Every Sunday, I will be featuring a new album on this forum. The album will be announced and posted on the Sunday, with links and comments on the tracks posted throughout the week.
I also encourage as many people to get involved and leave comments and ratings on each track, as well as the album as a whole.
On the Saturday I will be doing a summary of the album as a whole, as well as compiling all your comments and ratings for an overall rating.
The albums will be chosen by me, however I strongly encourage nominations by memo to be sent to me weekly.
Released approximately 3 hours ago via live stream event with Amazon Music, this is Tesfaye's fifth studio album. It features narration by Jim Carrey
The first single "Take My Breath" was released in August of 2021, and as of today's post is a Top 10 Hit on the Billboard US and ARIA charts, and a Top 20 hit in the UK.
The next single "Sacrifice" is set to be released on the 11th of January.
The music video for "Sacrifice" was released yesterday - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VafTMsrnSTU already has 4.6M views on YouTube. Also, 9 of the US Spotify Top 10 tracks for 7/1 was by tracks from this album - the 10th track being from Encanto. Last edited:
Even after some of the strong deep cuts on "After Hours", Abel is still very much a singles artist for me. The album version of "Take My Breath" was an improvement and the standout for me is "How Do I Make You Love Me?". I do agree with some of the critiques out there in that the album dips in quality in the second half. 3.5/6
Released on the 14th of January, this is The Wombats' 5th studio album.
The album began when all members were together in Los Angeles in 2019 and wrote several songs. It was then recorded remotely during several COVID-19 lockdowns beginning in 2020, with each band member in a different location: Matthew Murphy in Los Angeles, bassist Tord Øverland Knudsen in Oslo and drummer Dan Haggis in London. They made a plan each day before separately recording their parts and sending them on to the producers. Haggis said that the band "explored new genres and pushed ourselves further than ever musically" on the album. {Wikipedia}
"This Car Drives All By Itself" is set to be the next single released from the album. The music video was released on the 15th, and has 78k views on youtube.
All three of these tracks were released as singles in 2021. "If You Ever Leave, I'm Coming With You" peaked at #22 in Mexico, and at #35 on the US Airplay chart.
AURORA began production on a new album in November 2019. She hinted at plans to release a new album soon after the release of her A Different Kind of Human (Step 2) album. In an interview with Riff Magazine, she revealed she was working on two albums at once, one of which she has said is "longer into the future". Of the closer album, she stated, "The perspective is much bigger. It's still quite political, and it's still quite opinionated and it's also very emotional. It's even more about the individuals that make the army. It's an album for every individual within the big army of love". She further detailed the album in an interview with Motley, stating "My next album will be dressed in an armour of hardness. But I'm also really exploring the soft, delicate part of me, which I want to open up even more on my next album" {Wikipedia}
AURORA has already seen some relative success in 2021, with one of the singles "Cure For Me" reaching #180 in the recent Triple J H100 poll, as well as becoming a Top 10 hit on Aus-Charts Interactive.
Night Call is the third studio album by Years & Years, and their first as a solo project. It was released on 21 January 2022 by Polydor Records. The album serves as a follow-up to his second studio album Palo Santo (2018). Marking the first album release of Years & Years as Alexander's solo project following the departure of Mikey Goldsworthy and Emre Türkmen, it was preceded by four singles, "Starstruck", "Crave", "Sweet Talker" with Swedish DJ duo Galantis and "Sooner or Later". Alexander will embark on the Night Call Tour in 2022 in support of the album in the UK and Ireland. {Wikipedia}
2021 single "Starstruck" spent 3 weeks in the ACI Top 25, and, along with "Sweet Talker" is a Top 40 hit in the UK.
Laurel Hell is the sixth studio album by Japanese-American singer-songwriter Mitski, released on February 4, 2022, through Dead Oceans. Patrick Hyland produced the album, which has been characterized as a record blending synth-pop, indie pop and electronic rock styles. According to Mitski, the album title is a folk term for being trapped in thickets of laurel that grow in the southern Appalachian Mountains.
Singles "Working For The Knife", "The Only Heartbreaker" and most recently "Love Me More" have peaked in the Top 50 on the US Hot Rock & Alternative Charts.
On ACI, Mitski has seen a high level of success from the singles from this album, with "Working For The Knife" debuting at #9 and going on to peak at #6. "The Only Heartbreaker" debuted at #2, and then peaked at #1 and stayed there for 7 weeks.
The Dream is the fourth album by English indie rock band alt-J, released on 11 February 2022 by Infectious Music and the Canvasback Music division of Atlantic Records. It was promoted with the single "U&Me", which was released alongside the album's announcement on 22 September 2021. The track listing for the album was also revealed on this date through publication Stereogum. "Get Better" was released as the album's second single on 3 November 2021 and was accompanied by a pixel-art music video. "Hard Drive Gold" was released as the album's third single on 5 January 2022. "The Actor" was released as the fourth single on February 7, 2022.
Space Island is an exploration of grief and all its many dimensions: its unpredictable nature and refusal to follow any linear path, its incredible capacity to bring great clarity and transformation. The album came to life during a period of serious upheaval for lead vocalist Georgia. Having married at the age of 21, she went through a difficult divorce soon after the release of BROODS’ previous album Don’t Feed the Pop Monster (a 2019 effort that led to appearances on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” and “The Late Late Show with James Corden”). As Georgia turned to songwriting as a means of processing her grief, she and her brother/bandmate Caleb discovered an unlikely but wholly fitting vessel for that emotional outpouring.
