display of composition, and how to reframe music to new audiences.

Good Riddance verges on greatness, an incredibly honest portrayal of guilt, doubt, and heartbreak.

Remy’s new tracks are more slickly produced, built around retro and upbeat sounds.

There isn’t a better way that Skrillex could’ve made his return, and Quest For Fire will undoubtedly be remembered as one of his best.

Food for Worms is frustrating in its lack of direction, but more than anything, frustrating because it could be spectacular.

Algiers don’t feel ahead of the curve, they feel like they are racing on a different track. When combined with their expansive range of collaborators, that willingness to go their own way makes for a powerful new addition to their catalogue with Shook.

On first impression, in|FLUX is almost alienating, an unsettling listen that does all but invite you back for more. But with determination, passion, and survival instinct – the very feelings explored at such length – it yields excellence.

Though its exploration sometimes lacks cohesion, it succeeds in pushing the group’s sound to levels of experimentation.

TRUSTFALL is largely an introspective record – mostly quiet and tepid, breaking out in select moments.

The desire she sought to turn into on the title track is fully realised in these mesmerising and wholly unique soundscapes.

I can see many listeners of all ages finding comfort across its eleven songs, bridging angst and hope as they navigate personal crises. Not only did Pierce The Veil understand the assignment, but they delivered it with almost flawless execution.

There’s no sense of resolution by the end of the record. Its characters could be equally pitiful as they are decent. Still, Andy Shauf’s talent for playing god to these little dioramas is as consistent as ever.

Truth Decay is still, at every turn, a quintessential You Me album. The choice not to deviate into experimental territory is comforting rather than disappointing, and a more than solid addition to their catalogue is no bad thing.

It is an overall cohesive and grand statement of an album which opens with familiar sounds, and explores jutting, pointed off-shoots, before crescendoing with “Thick Skull”’s cataclysmic pop, all the while holding a relative level of self-involvement and privilege.

Anarchist Gospel is an assured melting pot of disparate influences and ideas that somehow coheres into a unified whole – and ultimately doesn’t really resemble anyone else.

Raven doesn’t feature much of the volcanic beats and unadulterated longing of its predecessor, but its minimalistic approach showcases an artist in the midst of her evolution.

Late Developers is self-indulgent, majestic at times, and just another chapter in the storied history of a Scottish group that deserves mention at the table.

Opening with “I lie awake at night cos I listened to a guy theorise about the rise of the Reich” and closing in sweeping falsetto "They don't believe, I can't breathe / All they see, is the skin I'm in / If All Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter,” this and everything in between is passionately despairing, explicitly delivered with emotional rawness.

Hawk writes like a poet, and as such you often have to dig harder to find his meaning, or even better apply your own. But these are everyday tales dressed up in finery that will embed them into your mind.

A solid enough collection of songs, each with a tight synthpop beat and strong vocal performance, but it isn’t necessarily a career-maker.

The album has excellent high points – tracks that showcase what brought RAYE to the forefront in the first place.

Were Twain willing to engage with additional genres, it’s quite possible Queen of Me would hold up as a more engrossing listen. Instead, what we’re given is the audio equivalent of speed dating. The songs hint at Twain’s vivacious personality, but never quite let us in.

Ultimately, Fragments highlights the solidly sound judgement that Dylan and producer Daniel Lanois applied when assembling Time Out of Mind: despite the merits of many of these alternative versions, you’re unlikely to want to argue with selections for the majestically atmospheric original album.

This album is diverse, thoughtful and – most importantly – rewarding. It’s not the strongest work of Fucked Up’s career - but it may very well be the most thrilling.

It is music capable of helping us to navigate the world around us, and within us, with greater clarity and depth of meaning.

Easily overlooking the occasional overindulgence, AudioLust & HigherLove offers no lacklustre moments to speak of. If you love the dancefloor and are willing to expand your tastes a little, this is the album you need to blast on repeat.

It’s more than a taster but leaves plenty of room for development in the future, maybe experimenting with different instrumentation and letting the songs stretch out and breathe beyond their sub three minute durations. Until then, let Bubblegum ever so sweetly tear you apart.

While it’s not his greatest studio album, or even his best since the turn of the millennium, Mercy is a great example of all that Cale does well, and a real triumph. It's one of the most tonally consistent albums he's ever done.

The band's signature swagger and theatricality is present throughout, but there are moments of vulnerability and lamentation that add depth in all the right places.

Defying the years and possibly expectations, Time’s Arrow sees a band revitalised, creating music with those rare qualities of nuance and complexity, flowing in a dreamlike state where, just maybe, darkness loses the battle against light. Or, if you prefer, it’s simply a collection of damn fine synth-pop.

Whether he is the influencer or the influenced, there’s such a clear creativity and worldliness in his music, that Radio Songs should be listened to multiple times to really get the depth of where he’s taking his sound.

Gigi's Recovery is an excellent record, and The Murder Capital have laid the first real claim to Album of the Year.

