Lady Bri’s latest album is the definition of feel good music. Witty lyrics of empowerment, strength, self love and resilience dominate the fun, colourful sounds of this record. These themes are a perfect match for Bri Bryant’s vocals, which are the only t…
This Stockton fella grew up immersed in house and US garage sounds, but it wasn’t until 2014 when he began his ‘Mental, Gentle, Man’ series. This is the third in the run, and it sees McNally pushing his effervescent electronics into some very uplifting ar…
Rocket Boy is Chris Hill’s outfit. Hill grew up in Salford, and in the late 70s was in Sister Ray, a band that numbered Johnny Marr among its members. During lockdown he started writing again – with Chris McDonald, and Andy Bell from Blast Studios – and m…
US hyperpop singer Slayyyter lends her frothy vocals to this cold-stone banger from the Aussie production duo of Peking Duk. Produced by dance music royalty KLP, its punchy and rhythmic magic grabs you right from the get-go and then never lets up. And it’…
At first, I thought alt-J’s fourth album was going to be defined by fun and quirkiness - opener ‘Bane’ is a love letter to Coca-Cola and third song ‘Hard Drive Gold’ satirizes cryptocurrency. Then all of a sudden, they struck me right in the feelings with…
In her latest release, up and coming R&B artist Amber Mark takes us on a journey through, as the title suggests, three dimensions: insecurity, self-discovery and self love. The immaculate story-telling of her lyrical talent is made clear by the contrast b…
I’ve been a fan of Foxes since she burst onto everyone’s radio in 2014 with her hit ‘Holding onto Heaven’, but despite entering the music scene with the speed and stealth of her namesake, she also disappeared the same way. Thankfully, Foxes is back and th…
‘Starfruit’ is an explosion of flavour, with a combination of woodwind, electronic and sampled sounds giving each track limitless texture. Amber Navran’s light as a feather vocals multiply and weave together in intoxicating harmonies, adding a little deli…
Hinako Omori is a London based sound engineer and her debut album is pure aural balm. She’s interested in the physical and psychological effects of different frequencies and takes inspiration from the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku or forest-bathing (l…
I’m never not going to a love an album that contains titles such as ‘Elvis Knickers’, ‘Don’t Swallow The Horse’ and ‘Bob Hope’, particularly an album boasting such impressive electronica chops as this one. It’s been put together by Newcastle’s Brian Feral…
Babeheaven (not a TV show you’ll find on channel 946) are a duo from London featuring singer Nancy Anderson and Jamie Travis. They make electronic pop that is far less in-yer-face than their moniker might suggest. And they’ve moved away from their trip-ho…
Jody & The Jerms formed in Oxford in 2019 and they’ve already caught the ear of BBC 6 Music types with their frothy indie-pop. They do a very nice line is sugar-rush jangled guitars, and although there’s nothing too original going on here, fans of Voice o…
Born and raised in the small town of Marion, Arkansas – just outside of Memphis – Bailey Bigger has always been steeped in country sounds. And the authentic sound of Americana runs deep through her debut album, which is packed with mid-tempo, gather-round…
Specky Cult? Aren’t they that three-piece acoustic punky outfit from the north-east who don’t take themselves too seriously? Bang on, and their latest album is packed with tuneful ditties (and ditties is the right word) that are the polar opposite of po-f…
Placebo are back! Who’d have thought it! This is their eighth studio album (their first in nine years) and, pleased to report, they still have plenty to say about the human condition in all its messy glory. They remain a band who deftly manage to strip aw…
MJH&TSB are a recording project from Gateshead and their self-titled debut album, released in 2018, was a dream-pop-dunked thing of beauty. Their second long-player sees Hammond exploring the impact five years’ worth of training to become a psychotherapis…
In ‘Few Good Things’, Saba opens up about the deep period of reflection that successful artists often reach by their third album. In his own words, “The concept of ‘Few Good Things’ is the realisation of self after a search for exterior fulfilment. It is …
Sea Change (aka Norway’s Ellen A. W. Sunde) won plenty of plaudits for her previous album ‘Inside’, which was inspired by the club culture of Los Angeles and Berlin, but her latest stuff was recorded back in Norway during lockdown. This – the first cut fr…
Our favourite Glaswegian rock duo sound completely different on this quirky, pop-infused album. It is a far cry from the heavier anthems such as ‘Heart and Soul’ and ‘No Sleep’ that the band are most known for. However, their charisma makes it work. I did…
Full of synthy, indie goodness, ‘Now or Whenever’ has a song for whatever mood you’re in: energetic, sing-a-long anthems, chilled out, bluesy explorations of emotion, and pretty, stripped back acoustic croonings. The poetic lyrics and sense of bittersweet…
