White Denim - 12 (Album Review)

Photo: Charlie Weinmann White Denim may have changed line ups several times, but they’ve remained a consistently excellent rock ‘n’ roll band for nearly two decades now. The Texan outfit began as raucous garage-rockers on their 2008 debut ‘Workout Holiday’ but in the intervening years they have developed towards a more polished, bluesy style that remains difficult to pin down.

Written by: Matthew McLister | Date: Friday, 20 December 2024

Angel Olsen - Cosmic Waves Volume 1 (Album Review)

Photo: Maxim Ludwig Since emerging in 2010 with the EP ‘Strange Cacti’, a collection of stripped-back songs teeming with folk influences, Angel Olsen’s palette has rapidly expanded. While remaining a constant in the indie sphere, the singer-songwriter has dabbled in country, pop and heartland rock while collaborating with artists including Sharon Van Etten, Mark Ronson and Emile Mosseri.

Written by: Nieve Elis | Date: Thursday, 19 December 2024

The National - Rome (Album Review)

Photo: Graham MacIndoe The National have almost delivered the perfect live album with ‘Rome’, which positions you side stage for a career-spanning show where these unlikely world-conquerors breathe entirely new life into cuts old and new. 

Written by: Jack Press | Date: Monday, 16 December 2024

Lauren Mayberry - Vicious Creature (Album Review)

Photo: Charlotte Patmore Following more than a decade as singer of Scottish synth-pop trio CHVRCHES, Lauren Mayberry has now stepped into the spotlight solo, promising “an exercise in empowering myself to listen to my own intuition” and largely delivering on ‘Vicious Creature’. 

Written by: Matthew McLister | Date: Friday, 13 December 2024

ROSÉ - Rosie (Album Review)

Photo: Kenneth Cappello ‘Rosie’ is the debut from BLACKPINK’s ROSÉ, with the K-pop superstar appropriately using her first solo outing to delve into her most vulnerable and honest work yet. Here she fully showcases the extreme nature of growing up in the public eye, with social media trolling walking arm in arm with heartbreak.

Written by: Issy Herring | Date: Wednesday, 11 December 2024

Dua Lipa - Live From The Royal Albert Hall (Album Review)

Photo: Elizabeth Miranda With her distinctive blend of pop and neo-disco, Dua Lipa has become one of the most well-loved pop stars to emerge from the UK in recent years. This live album is both a celebration of that fact and a reset of sorts.

Written by: Chris Connor | Date: Monday, 09 December 2024

Kim Deal - Nobody Loves You More (Album Review)

Given the size of her footprint on modern rock, it almost feels like a glitch in the Matrix that Kim Deal is only now releasing her debut solo album. But ‘Nobody Loves You More’ proves to be well worth the wait.

Written by: Matthew McLister | Date: Thursday, 05 December 2024

Poppy - Negative Spaces (Album Review)

Photo: Sam Cannon On her sixth album, the YouTuber-turned pop acrobat Poppy has launched herself into alt-metal. The result is largely impressive, pulling together hard-edged metalcore with tuneful asides and occasional balladry.

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Wednesday, 04 December 2024

Juice WRLD - The Party Never Ends (Album Review)

Photo: YouTube Five years have passed since Juice WRLD’s death but with ‘The Party Never Ends’ his legacy is still shining. The rapper’s third posthumous release is as poignant as it is hotly-anticipated following years of leaks and slow-moving progress behind the scenes. Its quality ensures a bittersweet send off.

Written by: Issy Herring | Date: Tuesday, 03 December 2024

Michael Kiwanuka - Small Changes (Album Review)

Photo: Marco Grey The title of Michael Kiwanuka’s latest record doesn’t necessarily represent an accurate depiction of the way his life has played out since he won the 2019 Mercury Prize with ‘Kiwanuka’. That prize in itself hardly fits the category of ‘Small Changes’, but it’s dwarfed by the birth of two children and a move out of his native London.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Monday, 02 December 2024

Father John Misty - Mahashmashana (Album Review)

Photo: Bradley J. Calder Father John Misty has parlayed a distinctive sense of humour, unique vocal delivery and undeniable songs into a silken sound that’s always been undercut by a sense of restlessness. Josh Tillman’s music is hard to categorise, slipping seamlessly from pop to jazz and singer-songwriter fare to indie-folk, often covering multiple genres in one album. On his sixth LP this mix is as beguiling as ever, with ‘Mahashmashana’ charting sounds both familiar and new for the chameleonic artist.