Still unpacking the alt-J album! It's one of the few albums I have been intensely awaiting this year and I think it delivers, whether it gets to the heights of "RELAXER" at this stage remains to be seen. Definitely think the second half is a bit weaker than the first but I love how they continue to change things up. "U&ME", "Get Better", "Philadelphia" and "Hard Drive Gold" perhaps the highlights at this stage but hey it could easily change. 5/6 for now
angel in realtime. is the third studio album by Australian alternative rock band Gang of Youths. It was released on 25 February 2022. The album will be supported by a world tour commencing in Dublin on 3 March 2022.
Announced in a tweet from November 2021, the band said the album will be about "the life and legacy of Dave's father, indigenous identity, death, grief and God. And also the Angel, Islington."
I am genuinely dumbfounded at BROODS missing the Top 100 completely with 'Space Island'. What happened there? This is a band with three Top 20 albums, including two that went Top 5. Even in NZ they could only manage #13. Wowee.
I definitely need more time with the GoY album, particularly the tracks which weren’t released ahead of the album. I don’t think it’s quite as strong as Go Farther In Lightness, however that still leaves a huge range of positive feelings available, and Angel In Realtime is still firmly within that range.
The Man Himself is utterly brilliant and should really have been the lead single. As good as The Angel Of 8th Ave is, and while it’s the most similar to their previous work and a good bridge to the new material, The Man Himself is much stronger, and not such a wild departure that it would immediately alienate fans. But that’s just me wishing The Man Himself would get even a fraction of the recognition it deserves.
In The Wake Of Your Leave and Unison are also incredibly strong, and along with the two previously mentioned singles they created a lot of excitement about the album for me. At this stage none of the tracks I hadn’t heard prior quite live up to them, although I do enjoy them all to some extent. Some of the tracks on Go Farther In Lightness took a while to get through to me before I really loved them, so I’m expecting and hoping for the same here.
Hearing in advance that this album would be a new sound for the band had me curious about just what that would entail, and while the album is quite diverse in sound, they’ve retained the intensity in their music and the emotion and vulnerability is still present in the lyrics. These traits are what made the group one of my favourites in recent times, so to have them still present on the new album is all I need. It’s a new sound for the band, but with enough of the old formula that it feels like a natural progression rather than a wild shift.
It’s too soon for me to do so yet, but if I were to review it on this site right now I’d score it 5/6. For a score out of ten for the purposes of this thread, I’d say 8.8/10.
Multitude is the third album by Belgian musician Stromae. It was released through Mosaert on 4 March 2022. It is his first studio album following his hiatus and since Racine carrée in 2013. The first single, "Santé", was released on 15 October 2021. Multitude also includes various music styles from different cultures, as seen in "Santé" and "L'enfer".
when the link for this album is created on A-C, I will post it here.
ReWiggled is a double album by Australian children's music band the Wiggles and various artists, released on 11 March 2022. Disc one is a tribute album of the Wiggles' songs reinterpreted by Australian artists and disc two is a studio album by the Wiggles covering some of their all-time favourite songs.
The album was announced on 15 December 2021. In a press release, Anthony Field said: "It's been really enjoyable and also so humbling, hearing all these wonderful artists doing their versions of Wiggles songs – they're all so very talented. And it's been a real thrill to get back in the studio together with all the Wiggles – the current members and the OG's – to record some cover versions of our own." A five track sampler was released digitally on the same day.
CRASH is the fifth studio album by English singer-songwriter Charli XCX, released on 18 March 2022. It is her last album to be released under her current record contract with Atlantic Records. Charli announced the album title, release date, and artwork on 4 November 2021. Her website was also updated with information about the album's 2022 tour. The album was preceded by the four singles "Good Ones", "New Shapes" featuring Christine and the Queens and Caroline Polachek, "Beg for You" featuring Rina Sawayama, "Baby" and two promotional singles, "Every Rule" and "Used to Know Me".
Whereas Charli's prior work was known for its experimental, hyperpop production, Crash features a more conventional dance pop sound. Songs from the album include elements of pop music of the '80s and '90s, and Charli has cited Janet Jackson, among others, as a musical influence for the album. Upon release, the album received generally positive reviews from music critics.
Ratings:
Metacritic
79/100
Clash
7/10
NME
****
Pitchfork
8.0/10
Rolling Stone
***1/2
ACI Top 25 discography:
Date
Track
Peak
19-09-2021
Good Ones
#8
21-11-2021
New Shapes (ft. Christine and the Queens & Caroline Polachek)
mainstream sellout is the sixth studio album by American musician Machine Gun Kelly, released on March 25, 2022, via Bad Boy Records and Interscope Records. It is his second collaborative project with drummer and producer Travis Barker, following 2020's Tickets to My Downfall. In August 2021, the album was announced under its original title, Born with Horns, by which it was known until being renamed in January 2022.
The album serves as a continuation of Kelly’s transition into the pop-punk genre. It was met with mixed reviews from critics.
Tilt is the second studio album by Australian electro pop band, Confidence Man. It was announced on 10 November 2021, alongside the album's lead single, "Holiday" and scheduled for release on 1 April 2022. According to the album's announcement press release, the album is "fierce, flirty and full of anthems" and listeners "might need to sit down before you hit play."
