I did worry that this collaboration between fiancés Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco may be a little too sickly sweet for me, but the power of this duo runs deeper than their romance. Blanco’s prowess as a producer gives Gomez that extra step up to reach new…
In this sixth album, Colombian-American pop artist Kali Uchis takes a distinct new direction with her sound. While her previous releases are filled with upbeat Latin rhythms and R&B anthems, ‘Sincerely’ is a sweeping retro-pop record that’s laid back in t…
No one pens a razor-sharp pop anthem like PinkPantheress, and ‘Fancy That’ may just be some of her best work. At a breezy 20 minutes long, it’s a whistle stop tour of influences and samples from all corners of the pop genre, and barely slows down for a be…
I was lucky enough to attend the launch of this latest EP from Newcastle natives Labyrinthine Oceans at The Cluny, and experiencing this music live just brought it to a whole new level. ‘Everyone was alive’ is an immersive sonic experience; it has a dream…
Staithe are local duo Bridie Jackson and Nick Pierce and their debut album is real stop-you-in-your-tracks stuff. It’s principally what many would call an alt-folk album (“alt” in that they’re not afraid to add minimalistic electronica and other sonic odd…
Despite having released a string of singles in recent years, this latest album from Northampton-based rock trio, Liliths Army, is their first in almost 17 years. Such a comeback requires some bold new music, and that’s exactly what they deliver in these 1…
Wallows’ latest EP is exactly the type of music we need around this time of year: catchy indie/pop anthems that are best listened to on full volume with your car window down and the sun in your face. At a breezy 21 mins long, it’s more of a whistle stop t…
There are some guest artists on the debut album from this north-east artist, but, apparently, he does the rest himself – writes, plays (guitar, bass, synth, drums, vocals), programs and records the lot. Incredible really, as this pop-punk-alt-rock album i…
When you live in turbulent times, you need anarcho-hardcore punk in your life. Thankfully, north-east band Decontrol are on hand with their long-awaited third album. Needless to say, it doesn’t skimp on the aural sulphuric acid. ‘The Inevitable End’ explo…
The debut six-track EP from singer/songwriter/pianist Keane Baldwin – recorded in Newcastle – shows off his ability to pen pop songs that are thrumming with emotion and have a keen melodic sensibility. He takes his cue from the likes of Chris Martin and G…
Blondshell (aka Sabrina Teitelbaum from Los Angeles) rose to prominence in 2023 with her very good self-titled debut album, but she looks set to sweep up a whole load of new fans with this release. ‘If You Asked For A Picture’ is chockfull of big indie-ro…
If you enjoyed Billy Nomates’ first two album (and I thought they were fab) then you’re going to love this. Sonically, this time round she’s reined in her more caustic edges – her hard-hitting punky bits and bobs replaced by a more pastoral sound – but sh…
This Bristol-based singer/songwriter bowled me over with her last album ‘Deathbed Confessions’ and she’s done it again with her latest. She loves a long-player with a conceptual element and ‘Fragile Creatures’ sees her wading through the complex history o…
Even if you aren’t a melancholy brunette or sad woman, Japanese Breakfast’s fourth album is a lush yet bittersweet soundscape of romance and heartache. Plucked acoustic guitars, cinematic strings and longing Americana melodies accompany Michelle Zauner’s …
I’m a big fan of Joe Keery’s work as an actor (I’ll be inconsolable if they kill off Steve in the Stranger Things finale) but this is my first encounter with his musical alias, Djo. I fear I’ve been missing out. The Crux is a patchwork blanket of an album…
With PRETTY EVIL, American singer-songwriter Ellise carves out a unique corner of the pop genre for herself. She has all the makings of a pop diva - pulsing beats, sultry vocals and the ability to write a hard-hitting yet addictive breakup album - but wit…
Sable, the latest release by Oregon’s Darci Phenix, was penned over a period of five years - meaning a lot of care has been poured into this album. It shows, too; the songs are thoughtfully crafted with relatively stripped-back production, keeping the foc…
CocoRosie is a US outfit formed by sisters Bianca and Sierra Cassady and over the last twenty years or so they’ve hit us up with some of the most divine freak-folky electronica imaginable. And they’re operating at the very top of their game on their lates…
