La Force? Isn’t that the mesmerising solo project of Ariel Engle – a woman who has spent more than a decade as one of Canada’s most sought-after musical collaborators? Yes, indeed. And her new album is a real treasure trove of delights, taking in everythi…

These sisters – Clementine and Valentine Nixon – have the perfect names for a duo that feel as though they have swirled up from some misty clearing in order to bring us music that sounds timeless. Raised in both New Zealand and Hong Kong, they originally …

Canada’s Christina Martin is seven albums deep into her career and she just keeps getting better and better. Her latest release straddles the worlds of radio-friendly pop, country and Americana-dunked folk, but she also gives her songs a real sense of dra…

This Teesside lad is one of the most accomplished singer/songwriters in the north-east and his new album is packed with spine-tingling indie-pop songs that have largely been inspired by his Teesside roots. The vibe is smooth and chilled, which perfectly s…

Blur fans have been waiting eight years for this latest album, and if you go in expecting the likes of ‘Song 2’ and ‘Parklife’, you’ll end up disappointed. However, ‘The Ballad of Darren’ is not without its unique charm. Emotive lyrics, melancholy melodie…

This third album from British pop icon Anne Marie is summed up well by its playful cover - which she achieved by simply pressing her face up against her own shower screen and taking a pic, by the way. It’s bold, catchy and full of memorable anthems with f…

The new solo album from Field Music’s Peter Brewis is – apart from one track – an instrumental release that turns 1980s-style electronica into something rather wonderful. But this is not 1980s chart music stuff. It’s more test card exotica (think: the dee…

Pop favourite Tom Grennan has returned with a third album, and you may have already heard singles such as ‘Remind Me’, ‘All These Nights’ and ‘Lionheart’. ‘What Ifs & Maybe’ contains another batch of catchy anthems, but there are also a number of ballads …

This debut from East London’s Olivia Dean combines soulful vocals and vintage influences from Motown and the 60s with modern pop to create a culturally rich sound that remains consistent throughout the album. With creative lyrics that touch on intriguing …

‘Dead Club City’ is an ambitious fourth LP that packs a punch. A concept album based around a members-only city, it is full of thunderous percussion, bold guitar riffs and frontman Conor Mason’s powerful vocals. Though markedly a rock album, ‘Dead Club Ci…

The second album from Art School Girlfriend (aka Polly Mackey) is a real delight. It retains all the melodic charm of her debut album, ‘Is It Light Where You Are?’, but this time she’s pushed those warm and tactile electronic buttons a little more. She de…

Slow Town Clock is Jamie Leven. He was born in Glasgow but now resides in northern England (this, his debut album, was recorded in Newcastle). He wrote all the songs for this release on the islands that make up the Outer Hebrides and the atmosphere of tho…

Julia Steiner – Ratboys singer and lyricist – reflects on all the biggies on Ratboys’ new album (love, grief etc.) but she does so with bags of wit. This is the Chicago band’s fourth long-player and it sees them skittering across all manner of genres taki…

Durham’s SERRUM reckon their stuff is like “micro movies playing behind the eyelids.” I’m not arguing. Their latest EP – which features six tracks of envelope pushing goodness – showcases Eno-like ambience (‘Isolari’), spaghetti western guitars and drones…

Georgia’s ‘Seeking Thrills’ album was one of my favourite releases of 2020, chock-a-block, as it was, with house-dunked bangers. This – her third album – is another release fizzing with energy. It still sees her shaking a tail-feather in the direction of …

Sunderland’s Shannon Pearl is one of the most interesting and exciting artists working in the north-east. She deftly weaves together folk rock, ethereal electronica and soaring, heart-in-the-mouth vocals in a way that is utterly spellbinding (probably an …

The debut album from this County Durham band is quite something. They’re consummate players and marry their undoubted virtuosity with a smooth melodic jangle – from the drive-time, slipping through the gears triumph that is ‘Make My Day’, to the lilting f…

The second album by The Japanese House - alias of Buckinghamshire’s Amber Bain - signifies a real movement in the musician’s work, and it’s definitely in the right direction. Her vocals and lyrics really step into the spotlight in this new release, while …

