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The Sophs’ debut album Goldstar
New album: A fairytale story of a debut for the Los Angeles six-piece fronted by Ethan Ramon, who cold-emailed demos to Rough Trade Records before even playing a live gig and were signed – that instinctive leap of faith rewarded by this stylish, bold, mercurial, confident, darkly humorous, eclectic debut leaping between rock, indie, pop, hoedown country, delta blues and beyond
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ELIZA: The Darkening Green
New album: The London artist Eliza Caird (formerly under the mainstream pop moniker Eliza Doolittle) returns with more of the cool, slow, sensual, gentle, sophisticated experimental soul-funk style evolving from her 2022 album A Sky Without Stars, here with particularly polished, silky, stripped back grooves and vocals
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War Child: HELP(2) follows 1995’s first compilation with another impressive range of music and artists
New album: Not only a timely and topical milestone charity record following the first in 1995 to help bring aid and wide variety of support to children in war zones around he world, but an impressive double-LP array of stellar British and international talent and powerful, poignant 23 songs from Arctic Monkeys to Young Fathers
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DEADLETTER: Existence Is Bliss
New album: This second LP by the South Yorkshire/London six-piece expands their post-punk sound palette with a collection of arresting, thrumming songs, often dark and challenging, with richly exploratory lyrics across dystopian and existential questions, yet despite a climate of difficult, shows how gasping for life’s oxygen is essential
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Lala Lala: Heaven 2
New album: Moving from Chicago to New Mexico, Reykjavík, then London and now Los Angeles, the UK-born artist Lillie West’s experimental indie dream pop is a fascinating release about restless escapism while trying to stay where she is
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Buck Meek: The Mirror
New album: The Brooklyn-based Texan guitarist of Big Thief returns with his fourth solo LP filled with tender, thoughtful, beautiful folk-country-rock, a tiny splash of analogue synths, joined by bandmate James Krivchenia as producer, Adrianne Lenker on backing vocals, plus guitarist Adam Brisbin and harp player Mary Lattimore
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The Wave Pictures: Gained/Lost
New album: A very warm return from the very likeable, prolific British trio of David Tattersall (guitar and lead vocals), Franic Rozycki (bass), and Jonny Helm (drums) with finely crafted, clever and emotional songs in flavours of 60s garage rock, 70s classic rock and 90s American indie
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Howling Bells - Strange Life
New album: The Australian and now UK-based band return after 12 years, with singer Juanita Stein (who has since released four solo studio albums and is co-titled with the album) rejoins brother Joel Stein, and Glenn Moule, with solid, strong, resonant, shoegazey, grungey, indie rock
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Cardinals: Masquerade
New album: Awash with passionate anguish and swaggering post-punk indie and gnarly energy, a strikingly impressive debut by the Cork five-piece, coloured by seething, stormy vocals and guitars, and flavoured by a distinctively rich accordion sound
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Alice Costelloe: Move On With the Year
New album: A beautifully delicate, melodious, thoughtful and poetic indie-folk-pop debut, following EPs, by the London singer-songwriter, formerly of shoe-gaze band Big Deal, here on themes of grief and growth, purging, personal rebuilding and creative detangling
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Ratboys: Singin' To An Empty Chair
New album: Vibrant, catchy, reflective, clever indie rock and pop with an twangy, effervescent, country flavour in this sixth LP by the Chicago band fronted by the candid clarity gentle humour, and emotional insight of singer-songwriter Julia Steiner
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IST IST: DAGGER
New album: Throbbing, pulsating, dark, deep-voiced indie post-punk pop with a double-edged theme and an 80s goth-rock feel in this fifth LP in a decade by the Manchester quartet known for delivering exciting gigs
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Ulrika Spacek: EXPO
New album: Arresting, intelligent art rock and electronica, krautrock and psychedelia and a marriage of the analogue and electronic, all intermingle wonderfully different and intelligent new LP by the London band fronted by Rhys Edwards
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Mandy, Indiana: URGH
New album: An extraordinary second album by the Manchester experimental noise and electronica quartet of the visceral and playful, protest and cartharsis, in a fierce, throbbing, shape-shifting, genre-bursting tour de force that’s responds to very challenging times
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Delaney Bailey: Concave
New album: A highly absorbing, potent, intense yet understated, ethereally sound-sculptured debut by the Indiana-raised Chicago artist who crafts intimate noir-goth dream pop across themes of vulnerability and mental health
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Cast: Yeah Yeah Yeah
New album: Liverpool’s John Power and co returns after 2024’s Love Is The Call with an eighth LP, packed with anthemic, catchy, voluminous indie rock bangers with P.P. Arnold adding classy backing vocals
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Yumi Zouma: No Love Lost To Kindness
New album: A bolder, more strident, indie-rock urgency of style by the New Zealand quartet previously known more for dream pop, particularly front-loading this fifth LP with a pacier, spikier material in their decade-long career
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Dead Dads Club
New album: Dynamic, passionate, heart-stirring indie rock in this project fronted by Chilli Jesson (formerly bassist of Palma Violets) with songs spurred by the trauma of losing his father 20 years ago, retelling a defiant and difficult aftermath, with sound boosted by producer Carlos O’Connell of Fontaines D.C.
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The Paper Kites: If You Go There, I Hope You Find It
New album: Warm, tender, gently-paced, calmly reflective, beautifully soothing, poetic, melancholic alternative folk and Americana by the band from Melbourne in their seventh LP in 15 years
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Courtney Marie Andrews: Valentine
New album: Emotional, beautiful, stirring, Americana, folk and indie-pop by singer-songwriter from Phoenix, Arizona, in this latest studio LP in of soaring voice, strong melodies, love, vulnerability and heartbreak, longing and bravery
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