Category: album reviews
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Oliver Tree: Ugly Is Beautiful review – an intriguing career showstopper
I’ll be honest with you: I hate Oliver Tree. It’s something I’ve realised since first hearing his boisterous, memorable hit single Hurt a year or two ago. Tree sits uncomfortably within the liminal space between comedic actor and reality, displaying an obnoxious, money-grabbing and at times absurd character to his large and increasingly devoted following.…
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Atta Boy: Big Heart Manners review – a demoaralising slump
I like to think of Atta Boy as one of indie pop’s greatest legends. I’m exaggerating of course, but that’s the impression I got when I looked at their Spotify page before the release of their new album, Big Heart Manners. Before last month, Atta Boy had released just one, 40-minute album back in 2012.…
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Parcels: Live Vol. 1 review – Magnificent, subtle reinvention
Parcels are not a raw, roughly-cut band. At least that’s what I thought before hearing Live Vol. 1. Their excellent 2018 self-titled debut album was full of creamy-smooth grooves and airy falsetto, with lyrics musing paradise and self-acceptance. They end up sounding like a Vulfpeck that’s taken a breather, calmed themselves down and grown up…
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Beach Bunny: Honeymoon review – slick and stylish indie pop in bitesize packages
It would have to take a particularly hotly-anticipated album to bring me back to Undertone, and Beach Bunny’s debut album, Honeymoon, is just that. The first I heard of the album (and indeed Lili Trifilio’s hugely successful project in Beach Bunny) was back in November, when they released the single Dream Boy. The song is…
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Vulfpeck: Hill Climber review – Christmas comes early
Happy Vulfpeck Day! In honour of the 2014 Vulf classic 1612, the unofficial Vulfpeck day has been set to the 16th December, conveniently a few weeks after the band’s fourth album release. Whilst this year is the first time I’ve celebrated Vulfpeck Day, I’ve been following the Michigan funksters’ activities for several years, having quickly…
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The Greeting Committee: This Is It review – a slice of Autumnal gold
Maybe it’s the album cover’s colour theme, or simply the time of year it was released, but there’s something distinctly autumnal about The Greeting Committee’s This Is It. Following the release of their debut EP, It’s Not All That Bad, the Kansas City indie pop group saw their career begin to flourish, signing with (appropriately…
Undertone 