It’s been four years since Hozier’s last album, so ‘Unreal Unearth’ has been much anticipated. I was disappointed to find out he’s only a sole lyricist on just 2/16 songs, but if you like Hozier’s music you’ll probably like ‘Unreal Unearth’. His vocals, h…
Steve Jinski was born in Liverpool but has made his home in the north-east since his late teens, and he’s become a popular fixture on the circuit by dint of his powerful songwriting abilities. He’s on stellar form on his latest album, which manages to hit…
The second album from this Oakland-based songwriter, classically trained vocalist and virtuoso guitarist, exudes just as much mood as their debut ‘Hayaline’, which came out last year. ‘Hayaline’ explored grief and anxiety, but here they’re digging deep in…
The debut album from this London-based multidiscipline artist sees her really spreading her wings. She’d previously wowed with her bedroom-pop EPs, but here she’s conjured up a suite of songs that feel more expansive while still retaining that sense of in…
This Teesside duo do a very nice line in soul sounds and their latest album is an absolute joy – particularly if you enjoy yacht rocking tunes that have been polished until they gleam. Their blue-eyed soul sounds good whether it’s getting a wiggle on (the…
Since I’m new to Ashnikko’s music, I went into this debut album completely blind, and wow - what a whirlwind of a listen. ‘WEEDKILLER’ is whacky in all the best ways, but despite being wrapped up in lots of fun sounds and violent lyrics, it actually addre…
Fresh artist Nieve Ella has released her second EP, and she’s continuing to prove why she’s one of the most exciting new faces on the indie scene. Her songs have an anthemic quality, with addictive melodies, heavy percussion and guitar riffs that feel ver…
This Leeds collective make absolutely gorgeous alt-R&B and nu-soul that has been veined with gold. The tracks on their debut album feel like they’ve been unearthed from some deep vault that contains nothing but previously unreleased classics. The vibe is …
The talented trio of Grace Smith (fiddle/viola), Sam Partridge (concertina, electric guitar) and Bevan Morris (double bass) met on the Newcastle University Folk Degree course and have spent the last ten years playing with a number of prestigious folk band…
This fourth album from Jungle - the project of London producer duo, Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland - is a feast for your ears. With 14 songs of pure, feel good music, Volcano sprawls across a range of genres - from 70s funk, to soul, to disco. The vi…
‘Somewhere To Fall Asleep’ should perhaps be renamed ‘Something To Fall Asleep To’ - and that is in no way an insult. There is an undeniably sleepy, dreamy quality to the music of tinyumbrellas - alias of 20-year-old Leeds based, Norfolk born musician DT.…
This album has arrived as an extension of February’s MAÑANA SERÁ BONITO. With 10 new tracks for us to enjoy, this new release is filled with reggaeton beats combined with Latin American flavour and rich melodic arrangements. Coming in at just 30 minutes l…
Born in the San Francisco Bay area, with spells in Oregon and North Carolina (and the Basque country), Margo Cilker’s open road tales of perfectly crafted Americana hit a real sweet spot with 2021’s critically acclaimed ‘Pohorylle’ album. Her latest sees …
When Public Service Broadcasting first arrived on BBC 6 Music playlists, back in 2009, I thought they might have been a flash-in-the-pan novelty act (especially when I learned that the two founding members called themselves J. Willgoose Esq. and Wrigglesw…
La Force? Isn’t that the mesmerising solo project of Ariel Engle – a woman who has spent more than a decade as one of Canada’s most sought-after musical collaborators? Yes, indeed. And her new album is a real treasure trove of delights, taking in everythi…
These sisters – Clementine and Valentine Nixon – have the perfect names for a duo that feel as though they have swirled up from some misty clearing in order to bring us music that sounds timeless. Raised in both New Zealand and Hong Kong, they originally …
Canada’s Christina Martin is seven albums deep into her career and she just keeps getting better and better. Her latest release straddles the worlds of radio-friendly pop, country and Americana-dunked folk, but she also gives her songs a real sense of dra…
This Teesside lad is one of the most accomplished singer/songwriters in the north-east and his new album is packed with spine-tingling indie-pop songs that have largely been inspired by his Teesside roots. The vibe is smooth and chilled, which perfectly s…
