Durham’s Foster Neville has gained an international reputation for his ambient electronica (and has been featured on the likes of Stuart Maconie’s ‘Freak Zone’ on BBC 6 Music) and with good reason as he conjures up real wonderments. His latest album takes…
This north-east based indie-folk band know their way around a lovely melody, and their stellar way with a catchy tune can be heard in full effect on ‘The Here and Now’, their fabulous third album. It’s a release that is jam-packed with subtle hooks, lovel…
I really love Madison Beer’s cinematic take on pop, so was excited to hear about this new album. The intro track is a textbook Madison Beer opener: dreamy harmonies, sweeping strings and manufactured distortion that makes it sound slightly like playing an…
This is Sleaford Mods’ 13th album - an impressive feat, although very telling that a duo who specialise in gut-punching political commentary haven’t run out of material in the almost two decades they’ve been active. In The Demise of Planet X, vocalist Jas…
The seventh album from this local artist is absolutely extraordinary. She bills it as “playful, restorative, medicinal and direct” and she couldn’t be more correct because ‘PORTAL’ is pure balm for your tattered soul. Featuring new material and covers sun…
Christmas came early for fans of Tems, who dropped her latest album ‘Love Is A Kingdom’ as a complete surprise. These seven tracks showcase Tems’ signature blend of soul, R&B and afrobeat at its very best, with the grounded take on production allowing the…
This London-based singer/songwriter has received support from the likes of Liam Gallagher and The Kinks’ Dave Davies, and it’s easy to hear why on ‘Beauty Within You’, which is a stripped back affair. Using vintage acoustic guitars, Kosanovich has produce…
I reckon 2026 is going to be a big year for this Hartlepool four-piece, certainly if their new EP is anything to go by. The four-tracks here are stuffed with big, guitar-driven anthems, the kind of which Bruce Springsteen fans are going to go mad for, and…
This is the fourth album from the Tuareg desert blues innovators from Algeria, and this time they’ve introduced electronic textures to their sound, as well as a newfound intimacy. It’s a release that saw local artists and friends join the sessions, result…
everything, in time allows Ella Eyre to steer away from the ‘dance hit guest vocalist’ box she is often reduced to, into jazzier territories that are a little Winehouse-esque. The album’s blend of pop and soul perfectly complements Eyre’s trademark husky …
This latest release from French-born, London-based producer and vocalist ultra caro is aptly named, as it’s dark and dreamy electronic soundscapes evoke the sensation of a melancholy walk through a city at night. moonlight diaries is expansive and experim…
Film and TV composer Isobel Waller-Bridge steps into the avant-garde with this solo project, which is as much concerned with stillness and quiet as it is with music. In ‘Objects’, background noise is brought into focus, with the musical elements feeling l…
I’ve been eagerly following Yim Siwan’s acting work since being wowed by his performance in ‘Squid Game’, so I was pleasantly surprised to hear of his return to music. Having previously been a member of K-Pop boy band ZE:A in the 2010s, Yim definitely pro…
‘Ghost World’ is Alison Wonderland at her most confident and cathartic. Her latest is a vibrant, immersive journey, perfectly balancing raw vulnerability with exhilarating, hard-hitting electronic production. The EDM tracks here offer a genuine sense of r…
The first album from electronic music producer Orlando Higginbottom (FKA Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs) under his TEED moniker is a beautifully restrained and emotionally resonant record. Stripping back his sound to focus on light, breezy synth textu…
Mexican-American producer Delia Beatriz (Debit) continues her fascinating work, expertly decelerating classic cumbia rebajada bootlegs into an immersive, ambient experience. The album is a hauntingly beautiful journey that reimagines familiar Afro-Latin d…
ROSALÍA has never shied away from bold musical moves: she debuted with a reimagining of flamenco for a new era, then blessed us with Grammy-winning MOTOMAMI, a genre bending fusion of Latin and Reggaeton. And yet, LUX still caught me completely by surpris…
This post-punky Newcastle band have been garnering rare praise on the goth scene over the last year or two and they’ve backed up all that early promise with a debut album that is packing more dark delights that a bar of Green & Black’s 85% Cocoa. They ref…