Chloë and the Next 20th Century is Father John Misty's fifth studio album and his first full-length project since the release of God's Favorite Customer in 2018. He began writing the album in spring 2020. It was recorded between August and December 2020. He entered the studio in August having written "Kiss Me (I Loved You)", "We Could Be Strangers", "Buddy's Rendezvous" and "The Next 20th Century". Following that session, Tillman mostly conceived what the album would be and wrote the rest of the songs before recording resumed in October 2020. It was co-produced by Tillman and his longtime collaborator Jonathan Wilson. The two first recorded "basic tracks" at Wilson's Five Star Studios. Strings, brass, and woodwinds were recorded in a session at United Recordings which featured numerous musicians, including trumpeter Wayne Bergeron and saxophonist Dan Higgins. The album was engineered and mixed by Dave Cerminara and features arrangements by Drew Erickson.
Wet Leg is the eponymous debut studio album by British rock band Wet Leg, released on 8 April 2022 by Domino. It was promoted by the viral hit "Chaise Longue", followed by the singles "Wet Dream", "Too Late Now", "Oh No", "Angelica", and "Ur Mum". The album received acclaim from music critics.
Commercially, the album topped the charts in Australia and the United Kingdom, and entered the top ten in Germany and Ireland.
Obsidian is the sixth studio album by Australian metalcore band Northlane. Originally scheduled for release on 1 April 2022, it was released on 22 April 2022 through the band's independent label Believe. It was self-produced by the band themselves and recorded at Chris Blancato's Studio in Sydney.
Norwegian quartet Mall Girl join the now-legion bands to release a debut album created during a lockdown. With songs assembled from their individual parts and passed around to band members who couldn’t meet, the resulting odd ball pop of Superstar careers through different moods and paces.
We is the sixth studio album by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire, released on May 6, 2022, through Columbia Records. Produced by Nigel Godrich and band members Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, the album was recorded in New Orleans; El Paso, Texas; and Mount Desert Island in Maine. It was preceded by the singles "The Lightning I, II" and "Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)". The album takes its name from the Russian dystopian novel We by Yevgeny Zamyatin.
It is the final album to feature multi-instrumentalist Will Butler, who departed the band in 2021 shortly after its completion.
Singer, songwriter, and advocate Mogli can now add filmmaker to her list of accomplishments. After gaining international attention for her debut album Wanderer in 2017, Mogli has now embarked on a creative cinematic journey of self-discovery and healing for her new album, Ravage, out May 12.
“I have learned that it is very rewarding and can make you happy if you can be brave enough to be vulnerable,” shares Mogli. “We are lacking empathy in the world and vulnerability is a way toward more empathy. If you can share how you feel, it gives people a chance to understand you.”
The new album is accompanied by a beautiful film, which Mogli conceived, created, and executed, and features all 10 songs from the project. Throughout the film, each emotion of Fear and Bravery (played by Mogli), Melancholy, Love, Rage, Insecurity, and Mirth are brought to life through Mogli’s vision.
English singer and songwriter Harry Styles announced the title of his upcoming third studio album as Harry's House on 23 March 2022, unveiling its artwork, a 40-second trailer and the album's release date as 20 May 2022. In the trailer, Styles steps on the podium of a theatre and grins while a "house façade" rises near him and synthesisers play in the background. Harry's House features 13 tracks. Joni Mitchell, who included a track called "Harry's House / Centerpiece" on her 1975 album The Hissing of Summer Lawns, tweeted that she "love[d] the title". Upon announcing the album, he set up an interactive website and a new Twitter account. The messages say "you are home" and "in this world, it's just us, you know it's not the same as it was". In an interview with Apple Music, Styles explained how he came up with the album title: "The album is named after Haruomi Hosono, he had an album in the '70s called Hosono's House [sic], and I spent that chunk in Japan; I heard that record and I was like 'I love that. It'd be really fun to make a record called Harry's House'." The album features John Mayer on lead guitar on "Cinema" and "Daydreaming".
i used to think i could fly is the debut studio album by Canadian singer Tate McRae, released on May 27, 2022, through RCA Records. It was preceded by the singles "Feel Like Shit", "She's All I Wanna Be", "Chaotic" and “What Would You Do?“. McRae will embark on a tour in support of the album from June 2022.
McRae told NME in 2021 that she analysed the "structures" of albums like Frank Ocean's Blonde (2016), Billie Eilish's When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019) and After Hours by the Weeknd (2020) as possible inspirations for the structure of her upcoming album. She explained to People in February 2022 that a number of her songs were "just [her] diary entries" and that when she has "ugly feelings" she writes them down.
McRae announced that she had finalized the track listing for the album and submitted it to her label on March 8, 2022, and she revealed the title and cover on April 1, 2022. After the album was originally set to have 12 tracks, McRae confirmed the inclusion of the track "What's Your Problem?" when the official track list was announced on April 11, 2022, bringing the total number of tracks up to 13.
Big Time is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Angel Olsen, and her first original release since All Mirrors (2019). The album was released through Jagjaguwar on June 3, 2022. Produced by Olsen and Jonathan Wilson, the album was preceded by the singles "All the Good Times", "Big Time" and "Through the Fires". The record was accompanied by a 28-minute visual counterpart, directed by Kimberly Stuckwisch.
Gold Rush Kid is the third studio album by English singer-songwriter George Ezra. The album was released on 10 June 2022 by Columbia Records. The album was promoted by three singles, "Anyone for You (Tiger Lily)", "Green Green Grass", and "I Went Hunting".
In Amber is the fifth studio album by Hercules and Love Affair, released on 17 June 2022 by Skint Records/BMG. The band's founder, singer and musician, Andy Butler worked again with singer ANOHNI (previously of Antony and the Johnsons): ANOHNI appeared on several tracks, including the singles "Poisonous Storytelling", and "One".
ANOHNI suggested Andy Butler that they worked songs together. They ended up composing half of the tracks together. Butler then showed other songs he was writing and they realised that they wanted to record as a Hercules and Love Affair project.
