Editors' Picks

Brighton quartet The Magic Gang won swathes of music fans over with their self-titled debut album that was about as feel-good a record as the indie scene produces. Packed with harmonious sunshine-tinged carefree tunes, it was a wonderful record and one that marked the band out as ones to watch.

It’s almost twenty years since American rockers Throwing Muses truly felt like part of the contemporary music landscape. After emerging as one of the defining alternative US bands of the late 1980s, they seemingly lost their way – and their interest – in the mid-1990s and the group disbanded, leaving lead singer Kristin Hersh to pursue a solo career.

From the howling vocal ad-libs to the intricate piano interludes with weaving musical arpeggios, this Avant-garde, from the howling vocal ad-libs to the intricate piano interludes with weaving musical arpeggios, this Avant-garde, freak folk style new release is organized chaos in audible form.

Indie pop foursome Fickle Friends emerged from the Brighton music scene in the mid-2010s with an undeniably impressive work ethic. In a bid to land a record deal, the group played 53 festivals in two years before being signed by Polydor Records, who recorded the band’s debut album, 2018’s You Are Someone Else, in Los Angeles with Brit Award-winning producer Mike Crossey. It reached number nine in the UK Album’s Chart and received some excellent reviews.

Welsh electronic musician and producer Kelly Lee Owens took an unusual step with the release of Inner Song, her second album and the follow up to 2017’s self-titled debut album which received widespread critical acclaim. With the Coronavirus pandemic looming large over us all, she chose to delay the release of her new album as a gesture of solidarity with record stores that had been forced to shut their doors.

If nothing else, Rudimental’s ‘Come Over’ presents one of the most inspiring tempos of 2020. As a master producer band, Rudimental know all too well about mixing up the beats and rhythms to develop pieces that are exhilarating, dynamic, and impassioned at the same time. This time around, they’ve listed the talents of fellow British artists Anne Marie and Tion Wayne to help take this feature onto the next level. 

Sasha Sloan’s ‘House With No Mirrors’ exemplifies the beauty of a simple, straightforward melody. At a time when the preferred style for most female artists seems to lean on the side of loud, showy, and explosive, it’s genuinely refreshing to see an artist touch upon her own vulnerabilities.

When two of the biggest names in pop music come together for a collaboration, you know it’s going to be worth a listen. The Weeknd and Calvin Harris’s ‘Over Now’ is a velvety-smooth drive through the nostalgic years of R&B and retro.

This is an easy review to write. With Lie Out Loud London-based four-piece BLOXX have composed an album that is stuffed full of smart, insanely catchy and well crafted indie-pop goodness. And if that’s your cup of tea, and even if it isn’t, you should go and give it a listen right now.

It’s a little bit of a paradox that Conor Oberst has arguably never been more well known than he is right now thanks to a string of solo albums that have made him, if not quite a household name then at least not far from it, but his most well-known moniker – that of Bright Eyes – haven’t released an album in almost a decade.

If you haven’t heard of Jerry Joseph, don’t worry, I’m sure you’re not alone. He’s had the kind of life and career in music that reads like a novel. From incarceration and being sent to boarding school in New Zealand as a child, to founding non-profit the Nomad Music Organization, and touring the world as a solo artist and with his succession of bands, from 1980s rock-reggae outfit Little Women to supergroup Stockholm Syndrome, and plenty more in-between, he’s amassed an enormous back catalogue and plenty of stories along the way.

Now into their fifth decade together, electro synth-pop duo Erasure have seen it all in their glittering career. As one of the pioneering acts of the UK electronica scene, they crossed over into enormous commercial success and became one of the biggest bands of the 1980s and 1990s. Incredibly, between 1986 and 2007, they achieved 24 consecutive Top 40 hits in the UK, and to date, they’ve sold over 25 million records.

Tennessee-born singer, songwriter and actress Mandy Barnett has one eye firmly on the past with her latest release, A Nashville Songbook. Her eighth studio album, released through Place Music / BMG, is a collection of covers of American country classics, taking in a wide range of artists including Kris Kristofferson, Roy Orbison, and Elvis Presley.

