ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 20 MARCH 2026

The Leaf Library             After The Rain, Strange Seeds              A luminous collection of pastoral indiepop, drawing inspiration from suburban isolation, unreliable memories and the surreality of the weather. Damaged Bug                 ZUZAX It was recorded over a period of seven years, from 2018 to 2025, by John Dwyer himself. The record is an 11-track rollercoaster ride […]
From a muddy moshpit at Reading 1991 to a head nodding beat driven gig at Gorilla a few years ago, it’s fair to say that Kim Gordon’s music has been a consistent presence on my eardrums for the last few decades. Her debut solo album ‘No Home Record’ released in 2019, set the tone in […]

ALBUM REVIEW: KIM GORDON – PLAY ME

ALBUM REVIEW – LUXJURY: GIVING UP

“The biggest undercurrent on this album is letting go of societal pressure.” With that statement, singer/guitarist Nicole ‘Lux’ Fermie provides a handy hook line for describing the debut album she has recorded as LuxJury with drummer, Howey Gill. It charts her experiences of love, sexuality and gender after coming out as queer. Over the course […]
As AI becomes an increasing threat to humans trying to make a living from creative activities, Nubiyan Twist’s latest album is a defiant riposte. It is a celebration of the joyful energy and chaos that comes from musicians getting together in a room to play. While that could imply a scrappy sound, it would be […]

ALBUM REVIEW – NUBIYAN TWIST: CHASING SHADOWS

ALBUM REVIEW – GYDA VALTYSDOTTIR: MOTHER PEARL

There are two main approaches for listeners to ‘Mother Pearl’. Sit back and let it gently wash over you or listen attentively, tightly coiled to pick out tiny details. Both ways work because it is a record that manages to be simultaneously intimate and expansive, finding full expression of the qualities Gyda Valtysdottir has developed […]
Way back in the summer of 2025, I was stood on the Pier Head waiting for The Wolfe Tones to take the stage. However, a band I hadn’t listened to before was first up and it left a lasting impression as they combined a rock and roll attitude with traditional Irish folk, which had me […]

ALBUM REVIEW – THE SCRATCH: PULL LIKE A DOG

ALBUM ROUNDUP WEEK ENDING 13 MARCH 2026

Ora Cogan         Hard Hearted Woman                She mixes haunted folk, psych rock, and a shadowy strain of country, building a realm where catharsis feels lush, mysterious and vital. Tinariwen          Hoggar On ‘Hoggar,’ they now stake their claim as elders of the Tuareg musical tradition, going back to their early years of songwriting with acoustic guitars and […]
The post-punk outfit Fotocrime have returned with a new, darker sound on their latest album Security. Frontman Ryan Patterson is no stranger to the gauntlet, playing and producing with other bands such as Coliseum, Cat Magic Punks, Black Cross and Shirt Killer. For Fotocrime’s fifth album, the band have taken a more aggressive approach than […]

ALBUM REVIEW – FOTOCRIME: SECURITY

ALBUM REVIEW – TENDERNESS: TRUE

“Are you busy Saturday morning? / I’ve got thousands of things to tell you / Like how I’ve started making plans to replace you / With one perfect song that goes on and on.” The opening verse to Saturday Morning gives a good introduction of what to expect from True, the debut album from Tenderness, […]
Starting off with a looped beat, followed by some ambient sounding synthesiser, ‘Doing Laps’ is an interesting track to start the album. It feels almost dreamlike with Art School Girlfriend’s whispery sounding vocals, with a backdrop of ambient synths, almost new age sounding ambience. The outro sounds like something Boards of Canada would come up […]

ALBUM REVIEW – ART SCHOOL GIRLFRIEND: LEAN IN