The New Jazz and Improvised Music Recording project was established during the height of the pandemic to offer a creative output for musicians when live performance opportunities were scarce. This, their eighth release, sees Shiver (Chris Sharkey, guitar;…

Alt R&B artist Clear Mortifee’s latest release is full of bouncy hip-hop beats, a delightful mix of electronic and instrumental melodies, and a spectrum of vocals that range from defiant rap lines to sweet, breathy trills. However, this EP goes deeper tha…

Love is Larry Love of South London outlaws Alabama 3, and O’Connell is Brendan O’Connell, his songwriting partner. Their first release under the O’Connell & Love banner was 2015’s ‘Minesweeping’ (released to much acclaim) and this album is similarly packe…

Seamlessly blending hip hop and modern afrobeat with the Ghanaian jama soundscapes he grew up with, M.anifest creates a trademark sound that is rich in both originality and heritage. From songs like ‘Confusion’, ‘E No Easy’ and ‘1000 ways’ (it’s impossibl…

The debut album from these New Zealanders is a delightful listen, imbued with powerful Northern Soul and R&B and some choice cover versions (including The Cure’s ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ like you’ve never heard it before). They finish with three acoustic tracks i…

I was particularly excited about this release after hearing the Durham-based band’s single, ‘Cassini’. Laura Kovic’s dreamy vocals, paired with Daniel Ellis’ lively guitar solos, Greg Ullyart’s punky basslines and Nathan Stephens Griffin’s thunderous drum…

From emotional, string-accompanied ballads, to soulful hip hop beats, to poppy sing-alongs and stripped back piano tracks, Crookes proves that she can do it all. Uniting all the tracks is her effortlessly smooth vocals, full to the brim with emotion that …

It’s impossible for me to choose a favourite track from this album, because they all do something different. Not in a dissonant, disjointed way, but instead embodying a kaleidoscope of emotions, of experiences and even of musical genres, reflecting the fl…

This is the second album from the multi-talented Anna Lena Bruland (aka EERA), a Berlin-based Norwegian singer, songwriter and guitarist, and it’s a real lapel-grabber. Her debut release – 2017’s ‘Reflection of Youth’ – took its cue from the likes of PJ H…

One Key Magic are Dr. Michael Mulvihill – the first artist in residence at RAF Fylingdales (where those three giant domes are) – and musician and producer Chris Tate. Together they are looking to: “interpret and materialise the scintillations and aurora o…

The second album from this Saskatchewan singer/songwriter arrows straight for you heart and then, in turn, pummels and lifts it. It sees Nash trawling the demise of her marriage for clues that led to its demise and set her on a path toward some sort of st…

The Swedish-American pop duo of Shpresa Lleshaj and Cole Randall have buried themselves deep into the hearts of music fans with their two previous studio albums, which melded sun-blushed folk and blissful vocals to fine effect. Their latest is equally imp…

Ouseburn Collective is nominally Michael Cook, a fella who once plied his trade with the Scottish Polis Inspectors (who I seem to remember releasing the excellent ‘Gina McKee’ album). Anyway. Here Cook is mostly alone and in full-on noodle mode, with part…

The redoubtable BBE Music are celebrating the centenary of recorded Ghanaian Highlife music with this double album reissue of two rare LPs recorded by the late Atakora Manu. Within these grooves you will find a mix of vintage, rootsy ‘palmwine’ blues-styl…

Swedish post-punk band Dogsmile’s newest release is rather retro-sounding, with its jangling guitars and synth. Possibly, this is due to the influence of the band’s roots in Camoflague, a band popular in the 90s. Yet, the EP still manages to sound fresh w…

The cover art of ‘Comfort to Me’, Aussie punk rockers, Amyl and the Sniffers third album, sums up exactly what it is: a colourful, slightly bonkers explosion of quirkiness. It is the epitome of feel good punk rock; every single track made me want to blast…

The much anticipated latest release from North Shields’ own Sam Fender does not disappoint. His vocals are as seamlessly powerful as ever, his lyrics witty as ever, daring to tackle subjects from the Epstein Scandal, to toxic masculinity, to his own comin…

