The Student Playlist

Showcasing the Best New Music, Curating the Classics

Posts by Joss Lambert

REVIEW: Squid – ‘Bright Green Field’ (Warp Records)

‘Bright Green Field’ consists of engaging formulations of post-punk, funk, jazz and krautrock executed with manic energy – truly, one of the finest British debuts in recent times.

REVIEW: The Snuts – ‘W.L.’ (Parlophone)

Processing other bands’ better ideas without originality, The Snuts’ debut album ‘W.L.’ is as landfill as indie can get.

REVIEW: Ben Howard – ‘Collections From The Whiteout’ (Island / Universal)

While it houses some real gems in its first half, Ben Howard’s fourth album ‘Collections From The Whiteout’ feels long-winded and occasionally directionless.

REVIEW: Billy Nomates – ‘Emergency Telephone’ EP (Invada)

Urgent yet surprisingly heartfelt, ‘Emergency Telephone’ sees Billy Nomates expand her artistic credentials and establish herself as one of the most compelling new voices in post-punk today.

REVIEW: Slowthai – ‘TYRON’ (Method / Interscope / AGWE)

Slowthai’s paradoxical sophomore album ‘TYRON’ delves into the duality of his psyche, yielding some career highlights that are occasionally let down by underdeveloped ideas.

REVIEW: Arlo Parks – ‘Collapsed In Sunbeams’ (Transgressive)

Emotions are only dealt with on a superficial level on Arlo Parks’ disappointing debut album ‘Collapsed In Sunbeams’.

REVIEW: Gorillaz – ‘Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez’ (Parlophone)

Never originally intended for a conventional album release, Gorillaz’ first Song Machine collection ‘Strange Timez’ is dazzlingly diverse yet emotionally coherent, a perfect soundtrack to a world going wrong outside.

REVIEW: Everything Everything – ‘Re-Animator’ (AWAL)

Everything Everything’s attempts at creating bigger and bolder pop anthems on ‘Re-Animator’ fall flat as they delve too deeply into their influences and often discard what made them such an engaging band to begin with.

REVIEW: Declan McKenna – ‘Zeros’ (Sony)

Declan McKenna matures and expands his sound on the glam-inspired ‘Zeros’, which brims with moments of vibrancy that outweigh the occasional over-exuberance.

REVIEW: Lianne La Havas – ‘Lianne La Havas’ (Warner / Nonesuch)

Lianne La Havas mines relationship trauma to deliver her most sonically and thematically cohesive album to date.