Blur fans have been waiting eight years for this latest album, and if you go in expecting the likes of ‘Song 2’ and ‘Parklife’, you’ll end up disappointed. However, ‘The Ballad of Darren’ is not without its unique charm. Emotive lyrics, melancholy melodie…
This third album from British pop icon Anne Marie is summed up well by its playful cover - which she achieved by simply pressing her face up against her own shower screen and taking a pic, by the way. It’s bold, catchy and full of memorable anthems with f…
The new solo album from Field Music’s Peter Brewis is – apart from one track – an instrumental release that turns 1980s-style electronica into something rather wonderful. But this is not 1980s chart music stuff. It’s more test card exotica (think: the dee…
Pop favourite Tom Grennan has returned with a third album, and you may have already heard singles such as ‘Remind Me’, ‘All These Nights’ and ‘Lionheart’. ‘What Ifs & Maybe’ contains another batch of catchy anthems, but there are also a number of ballads …
This debut from East London’s Olivia Dean combines soulful vocals and vintage influences from Motown and the 60s with modern pop to create a culturally rich sound that remains consistent throughout the album. With creative lyrics that touch on intriguing …
‘Dead Club City’ is an ambitious fourth LP that packs a punch. A concept album based around a members-only city, it is full of thunderous percussion, bold guitar riffs and frontman Conor Mason’s powerful vocals. Though markedly a rock album, ‘Dead Club Ci…
The second album from Art School Girlfriend (aka Polly Mackey) is a real delight. It retains all the melodic charm of her debut album, ‘Is It Light Where You Are?’, but this time she’s pushed those warm and tactile electronic buttons a little more. She de…
Slow Town Clock is Jamie Leven. He was born in Glasgow but now resides in northern England (this, his debut album, was recorded in Newcastle). He wrote all the songs for this release on the islands that make up the Outer Hebrides and the atmosphere of tho…
Julia Steiner – Ratboys singer and lyricist – reflects on all the biggies on Ratboys’ new album (love, grief etc.) but she does so with bags of wit. This is the Chicago band’s fourth long-player and it sees them skittering across all manner of genres taki…
Durham’s SERRUM reckon their stuff is like “micro movies playing behind the eyelids.” I’m not arguing. Their latest EP – which features six tracks of envelope pushing goodness – showcases Eno-like ambience (‘Isolari’), spaghetti western guitars and drones…
Georgia’s ‘Seeking Thrills’ album was one of my favourite releases of 2020, chock-a-block, as it was, with house-dunked bangers. This – her third album – is another release fizzing with energy. It still sees her shaking a tail-feather in the direction of …
Sunderland’s Shannon Pearl is one of the most interesting and exciting artists working in the north-east. She deftly weaves together folk rock, ethereal electronica and soaring, heart-in-the-mouth vocals in a way that is utterly spellbinding (probably an …
The debut album from this County Durham band is quite something. They’re consummate players and marry their undoubted virtuosity with a smooth melodic jangle – from the drive-time, slipping through the gears triumph that is ‘Make My Day’, to the lilting f…
The second album by The Japanese House - alias of Buckinghamshire’s Amber Bain - signifies a real movement in the musician’s work, and it’s definitely in the right direction. Her vocals and lyrics really step into the spotlight in this new release, while …
Another favourite of the year for me. I’ve been a huge fan of Maisie Peters ever since I first heard ‘Psycho’ back in 2021 (she also killed it as Ed Sheeran’s support act last year) and she just keeps on getting better. This second album sees Peters confi…
‘HANA’ sees British pop icon Sophie Ellis-Bextor reinvent her sound, with an undeniable streak of melancholy running through the album despite the fun, upbeat nature of many of its tracks. Since the artist is known for her peppy floorfillers such as ‘Murd…
I am obsessed with pretty much everything Janelle Monáe does at this point, but ‘The Age of Pleasure’ really is something special. Pure, feel-good hype music, this album celebrates queerness, sexuality, self love and black joy in a deliciously rich musica…
Mercury Prize winner Speech Debelle makes a long awaited return with this powerhouse of an album, her first since 2017. As well as her prominent social activism, one of the things the artist has been busy with is cooking - she even has her own cookbook - …
