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Ibeyi’s third album Spell 31
New album: The third album from Afro-Cuban French twins Lisa-Kaindé and Naomi Díaz is a sensual, eclectic mix of R&B, hip hop and more, drawing on their rich heritage, and inspired by a passage the Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead
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Soft Cell with their first album in 21 years
New album: Fabulous and rather surprising return for the British duo, their first for 20 years, and 41 since their debut, with a wry, witty, catchy electro-pop album about how the sci-fi future dream has not quite turned out how it promised
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Arcade Fire return with their sixth album
New album: The Canadian alt-rockers return with their sixth LP - one filled with almost messianic singalong stadium anthems and also quieter intimacy, perhaps not quite at the peak of their first three, but still a return to past form
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Sharon Van Etten’s sixth album
New album: Powerful, passionate, personal and one of her best yet, this sixth album by the New Jersey singer-songwriter has hugely relevant themes, her songs addressing how we might protect the things most precious to us from destructive forces beyond our control
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Loose Fit: Social Graces
New album: Fresh, raw and full of vitality, the debut album by the Australian quartet of Kaylene Miller, Anna Langdon, Max Edgar and Richard Martin is reminiscent of the British late-70s post-punk bands from the Slits to PIL
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Dana Gavanski’s When It Comes has finally arrived
New album: Gorgeous second folk-pop LP by the London-based Canadian-Serbian singer-songwriter, decorated with perfectly weighted hooks and measured arrangements, pure of voice and with pace that’s both intricate but minimal, like a ticking clock
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Profound Mysteries
New album: Not presented as an album, but an art piece sequence with visuals, these 10 numbers, variously ambient to dance electronica, are still very much in the LP form, half with guest singers Alison Goldfrapp, Beki Mari, Pixx, Susanne Sundfør and Alison S
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Melody Prochet
New album: A beautiful, uplifting third album of life-affirming tranquility by French psych-pop artist Melody Prochet, reflecting her move from Paris to the Alps, and the birth of her daughter, with a host of shimmering, dreamlike sounds
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Toro Y Moi’s seventh album, featuring his fun new Filipino jeepney truck
New album: A wonderfully eclectic, playfully stylish seventh LP by the American singer, songwriter, producer, and graphic designer Chaz Bear, who integrates wonky and squishy funk, pop, psych, rock, and electronica, and his rich Filipino and African-Columbian heritage
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Everything Was Beautiful: the ninth Spiritualized album.
New album: Just the ticket – a terrific album of gentle psychedelic beauty by Jason Spaceman aka Pierce, with just seven songs but of inspiring, expansive space krautrock with a swirling orchestra of many instruments combined with an easy, but emotional vocal delivery
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Poppy Ajudha’s The Power In Us
Debut album: Powerful indeed, in voice and message, on the political, social and personal, and after five or more years of singles and EPs, the debut LP by the British singer-songwriter who fuses soul, dubstep, jazz and pop
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Growing Up by The Linda Lindas
Debut album: Beyond the viral video for their performance in a public library of their protest song Racist, Sexist Boy, the LA teenage girl band of Latin- and Asian-Americans of two sisters, cousin and friend, is packed with great tunes and punk-pop spirit reminiscent of the Ramones, The Go-Go’s and Suzi Quatro
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Lucius: Second Nature
New album: A sparkling mix of retro disco and 80s dance-pop with echoes of Abba by the American quartet, but also a dash of tragic country by front duo vocalists and co-songwriters Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig who capture many emotions from some recent experiences – motherhood and divorce
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Wet Leg’s debut album, fronted by Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers
Debut album: Their catchy, cute, cheeky debut single Chaise Longue made them the indie darlings of 2021, but the debut LP by Isle of Wight pair Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers proves they have the chops for similar magic
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Father John Misty: Chloë and the Next 20th Century
New album: Lavishly orchestrated, marrying the ironic and the romantic, filled with stories and profound lines, Josh Tillman’s theatrical fifth LP is perhaps his finest yet, a fusion of the cinematic, jazz, swing, country, and folk-pop
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Sondre Lerche: Avatars of Love
New album: Classic, timeless, tender, soulful pop in this 85-minute double LP by the Norwegian artist spans many of love’s perspectives, with influences from Joni Mitchell to Frank Sinatra, Gilberto Gil to Antonio Carlos Jobim, as well as a variety of films
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Miriam Elhajli’s The Uncertainty of Signs, her second album
New album: A remarkable release of rare beauty traversing genes with the outstanding voice, guitar, other strings and more by the New York-based folk singer, composer, and musicologist richly mixing traditions of her Venezuelan, Moroccan and North American heritage
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Stylish, strutting, studied performance: Walt Disco
New album: Dramatic, declamatory, stylised and immensely fun, this witty dandy post-punk pop debut with thrumming bass lines and shimmering synths by the Glasgow six-piece with echoes of the 1980s from Associates, Bowie, Human League, Rocky Horror Picture Show to Sparks
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Hedonism unbound: Warmduscher
New album: New sleazy mischief and hedonistic humour at the hands of the British krautrock-style disco-pop funksters fronted by the engaging American drawl of Clams Baker Jr – the gang with something that certainly is, as billed, crunchy on the outside, smooth on the inside
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Post apocalyptic: Placebo’s Never Let Me Go
New album: Brian Molko and co return with their dramatic eighth LP, the first for nine years and while one that occasionally hits the highs of the veterans’ 90s heyday, also comes repacked with a heavy dose of synths
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