Speed - Only One Mode (Album Review)

Photo: James Hartley In case you hadn’t noticed, hardcore is having a moment. Between Knocked Loose playing eye-popping shows in huge rooms and bands such as Gel, Zulu and Scowl igniting the scene’s foundations with boundary-pushing records, the post-Turnstile glow up continues at breakneck pace. Another name to keep a very close eye on is Speed.

Written by: Jack Butler-Terry | Date: Wednesday, 24 July 2024

Childish Gambino - Bando Stone And The New World (Album Review)

Donald Glover’s creative output epitomises ‘metamodern’. His work bulldozes irony in search of complex, messy layers of emotional sincerity. As Childish Gambino, he crafts dense, ambitious albums, rife with self-awareness, juxtaposed genres and cautiously optimistic explorations of human identity.

Written by: Tom Morgan | Date: Tuesday, 23 July 2024

Glass Animals - I Love You So F***ing Much (Album Review)

Photo: Lillie Eiger Glass Animals have been a popular band for a decade but the breakout success of their 2020 album ‘Dreamland’ – in particular the slow-burn smash hit Heat Waves – propelled them to unexpected heights. 

Written by: Adam England | Date: Friday, 19 July 2024

Remi Wolf - Big Ideas (Album Review)

Photo: Ragan Henderson ‘Big Ideas’ is a transformative release for Remi Wolf, boldly, almost audaciously redefining genre boundaries, but it’s reflected by the emotional minutiae of her life. These songs draw heavily on the transient nature of her life experiences — from her brief time as a competitive skier to her appearances on American Idol — and pull together an overall theme of impermanence that’s reflected by its many shifts in tone.

Written by: Katie Macbeth | Date: Friday, 19 July 2024

Cigarettes After Sex - X's (Album Review)

Photo: Ebru Yildiz White lines, wine, and a wild imagination are all you need to spend a weekend wallowing with Greg Gonzalez. On the band’s third album ‘X’s’, the Cigarettes After Sex frontman chases that heady mix with a deep dive into a toxic relationship. On paper, it sounds perfect. On record, it's a deadening 40-minute slide through 10 songs that are all indistinguishable from one another.

Written by: Jack Press | Date: Thursday, 18 July 2024

Griff - Vertigo (Album Review)

In 2021, Griff won the Brits’ rising star award, catapulting her into a creative production mode and a touring schedule that left the singer-songwriter nearly burnt out. Now, after an inspiration-seeking grand tour of European Airbnbs, the Hertfordshire native is back with ‘Vertigo’, a debut album defined by exciting and breathy pop.

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Wednesday, 17 July 2024

Clairo - Charm (Album Review)

Photo: Lucas Creighton Clairo has come a long way since her debut. Where ‘Immunity’ traded in hook-heavy, scratchy bedroom-pop, she has followed up her acclaimed 2021 record ‘Sling’ with her most fully realised album yet. Each track on ‘Charm’ is brimming with full-bodied, rich instrumentals produced in collaboration with Leon Michels, whose past attachments to Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings and The Black Keys offer a glimpse of its palette.

Written by: Nieve Elis | Date: Tuesday, 16 July 2024

Eminem - The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) (Album Review)

Much has been made of Eminem’s decision to revive his iconic, foul-mouthed alter ego Slim Shady only to kill him off — supposedly for good this time — but ‘The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)’ isn’t really interested in the big question. Namely, do we need Shady in 2024?

Written by: Will Marshall | Date: Monday, 15 July 2024

Previous Industries - Service Merchandise (Album Review)

Photo: Robyn Von Swank For a minute it felt as though hip-hop’s axis had shifted, with wordplay and storytelling ushered out by lean, face tats and Soundcloud rap. What a relief it is, then, to hear ‘Service Merchandise’, the debut album from Previous Industries.

Written by: Jack Butler-Terry | Date: Thursday, 11 July 2024

Stefflon Don - Island 54 (Album Review)

It’s wild to think that — after almost a decade in the game, multiple mixtapes and features on tracks by Ne-Yo, Wiley and Mariah Carey — this Stefflon Don is only now ready to unleash her debut studio album. ‘Island 54’ arrives steeped in anticipation and promise, just about delivering.

Written by: Jack Butler-Terry | Date: Wednesday, 10 July 2024

Megan Thee Stallion - Megan (Album Review)

Right now, Megan Thee Stallion is where most artists want to be — wherever you look in the world of hip-hop, the Houston rapper is right at the heart of it, setting the agenda rather than following it. Her third album ‘Megan’, then, could not come at a better time.