The album was conceived over a period of five years. At a certain point they "started thinking about the texture of percussion, something with humanity that might complement the content of the songs". ANOHNI suggested that they record with drummer Budgie of Siouxsie and the Banshees and the Creatures. ANOHNI stated: "It had this kind of perfection that was almost sugary. Budgie, as a drummer, completely epitomises that volatile, volcanic texture of creation, but also has a very exquisite form". "He found ways to articulate quite a feminine violence, or a feminine exuberance; a strength, a really fortified, agile, threatening at times power".
Multi instrumentalist Reinhard Vanbergen joined in for the sessions and Butler asked Icelandic singer to do backing vocals on the single "One" and the lead on "Dissociation". ANOHNI suggested that Butler sings more than two songs on the album. It is the first time on Butler's career that he opened an album with him on vocals.
The album was different from previous Hercules and Love Affair works. Music journalist Dean Mayo Davies wrote that In Amber was about 'contemplating the inevitability of mortality, and trying to find peace within that fact". Butler stated he needed to express his discomfort and could not make something comfortable: "making a 90’s sounding techno or house record, or an odd 80’s sounding dance track was not anything I needed to do".
MUNA is the self-titled third studio album by American indie pop band Muna, released on June 24, 2022. It is their first album as an independent artist, after they signed with Phoebe Bridgers' Saddest Factory Records imprint in 2021. It was promoted by the singles "Silk Chiffon", "Anything but Me", "Kind of Girl", and "Home by Now". The album was met with critical acclaim upon release.
In 2020, Muna was dropped by RCA Records, with which they had released their first two albums, and in May 2021 signed with Saddest Factory Records, an imprint of Dead Oceans owned by American singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers. Throughout 2021 and 2022, Muna toured with Bridgers on her Reunion Tour and with Kacey Musgraves on her Star-Crossed: Unveiled tour.
Muna will be primarily a synth-pop album, but according to lead singer Katie Gavin, "the sound of this record explodes in a ton of different directions". Guitarist Josette Maskin said of the album, "What ultimately keeps us together is knowing that someone's going to hear each one of these songs and use it to make a change they need in their life. That people are going to feel a kind of catharsis, even if it's a catharsis that I might never have known myself, because I'm fucked up."
Australian electro-pop producer/singer Boo Seeka has been on an incredible tear with releases over the last 12 months. So when we heard about Boo’s upcoming album Between The Head & The Heart we were very quick to jump at the opportunity to hear this one early – and boy did Boo deliver!
Between The Head & The Heart is filled with warm, bubbly, enthralling tracks that are distinctly Boo. Throughout the course of the 12 track album Boo drifts between airy, emotional tracks & more vibrant, exhilarating party tracks – there really is a little something for everyone here. ~ City Hub Sydney
On their sharp and powerful eighth album, created during the uncertain and intense times of the pandemic, Metric found escape in a Spanish island they’d never been to. The Balearic isle of Formentera – this record’s namesake – became a far-away idyll in the band’s minds while they worked in the studio, unlocking a blissful sense of release back in Toronto, 4,000 miles away from its blue seas and white sands. ~NME
Special is the fourth studio album by American singer and rapper Lizzo. It was released through Nice Life and Atlantic Records on July 15, 2022. It was preceded by the lead single "About Damn Time", released on April 14, 2022.
Entering Heaven Alive is the fifth studio album by the American rock musician Jack White, released on July 22, 2022, through Third Man Records.
In October 2021, White released "Taking Me Back", his first solo single since 2018. An acoustic version, "Taking Me Back (Gently)", was released as the B-side. In November 2021, White revealed that he would release two solo albums in 2022: Fear of the Dawn, which will feature White's traditional rock sound, and Entering Heaven Alive, a folk album.
In December 2021, White announced the Supply Chain Issues Tour kicking off on April 8, 2022, in Detroit, Michigan. The tour covers North America and Europe. On January 14, 2022, White released lead single "Love Is Selfish" and an accompanying music video. On February 11, 2022, White released the "Love Is Selfish" single with the Fear of the Dawn title track as its B-side. On March 3, 2022, White released the song "Hi-De-Ho" (which features rapper Q-Tip, formerly of hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest) as the second standalone single from Fear of the Dawn. The single included the B-side "Queen of the Bees". Finally on June 8, 2022, White released the song "If I Die Tomorrow" with an accompanying video.
Surrender is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Maggie Rogers. It was released on July 29, 2022, through Debay Sounds and Capitol Records. It follows the release of her 2019 debut studio album, Heard It in a Past Life.
Rogers teased recording sessions for her forthcoming second album throughout 2021 into early 2022. She stated that the album would be self-produced and sounded like "feral joy". In March 2022, Rogers shared a link to a site counting down to March 30. On that day, she announced that her second studio album, titled Surrender, would be released on July 29, 2022. Rogers simultaneously released an album trailer she co-directed with Michael Scanlon. On June 15, 2022, Rogers revealed the album's track listing via Instagram.
