New album: Gently spun, delicately understated and cleverly crafted, dreamy, angular guitar pop-rock with a light touch of synths from the Glasgow twins Rachael and Paul Swinton
Read moreCloth: Secret Measure
Cloth: Secret Measure
Comfort: What's Bad Enough?
Comfort: What's Bad Enough?
New album: Truly original and arresting cross-genre electronica-postpunk-hip-hop by the Glasgow sibling duo of vocalist and transwoman Natalie and instrumentalist brother Sean McGhee who challenge gender norms and ideas of beauty
Read moreThe Bloodstreams: How To Be A God
The Bloodstreams: How To Be A God
New album: With oodles of swagger, theatricality and panache, a wonderful debut by the seasoned Deptford quartet, with witty, black-humoured 60s garage rock and stylish echoes of Siouxsie, Birthday Party-era Nick Cave, Stones, the Doors and the Kramps
Read moreDeerhoof: Miracle-Level
Deerhoof: Miracle-Level
New album: A 19th studio album by San Francisco the prog-punk-jazz experimentalists drummer Greg Saunier, guitarists Ed Rodriguez and John Dieterich, and bassist/singer Satomi Matsuzaki is another blast of brilliant musicianship, but also the first entirely sung in Matsuzaki’s native Japanese
Read moreA Certain Ratio: 1982
A Certain Ratio: 1982
New album: The Manchester post-punk veterans Jez Kerr, Martin Moscrop and Donald Johnson, return with a sparklingly eclectic record of electronica, dance, jazz, funk, Afrobeat and more with a retrospective feel on their history
Read moreYves Tumor: Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume: (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)
Yves Tumor’s latest album: Praise A Lord Who Chews …
New album: A mouthful of a title but another striking, genre-spanning fifth LP by the unique Knoxville-raised Sean Bowie, whose extraordinary non-gender presence adorns this mix of thrumming postpunk, indie R&B, trip-hop, funk, glam, sensual soul and psychedelia
Read moreSleaford Mods - UK Grim
Sleaford Mods - UK Grim
New album: Nottingham’s Jason Williamson and Andrew Fearn return with another set of, angry, catchy, darkly humorous belters, pulling no punches when it comes to the shambolic state of Tory-led Brexit Britain
Read moreslowthai: UGLY
As in the tattoo: slowthai’s third LP UGLY
New album: The abrasive but exciting Northampton rapper Tyrone Frampton’s third LP is a powerful, heady concoction, containing this time less grime and politics, more punk and post-punk, rock guitars, and focusing on personal issues, with a paradoxical facial tattooed title acronym meaning U Gotta Love Yourself
Read moreShame: Food For Worms
Shame’s third album, Food For Worms
New album: With a title phrase that will apply to all living beings eventually, this third LP by the south London post-punk band tempers the punk anger with more light and shade, genre experimentation, and philosophical lyrics
Read moreTombouctou: Tricky Floors
Tombouctou: Tricky Floors
New album: Clever, sharp post-punk debut by the French trio from Lyon/Toulouse packed with dynamic, thunderous drumming and razor-sharp guitar work, energised stop-start sections, and the powerful, high voice of Cocrelle who has echoes of Siouxsie Sioux
Read moreParamore: This Is Why
Paramore: This Is Why
New album: The Tennessee rock band fronted by Hayley Williams return with their sixth album, a more angular guitar affair influenced by Bloc Party and Foals, marrying post-punk with edgy, angry restless indie pop
Read moreM(h)aol: Attachment Styles
M(h)aol: Attachment Styles
Debut album: They’ve been pacing around with singles for several years, but this debut by the Dublin post-punks (pronounced male) is powerful, funny, dark, feminist, funny and dirty, filled with fabulous thumps, bangs, crashes, guitar clangs and killer lyrics
Read moreThe WAEVE: The WAEVE
Perfect texture blend: Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall
New album: Fantastically original, eclectic and melodious eponymous debut by the duo of Blur’s Graham Coxon, and ex-Pipettes’ Rose Elinor Dougall, packed with an indefinable mix of indie pop, folk, post-punk and much more in a free-flowing tapestry of sounds and textures
Read moreThe Murder Capital: Gigi's Recovery
The Murder Capital’s second album Gigi's Recovery
New album: Passionate, visceral and powerful, the new Dublin band’s follow-up to 2019’s When I Have Fears builds on their promise, aswirl with stark emotion, packed with strong perspectives and carefully hewn sounds in a journey of introspection, self-analysis and defiance
Read moreBilly Nomates: CACTI
Billy Nomates’s second album Cacti
New album: A very strong second album by Bristol’s Tor Maries moves from her alt-punk debut to a darker, ironic, caustic anti-love set of songs bringing in more rock and pop styles
Read moreThe Nightingales: The Last Laugh
The Nightingales: The Last Laugh
New album: The very best ‘til last for 2022? Quite possibly, with this absolute belter from Robert Lloyd, Fliss Kitson and co, this October release packed with superbly Beefheart-esque, stompy, infinite wit, riff and rhythm change
Read moreThe Cool Greenhouse: Sod's Toastie
Vivid, droll absurdity: The Cool Greenhouse second album, Sod’s Toastie
New album: An excellent second LP by the wittily droll wordsmith Tom Greenhouse and band, bringing oodles of hilarious, oddball short stories and killer lines about the absurdity of life, backed by strangely wonderful post-punk and electronica
Read moreBig Joanie: Back Home
Big Joanie’s new album Back Home
New album: The London trio of vocalist and guitarist Stephanie Phillips, bassist Estella Adeyeri, and drummer Chardine Taylor-Stone return with an electronic extension to their catchy DIY post-punk with an LP based around the theme of different forms of home
Read moreSpecial Interest: Endure
Special Interest’s third album, Endure
New album: A third LP of unstoppably energetic fierce, camp, queer, intelligent glam and post-punk by the New Orleans band fronted by Alli Logout following 2018’s Spiralling and 2020’s The Passion Of, a hot potent cauldron of art, sex, drugs and politics
Read moreHorse Lords: Comradely Objects
Horse Lords: Comradely Objects
New album: Mesmeric fifth album by the Baltimore-formed quartet of polyrhythmic avant-garde rock, jazz, prog, also drawing on Appalachian, bluegrass, krautrock, African, post-punk and alternative tuning systems that pull you into their brilliant and beguiling world
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