Broken families, broken relationships and the chaotic nature of the human mindset… Jojo Orme’s debut album under her Heartworms moniker covers it all. Produced by Dan Carey and released on his Speedy Wunderground label on 7 February, the songs find Jojo looking back on her fractured relationship with her mother and the images of human…
Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Sam Sodomsky releases ‘Melody Trail’, the latest album under his The Bird Calls moniker. Packed with astute observations, dark humour and a slab of Americana, it’s a record based around the concept of idly waiting around for some kind of revelation. There’s a touch of Wilco in the country-tinged opener ‘God Bless These…
Singer-songwriter Bryony Williams releases her debut album ‘You Are Here’ on 5 February, 2025. The record explores themes of love, self-discovery and resilience while also looking back at the battles you work through to get through this thing called life… ‘Trip Me Up’ opens the record with Postal Service vibes, an air of sadness (‘Taken…
Following frontman Kieran Shudall’s near-death experience (a main artery in his heart was severely blocked), Circa Waves make a welcome return with their sixth album ‘Death & Love Pt. 1. It’s a record Kieran said he needed to make to process his experience and recovery – and also to ‘make kids in their bedroom pick…
Out on 14 February, ‘Critical Thinking’, Manic Street Preachers’ fifteenth (!) album, finds the legendary Welsh trio celebrating conflicting ideas colliding. Nicky Wire says: ‘While the music has an effervescence and an elegiac uplift, most of the words deal with the cold analysis of the self, the exception being the three lyrics by James (Dean…
Young Knives return with a new album, appropriately titled ‘Landfill’, on 24 January 2025. The record finds the duo looking at the scene they rose to prominence in right in the eye – as they endeavour to figure out what it means to define your own legacy. There’s a slow-burn intro to album opener ‘A…
Newcastle upon Tyne-via-Leeds duo lots of hands (Billy Woodhouse and Elliot Dryden) release their debut album ‘into a pretty room’ via Fire Talk Records on 17 January 2025. It’s a thoughtful collection of songs that cover everything from tragedy to triumph, taking in grief and growing up along the way. ‘Alive’ opens the record with…
London-based singer-songwriter Sophie Jamieson releases her second album ‘I Still Want to Share’ via Bella Union on 17 January. The record is packed with observations on the inescapable and often repeated nature of loving, losing and longing… ‘Camera’ opens the record with evocative piano and strings as Sophie sings about ‘letting go of all you’ve…
Jasmine.4.t releases her debut album ‘You Are the Morning’ via Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory Records on 17 January. Produced by boygenius, the album is a celebration of queer friendship and how it helped Jasmine deal with the lack of acceptance shown towards her after coming out as trans… There’s a very introspective sound as almost…
Composer/producer Paul Russell (Axes/Tough Glove) returns with ‘Thank You’, the fourth album to be released by his Human Pyramids project. Featuring members of Axes, Suicide Bid and Modern Studies, the album was recorded all over the world and mastered by Alan Douches (Sufjan Stevens/Animal Collective). Gentle feedback and breezy, chiming percussion combine in the early…
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