This very fine album features 14 different artists, all of who have appeared at The Globe in Newcastle’s open mic night. And – what do you know! – it’s absolutely outstanding! Hard to pick out a highlight but I loved Annie Enclave’s soaring ‘Next Part’ (w…
cassettes’ latest is a defiantly cohesive selection of demos from 1998-2004. Acoustic and largely unadorned electric guitar feature prominently, but this is no exercise in strum-drum solipsism. Here are shards of brittle poetry, tiny revelations of the ev…
North Shields’ Conor Michael has won audiences over with his energetic live shows – featuring him, his guitar and his loop pedal – but his recorded output is about to receive another leg-up with his fantastic new album. ‘Chase The Day’ would nominally be …
The debut album from this Newcastle-based alt-rock four-piece is an absolute corker, particularly if you enjoy songs that feel a little bit woozy, a little bit off-centre, but nevertheless are thrumming with feisty passion and no little sonic derring do. …
This North-Yorkshire based fella has cornered the market in recent years for music lovers hankering for a bit of sophisticated pop goodness in the manner of Prefab Sprout and The Blue Nile. And, with over 180k streams in the last year, it seems that he’s …
Another One Making Clouds, the very first album from Liverpudlian duo Everything Else, scratches the exact, hazy indie itch that I am a sucker for. The reverb is turned all the way up, with gentle vocals and mournful, jangly guitar melodies providing clar…
Disiniblud is what happens when the worlds of two experimental multi-instrumentalists - Rachika Nayar and Nina Keith - collide. Engaging in a musical practice that prioritises comfort, trust and childlike play, this largely instrumental album juxtaposes d…
This was my first time discovering Ethel Cain (the musical alter ego of Hayden Anhedönia)… and I may have just found a new favourite artist. Her sophomore album is quite the journey, with the final track lasting 15 minutes, but these atmospheric songs req…
There’s been something of a buzz around this Brighton four-piece and they’ve fully justified all that froth with a startling debut album which sets out its stall from the off: “The New Eve is of earth / Granite, ochre, magma, dirt / All the bones in her b…
This debut from San Francisco indie outfit Ryli is a perfect summer listen; sunny melodies, jangly guitars and peppy rhythms combine with frontwoman Yea-Ming Chen’s breezy vocals to create an effervescent sound that belongs by the beach. The band cite The…
After the success of Wet Leg’s debut, moisturizer is one of 2025’s most highly-anticipated albums - and it delivers. Although you won’t find any hits of the same magnitude as ‘Wet Dream’ and ‘Chaise Longue’, you will find an expansion of their sound and a…
New York City’s Lathe of Heaven are named after a novel by sci-fi author Ursula K. le Guin and their latest album has been envisioned as a collection of sci-fi short stories – deeply influenced and lyrically driven by themes of anti-colonialism, diversity…
Toronto’s Debby Friday won all kinds of plaudits with her 2023 debut album ‘Good Luck’, which drew comparisons with everyone from Santigold to Massive Attack. For her second album she certainly hasn’t rested on her laurels, hitting us up with an exhilarat…
The collaborative project of Rachika Nayar + Nina Keith (who describe their kinship as coming from some “inner-child sisterhood place”) really sees them pushing envelopes. Nayar won huge praise for her 2022 album ‘Heaven Come Crashing’ (a distinct fusion …
This is the eleventh studio album from this acclaimed Canadian singer/songwriter (her second since she retired her Oh Susanna persona) and she remains one of the most intimate and evocative purveyors of folky Americana around. From rousing country and ped…
Cam’s irresistible blend of country and pop – with its focus on gritty, honest and empowering narratives – has seen her much in demand, working with everyone from Sam Smith to Miley Cyrus to Beyoncé (she contributes songs to the ‘Cowboy Carter’ album). Bu…
Formed in North Carolina in 1979, The Spongetones are one of the quintessential US power-pop outfits and draw heavily from 1960s British invasion bands such as The Beatles, The Hollies and The Searchers. Their new album features mostly live stuff with cla…
The viral cover of Lorde’s Virgin, which features an X-ray of her pelvis, promised that this would be an album in which she lays herself bare - and it’s this vulnerable yet simultaneously powerful songwriting that allows Virgin to shine. The electronic pr…
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Kesha practically invented the messy party girl pop persona, but despite being a 2010s icon, . is her first independent album after years of legal battles with abusive producer Dr Luke. It’s pleasing to see that trademark elements of her music - modulated…
There’s a trend of Latin artists getting in touch with their roots this year; first, Bad Bunny celebrated Puerto Rico in January’s DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, and now KAROL G has arrived with this stunning tribute to Latin Music and the performers that shaped t…