King Stingray’s self-titled debut album is a revelation. An awakening. But at the same time, it’s everything the world has come to love from this five-piece Yolŋu surf rock combo, who have been ripping Australian stages and airwaves apart since 2020. Hailing from the Northern Territory and Queensland, the tight-knit crew of Yolŋu (Aboriginal people of northeast Arnhem Land) and balanda (non-Indigenous) musicians have produced a set of 10 tracks to rival any Australian band’s debut. Think Warumpi Band’s Big Name, No Blankets. Tame Impala’s Innerspeaker. The Chats’ High Risk Behaviour. Then add an ancient tradition of manikay (song/songlines) that dates back tens of thousands of years, and a profound love of country and Mother Earth, and there sits King Stingray. Raw, wild and free. A roadtrip into northeast Arnhem Land, stringybark trees flying past the window, surrounded by mates and with the stereo blasting. King Stingray’s do-it-yourself ethos and connection to home and family resonates through every song, from the funk-laden joy of Milkumana, to the soaring Milk Mirri Wayin, the sweet melancholy of triple j favourite Get Me Out, the boppy fun of Camp Dog, the punk rock thrash of Raypirri and the acoustic beauty of album closer Life Goes On. Recorded and produced between the NT, Brisbane and the Byron Bay hinterland, King Stingray rocks vibrant and colourful like a great glowing djäpana (sunset) through the East Arnhem Land sky. The album is a vital entry to Australian music and cements the band’s status as one of the most exciting acts to burst out of the NT in years.
Traumazine is the second studio album by American rapper Megan Thee Stallion, released on August 12, 2022, by 300 Entertainment and 1501 Certified.
The album was preceded by three singles: "Sweetest Pie", featuring Dua Lipa, released on March 11, 2022, "Plan B", released on April 22, 2022, and "Pressurelicious", featuring American rapper Future, released on July 22, 2022. Apart from Lipa and Future, the album features additional guest appearances from Key Glock, Latto, Pooh Shiesty, Rico Nasty, Jhené Aiko, Lucky Daye, Sauce Walka, Lil' Keke and Big Pokey.
Since releasing her debut album Don’t Let the Kids Win in 2016, Melbourne’s Julia Jacklin has carved out a fearsome reputation as a direct lyricist, willing to excavate the parameters of intimacy and agency in songs both stark and raw, loose, and playful. If her debut announced those intentions, and the startling 2019 follow-up Crushing drew in listeners uncomfortably close, PRE PLEASURE is the sound of Jacklin gently loosening her grip.
Stirring piano-led opener ‘Lydia Wears A Cross’ channels the underage confusion of being told religion is profound, despite only feeling it during the spectacle of its pageantry. The gentle pulse of ‘Love, Try Not To Let Go’ and dreamy strings of ‘Ignore Tenderness’ betray an interrogation of consent and emotional injury. The stark ‘Less Of A Stranger’ picks at the generational thread of a mother/daughter relationship, while the hymnal ‘Too In Love To Die’ and loose jam of ‘Be Careful With Yourself’ equate true love with the fear of losing it.
Recorded in Montreal with co-producer Marcus Paquin (The Weather Station, The National), PRE PLEASURE finds Jacklin teamed with her Canada-based touring band, bassist Ben Whiteley and guitarist Will Kidman, both of Canadian folk outfit The Weather Station. It also introduces drummer Laurie Torres, saxophonist Adam Kinner and string arrangements by Owen Pallett (Arcade Fire) recorded by a full orchestra in Prague.
PRE PLEASURE presents Jacklin as her most authentic self; an uncompromising and masterful lyricist, always willing to mine the depths of her own life experience, and singular in translating it into deeply personal, timeless songs.
Four years after his last original music, English singer, songwriter and producer SOHN will return with his new record ‘Trust’. Off the back of an incredible history at DSPs with over 100 million streams, the album finds him further exploring a sound that first found success in the electronic and noir-pop spaces, and now explores deeper roots in folk structures and an aching, emotive balladry. Whilst still drawing on the influences that garnered such a rabid international audience, the album is an unequivocal statement of SOHN as an ambitious auteur beyond simple genre tags.
Late night TV, radio support and global sell-out tours coloured the previous two album cycles, but SOHN’s third studio album came from a massive shift in his perception and direction. Having spent five years writing, recording and toiling on a record that he no longer loved, he decided to start anew, from scratch. Missing community and friendship in life and the creative process, he realised he could no longer work alone as on previous albums – and took a leap of faith in starting to practise the giving and taking of trust with creative collaborators. The resulting record is the sound of SOHN realising who he is, and that he’s already home.
With a global tour on the horizon, including London’s iconic Roundhouse, and extensive promo and marketing campaigns promised, it feels like a vital new phase in SOHN’s development as a career musician. Ten years after first rising to prominence with viral hit ‘The Wheel’, ‘Trust’ represents an important step in further finding his true artistic voice and stepping out of his comfort zone.
Jockstrap previously hinted at I Love You Jennifer B’s impending release with their previous singles ‘50/50’ and ‘Concrete Over Water’. Both of which were playlisted by BBC Radio 6 Music and were subject of universal acclaim at national and international press. The cosmic accompanying video for ‘Concrete Over Water’ was premiered at an exclusive screening at The Castle Cinema, Hackney, followed by another of Jockstrap’s iconic parties at The Glove That Fits.
Commenting on the impending album release, Jockstrap’s Georgia Ellery and Taylor Skye said: “I Love You Jennifer B is a collection of Jockstrap tracks that have been 3 years in the making. Everything on it is pretty singular sounding so we hope there is a track on there for everyone and something that speaks to you and says ‘I’m a banger.’” Skye added of ‘Glasgow’ (their new single): “‘Glasgow’ is our coming of age, moving forward, long-distance, travelling, beautiful bosk, wonderful thicket song.” And Ellery said of the song’s subject: “Glasgow is a great city, perhaps my favourite in the UK! Only downside is that it’s so damn cold all the time.”
When Georgia Ellery and Taylor Skye make music as Jockstrap, the process and result has one definition: pure modern pop alchemy. With their debut album I Love You Jennifer B, Jockstrap will cement themselves as one of the most vital young groups to emerge from London’s melting pot of musical cultures in years.
