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Pom Poko: Champion
New album: Vibrant, joyful, frenzied musicianship simply flies out of this third LP by of Norwegian indie quartet whose style has some parallels with the prog-postpunk of Deerhoof, but with their own eccentric twists
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Rosie Lowe: Lover, Other
New album: A gorgeously original fourth LP by the English singer-songwriter whose voice has power, presence and intimacy and whose unique sound blends soul, pop, jazz, electronica, clever samples, and a dash of bossa nova
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Dark and revealing: Hamish Hawk's A Firmer Hand
New album: The dapper Edinburgh indie-pop troubadour returns with his ready wit, polished lyrics and soaring, strong melodies of finely detailed, candid, revealing reference-rich narrative, but also oozing with darkness, irony, empathy and double-edged melancholy
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beabadoobee: This Is How Tomorrow Moves
New album: Delicately voiced, thoughtful, perceptive indie pop by the Filipino-born English singer-songwriter aka Beatrice Laus, in a third album also co-produced by Rick Rubin, it grows as it progresses, showing depth and quality of balladeer 90s-influenced songwriting
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Empire of the Sun: Ask That God
New album: Eight years since their last LP, Australian duo Luke “Emperor” Steele and Nick “Lord” Littlemore return with an eye- and ear-catching set of synthy nostalgic 80s pop of colourful capes and astral fantasy
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Orville Peck: Stampede
New album: A hugely enjoyable, mischievous, tuneful and genre-spanning LP by the South African-born openly gay but often masked country singer-songwriter, joined by an impressive array of co-performers doing original numbers and covers, including Beck, Elton John, and Willie Nelson
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Crack Cloud: Red Mile
New album: Sharp, witty satire and parody abound in this third LP by the Canadian indie-garage-rock collective, playing with cliches across pop to rock with a striking set of clever, aggressively tuneful, curveball songs led by frontman and Zach Choy
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Sam Evian: Plunge
New album: A catch-up on a superb fourth rock, pop and psychedelic album released earlier this year by the US artist, the title after regular winter cold-plunges into a nearby creek at his Catskill Mountains home to create fuzzy, warm, live-feel 60s/70s sound of the era George Harrison or Harry Nilsson
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Cat Burns: Early Twenties
New album: A strong, sensitive, substantial 17-song debut LP by the 24-year-old south London singer-songwriter who combines a range of pop styles with gospel, R&B and indie with a very candid, personal lyrics
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Cassandra Jenkins: My Light, My Destroyer
New album: A strong, sensual, astronomy-themed third experimental album by the New York singer-songwriter, mixing gentle indie, dream pop, jazz and field recordings in this alluring contemplation on the heartbreaks and highs, the quarks and quasars that make up her universe
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Lava La Rue’s Starface
New album: A brilliantly clever, rich, eclectic concept album and debut LP by the West London multi-media artist, fusing indie-pop, funk, hip-hop and glam rock, and themed around the character of a gender neutral alien who visits Earth to explore its self-destructivity only to get mixed up in it
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Remi Wolf: Big Ideas
New album: Smooth, enjoyable, engaging, approachable funky pop by the 28-year-old Californian with a variety of influences with a summery, catchy, carefree-feel collection on this second LP
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Brijean: Macro
New album: A magical, serene, dreamily sophisticated and witty psych-pop, lounge and dancefloor new creation by the LA duo of percussionist/singer-songwriter Brijean Murphy (Mitski, Poolside, and Toro y Moi) and multi-instrumentalist/producer Doug Stuart
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Clairo: Charm
New album: Deliciously understated, intimate, warm folk-pop with a strong Laurel Canyon flavour by the Boston, Mass. artist Claire Cottrill with songs about different sides of charm, platonically, romantically, but also not knowing how long it will last
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FEET: Make It Up
New album: Fun, catchy, melodious, energetic, clever, mischievous clean-cut indie pop by the London five-piece with their second LP and consistent with debut What’s Inside Is More Than Just Ham
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Redd Kross: Redd Kross
New album: The veteran pop-punk brothers Jeff and Steve McDonald from Hawkthorne, California, return with an energetic, lengthy self-titled release drawing on half a century of rock influences, from the Who to the Beatles, Byrds to US hardcore with vigour, but also self-deprecatory humour
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Kasabian: Happenings
New album: This eighth LP from the Leicester rockers and second since guitarist Serge Pizzorno took over on vocals from the sacked Tom Meighan edges closer to pop, disco as much as the more distinct psychedelia, but is full of punchy, catchy tunes
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Charli XCX: BRAT
New album: The Essex-raised, hugely successful star Charlotte Emma Aitchison’s sixth album is a far more nuanced than her last, 2022’s Crash, still embracing mainstream pop and dance, but also with ironic twists, sleazy fun, humour, and a dirtier, more underground sound of her more experimental past
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Lola Young: This Wasn’t Meant for You Anyway
New album: A set of catchy, cutting lyrical diatribes against disappointing exes punctuates this eclectic, clever, darkly ironic release of pop and other styles, in a second LP by the south London Brit School graduate with a strong powerful voice
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Loren Kramar: Glovemaker
New album: Released two months ago, but simply too good to overlook, a timelessly serene, soaring soulful debut release by the Los Angeles artist, one of love, lust, and loss, secrets, Hollywood dreams, Chateau Marmont Hotel-era tragedy, and a voice somewhere between Cat Stevens and Jeff Buckley
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