Another favourite of the year for me. I’ve been a huge fan of Maisie Peters ever since I first heard ‘Psycho’ back in 2021 (she also killed it as Ed Sheeran’s support act last year) and she just keeps on getting better. This second album sees Peters confi…

‘HANA’ sees British pop icon Sophie Ellis-Bextor reinvent her sound, with an undeniable streak of melancholy running through the album despite the fun, upbeat nature of many of its tracks. Since the artist is known for her peppy floorfillers such as ‘Murd…

I am obsessed with pretty much everything Janelle Monáe does at this point, but ‘The Age of Pleasure’ really is something special. Pure, feel-good hype music, this album celebrates queerness, sexuality, self love and black joy in a deliciously rich musica…

Mercury Prize winner Speech Debelle makes a long awaited return with this powerhouse of an album, her first since 2017. As well as her prominent social activism, one of the things the artist has been busy with is cooking - she even has her own cookbook - …

These Cardiff retro-revisionists have plunged head first into psychedelic-rock-pop on their new album, which was produced and mixed by Tom Rees of Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard. It’s full of snappy riffs and bags of fuzzy rock and roll that stands or falls on t…

Formed by brothers Hom Yu and Jiun Chi, Mong Tong are your go-to band if you’re wanting to let some Taiwanese psychedelic good stuff into your life. The pair swirl together a rare and enticing sound by sampling Southeast Asian street sounds – including we…

The second album from New York’s Dakota Jones expands on what they did on their first album – which was a soulful release full of old school grooves. Here they’ve set their rocket ship on a stellar journey to the stars via hip-hop dunked neo-soul and Moto…

Formed by stepsisters Kelli Mayo and Peyton Bighouse, this Oklahoma-born and bred band have built up quite a community of fans who can’t get enough of their art-punk, noise-rock, power-pop. Their latest album is another sweet and sour slice of life that o…

Originally from Montreal, but now based in London, Belle Scar has a show-stopping voice that falls somewhere between Nadine Shah and – stay with me here – Shirely Bassey. It’s true! And she’s written for herself a suite of songs that take full advantage o…

Founded in 2017, these US rockers are steeped in the sounds of Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Bad Company and early 1970s Rolling Stones. Their new album (I’m guessing it’s their fourth…) is a free-styling delight, riff heavy and full of bar-room good vibes. …

Anna St Louis’ third album is simultaneously contemplative and easy going, with a soft, acoustic sound that creates a chilled out vibe, leaving space for her vocals and lyrics to shine through. Though a folky, country feel radiates throughout, ‘In The Air…

His first album in seven years, UK producer SBTRKT has had plenty of time to cast his musical net wide, and ‘THE RAT ROAD’ couldn’t demonstrate this more. Sprawling across a huge collection of genres, from house, to R&B, to classical, to jazz, it very muc…

Labrinth’s third album is short and sweet at 28 minutes, but the immersive nature of his unique, almost futuristic sound means that ‘Ends & Begins’ is a lingering experience nonetheless. Brimming with emotion, the album is largely concerned with the dicho…

This born and bred Londoner deftly combines the raw power of blues legends such as Janis Joplin with the smooth jazz-inflected R&B and lyricism of 70s singer-songwriters such as Bill Withers. Her latest is packing some really hot grooves and no little fun…

This release marks the US troubadour’s 10th studio album but there are no signs of him feeling in any way jaded because the eleven tracks here sound as fresh as the morning dew. He has one of those easy-to-listen-to-easy-to-love voices and he pens tunes t…

This US songwriter/singer won a devoted following with her 2019 debut ‘Dear Dead Days’ with a country sound that gently pushed the genre into some rather thrilling places. Her latest sees her lilting, sweetly sung songs developed even further with tunes t…

La Faute (aka Peggy Messing) is from Toronto and her debut album is a real treasure trove of dark delights. It falls somewhere between ethereal alt-folk and hold-me-close dream-pop, and it’s shot through with a Lana Del Rey amount of drama and a theatrica…

You can always count on Jessie Ware to bring the ultimate feel good vibes, and her fifth album leaves you feeling just as its title promises. ‘That! Feels! Good!’ strikes that balance between the retro and the modern that Ware’s music does so well, revivi…