This is a truly 21st-century release, a record for our Coronavirus times. It is, rather wonderfully, a five-track collection of songs written by Snow Patrol in collaboration with their fans – referred to here as The Saturday Songwriters – with the creative process taking place through Instagram Live songwriting sessions hosted by the band’s frontman Gary Lightbody during the lockdown period.

New York rockers The Lemon Twigs have a heck of a backstory. Fronted by brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario, who appeared in Broadway shows and in a variety of TV shows and films as children, their last album, 2018’s Go To School, was a concept album about a chimpanzee raised as a human child and forced into education. Yes, really.

Singer and guitarist Brian Sella and drummer Mathew Uychich, known collectively as American lo-fi folk-punk outfit The Front Bottoms, took a sizeable creative risk with their previous album Going Grey, which they uncharacteristically packed with synths. It was a fine album, but their seventh release, In Sickness And In Flames, finds us back in familiar territory.

Comprised of Dale Norton (vocals), Callum Norton (drums), Jamie Darby (guitar), Thomas Ford (bass), and David Hardstone (guitar/keyboard), Broken Hands are an energetic stadium rock band hailing from Kent who have been playing together for well over a decade. Their debut album, Turbulence, was released last year and earned the outfit airplay and press coverage with the likes of Radio`1, The Independent and Clash.

London four-piece Sea Girls have been one of the hottest upcoming names in indie circles for what feels like years now. With a string of four EPs in the last three years, a host of singles under their belt, a reputation for high energy live shows and a nomination for the BBC Sound Of 2019 poll, they’re a band with all the components in place to take the world by storm.

The Killers conquered the world in the mid-2000s with their electro-tinged floor-filling indie rock blockbusters, and while they may never have quite hit those heady heights again, they nevertheless still fill arenas and headline festivals around the world and probably always will, and every single one of their previous five studio albums has hit number one in the UK charts.

The Manic Street Preachers have built a career around politically vocal, guitar-driven indie rock. A solo concept album paying tribute to the life and work of Chilean teacher, theatre director, poet, singer-songwriter and communist activist Victor Jara, from the band’s lead singer James Dean Bradfield, seems a natural progression then.

Scottish rock behemoths Biffy Clyro are pretty much a national institution these days. One of the UK’s biggest acts across any genre, their march to the mainstream has been unstoppable since 2007’s game-changing album Puzzle, which spawned the top-20 hit singles Saturday Superhouse, Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies, and Folding Stars, and reached number two in the UK albums chart. When X-Factor’s Matt Cardle reached number one with a cover of their track Many Of Horror a decade ago, their status as household names was confirmed.

Enigmatic country music star Orville Peck is hard to unravel. From his decision to wear a tasselled mask at all times – it’s claimed he’s never shown his face in public – to his intriguing back story that takes in ballet and musical theatre, it’s hard to know where the artist ends and the man behind the mask begins. Orville Peck, itself, is a pseudonym. He is a riddle, a puzzle, a mystery.

Wakefield indie-rock trio The Cribs have confirmed details of their first new album since 2017. Out on 13 November, it’s titled Night Network and is preceded by lead single Running Into You, which is available now and is accompanied by a video co-directed by Andy Knowles and Nick Scott.

In his thirty-nine short years on this Earth, Jason Molina was unbelievably prolific. Between his output as Songs: Ohia and the transition into Magnolia Electric Co., as well as his solo work, Molina released sixteen albums, eight EPs, and a large volume of singles.

It’s been a busy few months for American indie-folk ensemble Bon Iver. After dropping their single PDLIF (Please Don’t Live In Fear) in April, with all proceeds from the track going to Direct Relief, a company that is providing resources during the Coronavirus pandemic, they popped up again in July on exile, the second single from Taylor Swift’s new album Folklore, scoring their biggest hit in the USA to date as the song reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100.

Dublin indie-rock outfit Somebody’s Child have been attracting followers with their steady slew of single releases over the last few months, songs taken, for the most part, from 20-Something, this debut EP release which landed in early August.

If you’ve not heard of singer-songwriter-producer-actor-global superstar Finneas, I can guarantee you will at least of heard of his sibling: Bille Eilish.

Aussie pop-punk party starters Stand Atlantic are back with their second album, Pink Elephant, the sequel to 2018’s immensely enjoyable Skinny Dipping.

