NME's Albums of the Year 2016

This time they’ve decided to house their fulsome electro-indie randiness in something of a concept album, one that picks apart the idea of masculinity, stripping it down in an attempt to reveal its hidden depths.

More than anything else, ‘Soft Hair’ is about intimacy, creativity and a zest for life – two singular musicians liberated by collaboration.

They’ve done what comes naturally – and also what they’re very good at. To put it simply, it’s clear that they like big, possibly-a-bit-cheesy choruses, and so have written 10 of them.

At an impressively thorough 17 tracks long – including a couple of brief but lovely demos in the shape of iPhone voice memos – Nao’s debut album certainly isn’t shy about setting her out as one of the UK’s brightest new talents.

This is not an album for the rest of us; it’s a reflex reaction to a torment most people will thankfully never have to endure. It goes back to that old instinct of self-preservation: just as a shark must keep moving, so an artist must keep working, even in the face of unimaginable loss.

Thom Yorke and co remain reluctant saviours of rock, and 'A Moon Shaped Pool' doesn’t so much grab you by the throat as creep into your house in the night and paint your walls an enigmatic shade of blue.

As with her previous efforts Olsen’s unique vocal steals the show, but this is the singer opening up all the other parts to her personality. The more we see, the more there is to love.

‘Lemonade’'s first four tracks are a thrillingly honest sucker-punch from a famously guarded pop star.

‘Is The Is Are’ could be DIIV’s definitive statement. Forget all the baggage, this is just a band in a room, and the noise they make is thrilling.