Iron & Wine's Sam Beam and the members of Calexico convened in December 2004 at Calexico's home base of Wavelab Studios in Tucson, Arizona. The idea of working together had been tossed around for over three years, though neither bands' schedule loaned itself into making it a reality until then. The resulting session "In the Reins", is a mini-album that is a truly harmonious affair sure to satisfy fans of both bands. The seven tracks are Sam Beam originals and were fleshed out by the full Calexico band. The record also features newcomer Natalie Wyants on vocals, Salvador Duran, a local fixture of the Tucson Flamenco scene, on vocals and Botas. Of course no Wavelab experience would be complete without the appearance of Nick Luca (NL Trio/John Doe Band) and Craig Schumacher, both of whom contributed to the record in the form of engineering and performance.

TRACK LISTING

He Lays In The Reins
Prison On Route 41
History Of Lovers
Red Dust
16, Maybe Less
Burn That Broken Bed
Dead Mans Will

Formed in Blackpool (UK) by brothers Larry and Vin Cassidy in 1978, the band were initially mentored by Joy Division, and went on to record four albums with Factory Records. The first of these, "Always Now", offered Krautrock and psychedelia produced by Martin 'Zero' Hannett. Their third, "From The Hip", produced in 1984 by Bernard Sumner of New Order, explored techno and electronica, and spawned the oft-sampled club hit "Looking From A Hilltop". Now recognized as a leading genre band, three Section 25 tracks were included in the recent Warners box set "Factory Records: Communications 1978-1992", with "From The Hip" lauded as one of '1000 albums to hear before you die' by The Guardian newspaper.

After a decade apart, Section 25 released "Part-Primitiv" in 2007 and "Nature + Degree" in 2009, as well as playing a string of powerful live shows across Europe and America. "Retrofit" was recorded before the untimely death of Larry Cassidy in February 2010, and sees the group revisit 10 key tracks from their estimable back catalogue, remade and remodelled using new technology, and closing with a compelling remix of "Looking From A Hilltop" by New Order member Stephen Morris. "Retrofit" also includes an exclusive brand new track, "Uberhymn".

TRACK LISTING

Vinyl Tracklist:
A1. The Process
A2. Looking From A Hilltop
A3. Beating Heart
A4. Reflection (Young Image)
B1. Dirty Disco
B2. Girls Don’t Count
B3. New Horizon
B4. Wretch

CD Tracklist:
1. The Process
2. Looking From A Hilltop
3. Beating Heart
4. Desert
5. Uberhymn
6. Garageland
7. Dirty Disco
8. Girls Don’t Count
9. New Horizon
10. Wretch
11. Another Hilltop (Stephen Morris Mix)

O.Genesis present a super Limited 12" Pressing, exclusive to Piccadilly Records, of remixes from Tim Burgess' recent, critically acclaimed, album "Oh No, I Love You".

Seahawks delivers a stunning 11 minute remix of "A Gain//Stoned Alone Again Or (Seahawks Remix)", exclusive to 12", whilst on the flip Tandy Love aka Andy Votel brings his remix skills to "Hours".

TRACK LISTING

A – A Gain // Stone Alone Again Or (Seahawks Remix)
B – Hours // Tandy Love (Andy Votel Remix)

Another dose of whirring rhythms and dark drones courtesy of Stefan Schneider and Sven Kacirek. This time around they have introduced the beguiling tones of Swedish singer Sofia Jernberg on three pieces, taking their music to a new level.Since their debut release, they have toured extensively with the likes of John McEntire (Tortoise, The Sea and Cake).A fascination with repetitive rhythm is the common thread which runs through the musical development of both musicians: listen to Stefan Schneider in his other projects, the bands Kreidler and To Rococo Rot and his albums with Hans-Joachim Roedelius. Further evidence can be heard on Kacirek's solo albums, in particular on his much-lauded "Kenya Sessions". 

New Moodymann!!!

Shipping soon - pre-order ESSENTIAL!

Move quick....

TRACK LISTING

A. Pitch Black City Reunion (recorded Live Somewhere In Detroit)
B. Got Me Coming Back Rite Now

Having discovered a shared affinity for the sounds of 1972 - particularly glam and progressive rock - they started getting together to work on music at Canty’s warehouse studio space. Two years later, hoping to graduate the band from its studio-shut-in phase to its live ensemble phase, they recruited Devin Ocampo (Faraquet, Medications) and Mark Cisneros (Medications) to hold down the rhythm section. Both talented multi-instrumentalists and producers in their own right, Cisneros and Ocampo quickly started contributing their own riffs and arrangement ideas.

The band’s self-titled debut includes seven songs that were recorded throughout 2012 at Canty’s studio. During that time, Morel and Canty’s demos were torn up and expanded through extensive improv sessions alongside Ocampo and Cisneros. Tracks that started out small and introspective were blown up to a size and volume more befitting of the group’s cavernous practice space.

The tone is dark, but the lyrics – which cover themes covers themes like sickness, breakups, corruption, drugs, fame, and losing ones mind – shouldn’t be read as straight biography. They’re works of fiction; character studies that just happen to touch on topics that are close to home.

TRACK LISTING

1) Better Than Bad
2) Low Lying Dreams
3) Hospital
4) Dali’s House
5) Playboy
6) Mind Control
7) Transmission

Compiled with guitarist PJ Court, this 2-CD compilation boasts re-mastered music as well as a beautifully annotated booklet boasting rare photos and personal memories from the band.

Back in the mid-80s, The Primitives combined the fuzz guitars of The Jesus & Mary Chain with the pop sensibilities of Blondie and a nod to cult heroes The Velvet Underground. They swiftly rose from being a popular Indie guitar outfit to charting worldwide with “Crash”, kickstarting a craze in bands fronted by blonde female singers (Transvision Vamp, The Darling Buds et al).

Between 1985 and 1987, the band issued five singles/EP’s on independent label Lazy Records (also home to My Bloody Valentine and later Birdland) before signing with RCA.

This 2-CD set also boasts their promo-only live album at the ICA; as such, it offers their entire Lazy output from that period.

TRACK LISTING

Disc 1
1. Thru The Flowers
2. Across My Shoulder
3. She Don't Need You
4. Lazy
5. Really Stupid
6. We Found A Way To The Sun
7. Where The Wind Blows
8. Stop Killing Me
9. Buzz Buzz Buzz
10. Laughing Up My Sleeve
11. Ocean Blue
12. Shadow (Guitar Version)
13. Thru The Flowers (New Version)
14. Everything Shining Bright
15. Nothing Left
16. Across My Shoulder
17. Crash
18. Spacehead
19. Nothing Left (Sounds Version)

Disc 2
1.I'll Stick With You
2. Dreamwalk Baby
3. Buzz Buzz Buzz
4. Nothing Left
5. Out Of Reach
6. Carry Me Home
7. Don't Want Anything To Change
8. Think I'll Stick With You
9. Dreamwalk Baby
10. Run Baby Run
11. Thru The Flowers
12. Nothing Left
13. Where The Wind Blows
14. Out Of Reach
15. We Found A Way To The Sun
16. Don't Want Anything To Change
17. Across My Shoulder
18.Everything's Shining Bright
19. Buzz Buzz Buzz
20. Stop Killing Me
21. I Wanna Be Your Dog

Debut of the "Hit + Run Presents Road Kill" compilation series. Volume 1 includes 29 exclusive and unreleased tracks by the Los Angeles underground and beyond, available on a limited-edition digipak CD. We're talking beat builders, wonky-hoppers, hip hopers, down-beaters, electronica lovers and just, in the case of the Gaslamp Killer, bonkers mentalists.

Previously only available digitally and on CD, the compilation features some of LA’s best and brightest, along with a whole host of artists from around the world - including J Rocc, the Gaslamp Killer, Ras G, Daedelus, Knxwledge, Mndsgn, Jeremiah Jae, Kutmah and many more - all contributing tracks unavailable anywhere else.

TRACK LISTING

1. The Gaslamp Killer - Bullet Shells In My Sneakers
2. Mono/Poly - Crew
3. Shash’U - Akira
4. Matthewdavid - Funky Yelling
5. Jeremiah Jae (feat. Isreal And Oliver The 2nd) - ShamWow
6. Mestizo - Love Me Hard
7. Mndsgn - Golf Shirt
8. Computer Jay - The Opposing Turf
9. N8No Face (feat. Zackey Force Funk) - Fame
10. The Gaslamp Killer - Road Kill Interlude
11. Ras G - Coto Loco
12. Daedelus - If I Fail
13. J.Rocc - Red Wing
14. Knxwledge - Need Wun
15. Seven Davis Jr. - Samurai
16. Sweatson Klank - Little Time To Fly
17. Kutmah + Tehbis - Griots
18. Mr. Feeds - Ride To The Moon
19. Bei Ru - Bekaa Valley Hash
20. Zackey Force Funk - Birdz
21. Kevin D. Mize - Better Late Than
22. Thavius Beck – Noble Roble
23. Alter - Calle Primera
24. Eras - Bangoria
25. Bobby Evans - Le Witt
26. Subtitle - 555 + 333
27. Biff Chitlins - Dulce
28. Adventure Time - Kick It
29. Zackey Force Funk (feat. Reggie Blount) - Where Buffalo Roam.

**Import item!! {DETROIT}

- Strictly pre-orders only!

- Limited copies!

TRACK LISTING

A1. Marcellus Pittman - Everybody Party
A2. Javontte - Late Night Love
A3. Rick Wilhite And Delano Smith Ft Jon Dixon - Neo Solaris
B1. Rick Wilhite And Delano Smith - 11 Minutes Of Funk
B2. Jon Dixon - Belle Isle Bounce
C1. Norm Talley - Dreaming In Detroit
C2. Gerald Mitchell AKA Soul Saver - KAORI
D1. Kenny Dixon Jnr - I'm Goin Black
D2. Delano Smith - Hot Lovely Relations
E1. Omar S. - VAT 69 (Godson Mix)
F1. Rick Wilhite And Delano Smith - Pipe Putta 

Classic italo house EP produced in 1991 by Ivan Iacobucci under the moniker of KGB, now out on vinyl including a new unreleased remix.

TRACK LISTING

A1: Detroit 909
A2: Scream (Wake Up!)
B1: Bondage (Mysterious Remix)
B2: Detroit 909 (2021 Remix)

New Music New Dance from Sa Pa! 

TRACK LISTING

A1. Wet Weather Way
A2. New Music New Dance
B1. Cultural North
B2. States Of Mind: The Farewells

New Bad Manners from a legend! Tough, uncompromising techno that'll level bunkers.

Pre-orders advised!

TRACK LISTING

A1. Trooper
A2. Male Function
B1. Eighty Four
B2. Com

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2015 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON SATURDAY APRIL 18TH ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVED BASIS, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

IF THERE ARE ANY REMAINING COPIES THEY WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT 12.01AM SATURDAY APRIL 25th.

The Book of Taliesyn is the second studio album by English rock band Deep Purple, recorded only three months after Shades of Deep Purple and originally released in October 1968, just before their first US tour. The structure of the album is similar to that of their debut, with four original songs and three rearranged covers; including a unique version of River Deep Mountain High. The music style is a mix of psychedelic rock, progressive rock and hard rock, with several inserts of classical music arranged by the band's keyboard player Jon Lord.
This super rare mono mix on white vinyl will be on the Harvest label, audio is cut from the high resolution transfer of the original analogue master tape that has been used in the Hard Road Mark 1 CD box set.

Format: 12” – white vinyl – mono mix

Limited edition Record Store Day exclusive, available to independent retailers only, 5000 units worldwide.

TRACK LISTING

1. Listen, Learn, Read On
2. Wring That Neck
3. Kentucky Woman
4. Exposition/We Can Work It Out
5. Shield
6. Anthem
7. River Deep, Mountain High

Running elbows in quick from the City of the Big Shoulders with Wake Up Applauding. Delivered loudly, dripping in unintelligible menace with the occasional flash of dark humor, their bathtub mixture of dope-sick guitars claws at your purse, ramming into an unhealthy sense of propulsion and repetition that seems chemical, unreal.

