Kehlani - Crash (Album Review)

A decade on from their first mixtape, ‘Crash’ finds Kehlani bending an R&B sound to their will, offering up unapologetic songs that dive into sexual expression and situationships with nods to queer sensuality. It pushes every boundary possible, and it is totally worth the risks it takes.

Written by: Issy Herring | Date: Wednesday, 26 June 2024

John Grant - The Art of the Lie (Album Review)

Photo: Hörður Sveinsson On his sixth solo record, John Grant leans into 1980s textures and vocoder, delivering 11 songs of varied, entertaining synth-pop that, while offering a marvellous platform for his unique, occasionally hilarious lyricism, don't quite match his best work.

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Tuesday, 25 June 2024

Lola Young - This Wasn't Meant For You Anyway (Album Review)

Lola Young’s path seemed to have been set out for her — the young singer-songwriter has a John Lewis Christmas ad plus BBC Sound of… and Brit Rising Star award nominations under her belt already — but her debut album ‘This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway’ isn’t interested in following an easy roadmap. Its 11 tracks showcase genuine musical range while offering comfort and tranquillity amid romantic turmoil.

Written by: Katie Macbeth | Date: Monday, 24 June 2024

The Decemberists - As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again (Album Review)

Photo: Shervin Lainez Given that it’s now almost 25 years since The Decemberists began their voyage into highly literate and theatrical indie-rock, a lot of minds have been made up about the band. The twee charm of frontman Colin Meloy's sordid re-envisioning of historical tales grates on some, as does the impeccable nature of the band's music, a stark contrast to their lo-fi contemporaries in the Pacific Northwest indie scene. But, despite being a hipster’s dream, the group have never strayed into self-parody, with their new record ‘As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again’ gamely holding true to their course.

Written by: Craig Howieson | Date: Thursday, 20 June 2024

Cola - The Gloss (Album Review)

Photo: Craig Scheihing Moving on is hard. Moving on from something that worked is even harder. Cola rose from the ashes of Ought after the great Montreal band had run its course, all of its precious art-rock ore used up. They dove in at the deep end of a new sound, with their moody debut ‘Deep In View’ trading in sophisticated and wordy post-rock, but now they appear to have reconciled with their former selves somewhat.

Written by: Jack McGill | Date: Tuesday, 18 June 2024

Kaytranada - Timeless (Album Review)

Photo: Jivi Emir Kaytranada’s ‘Timeless’ sounds and feels like a decent mixtape-album fusion, where playful skits and ditties emerge between full songs that feature a diverse and talented stable of collaborators. Over 21 tracks it demonstrates the Haiti-born, Canada-raised rapper, producer and singer’s production expertise and compositional versatility while never quite serving up any absolute bangers.

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Tuesday, 18 June 2024

Peggy Gou - I Hear You (Album Review)

Peggy Gou’s debut album finds the superstar Korean DJ delivering 10 tracks of throwback 1990s dance music that, while dispatched with a lot of creativity and joy, struggles sometimes to find a point of difference. It is a record that begins to carve out its own sound, but which doesn’t always hang together as well as it should.

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Monday, 17 June 2024

John Cale - Poptical Illusion (Album Review)

Photo: Madeline McManus John Cale has never been one to stand still, whether as a member of The Velvet Underground or subsequently as a prolific and highly influential solo artist and producer. Now 82, he returns with the aptly titled ‘Poptical Illusion’, showing he has no intention of slowing down any time soon. It is another creative flex from a master of reinvention.

Written by: Chris Connor | Date: Wednesday, 12 June 2024

Bonny Light Horseman - Keep Me on Your Mind/See You Free (Album Review)

Photo: Jay Sansone Although their merry band has begun to sprawl — incorporating a number of acquaintances and contributors since its inception — the core Bonny Light Horseman trio might be looked upon as masters of heartfelt brevity. With both clocking in at just over 30 minutes, Anaïs Mitchell, Eric D. Johnson, and Josh Kaufman’s first two records delivered perfectly formed folk songs that felt like they’d been plucked from the air.

Written by: Craig Howieson | Date: Wednesday, 12 June 2024

Aurora - What Happened To The Heart? (Album Review)

Aurora has long been happy operating on the fringes of modern pop, creating emotionally rich worlds that defy easy categorisation. Her fifth album ‘What Happened to the Heart?’ is no different, with the Norwegian songwriter offering up another slate of intense musical arrangements, theatrical vocals and radio-ready hits with her own unique twist.

