Experimentation at its middest.

This is the debut studio album from TOMORA, a duo made up of one half of The Chemical Brothers, Tom Rowlands, and acclaimed Norwegian folk singer AURORA. It’s not the most out of left field collaboration, as the two have collaborated before over the years, especially on TCB’s album No Geography, where AURORA made three separate appearances. The more you think about it, the more reasonable the thought of these two crossing paths becomes. However, in ... read more

A rare gem lost too soon.

Sampling is an art. Let nobody tell you otherwise. Like all art, there’s always a chance that the message does not get across; Donuts is a strong non-example. These samples were not selected just because they “went hard”. No, they were used because there is a world of subliminal messaging behind them. J Dilla took these samples and flipped them into some form of mouthpieces for his own thoughts. They’re subtle hints at his own state of mind, ... read more

There are better options in the toybox.

Dave Grohl has been a huge name in rock music ever since the Nirvana days, so don't even get me started on the Foo Fighters era. However, today, the band are only a shell of what they once were; this is evident, because if one of the biggest bands of all time start putting up these kinds of albums with numbers like these, then it might be time to wrap it up soon, as it's a clear indicator these guys are more washed than the plates in my ... read more

Accurate title.

Bilmuri is a name I've heard a handful of times, but never really got round to sinking my teeth into. But when I saw the bro-country label, I couldn't help but think... oh no. However, those concerns went out the window almost immediately, with the absolutely DISGUSTING opener. I saw Drew Fulk was a main producer on this...I thought I recognised that tone. That filthy, sludgy tone that he helped Knocked Loose take over the metal world with over the past few years. ... read more

I Kahan't believe it.

Well, if Stick Season sounded jolly but had depressing lyrics, then The Great Divide has depressing lyrics AND sounds depressing. But by God, does this man know how to write a damn song. If Stick Season was about being left behind, then The Great Divide is about the one who left. About trying to get back to normal after a return, but it's just not clicking the way you wanted it to. It's a terrifying concept to me; being a stranger in my own home. Being ... read more

What a crossover.

Normally, I don't touch remix albums, mainly because nine times out of ten... they suck. However, that is not the case for this album - it has set the standard for all remix albums, and I think that's because the remixes match the energy of the originals; these remixes are equally as dark and gritty as what they're putting a new life to; Boyz Noise has reinvented these NIN songs, sure, but without sacrificing their original intentions. That's how a remix ... read more

Not enough trumpets.

I'm not one to write off an artist, or even an entire genre, because of one not-so-good album. But man, this new MIA record uses all the stereotypes you hear about CCM and the likes. Apart from the opener, she just sounds so monotonous and bored. The lyricism is genuinely laughable, there are some proper stinkers on this, and reeks of that Rappin For Jesus video. See CIRCLE for examples - "lust, jealously and envy is a VIBES KILLER". Oh, brother. Let the ... read more

Holy yap.

We’ve seen many times before when a sonically incredible song or album is dragged down by terrible vocals, especially in metal. Every time I’ve listened to Paleface Swiss try to do fast screams, they sound completely awful. I personally think fast vocals are only good in rap music, or music that is at least rap-adjacent, and even that’s quite difficult to get right; ie, Too Fast To Die was a rough listen.

Like I say, the band is genuinely insanely talented. It ... read more

Very misleading cover.

I've given some weird takes in my time on this site, but here comes the most outlandish of the lot; I cannot stand anime. While I appreciate the insane attention to detail in the animation, I've always found every other element of them very grating to sit through. However, if this is what they sound like... I dunno, maybe I'll have to binge watch Avatar or something over the weekend.

Starjunk 95 is an artist I've had my eye on for a while. I'm a ... read more

This album by a pop singer may contain a hell of a lot of orchestras.

RAYE has seen quite a musical transformation over the years. Back in the mid to late 2010s, she was no different to singers like Ella Henderson and Paloma Faith - by that, I mean she had a few solo hits on the charts, but seemed like another female pop-singer whose career was to be condemned to singing about getting high and finding love on the most basic house beats you’ve ever heard, which somehow manage to get ... read more

...in the music?