Written by: Chris Connor | Date: Friday, 29 November 2024

Kendrick Lamar - GNX (Album Review)

Photo: pgLang In many ways, 2024 has been Kendrick Lamar’s year. From his high-profile beef with Drake and the slew of accompanying (some might say career-defining) diss tracks he gave us, to being announced for this season’s Super Bowl halftime show, it’s been impossible to avoid him. It only makes sense, then, that he’s closing it out with ‘GNX’, a surprise album that’s also one of the best things released in the past 12 months.

Written by: Jack Butler-Terry | Date: Tuesday, 26 November 2024

070 Shake - Petrichor (Album Review)

Photo: Gianni Gallant ‘Petrichor’ is the third album from New Jersey native and former Kanye West protégé 070 Shake. Now signed to Def Jam Records, the rapper-turned-singer has delivered an album of thrashy pop R&B synth dirges that are sometimes angry, sometimes tender, but frequently quite low-slung, stodgy and a bit difficult to listen to.

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Monday, 25 November 2024

Warmduscher - Too Cold To Hold (Album Review)

Photo: Babycakes Romero If a monologue from Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh about DMT doesn’t sell you on an album, then perhaps Warmduscher’s fifth outing isn’t for you. But if you are in the market for a bit of maximalist surrealism, then look no further.

Written by: Jack McGill | Date: Monday, 25 November 2024

Westside Gunn & DJ Drama - Still Praying (Album Review)

When Westside Gunn announced that he wouldn’t be making albums anymore, many fans probably thought he’d go quiet musically. But in fine hip hop retirement tradition, it turns out the Buffalo rapper and record exec isn’t going anywhere. His new collaborative mixtape with DJ Drama serves as a bit of a victory lap.

Written by: Jack Butler-Terry | Date: Friday, 22 November 2024

Mary J. Blige - Gratitude (Album Review)

‘Gratitude’ is the latest album by the self-styled queen of hip hop soul Mary J. Blige, and it sees the multi-time Grammy winner deliver rich storytelling and vocal expertise while retracing some of the musical motifs of her 1990s heyday. But, despite its talented and varied cast of collaborators, it sounds like she’s phoning it in a bit.

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Thursday, 21 November 2024

Freddie Gibbs - You Only Die 1nce (Album Review)

Photo: Nick Walker Freddie Gibbs has been one of hip hop’s most consistent artists for 20 years now. The Gary, Indiana native has long stood out for his singular ability to fashion his flows and lyrics into wicked tools of destruction, entertainment and insight. He’s a rapper’s rapper, if ever there was one. ‘You Only Die 1nce’ continues that legacy, but it also threatens to undo it at times, with some questionable and unfocused moments blotting his copybook.

Written by: Jack Butler-Terry | Date: Wednesday, 20 November 2024

Linkin Park - From Zero (Album Review)

Photo: James Minchin III Linkin Park’s ‘From Zero’ faced an uphill battle from the off, with sky-high expectations in place as the band sought to uphold a tremendous legacy. It’s telling, then, that their first record since reuniting isn’t a continuation but a reset. 

Written by: Will Marshall | Date: Tuesday, 19 November 2024

Ab-Soul - Soul Burger (Album Review)

‘Soul Burger’ is the sixth studio album from Ab-Soul, and it finds the Californian rapper, singer and Kendrick Lamar collaborator spit dynamic, versatile bars over an understated range of beats, motifs and samples. It is a decent enough hip hop album, with the occasional avant-garde flourish, but it doesn’t really deliver any bangers or live long in the memory.

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Monday, 18 November 2024

Gwen Stefani - Bouquet (Album Review)

Gwen Stefani’s early solo work slotted into a vibrant era of pop music, with the infectious energy and bold attitude of songs such as Hollaback Girl and What You Waiting For? offering a refreshing extension of her latter-day work with No Doubt. If her new album is anything to go by, though, the past couple of decades have eroded the rebellious spirit that once defined her music. 

Written by: Katie Macbeth | Date: Friday, 15 November 2024