Smart work all round. [Mar 2026, p,31]

Lightweight but charming covers collection. [Jan 2026, p.29]

Imaginative, poignant and fundamentally, achingly human. [Feb 2026, p.30]

Despite the references to Oxford Circus and the Northern Line, Smith's baritone voice often strays into mid-Atlantic territory, but the highlights see him lean into English pastoralism. [Jan 2026, p.35]

It's the smart pop and clever arrangements of "Glance" and "Songbird (Forever)" that suggest Whitelands are in danger of evolving into a heavyweight proposition. [Feb 2026, p.39]

An album of gently textured art pop, the lightness of her voice and almost ethereal sounds in direct contrast to the diaristic darkness of lyrics that explore raw, familial emotions. [Mar 2026, p.29]

Snaith largely maintains the requisite club-friendly bpm rates while deftly integrating more surprising elements. [Mar 2026, p.29]

EXPO grooves, booms and unspools in ways all its own. [Mar 2026, p.37]

This is a record that has both groove and bite. [Feb 2026, p.37]

As ever, he's at his most engaging playing slide and singing in a gentle baritone on acoustic compositions such as "Go Down Ol' Hannah" and the title track. [Jan 2026, p.27]

An almost comically seductive blend of luxe funk, disco strings (arranged by Owen Pallett) and analogue synths, which he pastiches with affection and elan. [Feb 2026, p.39]

The Balance between deftness and density underpins much of the record, as light and airy as it is atmospheric and tactile. [Feb 2026, p,38]

On Selenites, Selenites! they create a party anyone would want an invitation to. [Review Of The Year 2025, p.29]

"Bodies" and "Sludge" bring some metal chops to the show, but experimentalism comes in the shape of "Giraffe", based around a beat by David Sitek. [Feb 2026, p.31]

A few moments recall the Venusian blues of Loren Connors, but that comparison only gets you part of the way - these cryptic explorations are Dorji's alone. [Feb 2026, p.33]

Daniel's sumptuous offering provides some brightness in days of darkness. [Feb 2026, p.39]

While there are moments when you pine for Pete Shelley’s distinctive whine, subtle wordplay and clever vocal melodies – for variety’s sake but also straightforward nostalgia – Steve Diggle is clearly committed to maintaining the Buzzcocks’ story and pushing forward into the band’s 50th year. [Feb 2026, p.32]

Unfurls a desolate systems music that simultaneously feels a love letter to the timbres and patters of analogue synthesisers, and a paean to the post-industrial north. [Feb 2026, p.33]

Demonstrates a continued forte for hooky songs that are just as likely to draw from '80s inspirations like The Smiths and Aztec Camera as from Joyce Manor's rowdier predecessors on Epitaph. [Feb 2026, p.35]

Weitz shreds and manipulates the instrument [hurdy gurdy] so it becomes the record's distinctive voice. the nine-minute dubs "Compact Mirror/Last Names" and "Sonora" are especially spellbinding. [Feb 2026, p.33]

At times (“Matter Of Taste, “Got A New Car”), the inventiveness lands with a clunk. However, it’s a generous record, emotionally fearless and thoroughly likeable on first listen, while Perry’s voice can’t help but convince. He’s only just begun.

Power's voice is improving with age, especially confident and commanding on the closing, psych-baroque "Birds Heading South". [Feb 2026, p.33]

Producer Joe Henry keeps the atmosphere warmly intimate, like a slate-night jam session in a smokey club, which keeps the focus squarely on the interplay between the instruments and personalities. [Feb 2026, p.37]

The vibe is mid-'60s grindhouse. [Jan 2026, p.25]

Some of her finest vocals, full of wit and humour and immense loneliness. [Jan 2026, p.34]

The addictive, chant-like vocals of Whitney Johnson, AKA Matchess, combined with some satisfyingly spacious grooves, periodically aligns Desert So Green with the contemporary psych-rock swirl of Warpaint and Moon Duo. [Feb 2026, p.39]

Imaginative album. [Jan 2026, p.32]

The music is straight and soothing, a band coming together in a rootsy salve as Williams returns to a favourite theme, deliverance through music. [Feb 2026, p.24]