Pop and RnB mainstay Brandy has dropped her first studio album in eight years, and it is her most personal and reflective offering to date. Her seventh release, the aptly titled “B7,” tackles some very real and deep issues. The singer has spoken of the album being cathartic, and almost a form of therapy for her own mental health challenges.

You’ve probably heard about Catrin Vincent’s voice by now, even if you haven’t actually heard it. Since her band Another Sky emerged onto the scene, critics and music fans have been falling over themselves in amazement at the frightening, devastating, all-consuming highs and lows she reaches. The Guardian music critic Caroline Sullivan described it as “the strangest, most haunting voice I’ve heard in ages.” It is as otherworldly as you can imagine a human voice can be.

Sam Smith’s latest single ‘My Oasis’ featuring Nigerian artist Burna Boy stands by its title; it is the perfect representation of the emotional ‘oasis’ that is found in the wake of love. Sam Smith’s voice is one of the most impassioned in the industry — moody, light, yet aching with emotion.

Irish indie outfit The Coronas don’t have the most marketable of names given the current global situation – something they addressed in their recent interview with us – but that hasn’t stopped them from releasing their sixth studio album True Love Waits this week.Whether that’s a PR disaster or an ingenious bit of brand strategising, only time will tell.

Everywhere you go, Billie Eilish’s name seems to be projected on every street corner, and talked about by just about everybody.

Jon Anderson remains one of the most iconic voices and songwriters in prog rock. His more than forty-year history with Yes yielded some of the genre’s defining tracks, and saw the band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. Yet throughout his career, Anderson has constantly sought out other creative channels for his music, from working with the likes of King Crimson, Tangerine Dream, and Vangelis, to his own prolific solo career.

Loveable West Coast punk troubadours NOFX and English folk-punk poet Frank Turner aren’t the most unlikely of bedfellows, but even so, a Frank Turner / NOFX split covers record must have turned some heads when it was announced.

Scottish rockers Biffy Clyro have further whet their fans’ appetites for the upcoming release of their new album A Celebration Of Endings – due out on August 14th – by dropping a new single from the record, titled Weird Leisure. It’s a typical Biffy track, with rapid tempo changes, and a dizzying array of guitars and drums tunnelled out by frontman Simon Neil’s trademark voice.

Jagged Little Pill took Alanis Morissette from the middle of the road dance-pop and ballads of her first two albums and made her one of the 1990s defining female voices. It was a sardonic, yet melody-driven behemoth of a record that has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide and paved the way for a whole new generation of women in music.

Bastille is back and better than ever in their latest single ‘What You Gonna Do’. In the last couple of years, the English band has dabbled in mostly light pop with strokes of alternative thrown in.

Sam Fischer’s latest number ‘The Usual’ is a sombre melody that doesn’t hold back from the damning matters of the heart.

Ava Max’s latest single ‘Who’s Laughing Now’ is a delightful, infectious tune that showcases the artist as one of the most empowering singers in her generation.

The world has been blessed once again with another song from Jacob Collier, Straight Outta Love his fifth and final single from his upcoming album Djesse Vol. 3.

Often, when bands or artist release demo compilations or albums, it can feel a bit like trying to cash in. Such compilations tend to offer little to the uninitiated, but can be treasure troves for dedicated fans, who want nothing more than to see deeper inside the genesis of some of their favourite songs.

Lori Mckenna is a huge name within American country music. As a songwriter, she won the Grammy Award for Best Country Song in 2016 for co-writing Little Big Town’s hit single Girl Crush, which was also nominated for Song of the Year.

It’s impossible to review any of the work of Steven Gene Wold – better known as Seasick Steve – without viewing it through the lens of his own enigma. How much, or otherwise, you buy into his well-publicised and analysed back story probably influences what and how much you take from his music, but at surface level at least, he continues to specialise in incredibly accessible blues rock with a big old slice of Americana on the side.

Kiwi electronic duo The Naked and Famous, now comprised of just Alisa Xayalith (vocals, keyboards) and Thom Powers (vocals, guitars), are back with their fourth studio album, Recover, their first full-length release since 2016’s Simple Forms.

Arizona native Courtney Marie Andrews has already packed an awful lot into her career, despite being just 29 years old. From touring at the age of 16, to working as a session musician and backing singer for acts including Jimmy Eat World and Damien Jurado, and all the way up to 2018’s critically acclaimed solo album May Your Kindness Remain, she has transcended styles and genres, with often spectacular results.

