Emotionally unshackled but musically pristine, the contrasts of Future Islands’ sixth album ‘As Long As You Are’ make it their most rewarding so far.
Sleeker and more powerful than his lo-fi early material, George Miller’s second Joji album ‘Nectar’ is a small but noticeable step forwards.
The biggest evolutionary leap in their sound yet, Cub Sport’s fourth album ‘Like Nirvana’ works best at its boldest.
‘Transfiguration Highway’, the sixth album from Canadian indie act Little Kid, is a warm and welcoming record recalling folk from the Sixties and Seventies.
A new side-project headed by Interpol’s Paul Banks, ‘Muzz’ is functional but ultimately nowhere near ambitious enough to transcend its origins.
A curate’s egg only of interest to hard-bitten Sufjan fans, ‘Aporia’ is a series of frustratingly half-formed good ideas recorded with his stepfather Lowell Brams.
Grittier, darker and more emotionally honest than anything he’s ever done, ‘After Hours’ represents a step forward for Abel Tesfaye.
Vibrant, soulful and urgent, Newcastle’s Lanterns On The Lake reach a new level with fifth album ‘Spook The Herd’.
Jeremy Warmsley and Elizabeth Sankey’s first Summer Camp album in five years, ‘Romantic Comedy’ is a completely brilliant analysis and subversion of pop culture’s presentation of love.
A masterpiece that conflates personal reflection and identity with global political anxieties, ‘Kiwanuka’ is a career defining moment.