It’s been nearly five years since the release of this Swedish born multi-instrumentalist and producer’s last album, but her time away hasn’t been wasted as her new stuff is just fabulous. She’s always had a Patti Smith like ability to inject her envelope …
This is the third album from the British-born, Berlin-based musician Annika Henderson, and it feels like an abrasive, real kick-back against the world (“With everything that’s going on right now, I need this rebellion”). Sonically, it’s wired, post-punk, …
I caught this half Scottish/half French singer-songwriter on Cerys Matthews’ BBC6 Music show earlier this year. He was amazing and so I had to dig out his latest album. And what do you know? Also amazing! Especially if you love your indie-folk to be imbue…
This Newcastle trio have really backed up all their early promise with this, their second album, which they’ve entirely produced themselves. They recently supported Frank Black, and are currently on tour with Pixies, and I’m sure their alt-rock is going d…
Bria Salmena first gained recognition when she fronted up the Canadian post-punk outfit FRIGS – and as a vocalist in Orville Peck’s live band – but her debut solo album really sees her cutting loose, bending a whole bunch of genres, including starry shoeg…
If you’re desperately looking for any indication that balmy summer nights are on their way, then this New Orleans quartet have got all the goods you need. Their twangy, strummy and supremely melodic rock has one of those top down on your sports car vibes,…
If, like me, you grew up during the peak of YouTube, you’ll recognise Rebecca Black from her almost universally panned hit ‘Friday’ that she recorded when she was just 13. Fast forward 14 years, Black is proving she has spent that time honing her craft as…
JENNIE is the final member of K-pop’s Blackpink to go solo, closely following her band mates who all released their debuts in quick succession. An impressive roster of collaborators including Dua Lipa, Doechii and Childish Gambino are called upon to deliv…
Growing up, I had Gaga’s early albums constantly on rotation in my mam’s car - maybe it’s the nostalgia, but I still believe they’re some of the best pop records ever made. So I was delighted when I listened to MAYHEM, which feels like a return to form th…
Canadian heavy metal outfit Spiritbox take their sound to another level with this latest album. It’s bigger, louder and just belongs in an arena with an energetic crowd shouting out the lyrics. The driving, distorted guitar riffs create a huge wave of sou…
If you’re unfamiliar with horsegiirL, I implore you to get to know her - with her extraordinary (and rather uncanny) half human, half horse aesthetic, she’s not an artist you’re likely to forget soon. In v.i.p, the Berlin-based DJ incorporates hardstyle, …
Ollie Jude, lead singer of Brighton’s Squid, has described this third album as “like a book of dark fairytales”, and it is indeed like flicking through some of the uncanniest Grimm tales. The chaotic, expansive production and woozy groove of their guitar …
Coining a new term to name this third album was a smart move by FKA twigs, as I’m not sure there’s anything already in the dictionary to define the sensual, euphoric world she creates with this foray into club music. The left-field digital sounds are comp…
Bonnie Trash is the project of Ontario twin sisters Emmalia and Sarafina Bortolon-Vettor, and for this album – an album about death, by all accounts – they’ve expanded to a four-piece. ‘Mourning You’ contains beautifully wrought tracks of gothic drama (‘M…
Newcastle’s Jack Blenkinsopp has stuck gold with his latest album, which piles on the invention. From the incantatory title track, which features the kind of folk-goth that thrums with wyrd vibes (“Something in the background is naming me…”); to the bliss…
Twenty-year-old twin sisters Hannah and Grace have won much favour among pop fans in the region over the last year or so. Their new album is billed as “Live!” but this doesn’t come over like a conventional live album – there’s no audience sounds and it’s …
This glorious concept album – which celebrates the 200th anniversary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway – features the warm, rootsy folk of Sam Slatcher. His little vignettes of life on the railway down through the years makes for some real heart-swelli…
Oh, man! This north-east bunch are here to party! Their debut album is spilling over with chunky mega-riffs, feel-good-glam-boogie and stomp-a-long-goodness. It’s all very danceable too – in the manner of Mud’s peerless ‘Tiger Feet’ kind of way – and thei…