George Patrick is a composer/performer/music teacher based in the north-east and his new EP is packing instrumental wonderments that slip rather delightfully between jazz and contemporary classical. From the sparky ‘Development’, with its deft piano chord…
Hailing from Sunderland and Newcastle, Cazimi are a three-piece who knock out a very feisty and taut post-punk sound that is whip smart and toting the kind of memorable melodies that instantly lodge in your brain. They can rumble like The Stranglers (‘Hig…
Melody’s Echo Chamber is the music project of French musician and singer Melody Prochet and her fourth studio album is resplendent with life-affirming vibes and the kind of fluffy kitten-heeled melodies that will lift even the most jaded of hearts. It sou…
Majken is a Malmö-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who plays what she terms “gospel grunge”. What that means in effect is work that takes in piano, guitar, harp (she plays them all) that are melded into extraordinary tunes that are part hymn, pa…
Back in 1989, north-west band Joanna were on the cusp of being The Next Big Thing, and in 1990 the NME called them “the most popular band without a record out”. But being “on the cusp” never actually tipped over into an actual record deal and the band fel…
Twenty-five years since its original release Britpoppers My Life Story are re-releasing their 2000 album. Featuring the singles ‘It’s a Girl Thing’, ‘Empire Line’ and ‘Walk/Don’t Walk’ it’s nice to revisit it and its references to the concerns of the time…
I was very excited for a new Tame Impala album after five long years. Deadbeat is quite the departure from the evergreen psych-rock anthems of third album Currents, which you still hear being played everywhere almost a decade after its release. This new m…
Among the saturated market of modern country music, Orville Peck remains distinct in his theatrical way of evoking an authentic Wild West. The traditional sounds and instrumentation of Appaloosa wouldn’t be out of place in the soundtrack of an old western…
Celeste’s debut album Not Your Muse is a tough act to follow - it rocketed to No 1 on charts and received a whole lot of acclaim. Taking time to write album two was a sensible choice, as it has resulted in nine thoughtful tracks that are meant to be savou…
Ashnikko is back with her maximalist take on pop, and if you’re looking for a pure adrenaline shot in musical form, this one’s for you. Relentless, pounding beats and y2k electronic soundscapes dominate across 15 tracks that very much toe the line between…
Alternative folk band Bear’s Den and singer-songwriter Ciaran Lavery have teamed up on this new EP, and the result is stunning. The accompaniment is relatively stripped back, sticking to gentle piano and guitar melodies with an emotive fiddle solo here an…
As a big Verve fan, I was excited to hear about some new material from Richard Ashcroft. I really enjoy the album’s first track, Lover; the anthemic, Bitter Sweet Symphony-esque strings are brimming with nostalgia and it’s a real feel good song. Unfortuna…
Saint Motel have been ever evolving since their debut in 2009, and Afterglow feels like a culmination - it’s probably no coincidence that this is their first independent album. Sweeping orchestral sounds blend with groovy basslines, catchy indie beats and…
This Nova Scotia trio only formed in late 2024, but they quickly won a following with their no-nonsense rock sound and no-frills energy. Their debut album delivers too with their chutzpah laced melange of 60s garage rock, 70s punk, 80s indie, and 90s powe…
The pop project of Canadian vocalist and composer Katie Stelmanis, this super album sees her trying to mend her broken heart by way of some euro-dance beats and plenty of salty lyrics (“You said I needed my own friends / So I found them / Then you fucked …
The brainchild of Teessider Neil Anthony Patterson, you can get an idea of where his band are coming from by the outfits named-checked on the opener here (‘Mixtape’): The Beatles, The Beach Boys and Big Star. Yep, Funkpark Fugitives are all about big guit…
I loved the debut album from the north-east pair of Amy Thatcher and Francesca Knowles, which pushed accordion and drum music into some very special places, but they’ve upped the ante on this mini-album by adding some electronic flourishes to their deliri…
The debut album from this north-east four-piece is bountiful with treats as they set about indie-pop and alt-rock with plenty of vim and vigour. From ‘No Wires’, which is thrumming with noughties melodic intent, to the twangy ‘Southern Cross’, to the lead…