Written by: Will Marshall | Date: Tuesday, 11 June 2024

Charli XCX - Brat (Album Review)

Sometimes, reaching your stated goal is just the start. After 2022’s ‘Crash’ catapulted Charli XCX from cult figure to bona fide mainstream star, the ensuing ‘Brat’ is not just a reaction to its far more accessible predecessor but also an emphatic re-embracing of the pop auteur’s club roots.

Written by: Will Marshall | Date: Monday, 10 June 2024

Bat For Lashes - The Dream of Delphi (Album Review)

Photo: Michal Pudelka Waxing lyrical about the wonder of parenthood is a bit of a high wire act, artistically. At best, it unearths secrets about your own character that may have been hidden since childhood. But at worst it is cloying and indulgent, often drifting into facetious sentimentality. On ‘The Dream of Delphi’,  Bat for Lashes manages to stick the landing.

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Friday, 07 June 2024

Ani DiFranco - Unprecedented Sh!t (Album Review)

Photo: Danny Clinch Perhaps unsurprisingly given its title, ‘Unprecedented Sh!t’ finds Ani DiFranco in a spiky and experimental mood, offering up a record of scraggly guitars, chunky production and direct-ish lyricism. It’s a highly listenable turn from a writer whose impressive career — she founded her own label at 19, in 1989 — has often been underscored by folksy urgency and political activism.

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Thursday, 06 June 2024

Jessica Pratt - Here in the Pitch (Album Review)

Jessica Pratt’s music is perfect for a certain niche — the horror movie trailer set to a folk song that cuts to black as the knife-wielding killer does their thing. But it’s so much more than that, with her rich, whimsical voice entirely decade-defying on her fourth album ‘Here in the Pitch’.

Written by: Emma Way | Date: Thursday, 06 June 2024

Beth Gibbons - Lives Outgrown (Album Review)

Photo: Netti Habel If you hear that the singer of a band you like is going to work on a solo project, it’s reasonable to react with a little bit of trepidation. Will it expand upon that established sound or reveal the limits of the artist’s (or group’s) talents? Perhaps most importantly…will it break up the band?

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Wednesday, 05 June 2024

DIIV - Frog in Boiling Water (Album Review)

Photo: Shervin Lainez If you’re not familiar with the expression “frog in boiling water” then rest assured, it’s not something you’d want to experience. Except you are experiencing it right now – we all are – in a world that slowly crushes the life out of even the most optimistic souls. As the Verve once put it, “you’re a slave to money then you die”. 

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Tuesday, 04 June 2024

Crowded House - Gravity Stairs (Album Review)

Crowded House have left an indelible mark on pop music through hits such as Don’t Dream It’s Over, Weather With You and Something So Strong, but ‘Gravity Stairs’ is not the work of a band content to ride the coattails of past glories. 

Written by: Chris Connor | Date: Monday, 03 June 2024

Richard Hawley - In This City They Call You Love (Album Review)

Photo: Chris Saunders Richard Hawley has enjoyed a highly eclectic career across the past 30 years, initially as a member of Britpop outfit Longpigs and briefly as a touring guitarist with Pulp. It’s his solo work, though, that has made him one of the most venerated British singer-songwriters of recent times and his 10th studio album ‘In This City They Call You Love’ is another delightful tour of his musical influences. 

Written by: Chris Connor | Date: Friday, 31 May 2024

Bring Me The Horizon - POST HUMAN: NeX GEn (Album Review)

Expectations are a difficult thing to manage. ‘POST HUMAN: NeX GEn' has been a long time coming, allowing hype to build to fever pitch, but Bring Me The Horizon have also been hamstrung by the record’s protracted build up. 

Written by: Will Marshall | Date: Thursday, 30 May 2024

Jordan Rakei - The Loop (Album Review)

“This was the path I had to take,” Jordan Rakei sings during A Little Life. ‘The Loop’, his fifth record, is full of references like this one. Since relocating from his family home in Brisbane to London in 2015 — later collaborating with artists including Tom Misch, Disclosure, and Loyle Carner — he has grown both personally and professionally.

Written by: Emma Way | Date: Wednesday, 29 May 2024