Woman, Justice’s third album, is also their least focused and least exciting one, despite the album itself still being solid. They haven’t lost the ability to create amazing songs- ‘Safe And Sound’ is a prime example of that- but it’s not nearly as cohesive or harmonious as their other two. The duo have kind of lost their edge here, and while there are still highlights to be found, it’s also the first Justice album that hasn’t felt unique to me. ... read more

French nu-disco producer Breakbot- a member of the dance label Ed Banger alongside artists like Justice, SebastiAn and Mr. Oizo- is most known for his 2010 track ‘Baby I’m Yours’ initially a hit in his home country, and later gained notoriety worldwide for accompanying the “Ladies and gentlemen, we got em” meme in 2018. By Your Side is the record that song came from and… it’s decent! It probably won’t come as much of a surprise that ‘Baby ... read more

Me And Giuliani By The School Yard (A True Story). It’s a mouthful of a name- a lot for a band named after some particularly excitable punctuation- but it’s a banger of a song. Pretty early on in the the dance-punk revival, this 9-minute barnstormer is a protest song of sorts against Masked Singer contestant and former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani’s enforcement of the New York City Cabaret Law, which helped to scupper much of the city’s burgeoning nightlife scene. It’s ... read more

He’s done it again! Knock Yourself Out XD is Porter Robinson Porter Robinsoning his way into making another catchy, stellar electropop banger tinged with 2010s nostalgia.

Fatty Spins could make anything off Paul’s Boutique, but the Beastie Boys could never make Doin’ Your Mom.

“I’m so three thousand and eight, you so two thousand and late” sings Fergie on The E.N.D (stands for The Energy Never Dies, by the way)’s opener, the irritating, somehow chart-topping single ‘Boom Boom Pow’. Of course, looking back, it seems like the Black Eyed Peas were themselves “two thousand and late” as if you tried to make this kind of music nowadays you’d likely be laughed out of the studio. It’s club-made, silly and also daft ... read more

When comparing reviews of Audio, Video, Disco. with Justice’s iconic 2007 debut †, it becomes apparent that many saw the duo’s 2011 follow up as quite the let down. Wrong! This album kicks ass! It’s like if you took a prog rock album and gave it an electric shock. A delightfully heavy, delightfully groovy electro-house album polished to a shine. Also, goes great with pasta as I’ve just found out.

Cosmo Sheldrake. What a name. It sounds part pretentious rich person, part children’s fantasy novel protagonist. Brilliant name. Pretty good album too! The best moments on this thing are refreshingly whimsical and densely packed with lush woodwind instruments and birdsong- the shuffling Shiny Is The View is a highlight, so is Half Past Three, a groovy, moodier number with a marching instrumental which comes together very harmoniously. Also really enjoyed the ambient interludes-of-sorts ... read more

I’m not really a massive Future fan but he performs well here, and WE DON’T TRUST YOU was solid on the whole. Metro’s production is decent and clicks really well with Future’s woozy, nonchalant style, plus the features are very impressive too- of course Kendrick’s verse on ‘Like That’ being a highlight (even though I think there were better songs as a whole than that one). Manages to not feel bloated despite being an hour long, which is honestly ... read more

For all of Kate Nash’s dry lyrics, chirpy vocals and sentimental instrumentals, Made Of Bricks can’t help but be dull. The album mostly ranges from cliched to forgettable to obnoxious with a good helping of cheese in there too. It kind of sounds like the musical version of a canned British soap opera from the mid noughties. Not really worth much time, there are better indie pop debuts out there.

In terms of songs released by British musicians named after a year from the 2000s, 2001 by Foals certainly has 2002 by Anne-Marie or 2005 by James Blunt beat.

Quite a farcical Put Your Records on cover. I guess Ritt Momney at least tried to make it interesting- of course he’s failed spectacularly, because this just plain bad. There’s precisely one part of this song I enjoy and it’s those twinkly synths during the chorus. Everything else ranges from “okay but why” to “what the actual fuck Ritt”.

Start Clanging Cymbals is one of a kind. Experimental pop trio Voka Gentle present an eclectic mix of down to earth, folksy instrumentals and vaguely surreal, poetic lyrics, interspersed with transcendent synths and electronics- whilst presenting new ideas around every corner and managing to integrate them suprisingly naturally. Take “Oystercatcher”, a stunning track which leads you in with soft vocals, (i think) biblical-adjacent lyrics and gentle (ha, like what the band is called) ... read more

Bleh teams up with ugh to make I Don’t Wanna Wait.

Not sure how I feel about Deep Cuts. There’s a lot of experimental and out there stuff on this album, and much of it doesn’t really go over well. I sometimes feel as though, kinda in spite of the cold, minimalist synth-pop soundscapes of tracks like ‘You Make Me Like Charity’, the band throw too much at the wall, esp with weird vocal effects and the like. They also seem to be dead set on incorporating calypso influences into their music, for example, and basically every ... read more

Are we gonna have to sit through several years of whatever a “Benson Boone” is on the charts? I do hope not, because the majority of Fireworks & Rollerblades is just more generic, uninspiring alt pop sludge for the ever growing pile of generic, uninspiring alt pop sludge.

Ohio Players is alright. Good fun sometimes, even. Beck’s influence in the production is clear for sure and I think it pays off at the start (esp on the first song “This Is Nowhere”) although after four or five tracks it begins to feel a little stale- never dismal or anything- it just stops standing out. For me, the album’s weakest point were the features, especially Lil Noid and Juicy J’s rap verses, both of which were weirdly hemmed in at the end of their ... read more

Jungle’s hit Back On 74 is perhaps proof you can make a track that’s inoffensive and wallpaper-y yet still unique. It’s a groovy slice of 70s-harkening escapism that was clearly made with care.

† is an impressive album in its own right, and once you learn it was made with GarageBand it becomes a total marvel. It’s got a scintillating sound palette- combining a groovy, deeply stylised mix of influences ranging from French house to hard rock and a lot in between- and the way it balances light and dark- with the brilliant disco highs of “D.A.N.C.E” or “DVNO” with loud, abrasive electro house like “Waters Of Nazareth”- is a sight to behold. ... read more

The song might be called Changes, but Empire Of The Sun appear to have avoided changing their sound like the plague, despite the long hiatus. Honestly, it’s a positive- in a sea of electropop they still have enough to stand out.