While perhaps not the return to bigger records that fans of Salad Days might have hoped for, Five Easy Hot Dogs stays true to the linear, if unexpected, evolution of Mac DeMarco’s music. Each iteration is somehow even more sparse and experimental; it seems this record is the result of DeMarco slowly whittling down his sound until it is just its own essential core.

With no fillers in sight, Joesef’s musical talent is consistently reinforced with versatility that never sounds out of place.

While her vocals ground her in a country vein, her sonic contexts borrow from and integrate blues-rock, classic-rock, and pop sounds. The result is her most freewheeling sequence to date.

All things considered, there are far more winners than losers here, and that's nothing if not a pleasant surprise.

It’s something self-indulgent that few could get away with, but every song finds its place effortlessly. So, rather than feeling too self-indulgent, it feels far more like we’re the lucky ones SZA has chosen to share so much with.

Horse Lords fare even more impressively with the minimalism that sets in during the second half of the album.

While well-refined, the composition of some of the tracks sometimes comes off as slightly formulaic and a little predictable.

The blistering sounds are as sabre-toothed as ever.

Magnificently composed, Weyes Blood reaches out to cast your loneliness away. Feeling like a timeless classic, this record is one that you can revisit whenever you want to hear the comforting sounds of another soul trying to figure it all out.

A casual dance music fan may find the lack of variety in terms of tempo somewhat cumbersome, but if you look at this through the prism of Honey Dijon as a DJ it makes total sense.

It sounds like The Family was BROCKHAMPTON’s most overtly challenging album to make, saturated with honesty even when it’s difficult. But there’s a sense that going out with intention freed them up creatively like never before.

Rose is at her most confident and relaxed, navigating country-and-pop-inflected hooks while addressing a range of perennial themes, including love, uncertainty, and the need for self-care in a world gone mad.

The frustrating thing about Past Lives is that it simply sounds like good music. It is not bigger or smaller than the sum of its parts – it’s exactly that. The members got the recipe just right, but it doesn’t leave much of an aftertaste.

It would be easier if this album were bad, which it isn’t: it’s a competent, often fairly enjoyable set of performances. But as neither good Springsteen nor good popular soul, it’s likely to fade out of most listeners’ memories long before the final track drifts off into nothingness.

Notably absent from Redcar les adorables étoiles is the sense of exquisite, crystalline vision present in Letissier’s prior work. Perhaps this lack is only a function of the production style, featuring reverb-soaked vocals, rambling melodies, and spacey synthesizers.

Choruses could feel more anthemic; the rhythm section could punch you in the gut a little harder. But that doesn’t take much away from a solid record that should come into its own with a live crowd connection.

Worm Food takes the form of Skinner's most well rounded and experimental project to date.

Myself in the Way opens with “Stone Station,” which teases a sound and feel similar to that of past records, but with an added flair of '80s inspired ethereal synths, to the point of almost sounding like a piece of the Stranger Things soundtrack.

Palomino is a return to their familiar and comforting poetic and melancholic storytelling powers.

The album’s only real mishap is the lack of sonic cohesion between energizing jams and moments of quiet clarity, but each song is able to hold its own as a solid pop offering.

In the end, The Space Between is a reminiscence of what was, what has been, and what will be, all at once. The outer space for her is vast yet intimate, daunting yet beautiful, and she beckons us, quite restlessly, to discover the miraculous beauty of it.

Miss Power is a solid instalment from Constance, with real high points across multiple genres. The voice notes are a little heavy-handed, and “YUCK!” risks losing the crowd, but Constance has still shown herself as an exciting voice in indie and alternative pop.

Alpha Zulu confronts reality with a dreamy neon-lit elegance pulsing with playful vitality, it runs on its nerves but has its feet on the dance floor.

Gibson’s talent isn’t in question here, there’s a reason he’s built a reputation as one of the UK's best production talents and it’s in full display in Actual Life 3. However, it's hard to put a finger on what the album's intent is.

Heartache, healing, clandestine make-ups and complicated feelings have saturated pretty much all her discography to date, and the same broken heart bleeds well into the first half of her Girl Of My Dreams.

The highs of Makes Me Sick Makes Me Smile are vibrant and energetic. Yet the album’s title itself encapsulates both these highs and the record’s low points. Some tracks merely plod along; others stretch dissonance to breaking point.

And I Have Been glides like a meticulous record full of cryptic, meaningful occurrences. Even if it’s unadorned, it still clicks.

Short though this may be, it’s nothing if not meticulous.

Delicate and crystalline in sound & execution, what we have here is brave, innovative, unexpected, and brilliant.

This isn’t just required listening; it’s also a realization that McCraven’s efforts offer us a glimmer of hope – somehow lifting us up and pushing us towards the heavens.

Blue Rev is a slightly disappointing return from such a brilliant indie band.

Despite occasional lyrical obtuseness, it’s a joy to hear Callahan back over thick, syrupy instrumentation, and there’s an abundance of riches here.

Oh Death is another chapter in the book, another highway, another impressive set of songs. If only all bands were this consistent.