This Irish singer/songwriter proved she was one of the most interesting artists working today with previous releases such as ‘Ferel Hymns’ (2021) and ‘Acts of Light’ (2023) – both acclaimed instrumental albums. For her latest she’s included vocals, which …
Expectations are lofty for this new release from The Last Dinner Party, after they scooped up two Brits in the year of their debut. Fortunately, they more than deliver with this feast of delicious harmonies, well-crafted hooks, inventive songwriting and j…
Doja Cat has taken yet another sharp turn into new musical territory - while 2023’s Scarlet transformed her bubbly, ‘hot pink’ pop persona into a red, rap-heavy rage, Vie dives into a new, 1980s-inspired lover girl era. It’s a return-to-form of sorts; Sca…
I’ve really been looking forward to the debut album from this north-east pair and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. They’re unashamed fans of smooth 70s sounds (think breezy Laurel Canyon vibes meets yacht rocking musicianship), and the nine tracks here oo…
I was never much of a Little Mix fan, but South Shields’ own JADE immediately caught my attention with her solo music. Debuts from former girl group members can often be a little safe, but JADE has swerved right past this and fully committed to maximalist…
I’ve been a big CMAT fan since her debut, so it’s been great to see the Irish country-pop artist get her flowers lately. In EURO-COUNTRY, her songwriting peaks in a kaleidoscope of emotions that will have you giggling through one song, then tearing up at …
The three lasses from LA who make up Automatic have found much favour with those of us who enjoy minimalistic post-punk and no-wave with dollops of melodic knowhow on top. And – pleased to report – their third album is an absolute doozy, those synthy groo…
Massa Confusa is the moniker of Ally Morton – formerly of the north-east, but now based in Spain – and this, his fourth studio album, is resplendent with post-punk indie anthems that are given plenty of body by some chunky electronica a la early New Order…
Local lass Jade Mia Broadhead has won a following with incendiary singles such as ‘TERF Wars’ (Broadhead is a trans woman) but her debut album is a more personal, less obviously political release. Relationships are examined, past reminisces are raked over…
Teessiders Set Your Sights apply balm to the tattered souls of those of us who are still in love with the pop/punk sounds of the early 2000s (think blink-182, Sum 41 etc). Of course, such stuff lives or dies on the quality of the tunes, and – hooray! – th…
One of my favourite singer-songwriters – who just happens to be based in the north-east – returns with another album that oozes quality. And on ‘Mystery Park’ Williams has opted for a stripped back sonic palette reminiscent of her earlier stuff such as fo…
Alex E.T. is Alexandra Elaine Tapié and she hails from the ever-evolving California new-psych scene. ‘Color of Strange’ is the second album from her and her band and it skitters rather gloriously across everything from dreamy grunge to jangle-rock to West…
Just a year after her sixth album rocketed her to stardom, Sabrina Carpenter is already back with a new release - and for me, the quick turnaround is very telling. For an album with a cover that sparked such controversy, the music really ought to be more …
Wolf Alice’s last album, Blue Weekend, set the bar extremely high for the band, so The Clearing is one of my most anticipated albums this year. The expansive production is a new avenue; they’ve swapped the intimate, rough around the edges feel of previous…
sombr (the musical alias of Shane Boose) is the latest face of the ‘sad boy’ genre, but the 20 year old artist’s debut album showcases much more than the gloomy indie anthems that shot him to viral fame. I Barely Know Her is packed full of addictive bedro…
This bunch of Newcastle desperados are taking no prisoners on their latest, which hits hard from the get-go with a rather delirious melange of garage rock, psych and skate punk. Their big and meaty melodies – which are nicely frazzled in all the right pla…
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Reneé Rapp’s unapologetically abrasive personality dominates on BITE ME, which is wildly different to the melancholic ballads of her debut, Snow Angel. She charismatically tells messy stories of queer dating, Hollywood parties and the chaotic life of a ri…
This debut EP from Mancunian quartet Westside Cowboy is a little taste of what promises to be a very exciting addition to the British rock n roll scene. The five tracks are steeped in blissful vocal harmonies, fuzzy guitars and thunderous percussion, spra…
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