These Cardiff retro-revisionists have plunged head first into psychedelic-rock-pop on their new album, which was produced and mixed by Tom Rees of Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard. It’s full of snappy riffs and bags of fuzzy rock and roll that stands or falls on t…
Formed by brothers Hom Yu and Jiun Chi, Mong Tong are your go-to band if you’re wanting to let some Taiwanese psychedelic good stuff into your life. The pair swirl together a rare and enticing sound by sampling Southeast Asian street sounds – including we…
The second album from New York’s Dakota Jones expands on what they did on their first album – which was a soulful release full of old school grooves. Here they’ve set their rocket ship on a stellar journey to the stars via hip-hop dunked neo-soul and Moto…
Formed by stepsisters Kelli Mayo and Peyton Bighouse, this Oklahoma-born and bred band have built up quite a community of fans who can’t get enough of their art-punk, noise-rock, power-pop. Their latest album is another sweet and sour slice of life that o…
Originally from Montreal, but now based in London, Belle Scar has a show-stopping voice that falls somewhere between Nadine Shah and – stay with me here – Shirely Bassey. It’s true! And she’s written for herself a suite of songs that take full advantage o…
Founded in 2017, these US rockers are steeped in the sounds of Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Bad Company and early 1970s Rolling Stones. Their new album (I’m guessing it’s their fourth…) is a free-styling delight, riff heavy and full of bar-room good vibes. …
Anna St Louis’ third album is simultaneously contemplative and easy going, with a soft, acoustic sound that creates a chilled out vibe, leaving space for her vocals and lyrics to shine through. Though a folky, country feel radiates throughout, ‘In The Air…
His first album in seven years, UK producer SBTRKT has had plenty of time to cast his musical net wide, and ‘THE RAT ROAD’ couldn’t demonstrate this more. Sprawling across a huge collection of genres, from house, to R&B, to classical, to jazz, it very muc…
Labrinth’s third album is short and sweet at 28 minutes, but the immersive nature of his unique, almost futuristic sound means that ‘Ends & Begins’ is a lingering experience nonetheless. Brimming with emotion, the album is largely concerned with the dicho…
This born and bred Londoner deftly combines the raw power of blues legends such as Janis Joplin with the smooth jazz-inflected R&B and lyricism of 70s singer-songwriters such as Bill Withers. Her latest is packing some really hot grooves and no little fun…
This release marks the US troubadour’s 10th studio album but there are no signs of him feeling in any way jaded because the eleven tracks here sound as fresh as the morning dew. He has one of those easy-to-listen-to-easy-to-love voices and he pens tunes t…
This US songwriter/singer won a devoted following with her 2019 debut ‘Dear Dead Days’ with a country sound that gently pushed the genre into some rather thrilling places. Her latest sees her lilting, sweetly sung songs developed even further with tunes t…
La Faute (aka Peggy Messing) is from Toronto and her debut album is a real treasure trove of dark delights. It falls somewhere between ethereal alt-folk and hold-me-close dream-pop, and it’s shot through with a Lana Del Rey amount of drama and a theatrica…
You can always count on Jessie Ware to bring the ultimate feel good vibes, and her fifth album leaves you feeling just as its title promises. ‘That! Feels! Good!’ strikes that balance between the retro and the modern that Ware’s music does so well, revivi…
Freya Ridings immediately caught our attention with her stirring piano ballad ‘Lost Without You’ back in 2017, so this second album from the London-based singer/songwriter was very much anticipated, and for good reason. ‘Blood Orange’ shows that you are m…
Originally from Israel but based in London for over a decade now, Noga Ritter is a singer-songwriter, band leader and workshop facilitator whose music blends what she often terms ‘Hebrew Jazz’. And what a heady brew it is! With songs sung in both Hebrew a…
Shirley Collins has reached the fine wine stage of her career. Now in her 88th year, this doyen of British folk music is still producing vital work and on her latest album – her third for Domino – she’s chosen a set of songs steeped in the storytelling ba…
The Support Band are a north-east outfit who propel progressive rock into some very exciting areas. I say propel, but the pace here is languid with these tracks unfurling rather gloriously over many minutes (20 minutes in the case of ‘Katabasis’; 43 minut…
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