On The Balcony, Catfish and the Bottlemen announce themselves as a big emerging British band with a collection of simplistic but catchy anthems designed for singalong moments at live shows. For a debut album this is a solid effort and I’m excited to see what they’ve got nex…….. wait, this isn’t The Balcony?

A Loyle Carner record is just that, a Loyle Carner record; it’s incomparable to other artists and it’s that distinctive sound that always makes his projects a joy. Comparisons can always be made between a sophomore album and a debut album, and for me the debut SLIGHTLY out shines the sophomore. That being said, this is still one of my favourite records of the year and a quality way for Carner to expand his discography so early in what should be a fruitful ... read more

With passionate vocals and singularity in her performance levels that haven't been seen since the likes of obvious influencer KT Tunstall, Jade Bird's eponymous debut album offers up a warm and welcome collection of tracks to give her a solid beginning to her career. It isn't the most captivating thing you'll ever listen to and there are songs on here that grow tiresome fairly easily, but it's a pretty decent start for a young solo artist who is trying to carve her own way into the world of ... read more

This is an album designed for all of us who have the belief that so-called "pop-punk" isn't dead, so thank you very much for this PUP. The Toronto based band serve up a whole host of catchy tracks on their third album Morbid Stuff in a loud and unequivocally off-the-wall approach. It's an album that is unconventionally paced but in a good way, as it displays angsty feelings in a way only punk rock bands know; with frantic guitar riffs and loud bangers.

Straight off the bat you can just tell this album is so goddamn important. The Irish post-punk outfit absolutely nail it lyrically and conceptually with their debut album Dogrel, and it has some absolute bangers on there to match. Honestly I can full appreciate the power and contextual message this album sends and I do really enjoy it, but without meaning to come across narrow-minded, the vocals are what makes this album fall for me. The accent is strong and over-powering, making it really ... read more

It pays a price to be the literal biggest and most popular boyband on planet Earth, and the results have shown here on the new BTS project. The beats are run of the mill with pretty unimaginative sample techniques and while the vocal performances are energetic, it isn't something I can really get on board with. None of that will truly matter though because their fanbase is too strong to have the words of critics damage their rise. All in all I would describe this as a bit too in your face for ... read more

The 25 year veterans The Chemical Brothers' latest album is a fresh breath of life and ingenuity into the duo's dazzling career, serving as their best body of work in well over a decade. It's as electro-funky as we've come to expect and surprisingly forward thinking for a group who really don't need to be so progressive at this Autumn stage of their musical shelf life. No Geography is a sprinkle of cohesion, a dash of futuristic sound and a big old dollop of fun; not many dance groups can make ... read more

Her Diamonds have been dropped, but while MARINA has trimmed her old name; it was probably her album that needed a bit more cutting down. It's hard to fault the intent and effort of LOVE + FEAR as a pulsating pop effort, but the moments of true serenity and importance are intertwined with moments of crippling disenchantment. For every Handmade Heaven there is a BABY, for every Emotional Machine there is a Too Afraid. This could have been so much more, but sadly it falls under the category of ... read more

I feel like Circa Waves have become one of those bands that suffer greatly from the quality of their debut album, perhaps putting too much into that and running out of ideas thereafter. Their third album What's It Like Over There? is a pretty run of the mill indie rock album with not an awful lot of replay value. Sorry I'm Yours and Passport are solid tracks but the whole thing tends to blend together and you start to lose interest pretty quickly. With that being said, Movies is a major ... read more

I'll come right out and say it: the production on this thing absolutely bangs. Whether it's a grandiose jazz hit or a trap-drum inspired pop banger, Lizzo absolutely nails it instrumentally and she has more than enough personality and energy to carry herself through. We all knew Juice was a monumental bop and it turns out the whole thing follows suit as Lizzo displays not just her killer singing voice but also some pretty nifty rap flows. It's a good job I gave this album a good score really ... read more

This could have been absolutely incredible. Diplo is a world class producer, Labrinth is a fantastic singer/songwriter and Sia is, as artists of the new age go, one of the most polarising figures around. Instead, the result was over-produced extra bollocks. The lyrics are so utterly cringeworthy at times it makes me wonder how any of the three involved, all known for the quality product they produced, could have let it ever be released. Thunderclouds is the only song here that really lives up ... read more

Khalid is a bonafide star off the back of his sweet and serene debut album American Teen, an album I actually enjoyed quite a lot. He has ventured into even more mainstream territory in recent times with collaborations alongside the likes of Marshmello, Calvin Harris and Billie Eilish and while his voice is still as enchanting as ever on this new album; the content irks me greatly. Uninspired lyricism, bloated production that somehow manages to sound over-the-top and boring all at the same ... read more

After a year long break from their five album run in 2017, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard returned with a new sound, a new drive and a new source of inspiration. The result is perhaps the band's most refined and impressive work to date; quite the compliment given the band's consistently commendable discography. If Fishing For Fishies does one thing, it's live up to the theme of boogieing, serving as one of the most enjoyable albums you're likely to hear this year.

On their fifth album Social Cues, Cage The Elephant delve into pastures new and old while exploring some of their most personal subject matters to date. Despite this and the obvious moments of class and intrigue, this album feels somewhat laboured and lacking in comparison with their previous efforts.

Just under five months after the release of his last album Oxnard, Anderson .Paak returns to his crooning best with a soulful trip into the roots of jazz and funk music. Oxnard was his rap coming-of-age, but Ventura is where Anderson feels most at home, releasing slick and seductive neo-soul from the heart with an extra dose of finger snapping.

At only three tracks long, Kevin Abstract has left this short and sweet whilst managing to leave a strong lasting impression. ARIZONA baby is three brilliant songs that have left fans wanting more. Lucky for us we’ll get his next EP, Ghettobaby, on the 18th and presumably another project on the 25th. As a reintroduction to Abstract’s solo work, this is a mighty fine effort.

http://viberant.co.uk/2019/04/13/kevin-abstract-arizona-baby-ep-review/

On their studio debut album with Distiller Records, the Northern trio Cassia bring a cool flavour of anthemic indie music which sounds tailor made for a beach party. There's a really refreshing attitude on Replica, something which sounds vibrant and colourful; this album was designed to brighten up pretty dreary days.

Billie and her brother Finneas have let their imaginations run wild on this project, showing maturity in their musical IQ’s yet allowing their youthfulness to flow throughout the album. Teenagers will more likely find themselves relating to this more than they will most projects this year. It’s fully immersive, sonically pleasing, and uniquely presented. Without question this will be one of the best and most assured debut albums of 2019, one that has left Eilish on the biggest ... read more

Weezer have spent the last few years becoming a parody of themselves, releasing music that could be considered as criminally bad in comparison to the early brilliance of the likes of Pinkerton and Weezer (The Blue Album). Well I can confirm that they're well and truly at it again here with The Black Album, crafting a cringeworthy pop sounding album that absolutely reeks of four old dudes past their prime. On the opening track Can't Knock The Hustle, Rivers Cuomo utters the lyric "leave a ... read more

There was an unsurprising amount of hype around this album given the rich feature list, offering up the likes of Pharrell Williams, HAIM and The Weeknd for us all to enjoy. While I did reasonably enjoy Lost in the Fire, I can't help but feel that was strictly down to The Weeknd's performance; the production on this album is a bit of a dumpster fire. It sounds like Gesaffelstein falls victim to trying to hard to be different and memorable (pretty ironic given the fact the cover art is just a ... read more