A really special and intimate album that rewards repeated listens. I wrote more about this album at
https://open.substack.com/pub/thenicenice/p/album-review-my-new-band-believe
Definitely a band that benefits from the dynamics of live performance. After the world got used to the sound of that great KEXP session, the versions of the same songs on this album sound a little flat. It’s still a very fun and lively album, the polka-infused Utzp being a real stand out, but the production lets this album down massively. I look forward to seeing what their next record sounds like, but more than that I look forward to seeing them later this year as I feel that will be the ... read more
This was a nice surprise. Paired back and tender instrumentals with all the wit of a Father John Misty record if you traded Tillman’s irony for acerbic bite. Yeah, proper good record this.
Where the band have flirted with slower ballads before, they’ve jumped in feet first with that sound in Ultra Dundee. Bad//Dreems are a more mature band on this record, and even though I like their faster and harder garage rock roots, this slower pace really suits them. They were a bit ahead of the more recent surge of Australian bands that seem to be everywhere these days, but they’ve just gotten better and better with each release. Sad that this album may be their last, but if it ... read more
Enjoyed the heavier moments of this album, but the more melodic parts felt a little forced or unnatural.
Doesn’t have the bangers that Free Humans did, but as an album this was quite lovely. I appreciate how these albums aren’t just Richard Dawson albums but with a band, and enjoyed the amount of Welsh on this one.
It’s been a dry start to the year, so finally we have something exciting that smacks you around the face. This is great. Score might fluctuate but for now, it’s the best thing I’ve heard this year.
A very sparse album with some really nice piano parts, but makes some really cheap attempts at plucking at the heartstrings. I much prefer Moby’s older output, and I only listened to this as it’s been a bit of a thin start of the year for releases but yeah, this was fine.
I think I’m done with the whole Dry Cleaning thing now. This sounds like more of the same, which is fine, but we don’t need a third album of this. They’re a fun live band but this just washed over me.
Another stunning EP from Westside Cowboy. They’ve stealthily become one of the UK’s most promising bands. I’m really liking the slower direction of this EP, with the opening and closing tracks in particular feeling like a real step up in songwriting from the band. Will always be happy to see a new bunch of songs from this band.
A Sleaford Mods song done over the theme from The Magic Roundabout is so hideously on the nose for this band, that sums the album up in itself.
Incredibly nostalgic listen, I’ve not really listened to much music like this since I was maybe 22? 23? In a way I should bemoan the genre for not really moving on in all that time, but the lead vocals really cut through this in a way that makes the album feel fresh. Their bass player has chops as well. Either way, I only came across this from one of their videos showing up on YouTube, and I’m glad I clicked through.
21 songs. 22 minutes. Classic Molina. I prefer when he’s aping Weezer than The Beach Boys, but always happy to have another album of 70 second songs.
Probably looking on this more favourably in the wake of that boring Mountain Goats album.
Very different to his first album, and you can certainly feel the influence his film scores have had on his instrumentals, but god this is a stunning piece of work.
There’s plenty here to appease fans of the first album as the front half of the record is loaded with bangers SK1, SK2, and Jerskin Fendrix Freestyle, whilst also providing lighter but rhythmically complex songs like the opening double-act of Beth’s Farm and Princess that hint at the poignancy of what is to come, ... read more
It probably goes against the Geneva convention to compare Taylor Swift to Kanye West, but post Life Of Pablo when everything was good in his life his music became extremely boring because he had nothing to write about any more; he wasn’t hungry for anything. The same thing has happened to Taylor Swift. These last couple of albums have been absolutely dire. Just totally uninspired and churned out music; just ask any generative AI to make a Taylor Swift song, you’ll get more of this ... read more
A career spanning setlist in front of a hometown crowd, this should be the Mods at their strongest. The setlist on paper is solid with some early deep cuts that were a treat to hear live. The band came out of the gates around the time of Jobseeker with enough energy to kill an elephant, but with each subsequent release and with growing popularity they’ve felt just that little more detached and tired. There’s not much else like being in the thick of a Sleaford Mods crowd, but when ... read more
I don’t get the Phoebe Bridgers/boygenius comparisons; this album sounds a lot more hopeful than both of those acts’ outputs. There’s a great mixture of more melodic folk numbers and scrappier indie fare on this album that Jasmine’s voice really excels at. Her singing really elevates these tracks from being just alright to quite wonderful. The pacing of the album feels slightly off - just when you’re getting used to the tempo kicking up you’re dumped back ... read more
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