Written by: Jack Butler-Terry | Date: Tuesday, 09 July 2024

Gracie Abrams - The Secret Of Us (Album Review)

Photo: Abby Waisler It rarely hurts to receive a co-sign from the biggest pop star on the planet, as Gracie Abrams recently discovered. ‘The Secret of Us’, her second album, features Us, a co-write and duet with Taylor Swift that the pair recently teamed up to perform together at the Wembley Stadium leg of the Eras Tour. But there’s more to Abrams than this glossy endorsement.

Written by: Emma Way | Date: Tuesday, 09 July 2024

Kasabian - Happenings (Album Review)

Photo: Neil Bedford Kasabian have been one of the most successful indie bands of the past 20 years thanks to enduring hits including Club Foot, Underdog and Fire, seeing off the exit of singer Tom Meighan in 2020 to continue their popularity under Serge Pizzorno.

Written by: Chris Connor | Date: Monday, 08 July 2024

Washed Out - Notes From a Quiet Life (Album Review)

Photo: Landon Speers The name Washed Out has long been synonymous with dreamy chillwave and ‘Notes From A Quiet Life’ slips neatly into Ernest Greene’s catalogue. Following a four year absence,  he returns with a typically rich and textured retro synth-pop sound, which is admirable chiefly for its smooth, immaculately polished sonics.

Written by: Matthew McLister | Date: Thursday, 04 July 2024

Loma - How Will I Live Without a Body? (Album Review)

Photo: Emily Cross One knock on effect of the relentless pace of modern life is that time and space have become highly prized commodities. We may often be on our own, but we are rarely alone with just our thoughts for company. On their third record, though, Loma seem to cherish taking some time out to focus inwards.

Written by: Craig Howieson | Date: Wednesday, 03 July 2024

Camila Cabello - C,XOXO (Album Review)

Photo: Dimitrious Giannoudis Camila Cabello’s musical journey has had a consistent theme of self-discovery. Released in 2022, 'Familia' was an embrace of her Cuban roots, where her 2019 album 'Romance' reflected the process of moving on from past relationships. Now, ‘C,XOXO’ ventures into new musical territory, offering 11 tracks that blend R&B and hip hop influences with occasional hints of hyperpop, presenting a willingness to explore new sounds and experiment. 

Written by: Katie Macbeth | Date: Monday, 01 July 2024

Wilco - Hot Sun Cool Shroud (Album Review)

Photo: Peter Crosby Wilco have never been ones to stick to the script. Across 30 years together they have continuously broken elements of indie-rock and Americana apart, reassembling them into enduringly popular records such as ‘Yankee Hotel Foxtrot’, ‘A Ghost Is Born’ and ‘Sky Blue Sky’. Led by Jeff Tweedy, they return with the EP ‘Hot Sun Cool Shroud’, a suitably eclectic six track collection that, as with all Wilco projects, is hard to pin down.

Written by: Chris Connor | Date: Monday, 01 July 2024

The Mysterines - Afraid of Tomorrows (Album Review)

Photo: Steve Gullick In 2022, The Mysterines had one of those years. The Liverpool rockers scored a top 10 album with their anthemic debut ‘Reeling’, while there was also the small matter of an opening slot on Arctic Monkeys’ The Car tour. A couple of years on, ‘Afraid Of Tomorrows’ is a more creative and well-rounded return that, crucially, can continue their precipitous rise.

Written by: Matthew McLister | Date: Friday, 28 June 2024

Normani - Dopamine (Album Review)

Photo: Hugo Comte When Fifth Harmony went on permanent hiatus in 2018, it was pretty clear that the first of the band’s members to race out of the traps towards solo stardom would be Camila Cabello, who had quit two years earlier. Four albums later, she has solidified her place in the pop firmament, while at the other end of the scale ‘Dopamine’ is bandmate Normani's long-awaited debut.

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Thursday, 27 June 2024

Pond - Stung! (Album Review)

Should we put into place a set number of albums a band is allowed to release? Four and out, maybe. Get over the infamous difficult second album, enjoy it for a bit and head off the album five identity crisis at the pass, skipping the complete delusion behind album seven and the dead-horse flogging of albums eight and nine entirely. Let’s not talk about album 10.

Written by: Jack McGill | Date: Thursday, 27 June 2024