Category: album reviews
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Olivia Rodrigo: GUTS review – the rallying cry of a generation
Equally packed with punk rock instant classics and beautifully understated piano ballads, Olivia Rodrigo’s bravura second album is somehow fiercer, wittier and altogether even stronger than her Grammy-sweeping debut.
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Jeff Rosenstock: HELLMODE review – punk’s golden boy plays it safe
Billed as both his most chaotic and “solid” record so far, Jeff Rosenstock’s seventh full-length is neither, but still provides its fair share of satisfying if familiar punk rock hits.
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Vulfmon: Vulfnik review – puts the future of Vulf into question
With rambling tangents and a confused mix of genres, Jack Stratton fails to deliver on an otherwise promising new identity yet again. Matthew Rowe gives a track-by-track rundown on why the latest album doesn’t live up to the potential harboured by Vulfpeck frontman.
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Jessie Ware: That! Feels Good! review – riotous party album makes for a worthy sequel
Continuing on from the success of her masterful 2020 release, That! Feels Good! is every bit as delightfully danceable as its predecessor, with more cheeky funk bass lines than you can wave a disco finger at.
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Vulfpeck: Schvitz review – scattergun sixth lacks inspiration
A return after a prolonged hiatus could have spelt creative reinvention for Ann Arbor funk group Vulfpeck. Instead they continue to underwhelm on a sixth album let down by vapid hooks and lazy rehashes.
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Lizzy McAlpine: five seconds flat review – indie-folk star raises the stakes
She may be yet to firmly establish her own distinctive sound, but Lizzy McAlpine strikes gold on several occasions on this sophomore LP destined to be one of the more compelling and consistent breakup albums of the year.
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Black Country, New Road: Ants From Up There Review – breathtaking
After their debut album catapulted the London septet to fame in 2021, Black Country, New Road return with a masterpiece that is somehow both sure-footed and wildly experimental. Released just after the sudden departure of the band’s frontman, Ants From Up There serves as a tragic, compelling self-portrait of a man on the brink.
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Cory Wong: Wong’s Cafe review – nothing new from a band in disguise
Cory Wong’s latest project is ostensibly Vulfpeck’s sixth album, and it’s perhaps telling that the band have avoided official recognition for their efforts – Wong’s Cafe feels rushed and uninspired from start to finish, and is home to some of the most unremarkable songs in the band’s history.
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Silk Sonic: An Evening with Silk Sonic review – a modern blast from the past
When megastars Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars first collaborated under the name Silk Sonic for their gorgeous retro single Leave the Door Open earlier this year they blew minds and topped charts the world over. Could the album that followed ever hope match the stellar quality of the lead single? Alex Walden seems to think…
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Parcels: Day/Night review – a risky, rewarding retro pop quest
Parcels’ unfailingly ambitious and original double album may often be just as irresistibly funky as their debut, but it’s also a huge step forward for the band with its daring genre experimentation and philosophical lyricism. It’s a shame that with such grand aims, there were bound to be a few misfires amongst the extensive tracklist.
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PinkPantheress: to hell with it review – a strong start and a promising future
20-year-old student PinkPantheress shot to instant stardom into 2021 after her short and sweet garage tracks found a keen audience on social media. But does her debut mixtape live up to the hype? Alex Walden seems to think so.
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Sam Fender: Seventeen Going Under review – arena-worthy classics to feed the soul
Whilst Fender’s expansive, often breathtaking sophomore record may not be flawless, it has more than its fair share of genius songwriting and lyricism thanks to a potent concoction of sepia nostalgia and brave sociopolitical lessons for the here and now.
Undertone 