This is villains-plotting-evil kinda punk, mutants in the sewers emerging and wreaking havoc… Mothra shorting out high-voltage power lines and melting, screaming, onto a fleeing populace. Corrosive, driving, repetitive, pissed off, these guys deliver that evil cruisin’ vibe, tight and pushing 100 but with just a rotted off stump of a hand grossing everyone out and shifting gears.

TRACK LISTING

1. Reclaimed Would
2. Jason Polak
3. Speed Camera
4. No Wave Jose
5. Interlude A
6. We Never Close
7. Ghost Bag
8. Fucktown Reality
9. Interlude B
10. Wake Up Applauding
11. Art Seen

Look, there isn’t any way to write this without commenting on the name Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys. We’re not gonna bring ourselves to it, but with all measures of certainty, you are. You’re casting aspersions on their name, maybe formulating in your mind what they might sound like, and wondering why Agitated / RIP Society is bringing them to your attention. Have they no shame, you thought. Do they want to sell records and attract fans, you ponder. Thing is, they’ve heard it already. They own it, and they’ve done so since 2009. Save your opinions. It’s time to get that sentiment stricken from the slate, because we’re here to talk about their music, which is bold, passionate, ear-splitting rock & roll, performed with tremendous heart and determination. It’s a barrier of entry for those unable or unwilling to look past the surface.

Rot is the name of the second full-length from Sydney’s Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys. Hang it on regional slang (“My mum used to say, ‘what a load of rot’ instead of ‘what a load of shit,’” mentions guitarist Joe Sukit), or pin it to the way they perceive themselves as veritable dinosaurs of their local scene, set adrift to crumble on their love for classic rock and lack of fashionable ideas. Maybe even put it in the novelty canon of “Rock, Rot & Rule.” Or why not add a fourth R, because this thing rips. Those guitars are hoisted in defiance of cool, and are loud enough to break your concentration and enforce an active listening experience.

Musically, Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys haven’t budged an inch from their debut full length (2013’s Ready for Boredom, released on bassist Nic Warnock’s R.I.P Society label). Nor should they have; they are in the (sporadic) business of writing durable, sentiment-stirring riffs, the kind that lifted the first stirrings of punk in England (see Eddie and the Hot Rods, maybe), or of the direction of power-pop that was more focused on writing worldbeaters than fixing its hair (look at the Replacements, perhaps, or Mission of Burma). Not one drop of power is wasted or lost here; raw emotions push through these tracks in songs about love, about watching the world turn, about casting off distractions and focusing on the need for human connection.

We may not have much time left to say these things, before we begin to rot. This is their chance. Might be your chance as well.

TRACK LISTING

Away
Stunned
Plastic Tears
Expanding Horizons
Work Again
Victoria
Thing Called Love
Device
Company
Rot
Turn The Page

Before they became Black Sabbath, the band were known as Earth - a blues-driven powerhouse already making a name for themselves in the mid-60s. This new release presents rare early recordings from that era, remastered from long-lost tapes and acetates. Featuring previously unheard tracks, demos, and alternative takes, the collection captures Earth’s evolution as they pushed toward the heavy metal sound that would soon change rock music forever.

TRACK LISTING

1. Blue Suede Shoes
2. Evenin’
3. Wee Wee Baby
4. “Untitled”
5. Free Man
6. Song For Jim (Guitar Version)
7. Song For Jim (Flute Version)
8. Wicked World
9. Warning

After an epic licensing odyssey that's taken us almost 20 years, we're finally able to announce the 5LP boxset release of the first ever official re-issue of all five of the iconic Lansdowne recording sessions by the legendary UK jazz combo, the Don Rendell/Ian Carr Quintet.
The five albums; Shades Of Blues (1965), Dusk Fire (1966), Phase III (1968), Change Is (1969) and Live (1969), have reached almost mythical status in the collector's world. Regarded as holy grail artefacts for even the seasoned aficionado, the collective second hand market value comes to an astonishing £6000.
Many have tried - and failed - to reissue these albums by legitimate means. However, two decades since our initial approach, Universal Music has gone to great lengths to research their vast archives, and we have finally managed to succeed.
The complete Don Rendell & Ian Carr Lansdowne recording sessions have now undergone a full and unprecedented boxset reissue. We located and acquired the original analogue master tapes from the Universal vaults and created masters at Abbey Road Studios to produce audiophile quality 180g pressings replete with replica artwork - shape, design, and even paper stock. No stone has been left unturned to deliver this absolute labour of love to the highest possible standard! The enclosed booklet contains never before seen photographs, interviews with the remaining living band members and liner notes from BBC Radio 3 presenter and award-winning jazz writer Alyn Shipton.
The band played together for seven years and during this fruitful time they made a plethora of deeply melodic, post-bop British jazz compositions that later on took influences from Indo and more spiritually guided jazz. Produced by the influential Denis Preston and recorded at his Lansdowne Studios in London, the band was primarily made up of saxophonist Don Rendell, trumpeter/composer Ian Carr, and pianist/composer Michael Garrick. This is UK jazz at its absolute finest, and the quality of our box set pays testament to that.

TRACK LISTING

1 Blue Mosque
2 Latin Blue
3 Just Blue
4 Sailin'
5 Garrison '64
6 Blue Doom
7 Shades Of Blue
8 Big City Strut
9 Ruth
10 Tan Samfu
11 Jubal
12 Spooks
13 Prayer
14 Hot Rod
15 Dusk Fire
16 Crazy Jane
17 On! [clip]
18 Les Neiges D'Antan (Snows Of Yesteryear)
19 Bath Sheba
20 Black Marigolds
21 Elastic Dream
22 One Green Eye
23 Boy, Dog And Carrot
24 Cold Mountain
25 Black Hair
26 Mirage
27 On Track
28 Vignette
29 Pavanne
30 Nimjam
31 Voices
32 You've Said It 

Skip James was a Delta blues enigma, whose mesmerizing guitar playing and haunting voice produced bluer than blue masterpieces. This beautifully re-mastered collection of his seminal 1931 recordings shows why his otherworldly blues cast its spell on many blues greats from Robert Johnson to Eric Clapton.
Arguably the greatest of the original Delta blues guitarists with his mesmerizing and truly unique style. 'The Rough Guide To Skip James' highlights his diverse repertoire of songs ranging from deep, dark Delta blues to upbeat barrelhouse piano tunes and spirituals.

TRACK LISTING

Hard Time Killin’ Floor Blues
I’m So Glad
Drunken Spree
If You Haven’t Any Hay Get On Down The Road
Cherry Ball Blues
Be Ready When He Comes
Little Cow And Calf Is Gonna Die Blues
Devil Got My Woman
How Long “Buck”
Jesus Is A Mighty Good Leader
Cypress Grove Blues
Illinois Blues
22-20 Blues

Cerrone's live and DJ sets have often featured these two red-hot edits from The Reflex, who has been a master of the form since day dot. Now they get pressed up to this special, limited edition slab and sound as good as ever. 'Hooked On You' is all languid, funny bass, tropical percussion and deep cut disco-house swagger at a slow, seductive pace. On the flip, he turns his attention to 'Look For Love', a much more lavish disco sound with excitable strings and trilling melodies that all explode out of a fat groove with even fatter bass. Lovely stuff.

TRACK LISTING

Hooked On You [The Reflex Revision]
Look For Love [The Reflex Revision]

We can't resist the carefully fused and treated sounds of The Reflex who shows his class again here with more multitrack remixes that bring vintage grooves bang up top date without stripping them of their seasoned charms. 'Cherry Dub' is packed with big riffs and well known vocal-hooks but is dubbed out top perfection with screeching guitar solos destined to send dancers wild. The flip side is a more warm and breezy roller for sunny days and cocktail sessions, again with an iconic vocal and top line adding that familiarity that always unites dancers.

TRACK LISTING

Cherry Dub
Love Look

The Reflex has been back remixing on his multitracks again and if you have been out anywhere decent in recent times you might already have heard this one as it has been a favourite of those DJs in his inner circle. Finally, the unrelated rework of a legendary disco diva arrives on wax and dazzles from front to back. 'Lolita' has it all - the deft hi hats sliding above funky bass, a rhythm driven by busy piano chords and lung-busting vocal full of burning soul. 'Camels' rides funky, chunky drums and has more expressive tones this time in unison with an off-balance chord sequence and fluttering sax. Lovely stuff.

TRACK LISTING

Lolita
Camels

Whatever The Reflex is on at the moment, we want some - he's rolling out the jams left, right and centre across several different styles. For this drop, he has revisited his own revision: ten years after first dropping this and with countless plays from legends like Kerri Chandler, he retouches a disco-house fusion classic that rides big vocal hooks and smooth, breezy grooves. On the B-side he takes aim at another soulful gem and go-to DJ favourite with real invention. 'Nobody' has persuasive drum breaks and slithering synths that shimmer like heat waves and allow the acing, singalong vocal room to work its magic up top.

TRACK LISTING

Woman
Nobody

Timothy J Fairplay is back on the label with a 7” single containing two tracks cut from a rock of uranium. “Pathfinder Theme” and “UFO’s Over China” might differ in sound and tempo but are connected by a radiant feeling. The two tracks bathes in a greenish/yellow bright toxic aura.

This plutonium charged music carries with it some quality elements known from his earlier repertoire like for example a primitive yet crisp beat working as foundation to a few but very exquisite synth sounds.

Timothy J. Fairplay stands on the shoulders of past Italian masters and the works of John Carpenter but with an accentuated alien feel. Something otherworldly, maybe good, maybe harmful, is hidden in the vibe on both sides of this 7”. The balance between good and evil is very even - yin/yang from outer space!

TRACK LISTING

A. Pathfinder Theme
B. UFOs Over China

Charting a course between electronic experimentation and the dark echoes of 1980s post-rock, ishi vu’s music transports the young artist’s philosophical meditations in Gothenburg to imagined dancefloors worldwide. Created in response to a deep transformational experience, his debut album 'La Luz' is truly unique: channelling all genres and none into a depiction of some of the most fundamental human feelings. La Luz is a vivid and poignant distillation of club culture into something familiar, temporarily distant, but fresh. With the precision of someone who has thought carefully about an exact psychological, physical - and perhaps even spiritual - effect they want to provoke.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
La Luz BLue18
This Is Your Life - Vinyl Version
Isolated Incidents

Side B
Poison Dart
Bell-Tower Trip

Side C
Neverending Elation
Brightly Burning, Yet Alone
A.S.I.S.O.A. 1000

Side D
The Wasp
SANCTUAry, It MUST HappeN AGain!
10 Tolls: A Threnody For The Luz
Persuaded To Embrace In Saving Faith
[A CURIOUS END]

Single-LP Edit Of Piñata Lacquered At Half Speed Master By Metropolis Mastering In London For The Highest Fidelity. Featuring Danny Brown, Mac Miller, Earl Sweatshirt, Raekwon, Scarface, Domo Genesis, Ab-Soul, Polyester the Saint, BJ The Chicago Kid, Big Time Watts, G-Wiz, Casey Veggies, Sulaiman, Meechy Darko & Freddie Kane. “Piñata is a gangster Blaxploitation ­lm on wax,” says Gibbs. As a producer, Madlib, quite simply, is music. 

TRACK LISTING

A1. Supplier
A2. Scarface
A3. Deeper
A4. High (ft. Danny Brown)
A5. Harold’s
A6. Bomb (ft. Raekwon)
A7. Shitsville
A8. Thuggin’
A9. Real
A10. Uno
B1. Robes (ft. Domo Genesis & Earl Sweatshirt)
B2. Broken (ft. Scarface)
B3. Lakers (ft. Ab-Soul & Polyester The Saint)
B4. Knicks
B5. Shame (ft. BJ The Chicago Kid)
B6. Watts (ft. Big Time Watts)
B7. Piñata (ft. Domo Genesis, G-Wiz, Casey Veggies, Sulaiman, Meechy Darko, & Mac Miller).

