The Student Playlist

Showcasing the Best New Music, Curating the Classics

Category New Album Releases

REVIEW: Tiña – ‘Positive Mental Health Music’ (Speedy Wunderground)

Medium and message combine perfectly on Tiña’s characterful and heart-warming DIY psych pop debut ‘Positive Mental Health Music’.

REVIEW: Tunng – ‘Tunng Presents… Dead Club’ (Full Time Hobby)

‘Tunng Presents… Dead Club’ may concern the end of life, but is emotionally instructive on how we should live in the here and now.

REVIEW: Oneohtrix Point Never – ‘Magic Oneohtrix Point Never’ (Warp Records)

While some ideas could have done with being explored further, Daniel Lopatin colourfully explores his memories of radio on ‘Magic Oneohtrix Point Never’.

REVIEW: Adrianne Lenker – ‘songs’ / ‘instrumentals’ (4AD)

An extraordinarily powerful evocation of isolation and heartbreak built with the barest of ingredients, Adrianne Lenker’s two new albums are spellbinding.

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: Bruce Springsteen – ‘Letter To You’ (Columbia)

Featuring key members of the E Street Band live in the studio with minimal post-production, ‘Letter To You’ is as energetic as Bruce Springsteen has ever sounded.

REVIEW: The Mountain Goats – ‘Getting Into Knives’ (Merge)

On ‘Getting Into Knives’, the 19th Mountain Goats album, John Darnielle keeps his songwriting arsenal sharpened.

REVIEW: Beabadoobee – ‘Fake It Flowers’ (Dirty Hit)

Making the leap from lo-fi bedroom pop to studio-bound, fully formed songcraft, Beabadoobee’s debut album ‘Fake It Flowers’ shows immense talent that’s still got space to develop.

REVIEW: James Blake – ‘Before’ EP (Republic / Polydor)

Arguably James Blake’s most out-and-out dancefloor orientated work yet, ‘Before’ is a reminder of what we’re missing under lockdown.

REVIEW: Matt Berninger – ‘Serpentine Prison’ (Concord)

Unlike his work with The National, it’s very much up to the listener with what they want to find in Matt Berninger’s debut solo album ‘Serpentine Prison’.