The debut album from this London-based singer/songwriter is a real stop-you-in-your-tracks affair, particularly if you’re partial to tremulous folk-rock-pop that flickers with twilight vibes. Clara Mann cites the likes of Jacques Brel, Edith Piaf and Tom …
The Weeknd is no stranger to musical experimentation, and this is perhaps his most sprawling release yet - spanning across genres such as Brazilian funk, synth-pop, soul and electro. It has the recipe of a great The Weeknd album including an impressive ro…
Sharon Van Etten shakes things up on her first album with her new band. Despite being a reinvention, it feels nostalgic: post-punk and gothic motifs run throughout, with synth melodies intertwined with groovy basslines and guitar riffs that wouldn’t feel …
This non-binary rising star has been creating quite a buzz in their native Canada; and they’ve certainly backed up all that interest with a debut album that grabs the Americana template and then does some rather thrilling things with it. They have the mel…
Newcastle indie band Split the Ticket are quickly making a name for themselves, with a debut EP already under their belt, and a strong social following. Their recent gig, which sold out in just two days, proves the strength of the loyal fanbase they’ve bu…
You’ve heard of new wave, but have you heard of no wave? It’s the genre that up-and-coming Irish artist Skinner identifies with and is an avant-garde mix of funk, disco, jazz and noise that was developed in 1970s in response to new wave becoming mainstrea…
In their third decade as a band, Franz Ferdinand have built a noble reputation as a legacy act. They took their time with this sixth album - 7 years to be exact - but this upbeat release presents a polished preservation of what the band has always done we…
Lambrini Girls are aptly named, as the ferocity with which vocalist Phoebe Lunny spits out their lyrics reminds me of when I first tried Lambrini. This white-knuckle ride of a debut is full of distorted baselines and guitar melodies that pair beautifully …
Local favourite (and, hey, national favourite, too) Richard Dawson has been responsible for some of the best moments in recorded sound this century. From his out-there collaboration with Finnish rock band Circle, to the epic 41-minute track that opened hi…
This husband and wife duo from Newcastle are graduates of Newcastle’s Folk and Traditional Music degree and their second album is a real stunner. It’s a concept album of sorts – about how the winter period is necessary, giving the earth a fallow period be…
Multi-instrumentalist Moshe Fisher-Rozenberg has reimagined a music programme used by psychotherapists in the 1970s, in combination with LSD, in a way that feels sonically pleasing, trippy, and very much a balm for your soul. He’s converted the original s…
In 2005, the folk singer Vashti Bunyan released ‘Lookaftering’ – only her second album, 35 years after her debut. It was – and remains – a remarkable comeback record, featuring instrumental contributions from the likes of Joanna Newsom and Devendra Banhar…
This Newcastle four-piece exude a lounge-pop vibe, a lo-fi-jazz feel, a hushed chamber-folk mood, all of which utterly enchants. Their songs unfurl around you like cigarette smoke and you can’t help but fall under their spell. The likes of The Blue Nile, …
Wife and husband duo Anna Miles and Matt Brennan are the movers and groovers behind Beautiful Cosmos, and their debut album is a thing of indie-pop joy. It’s been produced by Field Music, and Beautiful Cosmos’s stuff certainly shares the same kind of subt…
Maisie Marra (or Eve Turnbull to her mam) grew up in Newcastle but is now based in Dublin, and her latest mini-album is a thing of rare beauty. ‘1991’ features only five tracks but each is a work of art. Whole worlds are created in these songs, which comb…
On his eighth album, Bad Bunny has created some of his best music in years as he moves his focus away from appealing to the global masses, and zones in on his Puerto-Rican roots. Blending música jíbara - the country-folk music of Puerto-Rico - with genres…
Moonchild Sanelly popped up all over the festival circuit last year, so I had a feeling she had something exciting on the way - she did not disappoint. ‘Full Moon’ is as bold as the chunky blue braids that have become an iconic staple of Sanelly’s image; …
Colombian artist Ela Minus first hovered onto radars with her super-charged 2020 debut release ‘acts of rebellion’, which was something of a techno-pop banger. Her second album sees her pulling some cutting-edge production moves, pushing her electronica i…
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