Wewantsounds are pleased to announce the release of Hiroshi Sato's ultra rare synth masterpiece, originally released in 1979 on Kitty Records in Japan only. Digitally remastered from the original tapes it features the cream of Japanese musicians including Shigeru Suzuki on guitar, Haruomi Hosono on bass, Pecker on Percussion and Sato himself on keyboards and synthesizers. This highly sought-after album on the Balearic scene, changing hands for high prices, is a superb breezy mix of Japanese synth-pop and exotica with subtle touches of mid 70s Herbie Hancock-style funk and AOR.

TRACK LISTING

1. Kalimba Night
2. Son Go Kuw
3. Tsuki No Ko No Namae Wa Leo
4. Doncama
5. Jo-Do
6. Sora Tobu Jutan
7. Picnic
8. Hikaru Kaze

New Heavy Sounds are always on the lookout for new bands that are looking to push the boundaries of what is considered as inhabiting the ‘heavy’ or ‘metal’ spectrum’. Stuff that pricks up the ears, a bold new voice within a maelstrom of genres and sub-genres. We believe we have found such a band. New York-based GUHTS (pronounced ‘guts’) declare themselves to be an ‘avant-garde post-metal project, delivering larger than life sounds through, deeply emotional music’. We are thrilled to be able to deliver that statement in the form of their debut album ‘Regeneration’. By their own admission, GUHTS' musical style is influenced not only by iconic metal bands like Gojira, Cult of Luna, YOB and Deftones, but more unconventional acts like Bjork, Subrosa, Isis, Julie Christmas, and even PJ Harvey. It’s undoubtedly heavy, with a strong feminist streak, it’s cathartic and weighty, a formidable debut for such a new band.

Founded in 2020 as a passion project by Scott Prater (Witchkiss), and Amber Burns (Witchkiss) and then Dan Shaneyfelt (Black Mountain Hunger), GUHTS became its members’ main focus following the release of their first EP 'Blood Feather' which itself received rave reviews from the likes of Decibel Magazine, Invisible Oranges, The Obelisk, Cvlt Nation, and more. Brian Clemens Sleaping Dreaming) & Daniel Martinez (Nefariant) joined GUHTS in 2022 and the band swiftly started booking tours and making plans to record 'Regeneration'. Since then GUHTS have been steadily making a name for themselves with their powerful live performances., sharing stages with the likes of Yob, Cave in, Marissa Nadler, plus appearances at the Maryland Doom Fest, Crucial Fest and Ohio Doomed and Stoned Fest. ‘Regeneration’ is set to cement their status as one of the coolest and most interesting bands on the scene.

Of the album, vocalist Amber says. "Regeneration" symbolizes the power of self-renewal, often overlooked. Embracing it means shedding old layers and welcoming new beginnings. Without this, life stagnates and is “sustaining”. Through regeneration, change becomes empowering, allowing new facets to emerge. It's a courageous, transformative process, inspiring others to overcome fear and embrace change. The album embodies the human spirit's resilience and capacity for growth. Musically ‘Regeneration’ is a powerful and intense series of songs, topped off by some seriously powerhouse and expressive vocal performances. It’s slow-moving chords, moving like sheets through sludge. High guitar lines above, ranging from piercing and shimmering to nasty. Drums pound but not without groove. There are strings, pianos and synths widening the palette. Atmospheric sludge, Metalgaze, maybe, but there’s also that link to the New York Noise lineage from The Velvets and Sonic Youth, becoming a type of post-hardcore in the process, while gaining a connection to metal partly due to the sheer heaviness. A raft of creative experimentation that pushes beyond the realm of post-metal. And then of course, the very first thing that hits you is Amber Gardner's unbelievable, hypnotising vocals - as scary as a banshee while also intimate and persuasive. Amber means it for sure and almost dominates the proceedings. Her lyrics are eclectic, thoughtful. Immersed in women's narratives frombooks like "Women Who Run With the Wolves" or works like "On Our Best Behavior" by Elise Loehnen. Amber advocates stepping beyond comfort zones, believing it's transformative for individuals and vital for Earth's future. Hokey occult rock it is not. In short ‘Regeneration’ is a bold and startling debut, that will reward and enthral listeners the deeper they delve into its many layers.

TRACK LISTING

White Noise
Til Death
The Mirror
Handless Maiden
Eyes Open
Generate
The Wounded Healer
Burn My Body

Originally released in 1983, What Makes A Man Start Fires? is the second studio album and fifth release by the Minutemen. At almost twice the length of their previous album, "The Punch Line," the Minutemen's songs began surpassing the two-minute mark. For what would be the only time on a Minutemen release, all of the lead vocals were sung exclusively by guitarist/vocalist D. Boon, although bassist Mike Watt does contribute backing vocals.

TRACK LISTING

Bob Dylan Wrote Propaganda Songs (1:27)
One Chapter In The Book (1:00)
Beacon Sighted Through Fog (1:00)
Fake Contest (1:44)
Mutiny In Jonestown (1:06)
East Wind / Faith (2:10)
Pure Joy (1:30)
99 (1:00)
The Anchor (2:30)
Sell Or Be Sold (1:45)
The Only Minority (1:00)
Split Red (0:52)
Colors (2:05)
Plight (1:37)
The Tin Roof (1:08)
Life As A Rehearsal (1:35)
This Road (1:26)
Polarity (1:44)

Originally released in 1985, this remastered deluxe edition of ‘Crashing Dream’, the second album from Los Angeles-based Paisley Underground band Rain Parade.

Includes a second disc of unreleased bonus material / alternate versions.

For fans of The Three O’clock, Dream Syndicate.

TRACK LISTING

CD1
Depending On You
My Secret Country
Don't Feel Bad
Mystic Green
Sad Eyes Kill
Crashing Dream
Shoot Down The Railroad
Man
Fertile Crescent
Invisible People
Gone West
Night Shade (Live At
Shibuya Hall)

CD2
Only Business
My Dog's Last Dream
Invisible People
Tranquility Base
The Sniper
Novocaine
Only Business
Ain't That Nothin'
Mystic Green
Don't Feel Bad
Home
Depending On You
Every Morning Does

This record is a Chicago collaboration between Vick Lavender and a legendary singer and producer, Ron Carroll. Ron is best known as the voice of timeless winners like Back Together, Angel and Lucky Star. Vick Lavender is a high profile producer and remixer and a regular on Cataleya Music. He runs his own Sophisticado Recordings label and has recently released two LPs, Beyond and Time Traveler. All I Got For You (Is Love) is a proper vocal anthem. It features funky guitars, star kissed keys and a committed vocal delivery. This is classic Soulful House from Carroll and Lavender! Paint A Picture is a key driven winner that will put you in a positive mood. Modern House songs that really deliver like the classics are rare, but Vick and Ron are on point with the memorable All I Got For You (Is Love).

TRACK LISTING

A. All I Got For You (Is Love)
B. Paint A Picture

For its second anniversary, Samba Jean-Baptiste’s 2023 LP, ‘Cardinal' arrives on vinyl and CD. Two years on from its original release on Samba’s own AM Radio imprint, this physical release via Scenic Route Records celebrates an album that’s quietly built a devoted following for its intimate songwriting, cinematic arrangements, and deeply human detail.

This edition features alternative artwork by Rafi Goudy and, for CD buyers, a 32-page lyric booklet featuring images captured by Samba himself.

An intimate, richly textured record that’s grown into a modern cult classic, ‘Cardinal’ stands as a deeply personal snapshot of a singular artist - now a tactile home experience.

TRACK LISTING

1.Running To The Nearest Body Of Water
2. Perfect & Learning
3. I Could’ve Cried
4. Umlaut
5. Windows
6. Seven Less Functions (feat. Chloë LeStage)
7. Song 6
8. Luca’s Song
9. Signs
10. A Wish Slanted
11. Storytime
12. The Primate
13. Texas Sundial V1
14. Quick Before Something Drastic Happens
15. Better Now
16. Uptown Lovebug
17. Talk / Pleasure
18. Cardinal
19. Window Seat
20. +ad 

The Reflex has been busy of late and, though already a proven master of multi-track mixes and mash-ups, he keeps on reaching new heights with each new drop. This is one of several coming in quick succession and finds him dropping the final part of his label Discolidays' collaboration with the Zagora catalogue, which features tunes by Thomas Bangalter's pops, Daniel Vangarde. Here it is the Gibson Brothers' disco belter 'Heaven' that gets beefed up with bright strings and unrelenting drums, driving you to a place of sheer joy. A more obscure sound comes on the flip with uptempo drums and sumptuous musicianship laid down by some of the best of the disco era in Paris.

TRACK LISTING

Heaven (The Reflex Revision)
You (The Reflex Revision)

Three decades deep and as essential as ever, Ralph Lawson's 20/20 Vision Recordings continues to mine its rich back catalogue with care. To that end, 'Full Circle Vol.3' feels both respectful and forward-facing with new mixes of enduring classics. Roman Flugel reworks 'Machine Life' into a driving club sound with fresh vocals and elastic acid lines, while Madvilla sharpens 'Rhythm Freq' into a sleek hybrid of house, UKG and electro. Simon Baker's updated 'The Liptrick' retains its raw punch, and Formidable Force close with a warm, late-night dub of 'Reactivate'. It is a tidy reminder of the breadth and depth of sound this label has always dealt in.

TRACK LISTING

Versalife - Machine Life (Roman Fluegel Remix)
B.Love - Rhythm Freq (Madvilla Dub)
Simon Baker - The Liptrict (Remastered)
Wolf N Flow - Reactivate (Formidable Force Loose Control Dub)

Inspiral Carpets' 'Burn Like The Sun' - their first studio album in 12 years. The album marks a major new chapter for Inspiral Carpets following a period shaped by loss, reflection and renewal. An extended hiatus left the future of the band uncertain, and the return to writing and recording became something deeper than simply making another record. What emerged is an album rooted in endurance, connection, and forward motion. At the centre of that story is the return of original frontman Stephen Holt, whose rejoining of the band reconnected Inspiral Carpets with their earliest creative identity while opening the door to an entirely new era. Rather than revisiting the past, the band approached 'Burn Like The Sun' determined to create something fresh, relevant and emotionally honest - a record that acknowledges their history without being defined by it.

TRACK LISTING

1. Burn Like The Sun
2. Drag The Bag
3. Touching From A Distance Too Far
4. Meeting On The Hill
5. Truth Hurts
6. Wolf At The Door
7. Sacrifice
8. Contact
9. Us Alone
10. By Your Side

'John Son' captures The Fat Lady Sings at their most open-hearted and ambitious. Across these songs, the band threads jangling guitars with sharp emotional detail, building a world where memory, regret, and hope collide. It's an album that moves with purpose -- melodic, literate, and unafraid to sit with the difficult moments. Every track feels like a postcard from a life half- lived and half- understood, delivered with the band's unmistakable blend of tenderness and bite.

TRACK LISTING

1. Boil
2. Show Of Myself
3. Alien 
4. Drunkard Logic 
5. World Exploding Touch 
6. Horse Water Wind
7. This Guitar
8. Johnny Sunrise 
9. Stealing A Plane 
10. Colourblind 
11. But 
12. Providence

The Fat Lady Sings' debut album 'Twist' stands out as a deeply felt, emotionally charged slice of early-'90s Irish alternative rock, driven by Nick Kelly's distinctive song writing and the band's blend of pop-rock, indie, and dream-tinged textures.

The Fat Lady Sings emerged in Dublin in 1986 before relocating to London, where they built a strong live following and released several independent singles. Fronted by singer- songwriter Nick Kelly , the band gained notable attention in Ireland, scoring multiple Top 20 singles in 1990-91. Their line up for the debut album featured Kelly, Tim Bradshaw, Dermot Lynch, and Robert Hamilton.

Released in May 1991 on East West Records, 'Twist' marked the band's first major-label album and showcased their ability to merge alternative rock , pop-rock , and jangly, emotionally resonant song writing . The album followed the major- label single Man Scared and produced three additional singles: 'Arclight', 'Twist', and 'Deborah'.

The album credits highlight the band's hands-on creative approach, with production contributions from both the band and producers Mike Roarty and Paul Hardiman.

