New album: The former Black Midi frontman’s debut LP is a brilliant swirl of guitar rock, jazz, prog, funk, pop and a big dash of Latin, channelling Frank Zappa, a dramatic Scott Walker delivery, Broadway musicals, cello, a punchy horn section, his distinctive voice, clever, humorous, soliloquy-style lyrics
Read moreNaima Bock: Below A Massive Dark Land
New album: Wonderfully delicate, deliciously paced, lo-fi indie folk by the British artist of Greek-Brazilian heritage and former member of Goat Girl, with her second album, following 2022’s Giant Palm
Read moreAnna Erhard: Botanical Garden
New album: Following several great singles, brilliantly amusing, quirky and marvellously melodic debut by the Berlin indie-pop artist, whose talent for wry, ironic humour and talk-sing delivery really tickles on variety of unusual and highly specific subjects
Read moreHoneyglaze: Real Deal
New album: A wonderfully innovative, sharp, agile, pace-changing, dynamic postpunk and indie rock debut LP by the London trio of singer-songwriter, and guitarist Anouska Sokolow, bassist Tim Curtis and drummer Yuri Shibuichi
Read moreThe WAEVE: City Lights
New album: This second, very strong and striking LP by the couple duo of Blur guitarist Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall strikingly embraces a variety of indie rock, synth pop and psyche-folk styles, again produced by James, and, as well as guitar, featured Coxon’s reborn love for the saxophone
Read moreThurston Moore: Flow Critical Lucidity
New album: The prolific Sonic Youth guitarist, singer and songwriter returns another solo album, an entrancing, meditational lo-fi experimental release of fascinating string textures and poetic lines, with guests including Laetitia Sadler, and lyrics by the London-based writer Radieux Radio
Read moreBright Eyes: Five Dice, All Threes
New album: Equal measures of toe-tapping catchiness, poignantly sharp, intelligent lyrics, intensity, tenderness and moving melancholy come in this excellent new LP by the US indie-folk rockers fronted by singer-songwriter and guitarist Conor Oberst, and featuring guests Cat Power, The National’s Matt Berninger, with co-writing by Alex Orange Drink of New York punk band The So So Glos
Read moreJoan As Police Woman: Lemons, Limes and Orchids
New album: New York’s Joan Wasser returns with fabulously classy, intelligent, stylishly stripped-back LP, her first set of new songs since 2018’s Damned Devotion, and all centred on love and loss
Read moreKaty J Pearson: Someday, Now
New album: A beautiful third LP following 2020’s Return and 2022’s Sound of the Morning, by the indie-pop Bristol singer-songwriter packed with gorgeous melodies, thoughtful lyrics. and backed by Heavenly Recordings label-mates including producer Bullion
Read moreThe The: Ensoulment
New album: The distinctive rich toned, talking-singing vocals of Matt Johnson and band return with their first studio album of new songs for 24 years, with some echoes of those excellent songs of 1983’s Soul Mining period while capturing a current time of disconcerting change
Read morePaul Molloy: The Madmen of Apocalypso
New album: Fabulously perky, catchy, snappy, witty, doomsday gallows humour songs in this second solo release by The Coral guitarist, drawing on styles from ragtime, New Orleans dixieland jazz, vaudeville, Kinks-style 60s baroque pop and more
Read moreDEADLETTER: Hysterical Strength
New album: Following 2022’s breakthrough EP, Heat!, the Yorkshire-formed, London-based post-punk band’s debut LP is packed with strong melodies, a broader range of sounds with an extended sound, and charismatic frontman Zac Lawrence’s punchy, sharp delivery has dark, foreboding overtones about a dysfunctional Britain
Read moreNilüfer Yanya: My Method Actor
New album: Classy, effortlessly cool, experimental indie-folk-pop in this third LP the London singer-songwriter, again joined by producer and co-writer Wilma Archer in an album about identity, relationships and self-control
Read moreFat Dog: WOOF.
New album: Having gathered a lively cult following on tour, the canine-themed London-based band’s LP is an eclectic, theatrical techno, industrial-pop post-punk fusion, with klezmer strains, synth- and horn-parping, panache-filled dancey debut of wit, energy, noise and sheer shouty fun
Read moreYannis & The Yaw: Lagos Paris London
New album: An EP rather than LP, this project by the Foals frontman Yannis Philippakis is still a high five of top-quality Afrobeat, crossover funk and rock rhythms and riffs, drawing from sessions with the late great drummer Tony Allen
Read moreSpirit of the Beehive: You'll Have To Lose Something
New album: Pennsylvania’s and Portugal’s Zack Schwartz, Corey Wichlin, and Rivka Ravede return with another bewildering collection of abstract, feverish dream weirdest deconstructionist experimental rock, with a collection of 12 songs that at times feel more like a hundred
Read moreLos Bitchos: Talkie Talkie
New album: After 2022’s Let The Festivities Begin!, the London-based international female four-piece return with a vibrant second uniquely stylish set of surf, psychedelic and exotic instrumentals that infectiously traverse many genres
Read moreThe Bug Club: On the Intricate Inner Workings of the System
New album: A highbrow title heralds mischievously delightful collection of extremely catchy but deliberately silly songs filled with trivial observations in this third indie garage fuzz pop-rock LP by the Welsh trio fronted by Sam Willmett (vocals/guitar) and Tilly Harris (vocals/bass)
Read moreNick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Wild God
New album: The 18th studio LP by the messianic Australian and band, first since 2019’s Ghosteen, is perhaps the best for some time – grandiose, passionate, powerful, using deity, religion, myth and narrative, and despite all the tragedy and loss in Cave’s family, somehow flows with rapturous hope
Read moreIlluminati Hotties: Power
New album: Filled with thoughtful, tuneful, breezy, and cleverly crafted numbers, this is the third LP of indie pop project of LA producer Sarah Tudzin (known for boygenius and Weyes Blood) and is also co-produced with John Congleton
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