Up On Gravity Hill might be a masterclass in how an album’s production can completely dictate our perception of an artist. For the uninitiated, METZ are a noisy trio of punkers who hail from the Canadian capital of Ottawa and have never had a line-up change! From the late 2000s, the band turned local basements and clubs into saunas with their visceral and adrenaline-spiking lo-fi postpunk, and the rest of the world finally got to hear it for themselves when their self-titled debut was released on Sub Pop in 2012. With a steady release of a new studio album every couple of years, Up on Gravity ..read more

It’s been a long-awaited return for Vampire Weekend fans, and their fifth studio album, Only God Was Above Us (OGWAU) does not disappoint. Breaking away from their previous Afro-Americana and folk-inspired sounds, this album is a refreshing dive into a plethora of musical styles, returning to the band’s adventurous and experimental roots. In the band’s new behind-the-scenes podcast Vampire Campfire members Ezra Koenig, CT (Chris Tompson) and Baio (Chris Baio) speak about the album being influenced by everything from 20th century NYC to Russian icons, to the greatest nondefense construction pr ..read more

Mercury prize nominations, Elton John collaborations and US chat show TV appearances: 2022 was quite the year for Yard Act following the release of debut The Overload. Repeat the same process again for album two then, right? Not quite. On Where’s My Utopia? their creative boots are strapped on for an new exploration of eclectic terrain, ending up as a fun, reflective exercise full of quirky charm. Where’s My Utopia? leaps far beyond their, occasionally, one-note and undercooked debut. And soon into the record, you’ll be questioning if we can even call them a post-punk band at all. Yard Act’s ..read more

Colouring (not to be confused with the mindfulness activity/children’s art task) is the solo project of Nottingham songwriter Jack Kenworthy. Once a band of four, Colouring has taken on a dual identity since 2020 as both the singer-songwriter’s career and his main cathartic outlet. Following on from 2021’s Wake, troubled times and unspeakable sadness have been melted down and reforged into the poignant but celebratory Love to You, Mate. Drawing art from tragedy can be a difficult task but for Kenworthy, it appears as though the art is made as a natural reaction to harrowing events – in the c ..read more

Bristol punks IDLES are back again with TANGK – the boys are loved up and on a mission to further their sound progression without losing their distinctive boisterousness. As a follow up to 2021’s CRAWLER, the newly discovered terrain marks TANGK as their most accomplished record yet. Over the years, IDLES have established a confrontational reputation. An explosive attack on racist, sexist and homophobic viewpoints. Champions of society’s underdog: a middle finger to the Right. Emerging during the culture war years of post-Brexit Britain, 2017’s Brutalism provided a punchy introduction, but it ..read more

In the enchanting realm of winter melodies, the seasonal symphony extends far beyond the jingling bells and festive cheer of Christmas tunes. As the snow blankets the world in a hush of serenity, these eight winter songs offer a captivating soundtrack that transcends the holiday season. From the haunting piano-driven notes of Tori Amos’ “Winter” to the indie-folk charm of Angus & Julia Stone’s “Snow,” this eclectic compilation captures the diverse essence of winter, steering clear of the customary Christmas carol path. Join us on a musical journey through the frosty landscapes, introspect ..read more

ØXN, a doom folk quartet, comprises Lankum vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Radie Peat, producer John ‘Spud’ Murphy, and associates Eleanor Myler of Percolator and Katie Kim. Cyrm (pronounced ‘cy-rum’) is their debut album, and marks the first release on the recently revived Claddagh Records label. The project reportedly blossomed from a collaboration between Peat and Kim for Nollaig na mBan, the album recorded in Dalkey and Hellfire Studio, the birthplace of Lankum’s recent opus False Lankum. For all the plaudits Lankum have rightfully received to date, Cyrm is an outstanding achievement i ..read more

It’s been four years since the release of Rom Com, the debut full-length from Dublin’s Tandem Felix, and this time around, things are a little bit darker. On There’s A New Sheriff In Town, David A. Tapley and company shift towards an altogether more cynical, jaded tone, with questionable tales of lost love and neurosis across its nine tracks. Its also a more accomplished album, but while the newly improved nuances of Tapley’s lyricism reveal more of themselves over time, the expansion of his sonic territory is the more immediate and obvious development. Co-produced with long-time collaborato ..read more

I Have a Tribe is the brainchild of the Dublin singer-songwriter Patrick O’Laoghaire, and Changing of the Guard is the project’s first album since 2016’s Beneath a Yellow Moon. Changing of the Guard is chocked full of O’Laoghaire’s abstract poetic prose, which contains seemingly free-associating lyrics with epic connotations. Despite the notion of these lyrics being abstract, it is not to say that they are without form, as the album has a clear sentiment, which touches on topics like nostalgia, loneliness, homesickness, uncertainty, broken relationships, love, and trying to move on. The album ..read more

With a collection of impressive EPs under their belt – the highlight being November 2022’s stunning If You Could Only Feel Once – blissful rockers Bleach Lab have slowly become the talk of the UK indie underground, growing a status as one of the country’s most unique new bands. Earlier in 2023, the London-based band’s stock grew ever further due, in large part, to their selection as the main support act for indie veterans We Are Scientists on their UK Lobes tour. Bleach Lab provided an introspective contrast to the noughties garage rock band’s theatrics, winning over many a new admirer in the ..read more