TRACK LISTING

1. Broken Into
2. Arclight 
3. Who Wants You
4. Twist 
5. Love Turned Upside Down 
6. Deborah 
7. Man Scared 
8. Be Still 
9. Gravy Train 
10. Contact 
11. Dronning Maud Land

'20th Century Paddy - The Songs of Shane MacGowan' is a sonic love letter to a catalogue that shaped generations. The album features a wide ranging mix of icons and contemporary disruptors, each bringing a unique perspective to the tracks that defined Shane MacGowan's career.
The lineup of artists include:

Amble / Bob Geldof / Bruce Springsteen / Camille O’Sullivan / Cronin / Damien Dempsey / David Gray / David Keenan / Dropkick Murphys / Garron Noone / Glen Hansard / Hozier / Jimmy Artache / Johnny Depp / Johnny Mac and The Faithful / Kate Moss / Kingfishr / Liam Ó Maonlaí / Lisa Moorish / Lisa O'Neill / LYRA / Madra Salach / Moya Brennan / Mundy / Picture This / Pinch of Snuff / Primal Scream / Steve Earle / The High Kings / The Jesus and Mary Chain / The Libertines / The Murder Capital / The Pogues / Tom Creagh / Tom Waits / U2

TRACK LISTING

1. A Rainy Night in Soho - Bruce Springsteen
2. Fairytale of New York - Hozier
3. Sayonara - The Libertines
4. Aisling - Picture This
5. Streets of Sorrow / Birmingham Six - LYRA
6. Turkish Song of the Damned - Madra Salach
7. The Body of an American - Dropkick Murphys
8. The Snake With the Eyes of Garnet - Amble
9. The Broad Majestic Shannon - Liam O'Maonlai
10. If I Should Fall From Grace With God - Steve Earle
11. Fiesta - Johnny Mac and The Faithful
12. Paddy Public Enemy No.1 - Tom Creagh
13. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah - U2
14. Gabrielle - The Pogues
15. A Pair of Brown Eyes - Primal Scream
16. The Sunnyside of the Street - Kingfishr
17. Victoria - Mundy
18 Donegal Express - Pinch of Snuff
19. The Old Main Drag - David Gray
20. I'll Be Your Handbag - The Jesus and Mary Chain
21. Streams of Whiskey - The High Kings
22. The Sick Bed of Cuchulainn - David Keenan
23. USA - Jimmy Artache
24. Rain Street - Lisa Moorish
25. White City - Garron Noone
26. Summer in Siam - Tom Waits
27. Sally MacLennane - Damien Dempsey
28. Mother Mo Chroi - Moya Brennan
29. The Song With No Name - The Murder Capital
30. Lonesome Highway - Kate Moss
31. Haunted - Johnny Depp & Imelda May
32. Dark Streets of London - Lisa O'Neill
33. St John of Gods - Bob Geldof
34. Bottle of Smoke - Glen Hansard
35. London You're a Lady - Cronin
36. You're The One - Camille O’Sullivan

Sometimes a little pressure can be a good thing. For Scarlet Rebels, the task of following up two acclaimed albums that crashed into the UK Top 20 and turned the Welsh four-piece into one of the most talked-about rock bands of the last 10 years was a challenge they were determined to rise to.

The result is Scarlet Rebels’ electrifying fourth album, F'lawed By Design'. With frontman Wayne Doyle plus his brother, drummer Gary Doyle, guitarist Chris Jones and bassist Carl Oag teaming up once again with producer Chris Clancy, it sees the Llanelli band deliver 11 anthemic songs that combine the powerful with the personal.

'Flawed By Design' is the sound of a band at the top of their game, from Wayne’s emotive vocals and lyrics, to the powerhouse rhythm section and Chris Jones’ blazing guitar. Yet there’s an emotional core to 'Flawed By Design' that runs even deeper than its arena-sized ambition. By the band’s own admission, it’s the most introspective record they have ever written. It‘s that marriage of ambition, emotion and human connection that defines both 'Flawed By Design' and Scarlet Rebels themselves.

“I want us to be recognized for the depth of our material,” says Wayne. “I want us to be known as a band that writes heartfelt songs that resonate and touch people. We want to move people physically, but we want to move them emotionally too.”

With 'Flawed By Design', Scarlet Rebels have done just that.

TRACK LISTING

1. God's Honest Truth
2. This Is Happening Now
3. Don't Look Down
4. Chains
5. Stuck
6. Hanging On A Rope
7. Run
8. Happy Ever After
9. Never Be Enough
10. Let It Out
11. Fool Your Heart

Grammy-winning producer, songwriter, and performer La Roux returns with her long-awaited fourth album, 'Old Flames'.

Composed, written, produced, and arranged by La Roux herself, 'Old Flames' clears the space for something new.

TRACK LISTING

1. Old Flames (Intro)
2. Cabin Fever
3. Lose Myself
4. Falling
5. To Make Our Love
6. Your Lover
7. Final Fantasy
8. Night Vision
9. I Just Keep Crying
10. Baby Line
11. Old Flames

The Twelve Songs Of Christmas tells the whole story by covering a dozen Christmas number ones, stretching from Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer in 1950 - a song that feels like it's been around forever - to Wham's Last Christmas, which finally made it to number one in 2023, thirty-nine years after it was first released.

Each chapter will talk about the background behind each song, the songwriter and the performer. Not all of them will be Christmas songs - the Beatles dominated the Christmas number one slot in the sixties, and the Spice Girls likewise in the late nineties, but none of them were Christmas songs. Pink Floyd's one and only number one single soundtracked a bleak Christmas at the end of the seventies, with the country, a few months into the Thatcher era, in a depressing state of flux.

The book also digs into the Christmas records that didn't make it to number one, including lesser-known gems like Kate Bush's December Will Be Magic Again, denied in 1980 as the world mourned the death of John Lennon, and Mariah Carey's leviathan All I Want For Christmas Is You, which has still never made it to become the Christmas number one, even in the streaming era.

Defying the odds of emerging from one of the most economically deprived areas of the UK, West Lothian, which succumbed to the devastating effects of Thatcher’s de-industrialisation in the 80’s, The Snuts proved themselves to be only Scottish band to break through and gain international acclaim in the past 5 years, despite the unprecedented challenges stacked against them.

After rising from grass roots venues to sold-out arenas, The Snuts return with their most personal album to date. Since their chart-topping 2021 debut 'W.L.', the band have consistently evolved, refusing to be defined by genre, both with their follow up LP, the politically angst driven 'Burn the Empire' (2022) and in 2024, their energetic pop-driven 'Millennials'.

Their new record, 'Joy In Short Moments', pairs anthemic songwriting with honest themes of mental wellness, crisis, identity, growth and belonging after a succession of life changing events leading to their most personally raw and visceral songs to date.

TRACK LISTING

1. In Motion
2. Youth Ain't Easy
3. Defibrillator
4. Joy In Short Moments
5. PTS
6. Get Up, Get Out
7. Country Music
8. Summer Rain
9. Motherlands
10. Warsaw
11. Little Marathon Man 

Since its understated debut in a former South London industrial space in 1991, Ministry of Sound has become a defining force in dance music worldwide. As CBGB was to punk and Studio 54 to disco, Ministry emerged as the quintessential home of house the venue that captured and propelled an era. Inspired by the groundbreaking disco and rave clubs of the 1980s, including New York s Paradise Garage and Manchester s Hacienda, Ministry built its reputation on an unparalleled sound system and a philosophy that placed music and movement above trends.

The club elevated DJs to stardom and championed influential names such as Larry Levan and David Morales. What began as a cult hotspot quickly grew into a global phenomenon, expanding into the world s largest independent record label. This dynamic volume offers an eclectic, immersive portrait of the club s history and cultural impact.

Archival photography, posters, and record sleeves appear alongside immersive photography and personal recollections from musicians and cultural figures including Paul Oakenfold, Judge Jules, DJ Paulette, LTJ Bukem, Princess Julia, Pete Tong, Steve Angello, and Honey Dijon among many more. Blending the official with the underground, the iconic with the candid, the book captures the spirit, irreverence, and enduring legacy of a true legend of club culture.

'Synthetica' is the fifth studio album by Canadian indie rock band Metric, featuring the singles 'Youth Without Youth' and 'Speed the Collapse'. Sonically futuristic yet organic, 'Synthetica' sounds like the culmination of a decade of evolution that defined the band’s early years—an album that remains as bold and resonant today as it was upon its 2012 release. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Artificial Nocturne
2. Youth Without Youth
3. Speed The Collapse
4. Breathing Underwate
5. Dreams So Real
6. Lost Kitten
7. The Void
8. Synthetica
9. Clone
10. The Wanderlust
11. Nothing But Time

'Fantasies' is the fourth album released by the Canadian indie rock band Metric, featuring the singles 'Help, I'm Alive' and 'Gimme Sympathy'. Since its release in 2009, 'Fantasies' has grown into Metric’s most-streamed album, racking up over 252 million plays on Spotify alone. Widely celebrated at the time—debuting at No. 1 on Billboard’s Heatseekers and earning Alternative Album of the Year at the 2010 Junos—its enduring popularity continues to make it a defining high water mark in the band's catalog.

TRACK LISTING

1. Help I'm Alive
2. Sick Muse
3. Satellite Mind
4. Twilight Galaxy
5. Gold Guns Girls
6. Gimme Sympathy
7. Collect Call
8. Front Row
9. Blindness
10. Stadium Love

In 1998, songwriting & production duo Emily Haines & Jimmy Shaw formed Metric & left Toronto for NYC in search of like-minded artists. In '01/'02, they were joined by drummer Joules Scott Key & bassist Joshua Winstead, & found themselves at the center of the city’s burgeoning alt-rock scene alongside bands like LCD Soundsystem, The Strokes, TV On the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Interpol & more. Metric’s relentless pursuit of timeless songwriting & fiercely independent ethos have cemented their place as one of the most essential & ahead-of-the-curve bands of the last two decades; the trailblazing Toronto outfit is proof that you can amass an untouchable catalog without signing to a major label or changing your lineup. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Dark Saturday
2. Love You Back
3. Die Happy
4. Now Or Never Now
5. Art Of Doubt
6. Underline The Black
7. Dressed To Suppress
8. Risk
9. Seven Rules
10. Holding Out
11. Anticipate
12. No Lights On The Horizon

Afro-Latin electronic producer, global-sounds inspired DJ, and bassist for Little Simz, Marla Kether returns with her highly-anticipated second EP 'Luso', released on Strut Records.

Featuring a hand-picked selection of collaborators from across her creative circle, Marla continues to craft genre-bending bangers rooted in African, Brazilian, and UK sounds. The 5-track EP spans Batida with grime rapper Mez, Afrobeat with rapper Reek0, Broken Beat with Sofia Grant and a Samba House anthem with Margaridas.

With 'Luso', Marla brings her musical worlds together into her most fully realised project to date. Written and developed between Lisbon and Brasilia, the EP reflects the movement, collaboration and cultural exchange that shaped its creation.

“As a producer that first recorded during lockdown, this project was a l about getting musicians into a studio and rea ly celebrating the unbeatable energy of live recording,” says Marla of 'Luso'. “I wanted the music to feel human, warm and alive, rooted in rhythm, connection and joy.” Live percussion, bass, vocals and electronic production move together throughout the EP, creating music built for clubs, headphones and festival stages alike. Marla weaves together Brazilian musical traditions, Broken Beat, Afro Portuguese Batida, Afrobeat and jazz-inflected club music into a deeply rhythmic and emotionally rich body of work.

At its core, 'Luso' is a celebration of community, movement and musical freedom a release shaped by travel, collaboration and the energy of shared spaces. The result is a bold statement from an artist entering a new creative phase. With 'Luso', Marla Kether confirms herself as one of the most exciting cross disciplinary artists emerging from the UK underground today. The 5-track digital release is expanded to 9 tracks on the Vinyl LP, which includes the full EP on the A-side, and extra instrumental versions of each vocal track on the flip. Mixed by Joe Cook, mastered by Joe Wyatt, produced by Marla Kether.