Parcels are the Aussie band with a drive-time sensibility (they’ve toured with the likes of Air, Phoenix and their debut single was produced by Daft Punk). For their second album, they’ve expanded their smooth-euro-pop-by-way-of-Steely-Dan sound for a rel…

I do love a curio, and this Israeli singer/songwriter/producer and has certainly produced one here. It’s a reworking of her ‘Kids’ album (released earlier this year to great acclaim) but each track has been recreated as bold, non-electronic production. An…

Hailing from the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, Megan Nash has justifiably been gaining a reputation among country-pop fans. Her new album sees her raking over the coals of her marriage for a collection of songs that tackle that collapse from a variet…

You know those comfort albums that you put on when you really need to take some time out? This new LP from Cincinnati indie quartet, The Ophelias, is one of those. Filled with dreamy string moments, rhythmic guitar plucking and soft vocals, the album has …

“That river in the winter, it can fuck me up…” is the opening salvo from Margo Cilker’s startlingly good country album. She’s a singer songwriter who has been on the road for the past seven years, taking her from her native Oregon to the Basque country in…

Jackie Leven remains something of a cult figure. The Scottish singer/songwriter began his career in the late 1960s on the folk circuit and found later success with his new wave band Doll By Doll. He would later release a whole clutch of albums as a solo a…

The husband and wife duo Adam and Paula Pickering are true independents and over the last ten years they have managed to build up a sizeable following, releasing six albums on their own label. The multi-instrumentalists are not confined by any traditional…

Once upon a time Alicia Walter was lead singer with Chicago-based art-rock outfit Oshwa, but for her debut solo release she’s embraced the joy of poppy hooks (the lead single from the album, ‘Standing at Your Doorstep’, is pure Jackson 5 style sunshine). …

Admittedly, I’ve never been a fan of the sad boy genre that seems to get more and more popular lately, but Memphis’ Blvck Hippie may be the one to turn me. This is one of my favourite indie records that I’ve heard this year; I just can’t get enough of the…

Danielle Lewis is one of the true leading lights of the alternative Welsh folk scene and her eagerly awaited debut album is an utter delight from beginning to end. She has one of those voices that really holds you rapt, and she wields it to fine effect ov…

Swedish singer/songwriter LÉON has made quite the mark on the music industry, garnering praise from the likes of Vogue and Glamour, appearing on James Corden’s The Late Late Show and gaining a slot at Coachella. Her latest single, ‘Soaked’, reminds us jus…

London-born songstress GIRLI’s latest EP, ‘Damsel in Distress’, has got to be one of my favourite pop records I’ve heard this year. Milly Toomey’s unique style, powerhouse vocals and addictive beats all play a part in this, but it's her lyrics that steal …

Crash landing just in time for halloween, MXYM is back with their latest spooky season delight “Starfire”. The new single Starfire is a Doo-Wap infused ethereal love song to the alien of your dreams. Taking their art rock sensibility into new territories …

Slowly is the first single from Nel Unlit’s second album, Ephemera or Tosh and the Girl. Like its predecessor, it is a concept album, but this time, the band have swapped epic fantasy for kitchen sink drama. I’m Slowly an estranged mother in recovery narr…

Ahead of their forthcoming LP, ‘Perfect Gray’, New Jersey slowcore duo, Joyer, have shared their final release from the album. Shane Sullivan, one half of the band, explained “’Worst Thing' deals with personal anxiety and the way I tend to build certain s…

Newcastle Musician, Sam Thomas, has pretty much done it all - from playing in metal, punk and indie bands, to solo acoustic guitar driven music. However, he has now found his niche in the hip-hop world, and this new track ‘No More’, due for release on the…

Newcastle rocker, Du Blonde, blessed our ears with the release of ‘Radio Jesus’ on the 5th of August. Described as being “about finding comfort in radio and TV when you’re lonely”, the song is something we can all relate to after a long period of finding …