Freya Ridings immediately caught our attention with her stirring piano ballad ‘Lost Without You’ back in 2017, so this second album from the London-based singer/songwriter was very much anticipated, and for good reason. ‘Blood Orange’ shows that you are m…

Originally from Israel but based in London for over a decade now, Noga Ritter is a singer-songwriter, band leader and workshop facilitator whose music blends what she often terms ‘Hebrew Jazz’. And what a heady brew it is! With songs sung in both Hebrew a…

Shirley Collins has reached the fine wine stage of her career. Now in her 88th year, this doyen of British folk music is still producing vital work and on her latest album – her third for Domino – she’s chosen a set of songs steeped in the storytelling ba…

The Support Band are a north-east outfit who propel progressive rock into some very exciting areas. I say propel, but the pace here is languid with these tracks unfurling rather gloriously over many minutes (20 minutes in the case of ‘Katabasis’; 43 minut…

This album has got to be one of the most stunning releases I’ve come across this year. ‘Drunk On A Flight’ is a masterclass in songwriting, which makes it pretty difficult to believe that it’s a debut. From the sensual ‘Vanilla Tobacco’, to the anthemic ‘…

This is Daughter’s first album in six years, and it retains the moody, folky sound that we know and love, yet with a more stripped-back approach. Inspired by frontwoman Elena Tonra’s long-distance relationship, the album is emotionally charged with themes…

I’m a real nerd for music that is made in innovative new ways, and this is one of the COOLEST albums I’ve ever come across. New York artist and composer Noah Wall has taken spoken text and converted it into electronic musical data, creating 11 instrumenta…

A very welcome return for this electronic duo and what do you know, it’s an album about Teesside and the wild coastal and industrial landscapes where co-founder Sally Rodgers grew up and would spend most of the pandemic locked-down in the studio. Fusing g…

Newcastle’s Lesley Roley has one of those voices that you just want to listen to. She’s not given to swooping and soaring in a grandiose, show-off way, but her mountain stream clear vocals make you want to hang on every word. Her new album is an acoustic …

The debut album from this Liverpool singer/songwriter features twelve murder-ballad tales that are dripping in gothic stylings. From ‘The Mermaid & The Sailor’ – which has a distinct Nick Cave/Kylie vibe (Ed Harcourt, who also produced the album, taking t…

Louise Burns first rose to prominence when she signed to Madonna’s Maverick label when she was only 15 (as part of girl band Lillix). She’s since carved out an excellent solo career and this, her fifth album, is a modern pop gem. She mentions Depeche Mode…

This Durham duo – Carol Nichol and Alan Rowland – are one of the most interesting outfits working in the north-east. Their stuff can be heard on the award-winning Swedish drama ‘Partisan’ (stream it on All 4), and it’s easy to hear why TV/film producers w…

This new release from Gen Z icon Melanie Martinez has been long awaited and it is a rebirth in more ways than one. Her previous persona, ‘Cry Baby’, has died, but an alien-like spirit has emerged in her place, with Martinez drastically transforming her ap…

Higher Than Heaven (Polydor) I was lucky enough to review Ellie Goulding’s Newcastle date of her Brightest Blue tour for The Crack some time ago, and have been looking forward to this album ever since. It’s definitely a move away from her previous releas…

This Manchester four-piece are creating waves on the noise scene, and their superb debut album sees them betwixt the dancefloor and somewhere just south of oblivion. Recorded in caves, crypts, and, ahem, shopping centres, it features much in the way of pu…

Gorillaz never fail to have an impressive range of collaborations and this new album is no exception, featuring Stevie Nicks, Tame Impala and Bad Bunny to name just a few. If this didn’t already show off the band’s kaleidoscope of influences and genres, t…

This fifth album from New York’s Frankie Rose is her first in six years, and it’s clear to see that she has used that time to really develop her sound and influences. Exploring the genre of electronic pop, ‘Love as Projection’ is all harmonic vocals and d…

Inhaler have been making waves in the indie scene as of late - quite in keeping with the current Nepo baby discourse, as frontman Elijah Hewson happens to be Bono’s son - so I felt compelled to give this latest album of theirs a listen. In a very crowded …