Category: rock albums
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Welly: Big In The Suburbs review – puts the fun back in British indie rock
Welly’s debut album is winningly silly, although its political satire feels a little too safe, and the comedy in Elliot Hall’s cartoonish vocals wears thin quickly.
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Courting: Lust for Life review – overwrought concept album pulls its punches
The Liverpool band’s drive for creative risk-taking is admirable, but the experiment doesn’t pay off on this messy, underwritten third album.
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Divorce: Drive to Goldenhammer review – endearing, open-hearted folk-rock
Framed around a quest to the fictional place of ‘Goldenhammer’, the Nottingham indie band’s impressive debut is packed with one gorgeous duet after another, plus a wealth of plaintive melodic earworms.
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Sam Fender: People Watching review – the Geordie Springsteen delivers a classic
Valorised Geordie hero Sam Fender paints a vivid picture of ordinary working-class life in this extraordinary third record. Never has Fender’s trademark brand of melancholic beauty sounded so potent.
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Cobra Spell: 666 review – kick-ass hair metal runs wild
An outrageously eye-catching album artwork marks the debut the of the brand new, all female lineup of Sonia Anubis’ Cobra Spell. Alex Walden checks out to their latest album to see if they could produce that rare magic: genuinely fresh-feeling music inspired by the 80s.
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SOFT PLAY: HEAVY JELLY review – redemptive riot delivers on all fronts
The Kent punk duo SOFT PLAY hold nothing back on their deafening fifth album. There are ample pulse-quickening riffs to whip up the mosh pit, but also plenty of nuance and introspection to reward repeat listens, not least a tender surprise at its climax.
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Fast Blood: Sunny Blunts review – a wallop of modern punk
After discovering that Fast Blood were the chosen opening act for Mannequin Pussy’s live show at The Grove in Newcastle, Alex Walden decided to give their latest album a deep dive to hear just what he missed out on. It’s safe to say that he was not disappointed.
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Shannon & the Clams: The Moon Is In The Wrong Place review – wildly entertaining dive into the abyss
Raucous 60s rockabilly might sound like an unlikely match for an album unequivocally about grief, but Shannon & the Clams pull it off miraculously in this deeply personal record, which shifts from joy to despair – and often a complex mix of the two – with astonishing ease.
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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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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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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.
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Jade Bird: Different Kinds of Light review – a sparkling delight
English singer-songwriter Jade Bird’s sophomore album builds on the best parts of the debut with new maturity, sincerity and most importantly some cracking singles. The result is an album I felt an instant personal connection to.
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Royal Blood: Typhoons review – an innovating dance-rock revolution
Royal Blood have successfully carved out their own niche in this dynamic disco-infused collection of rock bangers which sound destined to soundtrack many post-lockdown workouts and dance parties the world over.
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Middle Kids: Today We’re the Greatest review – a change of pace to mixed results
Today We’re the Greatest has more than its fair share of highlights and a strong set of lyrics, it’s just a shame Hannah Joy’s songwriting falls a little flat when put to the test with more intimate ballads.
Undertone 