As one half of Moon Duo and the frontman of west coast psychedelic rockers Wooden Shjips, Ripley Johnson must be a busy man. Add to that, he’s now released his second album as Rose City Band, his almost one-man show of hazy, dreamy country rock.

Ask any Metallica fan what their least favourite album is from the metal titans and you will inevitably get the same answer. “St Anger,” which dropped in mid-2003, has not earned the same favour as any of their other releases. Likewise, critics have often offered low reviews, and few have had good things to say about it.

London-based singer, songwriter, artist and producer Anna Straker has released a stirring new track, accompanied by a beautiful video. “London Knows” is a masterfully constructed piece of music that will tug at your heartstrings and fill you with a sense of hope and desire to heal. 

Vastly reminiscent of times past in multiple genres, such as post-rock and hardcore, while also looking ahead in sound and style, Honeyspider’s latest single Marbles is a treat to listen to.

Manchester-based rockers The Blinders are back with their second studio album, the superbly titled Fantasies Of A Stay At Home Psychopath, which was produced by Rob Ellis, released through Modern Sky UK, and is available to buy and stream now.

As if this song wasn’t epic enough when it first dropped in April, Florida metal titans Trivium have gone and outdone themselves. An acoustic version of “Bleed into Me” has just landed, available on all streaming platforms and it truly is something special. 

Lancaster rockers Massive Wagons have been writing killer rock songs and enjoying doing it for over a decade now, nurturing a reputation for high energy shows mixed with a healthy dose of high jinks along the way.

David Bowden, otherwise known as Pink Sweat$, has been gaining momentum at a frightening rate for an artist whose debut album is yet to be released. His upward trajectory has been propelled in large part by his hit song Honesty, which racked up an incredible two million streams on Spotify in less than eight weeks when it was released in 2018, and currently has more than 35 million plays on YouTube.

Anne-Marie and Doja Cat team up for their laid-back, slice-of-life number ‘To Be Young’. The former has built a reputation out of creating playful, charming tunes that encapsulate what it’s like to be a young millennial in this day and age.

Picture the corniest dramatic scene from a romantic movie in your head: the rain’s gently sizzling on the window, all the while the couple on the screen are slow dancing to themselves with a hazing tune playing on a cheap radio. Well, that tune very well might be Someday, Somewhere, Palace’s wonderful, heart-tugging new single.

Matthew Murphy’s debut solo album under his Love Fame Tragedy moniker (taken from a Pablo Picasso exhibition) landed last week, and it’s an interesting mix of sounds and styles from one of the current indie scene’s longest-serving songwriters.

What is the secret recipe to make a summer hit song? If you posed this question to a producer, they would most likely answer with the following: popping electronic drums on an energetic tempo, acoustic guitar coupled with thin Stratocaster chord punches, catchy vocal melodies, heavy compression, all toppled with a variety of production gimmicks finished with a seasoning of synth swoops and plucks. Just thinking on all those, you could probably make your own summer anthem for your thoughts alone, or you could be blackbear and exercise all these in an eccentric new summer anthem, queen of broken hearts.

Zara Larsson’s latest single ‘Love Me Land’ is a sparkling declaration of love. The Swedish singer and songwriter have never shied away from embracing her glamorous, seductive energy, and she does so with aplomb in her latest venture.

Aussie three-piece DMA’s have made a name for themselves as a swaggering indie rock band shaped by the heady heights of the Britpop days. Comprised of Thomas O’Dell (lead vocals), Matthew Mason (lead guitar, backing vocals) and Johnny Took (guitar), their first two albums, 2016’s Hills End and For Now in 2018, both cracked the top ten of the album charts in their homeland, and last year they collected the ultimate lad rock accolade of supporting Liam Gallagher on tour.

Jasmine Rose Wilson, who writes and performs as Baby Rose, has one of those voices that just stops you in your tracks. It’s husky and haunting but with a delicate undertone that has you hanging on her every word; it’s rich enough to fill an arena but intimate enough to feel like she’s singing to you and you alone. And she’s got the songs to go with it.