Enter Shikari have awoken from their slumber, dropping a whole-ass album on us without so much as a lick of notice, and it ends up being a pleasant surprise. Lose Your Self is a hundred percent a step up from 2023's A Kiss For The Whole World - it sees the band take a stylistic route further away from mainstream rock, and it's a nice separation. The electronic elements mix well with the post-hardcore elements of the record, and Rou Reynolds's versatile vocals ... read more

Very devious smirk.

Thundercat set his new album up nicely with the solid line of singles he released for it, laced with his intricate yet catchy basslines, vocals smoother than a marble kitchen counter and some brilliant features to compliment the laxed beats. Problem is, Distracted is very top-heavy; it gets the truly great tracks out of the way pretty quickly, and although the other tracks are fine, the listener's expectations are already high from the start of the record, making the ... read more

Big day for the patrons of that one bar in Brixton. You know the one.

Since black midi went their own ways, it's been a busy time for the members, for better - ie, the success of Geordie Greep's solo debut The New Sound - or for worse - ie, the tragic passing of Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin. Now, it's time to shine the spotlight on the band's former bassist, one Mr Cameron Picton, as his new adventure, My New Band Believe, unleash their debut studio album. In terms of the ... read more

DOOM metal > doom metal

Any metalhead can tell you for free that it doesn't click the first time round. If you hear a song you think you can stomach, it takes about ten listens before you can confidently call that song a banger. Even for a seasoned metalhead like myself, some songs take a few listens - hell, even whole genres or movements aren't easy to get into. Sunn O))) is not an example of that...

...because for me, it's never going to click.

The group's new ... read more

A masked band everyone can get behind.

Angine De Poitrine are easily the weirdest and most mysterious band out there right now. Their second studio album, aptly named Vol II, shows the world what they were missing out on, with this LP essentially being a continuation of their previous record, Vol I, as they have genuinely come from absolutely nowhere. They've somehow shot to virality seemingly overnight, with the drummer's floppy nose and the other guy's absolute BEAST of a ... read more

I let myself get too excited.

When I saw this cover, for the first time in my life, I found myself intrigued by a Central Cee release. It's a beautiful photo. Cench standing along at a bus stop, the quiet bustle of London nightlife in the background, with one solitary lamppost shining a light on him. Even the title of this new EP, ALL ROADS LEAD HOME. Beautiful in and of itself. Maybe this record could see a shift in Cench's music? Maybe he could get an introspective record, where we ... read more

"You're watching Disney Channel!" ahh album

So, Good Kid. TikTok's latest choice of a run-of-the-mill indie band to treat like the Second Coming of Christ. My first introduction to the band was when I got jumpscared by a Scott Pilgrim-style ad with Eastside blaring over the top of it. And, I'm sorry, but based off of how the rest of this album went, they should've picked literally ANY other track on this record as a single. But, no, they had to go with the ... read more

Can someone please water those flowers?

Xylitol clearly has all the right ideas as a jungle/breakcore producer, but on Blumenfantasie, she unfortunately fails to get them to expand on themselves, as plenty of these tracks feel like they have a lot of empty spaces in the production that could have been filled with something as simple as a soft pad, or some roomier reverb. The only track that comes a little bit close to this is Lights; it makes the song feel a lot more warmer, and it goes to ... read more

Grooviest djent album I've ever heard.

It's quite clear to see that I have nowhere near the level of experience others on this site have with ERRA, having only become aware of this band, and therefore this album, on the release day of this, silence outlives the earth. Due to my lack of experience with them, as I went further into this album, it became increasingly apparent that I was definitely missing out on something. Probably the fastest anybody's ever developed FOMO.

The ... read more

Smacking the bass on a nu-metal album is crazy work.

If I said this wasn't in the running for best metal album of the year, my nose would be longer than the Great Wall of China. Nightmare Tripping is an emphatic return to the scene for Bedford's best, consistent in quality and sound, and eats passion and fervour for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It baffles me how these guys can switch from nu metal and screamo to pop-adjacent and even FUNK, man, the absolute audacity of it! Don't ... read more