TRACK LISTING

1. A Jam In Paranoá
2. Reverse Ft. Sofia Grant
3. Run The Track Ft. Reek0
4. Blessing Ft. Mez
5. Libera Ft. Margaridas
6. Reverse (Instrumental)
7. Run The Track (Instrumental)
8. Blessing (Instrumental)
9. Libera (Instrumental)

'Poor Advice' is a bruising concept album that traces the tangled wires between power and those crushed under it. Through 10 tracks, it maps the old dance between church and state in Ireland, where pulpits and governments traded sermons for policy and shaped a generation with guilt, silence, and obedience. It then pulls that thread into the present, following how moral authority has been outsourced to boardrooms and barracks, with the military industrial complex running like a grim metronome: conflict brewed, weapons sold, grief managed, contracts renewed. 'Poor Advice' is the title because it’s all the counsel handed down from above: keep your head down, say your prayers, trust the deal

TRACK LISTING

TBA

Cinematic Visionaries Calibro 35 and Noir Master James Ellroy Pay Homage to L.A. with a Pure Crime-Funk Original Soundtrack. 

There are collaborations that feel inevitable like they were waiting to happen in some shadowed corner of culture. The union between Italian cinematic funk visionaries Calibro 35 and internationally acclaimed master of noir fiction and New York Times bestselling author James Ellroy is undoubtedly one of them.

When Calibro 35 were invited to compose the original soundtrack for Francesco Zippel’s documentary 'Ellroy vs L.A.', they didn’t simply write music for film. They stepped directly into Ellroy’s universe the most dangerous corners of American crime fiction and discovered, to no one’s surprise, that its darkness felt strangely familiar.

Twelve brand new tracks of cinematic crime funk, psychedelia, and hypnotic groove that don’t accompany Ellroy’s world so much as inhabit it. The soundtrack’s move through Ellroy’s fictional and real-world mythologies with deliberate precision. Stylistically, the album finds Calibro 35 in their most natural yet most cinematic state: crime funk, psychedelia, and hypnotic groove pushed into darker, more narrative-driven territory by the weight of Ellroy’s world. From the gloomy, suspense-laden groove of the opener Black Dahlia to the evocative closing piece Moonlight Sonative, the album unfolds as a complete cinematic arc, showcasing Calibro 35 at their very best. L.A. Confidential delivers a super-suspenseful, thrilling tension that feels like a chase through neon-lit streets, while Riots erupts into explosive cinematic funk, capturing chaos and urban unrest in full force.

'LSD on Sunset Boulevard' drifts into a hazy, instrumental soul journey psychedelic, warm, and disorienting, like a late-night hallucination of the city itself. #The Big Nowhere (Part I & II)# expands the narrative into a slow-burning, atmospheric descent, unfolding like a two-act crime saga. 'Welcome to the Land of Vacation and Probation' hits with kick-ass, uptempo crime-funk madness, urgent and relentless in its propulsion, while 'White Jazz' is a mood of suspended, noir-infused jazz tension cool, shadowy, and unresolved. Together, the tracks map Los Angeles as a fractured yet hypnotic landscape suspended between glamour and violence, beauty and decay, myth and reality.

TRACK LISTING

1. Black Dahlia
2. LSD on Sunset Boulevard
3. Pacific Safari
4. The Big Nowhere part 1
5. L.A. Confidential
6. Riots
7. Chalet Manson
8. The Big Nowhere part 2
9. Welcome to the Land of Vacation and Probation
10. White Jazz
11. Feels Like Home
12. Moonlight Sonate

Much like a teacher, Meryl Streek imparts his knowledge and lived experiences to all who are willing to listen. His third album, ‘Stories They Don’t Teach You At School’, serves as an alternative form of education, delivered through a visceral blend of factual soundbites and raw emotion, loops and samples, guitars and bass. The lyrics resonate with core values of compassion, resilience, and community—themes rarely explored within a classroom setting or seen in today's fragmented society. By prioritising conviction over commercial success, the Dublin artist's outspokenness may invite controversy. Yet beneath the fervor lies a profound desire for positive social change at home in Ireland, and beyond.

Meryl Streek returned to Darkland Studios in Dublin to fine-tune the recordings previously made in a shed at the back of his ma's garden. Here he continued the genre-blurring nature of his earlier work, enticing listeners toward dissonant landscapes and hypnotic rhythms. Gentle piano tones collide with abrasive synths, creating a striking tension between beauty and noise. Streek tempers his rage when appropriate, integrating atmospheric textures and pop sensibilities into his ever-expanding sonic collage.

As is tradition with any Meryl Streek record, ‘Stories They Don’t Teach You At School’ unearths many uncomfortable truths. ‘Rotten Fruit’ examines media manipulation and the numbing proliferation of misinformation, all soundtracked by synth-punk. With gliding keys and a crunchy bassline, ‘Council Estates’ critiques systemic government failures affecting the working class. ‘Kelly’ is a slice of electronica that details an ongoing criminal investigation, currently classified as a “Contested Cause of Death”. The indie pop of 'The Chancer' brings much-needed attention to landlord politicians. As the album progresses, the mission remains absolute: to provide a voice for the voiceless.

To amplify these narratives, Meryl Streek handpicked a diverse group of collaborators for the project. ‘Rotten Fruit’ features Steve Ignorant of anarcho-punk collective CRASS. ‘Depression’ opens with a touching recording of the late Liam Norton, close friend and former touring companion, while Pete Holidai of The Radiators From Space contributes guitars on the song. Comedian Phill Jupitus provides the spoken outro for ‘The Chancer'. ‘Housing For All’ incorporates audio from Derelict Ireland campaigners Frank O’Connor and Jude Sherry. Venn Records owner and Gallows guitarist Laurent ‘Lags’ Barnard joins forces with Adebisi Shank bassist Vinny McCreith on the aggressive ‘Bullet,’ while Sophie Porter of Other Half provides bass guitar for ‘Life is Not a Rehearsal’. The album concludes with a three-minute spoken word piece by Frankie McNamara, the viral creator behind ‘Meditations for the Anxious Mind’.

In her 1990 protest anthem 'Black Boys on Mopeds', the late Sinead O’Connor warned, “To say what you feel is to dig your own grave”. With this release, Meryl Streek firmly holds the shovel.

TRACK LISTING

1. Welcome
2. Rotten Fruit
3. Rags To Riches
4. Council Estates
5. Depression
6. Kelly
7. Be The Hammer
8. The Chancer
9. Housing For All
10. Bullet
11. Life Is Not A Rehearsal
12. Frankie's Theme

With 'Lost Lost Lost', Pratt & Moody gather the defining moments of their journey and package it with fresh soul gold into one cohesive, slow- burning statement. What began as a series of cult 7” vinyl releases – often mistaken online for forgotten soul classics from another era – now finds its natural home in album form. Written and recorded with Timmion’s trusted house band Cold Diamond & Mink, the record captures the duo’s unmistakable chemistry: emotionally rich songwriting wrapped in warm, analog textures that blur past and present.

From the velvet sway of 'Addictive Touch' to the cinematic tension of 'You Bring Me Joy' and the beat ballad ache of 'Hard Way To Live', the album moves effortlessly between bedroom-soul intimacy and widescreen drama. 'Hang Tight' opens with a blissful piano figure that nods to gospel-tinged 1970s soul before unfolding into a full-bodied groove, while 'Hooked On Your Love' glows with golden-age group soul harmony sweetness. Across both sides, Pratt’s finely tuned vocals and Moody’s expressive guitar work anchor songs that feel timeless rather than nostalgic.

At its core, 'Lost Lost Lost' is an album steeped in atmosphere – lush downtempo moments sit alongside sweet harmony-driven soul, cinematic builds dissolve into dark restrained grooves. Analog string synthesizers, vibraphone accents, tremolo guitar, and deep-pocket rhythms create emotional tension without excess. Pratt & Moody’s strength lies in their melodic instinct: songs that feel big without being pompous or losing their human quality. The result is a record that feels cohesive, immersive, and that real thing – reaffirming the duo as key architects of the contemporary lowrider soul revival.

TRACK LISTING

1. LOST LOST LOST
2. ADDICTIVE TOUCH
3. YOU BRING ME JOY
4. HARD WAY TO LIVE
5. CHANGING TIDES PART 1
6. HANG TIGHT
7. WORDS WORDS WORDS
8. HOOKED ON YOUR LOVE
9. CREEPING AROUND
10. WHEELS TURNING
11. CHANGING TIDES PART 2

Chloe Slater’s debut album ‘Riot Youth’ unfolds in the fleeting, chaotic moments before doomsday – a coming of age record fit for the modern world. Arriving right on time in an era when hopelessness and nihilism run rife, painting the truest portrait of what it is to be young, British, and brave enough to be hopeful today.

Across 10 tracks, she departs her signature, succinct commentary on the issues plaguing her generation: social divide, toxic internet culture, our dwindling sense of community, the climate crisis and, ultimately, the vampirish billionaire class cashing in on our collective misery. She playfully shifts from these frank descriptions of society to moments of gorgeous, gut-punching poetry, crafting anthemic choruses and intoxicating one-liners from the gripes many of us can barely muster the words for.

TRACK LISTING

1. Mother Nature's Killing Spree
2. Can I Finish Please?
3. The Underground
4. I've Never Felt So Hated
5. Southern Youth
6. Go Outside
7. Get Me Out
8. Helpless
9. Ugly
10. Let It Happen

A history of the club that set the '80s alight, by the much-loved presenter, writer and Blitz attendee Robert Elms. The short-lived Blitz club in London's Covent Garden was more than somewhere to hang out or be seen: it was a catalyst for cultural explosion, a counter-culture blast against everything Thatcher's leadership had ushered in by the dawn of the 80s.

Tuesday nights boasted a ferocious, fearless cast - from Boy George and Spandau Ballet to Grayson Perry and Peter Doig, to Michele Clapton, Sade and John Galliano. This was the vanguard of a different England; socially liberal, loud, proud and diverse, fiercely individualistic and determined to succeed. Britain was black and white; the Blitz Kids switched on the colour.

In Blitz, Elms reflects on a club night founded by working-class kids, one whose impact reverberated beyond its doors, through the worlds of Art, Literature, Fashion and Music, and into the present day.

With a foreword by Moby. Looking Backwards Towards the Future: The Story of Ultravox is the first authorised biography of post-punk mavericks turned commercial superstars, Ultravox. Written with the cooperation of the band's surviving core members, it is the definitive account of one of Britain's most eccentric, unusual and uncompromising groups.

Drawing from a vast archive of research materials and exclusive input from the band, their peers, their label and management, Looking Backwards Towards the Future details the fractures, fallouts, ambition and ego that followed their career. From their experimental, art-school beginnings as post-punk outsiders, to their rebirth as chart-conquering heroes, Ultravox always remained unique. Derided by the mainstream media throughout their career, the band remained unwavering in their pursuit of an eccentric trajectory of their own design, achieving success and millions of record sales, always on their own terms.

Rising Stockholm quartet Clutter is back with their eagerly anticipated debut album 'Sugar Rush'. One of the most exciting bands to come out of the Nordics in a long-time, Clutter’s been turning heads with their raucous live shows and 'Sugar Rush' follows the band’s breakout debut EP 'Loves You' from 2025.

TRACK LISTING

1. GirlVsHeart
2. Everything Suxx
3. Hello Kitty
4. Pop Rock Sugar Rush
5. Grease Baby
6. Robot
7. C.L.U.T.T.E.R
8. I Wish I Could Keep It Together
9. Fame
10. Unbothered

The wait is over. The Lilacs finally deliver their highly anticipated debut, 'Keeping Up With The Joneses'. Born between the streets of Manchester and Paris, this is The Lilacs’ definitive coming-of-age debut album. It’s a raw, high-stakes blend of "misspent youth" anthems and "boy meets girl" stories, capturing the reality of growing up without ever losing sight of where they're from.