Hold the Girl is the second studio album by Japanese-British singer Rina Sawayama. It was released on 16 September 2022 by Dirty Hit. The lead single from the album, entitled "This Hell", was released on 18 May 2022. The album, recorded between 2020 and 2021, features production from collaborators including Paul Epworth, Clarence Clarity, Stuart Price and Marcus Andersson. Clarence Clarity also produced much of Sawayama's debut album Sawayama (2020).
One of Australia’s most acclaimed and beloved indie-dance trios, Crooked Colours have long been earmarked as the country’s most consistently awe-inspiring and flourishing exports. With a near-decade of multifaceted experience behind them, from their debut AIR nominated-LP ‘Vera’, ARIA Dance Chart number 1 album ‘Langata’, and multiple national headline tours, the Perth-based band has naturally developed an aptitude for producing dance music that inspires a wave of emotional vulnerability. Now, the industry-admired trio present their most well-rounded and emotionally driven body of work yet, ‘Tomorrows’, a manifestation of sonic and personal maturation for Phil Slabber, Leon Debaughn, and Liam Merrett-Park. The 13-track album presents a sense of reflection on the trying times of the past few years, while also establishing optimism for what is to come. Solidifying their position as one of the world’s hottest electronic acts, ‘Tomorrows’ fuses delicate acoustic instrumentation, evocative vocals, upbeat lyricism, and dancefloor-ready synth transmissions to create a dynamic, shape-shifting sound all of their own. Crooked Colours have more than established themselves as electronica heavyweights on the local and international scene, and today cement their claim with their third studio album ‘Tomorrows’, out now via Sweat It Out and Atlantic Records.
Cool It Down is the fifth studio album by American indie rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs, released on September 30, 2022, through Secretly Canadian. It marks the group's first album since 2013's Mosquito and their first release through Secretly Canadian. The lead single "Spitting Off the Edge of the World" featuring Perfume Genius was released on June 1, 2022. The band began a world tour in support of the record from June 2022.
In a press release, Karen O stated: "Don't have to tell you how much we've been going through in the last nine years since our last record, because you've been going through it too [...] So yes we've taken our time, happy to report when it's ready it really does just flow out." The title of the album was taken from the Velvet Underground song of the same name from their 1970 album Loaded, while lead single "Spitting Off the Edge of the World" was inspired by the climate crisis.
Ratings:
Metacritic
82/100
NME
****
Pitchfork
7.4/10
ACI Top 25 discography:
Date
Track
Peak
19-06-2022
Spitting Off The Edge of the World (ft. Perfume Genius)
A snapshot of a period of change, peace and contentment for Sowersby, Possum reflects a refreshed outlook for Sunbeam Sound Machine. Music that leans into the artist continuing to discover more about himself and his place (and ours) in the world, Possum is a striking effort that can offer an avenue for escape, or a moment for the listener to find comfort in.
Possum engages a new phase of creativity: marked by vibrancy and a desire to embrace new attitudes regarding his approach to music.12 tracks of pure confidence and energy channelled through shimmering synths, rich rhythms and guitar work that buoy Sowersby’s captivating vocals beautifully.
Recorded between the Australian bushfire tragedies and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sowersby’s songwriting lent itself to exploring themes where optimism and hope were never far from featuring, in amongst ideas of growth and change. Built around a core idea of fear vs love, Possum is Sunbeam Sound Machine’s journey of navigating the beauty and complexities of both.
Though the initial collection of material was written and recorded by Nick Sowersby, he opened himself up to collaboration, working with Melbourne producer John Lee over a number of months for a period of song deconstruction and rebuilding at Phaedra Studios.
Tove Lo released her fourth studio album, Sunshine Kitty, in September 2019. It received positive reviews from contemporary music critics and had a moderate commercial performance. In May of the following year, after touring across Europe and North and South America, the singer reissued the album with the subtitle Paw Prints Edition, including four additional songs and four remixes. Two years after Sunshine Kitty, Lo started teasing via social media the release of a fifth album; by September 2021, the record was "taking shape". Earlier that year, in April, fellow singer Charli XCX revealed she worked with Lo in "making the best music ever" in Palm Springs, California. The two previously collaborated on "Out of My Head", from XCX's 2017 mixtape Pop 2, as well as on the 2018 remix of "Bitches" from Lo's 2017 album Blue Lips.
In May 2022, Lo announced Pretty Swede Records, her own record label under artist development company Mtheory. Being independently released, Dirt Femme marks the first time Lo had complete creative control over an album's development process. Although she recognizes the importance of her former contract with the Universal Music Group, which was "crucial" for her to breakthrough worldwide, Lo "like[s] to make these intricate stories that don't help the algorithm and maybe aren't the most commercial way to do pop releases and how you put out pop music". The album's making was compared by the singer to a "emotional bungee jump" because its development process was the first since her debut, Queen of the Clouds, to not happen in between touring. "This almost felt like I was back to starting completely new again", she accounted.
Lo's first solo effort in almost two years and Dirt Femme's lead single, "How Long" was released on 26 January 2022 as part of the soundtrack from American television series Euphoria. The song was also featured on the fourth episode of the series' second season, "You Who Cannot See, Think of Those Who Can". An accompanying music video directed by Seattle filmmaking duo Kenten premiered on 10 February. Alongside the announcement of Pretty Swede Records' founding on 3 May 2022, Lo issued "No One Dies from Love" as the album's following single and the first material released under the newly-founded imprint. The song's music video premiered the same day and was directed by Brazilian duo Alaska Filmes, with whom Lo previously worked with on "Are U Gonna Tell Her?". That day, the singer also announced a concert tour, scheduled to start on 29 October and visit Europe and the United Kingdom. On 21 June 2022, Lo officially revealed the album's title to be Dirt Femme, as well as its track listing, artwork and release date of 14 October. The same day, she released the record's third single, "True Romance". The fourth single, "2 Die 4", was released on 27 July.