Speaking about their new track, York alt-pop band King No One, which consists of vocalist Zac Lount, drummer James Basile and guitarist Joe Martin, said “Apologies' is about the shackles that strong feelings can give you. You are bound to love and you are…

Eagle Johnson’s route into music hasn’t been easy. A “temporary break with reality” in 2010 found him behind bars for a breaking-and-entering charge involving a Florida church and then in a state-run mental health facility. However, Johnson was allowed to…

‘Duszt’ is a film and album project with spectacular visuals and music combined. It’s inspired by concepts of Daoism, Zen Buddhism and classic Japanese directors such as Akira Kurosawa and Kitano Takeshi. At its heart is an eagerness to keep alive the reb…

Northern Irish trio, CHERYM, describe their latest single ‘We’re Just Friends’ as “a cheesy tune about being in a very wholesome relationship with your soul mate”. They manage to stand out from all the other cheesy tunes about soulmates, however, with th…

Launching in 1997, the NASA space probe, Cassini-Huygens. reached Saturn after 7 years, orbiting the planet and providing NASA with groundbreaking images of Saturn and its moons for over a decade. However, in 2017, Cassini met its end after plunging into …

Fabric presents Maribou State (fabric records) - Chris Davids and Liam Ivory are one of the nation’s most cherishable electronic duos and, having cut their teeth and the legendary fabric club as teens, have contributed a sublime new entry into the long-ru…

Harkin (Hand Mirror) - Harkin – a woman, if you will – has been touring since her teens with her own bands as well as the likes of Sleater-Kinney, Wild Beasts and Kurt Vile. …

A Western Circular (Weird World) - Wilma Archer is a fella from Newcastle who moved back to his hometown to record this album, and, pleased to report, it’s the kind of release that you can really sink yourself into.…

The Holy Mono Freedom (Playground Underground) - The Holy have been making plenty of waves on the Nordic scene with their melodic indie-rock and they look set to crash into a wider consciousness with the release of their second album.…

Mentrix My Enemy, My Love (House of Strength) - The Iranian-born, Berlin-based, Mentrix, is a sufi-inspired singer and composer and her latest album is a rattlingly good exploration of resilient womanhood and sliding in the gap between different cultures.…

Big Fox See How The Light Falls (self release) - This fine album, from the Swedish artist, was originally due for release around 2018 but was derailed because she was diagnosed with Lymphoma. …

Matt Monro Stranger in Paradise (UMC) - This set brings together the great crooners ‘lost’ Broadway album and twenty seven of his biggest hits.…

Tomorrow Is Lost Therapy (Eclipse Records) - Making a play for fans of Halestorm, Paramore et al are this Newcastle band who grab the alternative metal template in their collective jaw and give it a ruddy good shake. …

Cirkus V Trapeze (Ramshaw Records) - This Sunderland outift were formed during the 1970s and won favour with discerning progrock fans.…

The Tragedy of Street Dog (Bethlehem Casuals) - I love a bit of concept album WTF-ery, and this oddball septet have pulled a real rabbit out of their hat with this one.…

Every Bad (Secretly Canadian) - Brighton’s Porridge Radio released a clutch of singles in 2019, which saw the band propelled from word-of-mouth ones-to-watch to something approaching Next Big Things.…

Uneasy Laughter (Sub Pop) - This trio of LA types bubbled up from the fertile DIY scene over there and won much praise for their self-titled debut album, which was released in 2018. And the post-punkers have upped their game for their second release that …

The Joy of the Return (Modern Sky) - Manchester’s The Slow Readers Club are back, back, BACK, with a fourth album of shimmering indie-rock in which they tackle everything from right-wing populism to algorithm driven propaganda (as well as old staples such…

Are You In Love? (Secret City Records) - This Canadian artist has grown with each new release and she’s on top form with this, her fifth studio album, in which she has joined forces again with producer, and frontman with My Morning Jacket, Jim James (who …

Coat of Arms (Steamhammer/SPV) - The venerable British rockers released their self-titled debut album back in 1970 and they’re celebrating their 50thanniversary the only way they know how: with another album of bluesy rock that has been dunked more than o…