The Student Playlist

Showcasing the Best New Music, Curating the Classics

Category Reviews

REVIEW: Protomartyr – ‘Consolation’ EP (Domino)

Tying up the loose ends from 2017’s ‘Relatives In Descent’ and throwing in a couple of brilliant collaborations with Kelley Deal, Protomartyr’s ‘Consolation’ EP is another triumph.

REVIEW: Johnny Marr – ‘Call The Comet’ (New Voodoo)

Johnny Marr’s latest solo album ‘Call The Comet’ sees the iconic guitarist get back to basics with an entertaining if sometimes samey collection.

REVIEW: Jorja Smith – ‘Lost & Found’ (FAMM)

Jorja Smith’s diverse range of styles and genre exercises, as well as her stunning vocal ability, make ‘Lost & Found’ one of the best British pop debuts in years.

REVIEW: Kids See Ghosts – ‘KIDS SEE GHOSTS’ (GOOD / Def Jam)

On ‘Kids See Ghosts’, Kanye West and Kid Cudi find in each other the perfect creative foil – Cudi setting the mood and bringing lyrical honesty, while West provides the edge with his verses and ingenious sampling.

REVIEW: Gruff Rhys – ‘Babelsberg’ (Rough Trade)

Bursting with lushly orchestrated MOR pop, ‘Babelsberg’ is yet another sumptuous solo album from former Furry Gruff Rhys.

REVIEW: Lykke Li – ‘so sad so sexy’ (RCA)

After a decade of being one of alternative pop’s most compelling underdog figures, ‘so sad so sexy’ is a disappointment for Lykke Li, feeling like she’s diluted herself to conform to the sound of modern pop.

REVIEW: Snail Mail – ‘Lush’ (Matador)

Lindsey Jordan’s first full Snail Mail album ‘Lush’ is an intensely detailed document of life and love while adjusting to adulthood, and fulfills all the breathless predictions made for it.

REVIEW: Boy Azooga – ‘1, 2, Kung Fu!’ (Heavenly / P.I.A.S.)

‘1, 2, Kung Fu!’, the debut effort from Welsh band Boy Azooga, is an enjoyable indie debut splattered with electronica and psychedelia.

REVIEW: Neko Case – ‘Hell-On’ (Anti-)

Eclectic yet completely coherent, Neko Case’s eighth solo album ‘Hell-On’ is a triumph for female storytelling in modern music.

REVIEW: LUMP – ‘LUMP’ (Dead Oceans)

‘LUMP’, a collaboration between Laura Marling and Tunng’s Mike Lindsay, feels like you’re right in the studio amid the exchange of ideas.