TRACK LISTING

1. Miss Behavin
2. Girl Behind The Bar
3. Put The World To Rights
4. Grace
5. Keeping Up With The Joneses
6. If The Jacket Fits (Then It’s Yours To Keep)
7. What’s The Worst That Can Happen?
8. Vicarage Road
9. Too Much Of A Good Thing
10. Asking For A Friend

Established in 2014, These Wicked Rivers have emerged as one of the UK’s most compelling forces in the recent rock resurgence. Hailing from Derby and drawing influence from the well of rock legends and blues greats, the band have made quite an impact since their inception with their unique brand of blues-infused modern rock. With a reputation for soulful-bordering-on-spiritual live performances and timeless songcraft the band have built unstoppable momentum in recent years.

2026 is set to mark a landmark chapter for the quintet, with their hotly-anticipated third album 'Fire and Folklore'. The record was recorded in the band's hometown of Belper in Derbyshire, at Andy Sneap's home studio. With the Grammy-winning Sneap (Judas Priest, Saxon, Megadeth) and Colin Richardson (Slipknot, Massive Wagons, Those Damn Crows) at the helm, it's the band 's most accomplished record to date. Expanding beyond their signature wizard-blues rock sound, 'Fire and Folklore' pushes into new sonic territory, blending in shades of country and Southern spirit while retaining the groove and soul that defines the band. The record also features a special guest appearance from fellow Derby artist, country starlet Kezia Gill.

Loved dearly by a rapidly growing "Family" of fans, and armed with a homegrown record with its sights set firmly on the global stage, These Wicked Rivers are poised to reach new heights. Jump on in and enjoy!

TRACK LISTING

1. The Healing
2. Horse to Water
3. Ain't No Smoke
4. Love to Love
5. Sing Another Song feat. Kezia Gill
6. Rise
7. Brother Oh Brother
8. Better Man
9. Woodland Queen
10. Stories
11. Sign of the Time - CD Only
12. Silver or Gold - CD Only

¡Forward Russia! formed in Leeds in 2004, from the ashes of other bands that never truly went anywhere; they are Whiskas (guitar), Tom Woodhead (vocals, keys), Katie Nicholls (drums) and Rob Canning (bass). They released a much-admired debut album, 'Give Me a Wall', in 2006, and now they’re back with a 20th Anniversary repress. Available on vinyl for the first time since initial release, the package is a limited edition clear 12” with new lyric sheet & sleeve notes from Steve Lamacq.

TRACK LISTING

1. Thirteen
2. Twelve
3. Fifteen Part 1
4. Nine
5. Nineteen
6. Seventeen
7. Eighteen
8. Sixteen
9. Seven
10. Fifteen Part 2
11. Eleven

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith returns with 'Ruin: It’s Not Just Music', a new studio album that marks one of the most decisive statements in her creative trajectory. 

Across the past decade, KAS has established herself as a unique voice in experimental electronic music, a composer and synthesist whose work dissolves the boundaries between ambient electronica, contemporary classical, composition, and immersive sound design. Her new album 'Ruin: It’s Not Just Music' arrives with a distinctive gravitational pull. The record moves with greater physical force, placing rhythm and impact at the centre of its architecture, revealing a more confrontational and embodied dimension of KAS’s musical language. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Introduction
2. Ruin
3. GTP!
4. I’m Just Being Honest
5. Obsessed
6. 19 Minutes 
7. I Don’t Know What It Is 
8. That Is Like You 
9. It’s In Everything You Say 
10. On The Low

On Chuck Strangers’ latest opus, 'Glory Of The King’s Hand', he raps, “I still rap from the perspective of my government name…” The stage name Chuck Strangers is, of course, an alias but it’s not necessarily an alter ego. For the man born Che Jessamy, his rap moniker isn’t some over-the-top rock star persona contrived for public consumption, it’s just a name. What you hear on his records is really who he is - a heavy-tongued griot from East Flatbush, Brooklyn with a gift for vivid stream-of-consciousness storytelling. His bars are imbued with the wisdom he’s gained in his lifetime - especially in the 14 years since he first made his debut with the Pro Era collective.

The elaborate title of his new album, 'Glory Of The King’s Hand', speaks to his gratitude for the hand that life’s dealt him, which is a pretty good one. At age 34, he does what he loves professionally and does it on his own terms. That’s something to be thankful for.

'Glory Of The King’s Hand', not only represents Chuck’s matured attitude but also his matured sound. Key to this refined approach was tude collaboration. Chuck is a proficient beatmaker in his own right as evidenced by his production for himself and artists like Joey Bada$$, and Boldy James. But this time around Chuck chose to be a dass, producer in the Quincy Jones sense of the word, bringing together vocalists, producers, and musicians instead of handling all of the beats and rhymes himself.

The list of contributing producers is a who’s who of underground sound scientists including The Alchemist, Animoss, Theravada, Kensound Kenny Segal, Preservation, Child Actor, and Morriarchi.

And while '…King’s Hand' is in some ways a sample of what this section of the underground looks like in 2026, what Chuck brings to tion the table is uniquely Chuck Strangers. “I had to do my own thing!”

His resolve is in part due to the influence of his legendary mentors like the late Ka and The Alchemist who each carved out their own distinct lanes. “There’s a lot of Roc Marci’s, there’s a lot of Earl Sweatshirts and you’ve got many Alchemists out here, but I have to do my shirts own thing that might look a little different from everybody else’s shit … I can just be myself.”

TRACK LISTING

1. Track 1 (prod. Theravada)
2. Intro (prod. Human Error Club)
3. Everyday feat. Obii Say (prod. Chuck Strangers)
4. Malcom (prod. Animoss)
5. Goodfind (prod. Morriarchi)
6. Miracle Miles feat. Obii Say (prod. Child Actor)
7. Solo (prod. Preservation)
8.Torn in Two (prod. The Alchemist)
9. Bomberman (prod. Kenny Segal)
10. Breaking Atoms feat. billy woods & Zeroh (prod. Human Error Club)
11. Rebeldia (prod. Preservation)
12. Class Pictures Reprise (prod. JUNIE)
13. L2LL2C (prod. Obii Say)
14. Ski'd Up Reprise (prod. Cam Beats)
15. Price is Right (prod. Animoss)
16. G Pack (prod. Morriarchi)
17. Outro (prod. Human Error Club)

After over a decade together, beloved Irish band Kodaline close a chapter with We Were Only Young, their fifth and final studio album. The title comes from the track of the same name - a bittersweet reflection on looking back at better times. “Like most songs I write, it comes from something real,” says lead singer Steve Garrigan. “That feeling of being part of something special... In some ways, it reflects the journey we’ve been on together.” Written entirely by Garrigan, a first for the band, We Were Only Young? stands as the perfect farewell from one of the most compelling indie-pop bands of their generation. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Who Will Save You Now
2. We Were Only Young
3. Back To Me
4. Without You
5. Get Me High
6. All I Ever Need Is You
7. Vultures
8. Last Forever
9. Learn To Lose
10. Hindsight
11. It's Not Over
12. The One For Me

DJ Spanish Fly is one of the foundational figures of Memphis rap. Long before the city's underground sound would influence artists across the globe, his homemade mixtapes circulated hand-to-hand throughout Tennessee and the wider South, defining a raw, bass-heavy style that would become the blueprint for generations of rap producers.

'Cadillac Warning' collects a wealth of previously unreleased recordings from the 1990s, excavating the eerie, hypnotic world Fly built from primitive home recording equipment, drum machines and booming car stereos. Named after the talking alarm system in his prized 1978 Cadillac Coup DeVille, the album captures a period when the car was both status symbol and mobile headquarters, carrying his music from clubs and college campuses to gas stations and neighbourhood streets across Memphis.

Championed by the likes of A$AP Rocky, Legowelt, LIM, and more - DJ Spanish Fly's lasting impact on the wider hip-hop landscape is seeing a renewed global interest from underground rap and electronic music communities alike.

TRACK LISTING

1. Who's The Man
2. U Cain't Hide ft. Capt C
3. Jealous
4. Badguy
5. Git Buck ft. Lady Dia
6. Cocaine Call
7. Come Back
8. Shake Dat
9. The Medicine
10. Rollin’ In My Cadillac

'Jealous / Git Buck' offers a first glimpse into the world of 'Cadillac Warning', DJ Spanish Fly’s forthcoming collection of previously unreleased Memphis rap recordings.

'Jealous' opens with a field recording made by Fly in the early 1990s, capturing the talking alarm system of his prized 1978 Cadillac Coup DeVille as it warns would-be carjackers to “move away from the vehicle” – a moment that would later inspire the album’s title. One of the foundational figures of Memphis rap, Spanish Fly helped define the city’s raw, bass-heavy sound long before it spread across the globe. Built from eerie synths, booming 808s and DIY production, 'Jealous / Git Buck' captures the hypnotic street energy that made his homemade tapes legendary throughout the South.

Championed today by figures including A$AP Rocky, Legowelt and NTS Radio, Fly’s pioneering work continues to find new audiences across hip-hop and electronic music alike. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Jealous
2. Git Buck ft. Lady Dia

Nothing But Thieves return with their fifth studio album, 'Stray Dogs'. Recorded at Angelic Studios — where the band made their debut album — 'Stray Dogs' reconnects the Southend five-piece with their DIY roots. The album was written in unison over a dedicated 5-month period, resulting in the band creating their most liberating and cohesive work to date. Featuring the euphoric new single ‘Evolution’, the 12 track album explores themes of community, belonging and shared experience.

Join The Pack 

TRACK LISTING

TBC

'Takk…', the band’s much loved album celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and with this release all tracks have been lovingly remastered. With close to ten million albums sold, Sigur Rós stands as one of the most ambitious and acclaimed bands of recent times, whose new artistic endeavors only points towards an expansive, exciting future.

TRACK LISTING

1. Takk...
2. Glósóli
3. Hoppípolla
4. Með Blóðnasir
5. Sé Lest
6. Sæglópur
7. Mílanó
8. Gong
9. Andvari
10. Svo Hljótt
11. Heysátan
12. Melrakki
13. Refur
14. Ó Friður
15. Kafari
16. Elfur

The 2LP version of the Marc Bolan / T. Rex collection ‘1974-1977’ culls the cream from a plethora of previously unreleased rehearsal takes and studio demos, from arguably the most adventurous and pioneering period of Marc’s career.

Lovingly mastered and curated from a stash of Marc’s own tapes unearthed towards the end of 2024, the recordings are a fascinating document of an artist brimming with renewed vim and creativity. They also document how Marc and his super-hot band kept the tapes rolling when recording all over the world, from London to the USA, to Germany and France and back to London.

Included of course is I’m Dazed, the “lost” T. Rex single unearthed from those tape boxes in 2024. Remastered and released on cosmic yellow seven-inch on Marc’s birthday in 2025 (with a new take of Billy Super Duper on its B-side), it helped mark the occasion of Marc being awarded an official English Heritage Blue Plaque. The honour made him just one of 5 pop musicians to ever receive the accolade, alongside Freddie Mercury, John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley. Two very different takes of I’m Dazed shimmer here: the 2025 single version remixed by Steven Wilson, and another, much slower take, led by languid drums, clavinet and piano.

74-77 comes in 2LP packaging with photography by Kevin Cummins, The set was curated for Demon by “T.Rexpert” Martin Barden and mastering undertaken by AIR Studios’ Phil Kinrade.

TRACK LISTING

1. Bolan’s Zip Gun
2. I Really Love You Babe (Take 5)
3. All Alone (Working Version)
4. Calling All Destroyers (Working Version)
5. Savage Beethoven (Take 4)
6. Bust My Balls (Take 6)
7. I’m Dazed (Take 3)
8. Billy Super Duper (Warm Up)
9. Galaxy Wild (Take 2)
10. Damaged Suit (Take 5)
11. I Never Told You (Take 3)
12. Dreamy Lady (T.O.T.P. Take 3)
13. Ain’t That A Shame (Take 9)
14.. Funky London Childhood (Studio Take)
15. London Boys (Take 2)
16. We Love To Boogie (Take 4) (Overdub)
17. I’m A Fool For You Girl (Take 3) (With Overdubs)
18. 20th Century Baby (Studio Take)
19. Hot George (Studio Take)
20. Universe (Take 3 Instrumental)
21. Write Me A Song (Studio Take – Short Edit)
22. Celebrate Summer (Studio Take – Edit 1)
23. Mellow Love (Studio Take – Short Edit)
24. I’m Dazed (Take 2) (Steven Wilson 2025 Mix)

There’s no roadmap for your mid-to-late twenties, and on 'How to Land a Plane', Swedish twin sisters Inez and Ella Johansson of 7ebra turn that uncertainty into their most compelling work yet. The Malmö duo’s second album explores the insecurities, frustrations and quiet absurdities of early adulthood through their most immediate and expansive songwriting to date.