Toronto’s post-punk, world-beat duo Bedouin Soundclash return today with their latest album, We Will Meet In A Hurricane, via Dine Alone Records. Longtime musical partners Jay Malinowski and Eon Sinclair have been building up the anticipation since the spring, releasing a string of infectious singles, from “Shine On” feat. The Skints to last month’s “Walk Through Fire” feat. Aimee of The Interrupters. Today, to celebrate, they have shared a lyric video for the title-track single – watch + share it via YouTube – https://youtu.be/-3teIPjdxTc
Co-produced by Malinowski and Colin Stewart (The New Pornographers, Destroyer, Dan Mangan, Black Mountain), the buoyant and soulful tracks on We Will Meet In A Hurricane find the beloved duo digging back into their musical roots, steeped in the border-bending sounds the JUNO award winning and platinum selling band is known for.
Discussing the album, Malinowski noted, “One day someone tells you, ‘you know, you’ve got a lot of stuff you don’t need here…’ and as they look around your apartment they say, ‘do you still want to live here in this place?’ You pause and think about it. No, you haven’t wanted to live here for a long time. You wouldn’t have listened to anyone else, but you listen to this person. So you put the place up for sale and you swim up to the sky in the calm of a hurricane eye.”
In the spring of 2021, Sinclair booked an open-ended trip to join Malinowski at his new home on Vancouver Island with the hope of reigniting their once-prolific creative spark. “We didn’t really have a set agenda,” notes Sinclair. “We’d been sending a few ideas back-and-forth between Toronto and Victoria early in the pandemic, and it was a welcome outlet considering everything that was going on. So even though I wasn’t really sure of what I wanted to do next, I thought I’d go out for six months – maybe come back early, maybe stay longer – just to see where things would lead.”
They quickly settled into a comfortable workflow, riffing and writing through the week at Malinowski’s family home and then heading into The Hive studio every couple of weeks with co-producer Stewart to capture the results. Despite it being their first collaboration, there was an obvious and rewarding synergy that contributed to the ‘back to basics’ aesthetic. “There wasn’t a lot of discussion beforehand about limiting things in terms of instrumentation, but I think the way it unfolded was really enjoyable for us – a really powerful sound from basically just guitar, bass, and drums again,” shares Malinowski.
Indeed, the parallels to Bedouin Soundclash’s earliest efforts come easy, sounding like a passport crowded with overlapping stamps on every one of its well-worn pages. Sinclair elaborates: “No matter where we are or what’s going on in either of our lives, if one of us picks up an instrument and plays something, everything else kind of dissolves and our shared focus becomes, ‘How can we turn this into something people want to hear?’”
That’s especially true this time around, and while Bedouin Soundclash’s loyal following will surely relish in this return to their roots, the real excitement is in anticipating where the metaphorical stream might once again take them from here.
Born out of a profound desire to explore the depths of the human heart and reconnect with each other after a pandemic-induced hiatus, Chrysalism marks a departure into an unmistakably pop-forward territory. Its evocative title refers to the feeling of tranquility that comes with being indoors during a thunderstorm, privy to the drama while remaining somewhat removed and untouched. With enthralling vocal harmonies, synth-led music and melodic guitar riffs, the pair explores topics like love, longing and heartbreak from a decidedly more mature perspective, no longer choosing to see themselves as victims of circumstances but rather actors in the storyline of their love lives. Composed and recorded with the help of Micah Jasper (ELIO, Rebecca Black, Slayyyter), a Los Angeles-based producer who shares the duo’s pop sensibilities and references, Chrysalism is a poignant reflection of what it feels like to grow older and come into your own.
Amateurs is a stunning, string-laden album, set at a mystical midway point between the deep synth-pop of Devotion and the folkier sounds of Laura’s earlier work. Laura worked with producer Tim Bruniges (Miiesha, Honey 2 Honey, The Dead Sea) in Stanmore and St Peters on Gadigal Country in-between the long 2020-2021 lockdowns. Erkki Veltheim (Gurrumul, Archie Roach) arranged gorgeous strings for the album, which were recorded by Devotion producer John Lee in Naarm/Melbourne.
Amateurs is an album about anti-art and anti-intellectual culture in Australia (that also applies to other parts of the world). It sees Laura questioning her role as a songwriter and examining the reality of her choices to prioritise art over other parts of her life. It is also a warmhearted, humorous and sonically breathtaking album. “These songs arise from my acceptance that I will always be an ‘amateur’,” Laura says.”At the same time, I was fuelled by a desire to create something inordinately luxurious and beautiful.”
Eora-based innovative electronic producer, songwriter and DJ Ninajirachi is releases her debut mixtape, Second Nature via Nina Las Vegas’ imprint NLV Records on November 11.
In her first full-length solo project, Second Nature speaks to Nina’s creative and mental growth as an artist raised in the current internet era. Making music in a format that doesn't involve traditional instruments, the uniqueness of her abilities extends past virtual limits, entering an unchartered zone of technical prowess, storytelling, and artistic versatility in her largest and most fleshed-out release yet. Effortlessly striding between worlds and genres, from underground internet subcultures through to mainstage dance, Second Nature celebrates the vast ecosystem of electronic music and the eclectic taste of Nina’s generation.