Two of the most exciting artists on the hip-hop scene right now - Grammy nominated producer and songwriter, Murrille, and up and coming rapper and lyricist, Lady London - join together for this electric album. The witty lyrics both have become known for e…
This 6-track release from New York DJ and music producer, POZIBELLE, is a colourful explosion of sound. From 90s mixtape samples, fizzing textures, thundering beats and jungle influences, it is an all you can eat buffet for your ears. POZIBELLE’s music tr…
Boris are the female fronted rock outift from Japan who are the very definition of a cult band. These dark-riff boffins have collaborated with everyone from Sunn O))) to Merzbow and have been around, in one form or another, since 1992. This is their first…
This London indie-rock band have been around for 15 or so years now, but they still sound bursting with ideas on this, their sixth album. They know exactly when to wheel out those huge, anthemic riffs, but they’re also keen to push their electro-pop melod…
This is the sixth album from this feisty indie-rock duo and, pleased to report, they remain as crunchy as ever. What’s different this time is the very real sense of dark drama they manage to inject into these tracks – from the electro thrum of ‘Morbid Fas…
Suthering (formerly known as Julu & Heg) have won much acclaim on the folk and acoustic circuit for their fresh, feminist interpretations of traditional and self-composed songs and their latest album (featuring eight original songs and a couple of covers)…
Sasami won much critical acclaim for her self-titled debut album back in 2019, with its indie-rock stylings, and she’s upped the heaviness for her second long-player. Even on power-ballads such as on the fabulous ‘The Greatest’, she brings a certain scuzz…
This is the third in Cat Power’s reinterpretations of songs by classic and contemporary artists and, once again, she’s produced an arresting collection. Alongside covers of rock and roll tracks from icons such as Nico and Nick Cave, she’s also tackled the…
This is the seventh album from this Japanese singer and guitarist and this time she’s pulling a concept album on us. A soundtrack to an imaginary film (a fantasy science fiction thing about a voyage through the East China Sea) it’s a gorgeous piece of wor…
Oh man! The new album from this north-east rapper is citrus sharp and it should see him catapulted into the national consciousness forthwith. His grime-inflected beats are never less than fresh, interesting, and right up in your business, but he also know…
Featuring Kathryn McCaughey’s confident yell and blistering bassline, along with Sarah Dion’s pounding drums, this chunky release oozes more glam chops than Suzi Quattro being dunked in a large vat of glitter. It gets in and out in little more than two an…
Adele has been making headlines for persuading Spotify to remove the shuffle button from albums, tweeting: “We don’t create albums with so much care and thought into our track listing for no reason. Our art tells a story and our stories should be listened…
What better way to chase away those winter blues than with this: an explosion of Colombian warmth from Paulo Olarte Toro’s latest musical project, El Dragón Criollo. From bouncing beats to chilled out basslines, this is an undeniably feel-good album - kee…
Rachael Talbot Dunn and Richard Dunn (aka Isolated Community) are based in Newcastle and have a noted reputation for ambient recordings. Their latest release features things such as ‘The Cat Enters the Hedge’ (discombobulating piano and disembodied voices…
This Danish quartert are the next bunch to emerge from Scandinavian rock scene and they’re fully intent on jacking things up that extra notch. This – their second album – is a full-on blast of punky hardcore, which is toting an abundance of energy and fie…
The debut album from this North London band harness the vocals of Danielle Kranendonk (who has something of Amy Winehouse about her) for a release that finds room for both plenty of trip-hoppy, jazzy cuts such as ‘Unfold’, to more up and at ‘em bangers an…
Following the release of her acclaimed ‘Penelope Three’ album in May 2021, Penelope Trappes has now hit us up with a very sparse and very magnetic instrumental reworking of that original album, imagining – get this! – the sounds and moods felt within the …
Louise McCraw – chief mover and groover behind Human Danger – has been inspired by everyone from St. Vincent (check out those strident melodies) to Daughter (check out that urban gothic atmosphere) for an album of dream pop that tracks a world made up of …
The first solo album from Julie Doiron since 2012 couldn’t be more welcome. Doiron’s voice is as beautiful as ever, it’s chameleon-like nature able to convey the power of the rocky, upbeat tracks as well as the gentle vulnerability of the more stripped ba…
‘Cocoon’ is the eagerly awaited follow-up to this Scottish folk singer’s lovely ‘The Hidden World’ album and it’s every bit its match and then some. Put together under lockdown restrictions, it’s a release that captures life in slow motion, mixing memorie…
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…
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