Building on the haunting minimalism of their acclaimed 2023 debut 'Bird Hour', the new record pairs infectious hooks, buzzing synths and driving rhythms with sharp observations about identity, work, relationships and the pressure of trying to figure life out in an increasingly inhospitable world.

Written in the aftermath of extensive international touring and shaped alongside producer Jens Lindgård, 'How to Land a Plane' captures a band growing into its confidence without losing the vulnerability that first set them apart. Across songs that balance dark humour, self-reflection and late-capitalist anxiety, 7ebra transform personal struggles into hypnotic, emotionally resonant indie pop.

At its core, the album is a testament to the sisters’ singular creative bond, two voices intertwining, challenging and supporting each other, and confirms 7ebra as one of the most distinctive and exciting bands to emerge from Sweden’s indie scene in recent years.

TRACK LISTING

1. Magical Thinking
2. Dinner and a Movie
3. Forming
4. I Have to Buy Stuff
5. 15 With Me
6. Lime Green Jello
7. Normal Song
8. Bored Like a Dog
9. I Feel a Mean Wind Blowing
10. Night Smog
11. Patient Boy
12. A Lucky Star

A genre-defying artist who had acquired the status of a musical giant by the time of his death in 2023, Ryuichi Sakamoto’s long career spanned electronic, hip-hop, modern classical and pop music, inspiring artists as diverse as Questlove, Massive Attack, David Sylvian, Alva Noto and Caetano Veloso. A pivotal figure in the synthpop group Yellow Magic Orchestra during the late 70s and early 80s, Sakamoto went on to pioneer the development of ambient and electronic music in ever more experimental forms. Perhaps best known for his film scores, he won an Oscar for Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor, written with David Byrne, and found global fame with music for Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence (in which he starred alongside David Bowie) and, later, The Revenant.

Sakamoto’s career was also marked by social activism, including campaigning for more recognition of the effects of global warming, which he witnessed first-hand during a visit to Greenland. Music Sets You Free combines the translations of Sakamoto’s two memoirs published in Japanese – Music Makes You Free and How Many More Times Will I Watch the Full Moon Rise? It offers an intimate, contemplative account of his life, from his first encounter with a piano, to his rise as a global pop star, and his later reflections on mortality and music in the wake of multiple cancer treatments and surgeries. An affirming, beautifully written testament to art, life and sound, Music Sets You Free is a lasting gift from a true musical great.

The album consists of 10 brand new recordings of Big Country songs originally written or co-written by Stuart Adamson, Tony Butler and Bruce Watson which were released as demoes or sketches, but never previously properly developed or lavished with the attention they deserved.

Bruce Watson said of the 'Eastworld' release, "Some of these songs will be known to the diehards as they have sneaked out from the archives as unfinished demoes or 'internet only' releases, but these are all songs that deserved to be developed further at the time they were written. I am delighted to have now completed them; it is a true privilege to get this newly recorded material out there."

The Big Country Redux line-up includes Bruce Watson (guitar/vocals), his son Jamie Watson (guitar/vocals), Tommie Paxton (vocals/guitar), Chris Stones (bass), and Reece Dobbin (drums).

TRACK LISTING

1. Kiss The Girl Goodbye
2. What About Peace 
3. The Hostage Speaks
4. Never Take Your Place 
5. Troubled Man 
6. God's Great Mistake (Part 1) 
7. Normal 
8. Winter Sky 
9. Eastworld 
10. Pan American Irish Girl

A darker yet delicately rendered work from Kristin Hersh, 'Sugar On Blackstone' explores life and death, enrichment and poverty, and the small but defining moments of childhood that continue to echo through adult life. Deeply personal and emotionally expansive, the album reflects on the lasting bonds between musicians, family and friends, and the way certain sounds, places and memories can suddenly bring someone vividly back into focus.

Recorded at Stable Sound Studios earlier this year, Hersh is joined by longtime collaborators Rob Ahlers (50FOOTWAVE) on drums and cellist Pete Harvey (Throwing Muses). The result is a stark yet warm collection of songs that balances fragility with force, intimacy with tension.

Rooted in Providence, Rhode Island, 'Sugar On Blackstone' draws heavily from Hersh’s reflections on home, displacement and memory. Revisiting the streets and parks of her childhood, the record traces the emotional weight of returning to familiar places shaped by grief, survival and resilience. The album’s title references Blackstone Boulevard and Hope Street in Providence, locations that become symbolic throughout the record of both loss and endurance.

Written in the aftermath of personal tragedy and against the backdrop of constant travel, wildfires and restless movement across America, the album carries an unsettled atmosphere throughout. Yet within that darkness, Hersh finds moments of tenderness and connection.

A poignant and expansive record that radiates strength in vulnerability, 'Sugar On Blackstone' stands as another essential entry in Kristin Hersh’s acclaimed and ever-evolving body of work.

TRACK LISTING

1. Dark Eyed Junco
2. Moths
3. Ticking
4. Silver Beach
5. Pink Nightgowns
6. 101 Run
7. Sundial
8. Snow White Lies
9. Dom In Orange
10. '72 Stingray
11. Samson

It’s just over 30 years ago that former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler and ex-Thieves frontman David McAlmont unleashed the extraordinary single ‘Yes’ at the beginning of a summer awash with Britpop and Ibiza rave. With its instant-classic sound, augmented by soaring ’60s strings, it sounded epic and most definitely unlike anything else at the time. Rightly, today it’s considered a stone-cold classic.

When it followed in the December of the same year, the album ‘The Sound Of…’ was an immensely satisfying and beguiling mix of classic songwriting, immaculate production, and blending of rock and soul. The album was also singled out by critics as one of the year’s very best. ‘The Guardian’ newspaper awarded it a maximum 5 stars while ’The Times’’s critic commented: “the monumental climax to the seven-minute-long 'You Do' provides a fitting end both to the album and to a relationship that shook so hard that perhaps it had to shatter.”

TRACK LISTING

LP Tracklisting:
1. Yes (Full Version)
2. What’s The Excuse This Time?
3. The Right Thing
4. Although
5. Don’t Call It Soul
6. Disappointment / Interval
7. The Debitor
8. How About You?
9. Tonight
10. You’ll Lose A Good Thing
11. You Do (Full Length)

CD Tracklisting:
1. Yes (Full Version)
2. What’s The Excuse This Time?
3. The Right Thing
4. Although
5. Don’t Call It Soul
6. Disappointment / Interval
7. The Debitor
8. How About You?
9. Tonight
10. You’ll Lose A Good Thing
11. You Do (Full Length)
12. Yes [demo]
13. Yes [four track demo]
14. Yes [instrumental]
15. You Do [demo]
16. You Do [mix 1]
17. Don’t Call It Soul [demo]
18. Don’t Call It Soul [original single version]
19. How About You? [original single version]
20. Tonight [Oompah demo]
21. Tonight (Overnight)
22. What’s The Excuse This Time? [355]
23. Yes [BB & Nigel Godrich 1995 remix]
24. The Argument [outtake from the “Tonight” session]

Ezra Collective's 'Here Because Of Hope' is the most ambitious and personal record of their career - conceived as a body of work split into three spiritual and geographical movements, the album traces the movement of Black people across continents and decades, from the music of Africa to the rhythms of the Caribbean, and home to the streets of London.

Formed in the youth clubs of London, Mercury Prize and BRIT Award-winners Femi Koleoso, TJ Koleoso, Joe Armon-Jones, James Mollison and Ife Ogunjobi have now spent over a decade making jazz joyful, urgent and undeniable. On 'Here Because Of Hope', they push that vision further than ever, asking a simple but profound question: why does so much Black music born out of pain sound so joyful? Their answer is hope: the belief, carried across generations and oceans, that something better is possible. Anchored by collaborations with Pa Salieu, Lila Iké, Leona Lewis, and reaching across the full breadth of the global African diaspora (including America, where those same African and Caribbean roots gave birth to jazz itself) 'Here Because Of Hope' is a record of remarkable warmth, ambition and humanity, and the sound of Britain's most vital band at the peak of their powers.

TRACK LISTING

1. Part 1 (read by Letitia Wright)
2. Blow Your Trumpet
3. Sweet Echo
4. Don’t Worry
5. Only Love feat. Pa Salieu
6. Someday
7. Part 2 (read by Letitia Wright)
8. Birdie Sings
9. The Last Stand
10. Well Organised feat. Lila Iké
11. El Corazón
12. Bunny on the Rise
13. Part 3 (read by Letitia Wright)
14. All I Need feat. Leona Lewis
15. Jubilee Feeling
16. Black Flag
17. Most High feat. Libianca

Emma Ruth Rundle is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, visual artist and poet based in Portland, Oregon. Formerly of the Nocturnes and Marriages, she has released five solo albums and is a member of Red Sparowes

Emma Ruth Rundle's These Killing Times is electrifying, emotional and charged with anti-patriarchal feminist rage. The sixth studio album from the multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and multi-disciplinary artist is a reactive anthology, bristling, full of life and full of resistance; it asks us questions of our intentions and of the roles we play in the communities we exist within, and how we choose to counter the chokehold of capitalism. Sleepless nights, moments of horror, and times of anguish could be overlaid atop a timeline of recent socio-political events to map the creation of These Killing Times; the rising power of Christian nationalism, the grotesque circus of political discourse, and related ontological discomfort. But there is also love - as a balm and a tonic, a means of escape. A desire for companionship and connection whilst being confronted by the most violent parts of humanity remains an unresolved tension. Written as she watched from afar the devastating effects of yet another climate disaster unfold in early 2025, Emma reflected on the roots of the systemic issues that filter directly into so many catastrophic global events, and made a conscious choice to reach towards making a hopeful record. Where outside forces tempted her to turn inwards, towards isolation and hopelessness, she instead reached outwards to create a record that acknowledges pain, but offers both community and resilience in response.

TRACK LISTING

01. god's picture
02. anvil
03. catherine wheel
04. don't delay heaven
05. enough
06. powerless
07. human kindness
08. oceans of time

Dundalk’s finest The Mary Wallopers have announced details of their third album – produced by The Coral’s James Skelly and packed with their own songs - a new single and their biggest headline tour to date, including arena shows in Scotland and Ireland

Paddywhackery follows up 2023’s hugely acclaimed Irish Rock’n’Roll. That album saw the band grow in confidence, writing their own songs for the first time. Paddywhackery finds them leaping forwards to create an album that sounds like it’s been made by a band with a tightness and a power that’s unparalleled in music right now.

Recorded in an intense two-week period in Liverpool with producer James Skelly and engineer Chris Taylor, Paddywhackery lets the band’s grand wildness shine through and allows their songs to flow out of the speakers with the kind of verve and potency that will make you - the listener - press play again, and again, and again.

Andrew and Charles Hendy on the album: “It’s mainly about the fact that people would call us “paddywhackery” because we are too Irish or whatever, but it’s all very fucking hip to be Irish the last couple of years, and maybe that’s performative too, it’s very sincere. If all you do is serious songs, it sterilises everything. It becomes like there’s only one human emotion and its seriousness. People are terrified of being laughed at. If people are going to call us paddywhackery anyway, we might as well just call the album Paddywhackery. So its more of a “fuck you” than anything else. We want to spread like a virus and destroy anyone who thinks they are above The Mary Wallopers”.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
Crowns of England
The Juice
Seán na Sagart
Smuggling the Tin
Castlecoe Hill

Side B
The Big Mixer
Worker’s Song
Banks of the Roses
Landlord’s Demise
Kit Kat Club
Mickey Dam

Seasick Steve returns with 'The Last Season Of America'. In 2024, Steve and his wife Elisabeth took a road trip across America where he witnessed the poverty and divisiveness in the context of the upcoming election. They were in a New Orleans club where a house band leader welcomed two Belgian musicians on stage by saying “welcome to the last season of America.”