“Second Nature means an instinctive habit (like music-making), but also 'nature 2.0', an idea that continuously inspires my work from the sonic palette to the cover art, which features android me in an android tree.” Nina reflects. “I am the chief architect of my world and write, record, and produce most things 100% myself using just my laptop. It becomes an extension of myself and makes me feel pretty mech which is cool because my brain is just an organic, super-advanced computer after all and it's only a matter of time before machines catch up”.
And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow is the fifth studio album by American musician Weyes Blood. It was released on November 18, 2022, by Sub Pop. The album is the second in a trilogy of recordings that began with the singer's previous album Titanic Rising (2019), describing the sequel as a personal response "to being in the thick of it."
And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow received critical acclaim and was supported by three singles: "It's Not Just Me, It's Everybody", "Grapevine", and "God Turn Me Into a Flower". To promote the album, Weyes Blood will embark on the concert tour In Holy Flux Tour in 2023.
On September 12, 2022, Natalie Mering officially announced her fifth studio album And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow set for release on November 18, 2022, and released its lead single "It's Not Just Me, It's Everybody" the same day. In promotion of the album, she will embark on the In Holy Flux Tour across North America and Europe in 2023. The second single, "Grapevine", followed on October 11, 2022. The third single, "God Turn Me Into a Flower", was released on November 16, 2022.
The album is the second entry into a trilogy of albums following 2019's Titanic Rising. According to Merring, Titanic Rising is an "observation, sounding the alarms that shit is going to go down" while And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow is "my personal response to being in the thick of it". Mering's original concept for the artwork was to give the light inside her chest a "more alien" look.
This Is What I Mean is the third studio album by English rapper Stormzy, released through #Merky and 0207 Def Jam on 25 November 2022. It follows Stormzy's 2019 album Heavy Is the Head, and was preceded by the lead single "Hide & Seek".
The album was recorded on Osea Island in England during a series of music camps with a team of "world class musicians and the best producers, writers and artists in the world" in a "free atmosphere", where Stormzy "prayed every morning" during its creation. It was further described as an "intimate love letter to music" by Stormzy.
The album's announcement follows the release of the single "Mel Made Me Do It" on 23 September 2022, which was not included on the album.
Conditions of a Punk is the second studio album by American band half•alive, released on December 2, 2022, via RCA Records. It was preceded by the singles "What's Wrong", "Summerland", "Make of It", "Hot Tea", "Move Me", "Did I Make You Up?", and "High Up".
Starting in early 2021, half•alive began promotion of their planned sophomore record, Give Me Your Shoulders, which was announced as a two part album. Five singles were released before the release of the first part, Give Me Your Shoulders, Pt. 1, on February 11, 2022.
On September 12, 2022, the band announced the cancellation of Give Me Your Shoulders, Pt. 2. On October 13, the first single for the new album, “Did I Make You Up?”, was released alongside the official announcement of Conditions of a Punk. A release date of December 2 was announced. The album’s track list, which includes every track from Give Me Your Shoulders, Pt. 1, was announced on October 20.
SOS is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter SZA. The album was released on December 9, 2022, through Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA Records. It features guest appearances from Don Toliver, Phoebe Bridgers, Travis Scott, and Ol' Dirty Bastard.
SOS was supported by four singles—"Good Days", "I Hate U", "Shirt", and "Nobody Gets Me"—two of which peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. "Good Days" peaked at number nine, "I Hate U" at number seven, and "Shirt" at number eleven on the chart.
A follow-up album to her debut Ctrl was first confirmed in January 2020. In an interview with Rolling Stone, SZA mentioned that "Music is coming out for sure", but stating that it may not result in an album, as of yet. She also said that the rumor that she was planning to release a trilogy of albums and then retire from music, "is nonsense". In the interview, SZA also revealed that she had spent time in the studio with Timbaland, stating that "He played fucking Brazilian jazz-type beats, and I popped off to that". She has also collaborated with Sia, who she reportedly has written three songs with. According to Vulture, SZA has earlier expressed intentions of collaborating with Justin Timberlake, Post Malone, Jack Antonoff and Brockhampton on her future songs.
On April 3, 2022, she was asked about the album in an interview with Variety. She claimed that she had just finished it up in Hawaii and that it was coming soon. She also described the project as her "most unisex album yet". On May 2, 2022, while at the Met Gala, SZA revealed to Vogue that the album was slated for release in summer, calling it a "SZA Summer". In October 2022, she announced that the album could be released "any day now". The sound of the album was described as "a varied palette", combining "surf rock" and "grunge" elements, alongside "her beloved lo-fi beats".
NO THANK YOU is the fifth studio album by British rapper Little Simz. It was released on December 12, 2022 through the independent label Forever Living Originals after being announced less than a week prior. No Thank You is a hip hop album containing elements of gospel, soul, funk, and electronic music.
The songs on No Thank You contain subtle rhythms with orchestral instrumentation, featuring Simz rapping about her music industry experiences, intrapersonal communication, and spiritual revelations. Simz worked with longtime collaborators Inflo (for production) and Cleo Sol (for background vocals) to create this project. Simz released a ten-minute short film on December 16, 2022 to accompany the album.
The album received critical acclaim from music critics, who praised its emotional depth, smooth production, and Simz's lyrical quality. Despite being released at the end of the year, The Daily Telegraph declared No Thank You the best UK rap album of 2022, while Rolling Stone and BrooklynVegan also ranked the album highly in their respective year-end lists.
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