Fresh-faced and hotly tipped for success, The Academic crashed into the Irish charts when their debut album Tales from the Backseat hit number one back in 2018, propelled in part by smash hit single Bear Claws, and it’s ‘live looper’ music video which went viral and racked up over one million views on YouTube in its first 48 hours.

The three singles that have been released prior to Jacob’s newest offering, He Won’t Hold You, have been absolutely stellar to say the least.

Margo Price is one of the undisputed rising stars of the country scene. Her story – from drug use, a spell in prison and one of homelessness, to the tragic loss of her infant son – means shes endured more than her share of pain, and can walk the walk as well as talk the talk.

There can be few musicians as prolific as Mike Kinsella. In his various guises with bands including Cap’n Jazz, American Football, Joan of Arc, and Owls, the Chicago-born singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has released an astonishing 43 albums since 1995.

At the end of June, Manic Street Preachers frontman James Dean Bradfield released two new singles from his upcoming solo album Even In Exile, which is due for release on August 14.

Emily Burns’ newest single, Curse, is truly a gem in disguise. Upon first listening to the track, one might think that this song rides on the sound Finneas and Billie Eilish have built in the last few years: Emily’s voice is meek and vulnerable, backed by a shy piano and dreamy synth-scapes cradling the composition.

Rodney, CMAT’s newest single, feels like a warm serving of the favorite dish your mom makes for you when you come back home. It always feels like you haven’t had it in a long time, and tastes of memories and nostalgia. 

Loveday is back with a brand-new single, fresh off her last offering “Superficial Life” earning airplay on BBC’s Radio 1.

Pop newcomer Kiara Nelson is back with her second offering since her debut single “Adore You” captivated us all and earned over 1.5 million streams on Spotify. Her new single, “Kisses For Breakfast” is as sweet as it is catchy. It is a track that feels destined to fill dancefloors everywhere, a delicious fusion of pop, soul and R&B. Truly, the ultimate part crowd pleasing combination.

Australian four-piece Spacey Jane have been winning fans in their homeland and beyond over the last couple of years with their own brand of raucous but deeply melodic sounds and a swiftly growing reputation for breathless live shows and knockout festival performances.

Phoebe Bridgers has the world at her feet. With her highly accomplished and lauded debut album Stranger in the Alps already under her belt, and blossoming projects with darlings of the indie world Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus (Boygenius), and Conor Oberst (Better Oblivion Community Center) gathering steam and winning fans, it’s easy to forget that Bridgers is just 25 years old.

Country artist Jason Aldean has warmed our hearts with a beautiful new video for his latest single “Got What I Got.” Giving us a sneak peek into his life behind the music, Aldean shares some very personal moments with his family.

It’s more than 15 years since Ray LaMontagne was catapulted to international fame with his debut album Trouble, a folk rock smash hit that sold more than half a million copies worldwide and made the Nashua-born singer-songwriter a household name, despite his often publicised desire to stay firmly out of the limelight.

Raised in London, with Irish and Egyptian heritage, Shaefri’s music is as worldly and eclectic as you might expect. Her vocals, meanwhile, have a hypnotic, almost otherworldly quality to them, which combine to give her a sound that is truly her own. She has written with a number of artists and producers in the last few years, including Major Lazer, Christine and the Queens, and Daft Punk.

Evanescence are a staple when it comes to early 2000’s emo/rock anthems. Fans of the genre and casual listeners alike all around the world could easily come together in harmony and belt the chorus for the band’s 2003 opus, Bring Me to Life. Everyone knows that song.

David Gilmour is an industry titan. He has a career spanning well over sixty years now, being a part of Pink Floyd and highly regarded as one of the greatest guitar players to ever exist.

Another Sky’s newest single, Fell In Love With The City, is a musical journey.

Jacob Collier is back with his third single for his upcoming multi-album project, Djesse Vol. 3. In the same vein as the previous tracks released from the album, Time Alone With You and In My Bones, this song pulses in electric beauty, which is very jarring when you compared it to his other work from last year’s Djesse Vol 2, such as Feel and It Don’t Matter.

Charlie Puth’s latest single ‘Girlfriend’ is the funky pop earworm his fans have been absolutely itching for. It’s smooth, it’s suave, it’s got a killer bassline reminiscent of Puth’s earlier works — the slow but striking notes on the synth will immediately beguile you from the get-go.