Moron-o-Phonics hail from Gateshead, and if the council could harness the sheer energy that the band generate, then they’d be able to power the whole town. For make no mistake, this trio are rabble-rousers par excellence, surfing high on a wave of garage …
There’s been a lot of build up to Miley Cyrus’ latest album: given the huge success of 2023’s ‘Flowers’, she had big shoes to fill. She’s even created a film about this new release, which describes itself as a ‘pop opera’. However, ‘Something Beautiful’ i…
Australian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Tash Sultana is nothing if not experimental, and this latest release is a compact capsule of their musical creativity at its best. While their last EP ‘Sugar’ was very much a pop record, ‘Return to th…
Rival Consoles (aka UK producer Ryan West) has been one of the go-to movers and groovers when it comes to electronica, since the late 00s at least, and this – his ninth studio album – features some of his best work. It deftly straddles that line between f…
Newcastle’s Isolated Community deal in synths, found sounds, “things with strings”, field recordings, and other aural odds and sods (emphasis on the odd). Their latest album is simply wonderful, particularly if you enjoy being whisked off to windswept pla…
Whitley Bay’s Carmen Curran has been gigging around the north-east since 2020 and this – her crowdfunded album – is an absolute joy. From the sweet strummy pop sound of ‘Rain Comes Down’ (a jaunty tune belying its title), to the glorious and country-tinge…
This EP features a clutch of songs apiece from local bands The Upside and Penguins Per Second. The Upside’s frothy ditties are upbeat bops that fuse ska and funk in very agreeable ways and when they belt out the words, “When you’re living in Bensham” they…
This five-track mixtape from this Finnish-via-Mexico artist is toting good stuff around every corner. It also marks her poppiest release yet. ‘GUM’ is replete with the kind of infectious beats that The Weeknd is so adept at, while ‘El Dolor Es Lento’ feat…
Kathryn Joseph has been responsible for some of the most startlingly dark folk to come out of the UK over the last few years, and her latest is perhaps her most captivating album yet. Sonically, it’s very impressive – producer Lomond Campbell creating sou…
This is Bellion’s first album in almost seven years, despite having writing credits on some huge tracks since then. ‘FATHER FIGURE’ is a monumental chapter for the artist, who walked away from his solo career after a messy legal battle to reclaim his mast…
Many people have dismissed Addison Rae as just another TikToker trying to make it outside of the platform. However, after releasing a strong lineup of singles over the past year, Addison became one of my most anticipated albums of the year. It’s a distinc…
After a decade-long cycle of new music, tours and promotion left her burned out, cult indie-pop favourite MARINA is fresh from a hiatus and free from an oppressive contract. ‘PRINCESS OF POWER’ triumphantly marks her return with fantastical themes of divi…
The debut album from this London-based, French singer is a balmy delight. Apparently, she’s compared the release to a surreal, liminal hotel, where each room holds a different chapter of her life, and the tracks here certainly do have a dreamlike quality.…
Viagra Boys’ last album made it to number 5 on my top 10 albums of 2022, so I was excited to hear what madness they came up with next. ‘viagr aboys’ turns away from the socio-political satire that characterised earlier releases, instead leaning further in…
This is the fifth studio album from this Swedish italo disco/synthpop duo and it has to be said that they sound as vital as ever, despite ‘Ready To Live A Lie’ being perhaps their darkest yet. Where once they explored euphoric love they’ve now moved on to…
Gary Wight is a stalwart of the NE scene having once headed up 80s band Ill At Ease and 90s band Mojo Pep. He also formed jazz funk outfit Zubi and has released solo stuff too. In 2023 he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease but decided to release one…
A northern lad with a hankering for reflection? Right up my street, mate. The latest from Cameron Scott is simply gorgeous. Scratch that. Achingly gorgeous. It’s a melancholy album, yes (I mean, there’s a song here called ‘Today Is Monday’), but it’s also…
Cafe Magrana is County Durham’s Joe Luca Whitehill and his fifth album represents bedroom DIY indie at its finest. It’s light on beats (hey, no drums!), but generous with its quite wonderful tunes, which have a real skew-whiff inventiveness and sweetness …
Sunderland’s Carrie Hawkins studied classical music but her debut album is replete with pop tunes galore. There’s a gloriously La La Land-like theatricality to these tracks: opener ‘Tonight’s The Night’ sounds like the kind of thing a plucky heroine would…
This Darlington based Rhythm and Blues band has been together for two years now and their debut album is manna from heaven to those of us who love the urgent and vital vibes of bands such as Dr Feelgood. ‘Cobalt Blues’ works up a real sweat from the off w…
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 …
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