This became the theme for the rest of their road trip and led to him writing the title track to the new album. A deeply personal, heartfelt reflection on the state of his home nation, 'The Last Season of America' is a protest record in the truest sense.

TRACK LISTING

1. The Last Season of America
2. Bad Things
3. Above Ground Boogie
4. Bootstraps
5. El Camino
6. Surf’s Flat
7. Free Man
8. Somebody
9. Matilda From Ottawa
10. Feel The Sun

David Bowie was the original influencer. For five decades, his songs helped shape the landscape of popular music. But what did he listen to? Which artists, songs and albums did Bowie tune in to throughout his life?This book, the first of its kind, reveals more than 100 artists that made it onto Bowie’s turntable.

David Bowie: Music Lover is a compelling mix of personal insight and expert commentary, jointly written by Bowie’s lifelong friend, collaborator and listening companion, Geoff MacCormack, and Jérôme Soligny, author of the seminal Rainbowman, who knew Bowie for 25 years. From Classical to Britpop, Electronica to Delta Blues, the book explores Bowie’s eclectic playlist, redolent of the decades he lived through but also of his deep interest in all genres and eras of music. It’s a story that begins with Little Richard on Bowie’s childhood Dansette record player, and ends with Kendrick Lamar, a go-to listen during the recording of Blackstar, released just two days before he died.

An indispensable guide for Bowie fans and all Music Lovers.

10th Anniversary Edition of The Frights' 2016 So-Cal Garage/Surf/Punk classic! Produced by FIDLAR’s Zac Carper, the deluxe edition package includes expanded liner notes, new photos and pressed on limited edition Pepperoni Burst vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

1. All I Need
2. Kids
3. Afraid Of The Dark
4. Puppy Knuckles
5. Tungs
6. Haunted
7. You or Me
8. Growing Up
9. You Are Going To Hate This
10. Of Age

‘Lounge Psychédélique’ takes you on a journey into the world of Lounge, Exotica and Space Age Bachelor Pad Music, from its early days in the 1950s and 1960s to the current crop of artists championing the Lounge & Exotica sounds today. Compiled by Spencer Hickman & Mark McQuillan for Two-Piers

‘Lounge Psychédélique (The Best of Lounge & Exotica 1954-2022)’ is the third instalment in the Psychédélique Compilation series on Two-Piers, following the critically acclaimed ‘Pop Psychédélique (The Best of French Psychedelic Pop 1964-2019)’ and ‘Garage Psychédélique (The Best of Garage Psych and Pzyk Rock 1965-2019)’.

‘Lounge Psychédélique’ brings together the sounds of Easy Listening, Soundtrack Instrumentals, Exotica, Jazz, Psychedelic, and Space Age sounds all under the umbrella of Lounge Music. The compilation includes legends of the Lounge and Exotica scene, such as Martin Denny, Yma Sumac, Mel Tormé, Herb Alpert, and Les Baxter, alongside legendary composers Hugo Montenegro, Lalo Schifrin, Michael Giacchino. Add some Lounge Jazz from Cal Tjader and the Latin Bossa Nova of Quincy Jones. Then throw in some beautiful oddities from Leonard Nimoy, Pizzicato Five and Mort Garson. Next, mix in some Lounge-Mod moments from Dave Pike and Jack Trombey, KPM library classics from Alan Hawkshaw and Keith Mansfield, and finish with some brilliant modern-day exponents of the Exotica sound Los Bitchos, Ixtaheule and the Percussive Funk Moog party sounds of The Bongolian. The result is a fun and crazy ride through the world of Lounge Music which will bring a smile to your face and a spring to your step. So raise a cocktail glass to ‘Lounge Psychédélique (The Best of Lounge & Exotica 1954-2022) – a sheer joy from start to finish!

‘Lounge Psychédélique’ isn’t meant to be a ‘crate diggers’ album or a compilation of obscure, hard-to-find tracks to outdo your mates. Instead, it is intended to celebrate the Lounge scene and, hopefully, the perfect introduction to this fantastic and beautiful music for any newcomers out there. So let your journey into Lounge and Exotica begin here….

STAFF COMMENTS

Darryl says: Delving into the world of Lounge, Exotica and Space Age Bachelor Pad Music, these cuts are the creme de la creme of the scene. Featuring legends like Martin Denny, Yma Sumac, Les Baxter, Mort Garson, Alan Hawkshaw, Leonard Nimoy, Pizzicato Five, and Keith Mansfield, there’s plenty of delights to raise a cocktail glass to!

TRACK LISTING

Vinyl Tracklist:
A1. Leonard Nimoy – Music To Watch Space Girls By
A2. Martin Denny – The Enchanted Isle
A3. Yma Sumac – Gopher
A4. The Bongolian – B-Boy Toga Party
A5. Los Bitchos – The Link Is About To Die
A6. Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass – The Lonely Bull (El Solo Toro)
A7. Michael Giacchino & Nouvelle Modernica Orchestra – Sidereal Day: 3 (Instrumental)
B1. Mel Tormé – Sunshine Superman
B2. Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66 – Mais Que Nada
B3. Lalo Schifrin – Lalo’s Bossa Nova
B4. Quincy Jones – Black Orpheus (Manha De Carnaval)
B5. Les Baxter & 101 Strings Orchestra – Tropicando
B6. Pizzicato Five - ǚ

Berlin's alternative rock / post-punk group Agatha is Dead! release their highly anticipated debut album 'Concrete' which features the singles 'Courtroom Drama', 'Kind Regards' and 'Cold-Hearted'.

Agatha Is Dead! began as a post-punk experiment between longtime friends Lilly and Noah, who first made music together during their school years. Drawing influence from Joy Division, The Cure, Molchat Doma and Fontaines D.C., their sound is defined by urgency, tension and atmosphere. The addition of drummer Joey Ramone Hansen — bringing a grunge and pop-punk bite — alongside Arthur on bass, completed the line-up.

TRACK LISTING

1. Intro
2. Referential Excess
3. Concrete
4. Kind Regards
5. Instincts
6. Cold-Hearted
7. Negative Space
8. Courtroom Drama
9. Strangers
10. Bedtime
11. You Wanna Be Loved
12. I Lost A Friend
13. Faster
14.Outro (Farewell)

Bloc Party’s place in hearts & minds was never up for debate, but the past four years have reaffirmed that position and simultaneously ignited the a new passion with fans young & old. From touring the world with their friends Paramore to headlining a sold out Crystal Palace Park, performing songs from their seminal debut Silent Alarm through to the constant reinvention of their more recent work, before returning to Reading & Leeds last year to enormous crowds.

Now, propelled by this renewed energy and buoyed by their biggest year of touring in two decades, Bloc Party are ready to release their next album; a narrative work examining a year-long relationship in intimate and often brutal detail, realised in the studio with the legendary Trevor Horn.

TRACK LISTING

22.01.22
Coming On Strong
Love Bombs
Pigwig
Lagoon Blue
Muscleworks
Clark Kent
Worst Birthday Ever
Not Your Problem
Now We Can't Be Friends
Rotherhithe
Stories
Moving On
Eulogy

Stoke-On-Trent’s most tuned-in and turned-out trio are releasing debut album Punch Card, which might be the avant-garde pop record of the year.

Driven by a desire for sonic collage and bolstered by lateral thinking, ‘Punch Card’ is a crafty lesson in how, with touches of masterful manipulation, the collision of opposing forces can cause sparks to fly and an irrepressible need to dance. “Our aim is to undermine anything leaning too far one way or the other. We shoot for homogeneity - if it sounds good and its component parts can't be pulled out, we’ve matched the job description,” they say of finding balance in their desire to ‘pull the rug’ musically whenever listeners least expect it.

Much like the typo in their name, now proudly worn by the band as a badge of honour, the result is an album of happy accidents that truly embody their audiences’ visceral knee-jerk reactions. The cut-out windows of an eighties protocomputer punch card that line the sleeve offer a portal into Formal Sppeedwear’s universe.

After signing with melodic in 2023, the trio’s now sold out 2024 debut EP - a self-titled, self-produced 12” sample of elastic bass arrangements, leaping guitar motifs and sparse, un-assuming percussive work - picked up notable fans at BBC 6 Music and helped to secure shows around the country with the likes of Fat Dog, Preoccupations, Warmduscher and Divorce. A legion of listeners grew, barraging Instagram DMs curious to unearth the mystery behind their idiosyncratic, off-kilter lyrics – usually a product of Beck’s phonetically-associated wordplay.

Prolific in their output, the band diligently produced Punch Card themselves with mastering from Paul D. Millar (Slug Bug). Led by a preference for sonic variety, they even discarded three tracks not belonging on the record; not because they didn’t fit - but because they did. Through their boomerang voice notes and a sense of telepathy that only college friends bonded by Neu! and Yellow Magic Orchestra could possess, they explain; “There’s definitely a subconscious level to what we do but it’s always driven by what works sonically. The real challenge becomes how to recreate it live.”

Blame those tracks which formed quickly when raw ideas and lyrics flowed from jam sessions in their Tremolo rehearsal room. Jagged, punchy ‘Indecent’ was largely improvised by the trio as a single recorded live take, and ‘The Ballad of DCB’ (avid bookworms in Stoke may have an inkling as to the meaning behind its acronym) was wrangled from a spritely brink of uncertainty after twilight tinkering powered a plethora of jangling guitar lines. Live staple ‘Wait (Hatchet Gets a New Hide) serves as collage of ideas and melodies harking back to the early days of Sppeedwear, completed on a Tascam 488 cassette recorder.

But, between joyfully jarring twists and turns, it is a rare moment of wistfulness which offers the biggest hint to the album’s wider Punch Card themes. A turning point in the recording process, finale ‘Friedrich Backs Up Nothing’ shimmers with strange atmospheres and sound-manipulated cellos; lyrically considering how history might react to the world today.

Formal Sppeedwear may look and sound something like pop, but Punch Card emerges through collision, constraint, and chance - much like the stamped out geometry that inspired its artwork.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
Hit ‘n’ Run
Who Needs Spain Ball?
Indecent
Knutmo 1-5
Aardvark x2
A Concise History
Fleas

Side B
Wait (Hatchet Gets A New Hide)
The Ballad Of DCB
New Brother
Appointment

Matador Revisionist History celebrates the 25th anniversary of Solex’s ‘Low Kick and Hard Bop.’ The album returns to us newly expanded with long-lost cut 'Mr. Crockpot'.

First released in 2001, this was the third album by Amsterdam-based songwriter and one-time record shop owner, Elisabeth Esselink. Here, her sampler-driven found-sound retro-futurist style came into full stride with hooks sourced from dusty vinyl, TV, radio, and street noise.

A generation later, ‘Low Kick’ remains an ebullient work of retro-futurist pop – layered breaks splitting turf with bluesy riffs, girl group grooves, and surrealist swagger. Way back then, The Wire called it “A dizzying array of elements and exuberance,” and we dare you to argue otherwise.

“Solex’s Elisabeth Esselink takes you into her Dada-esqe, cut, paste, and fold sonic dance party,” writes Matador founder Chris Lombardi. “She reconstructs a million shards of sounds and styles into a kaleidoscopic musical masterpiece.”

TRACK LISTING

1. Low Kick And Hard Bop
2. Mere Imposters
3. Have You No Shame, Girl?
4. Not A Hoot!
5. Knee-High
6. Honey (Amsterdam Is Not L.A.)
7. Shoot Shoot!
8. Comely Row
9. Ease Up You Fundamentalists!
10. The Dot On The I Between The H And The T
11. Good Comrades Go To Heaven
12. Cayenne
13. Ololo
14. You Say Potato, I Say Aardappel!
15. Look... No Fingerprints!
16. The Cutter

'Bossanova' is the third Pixies album. The band continued to work with Gil Norton after collaborating to such success on their platinum-selling second album 'Doolittle'. Their third album in as many years, 1990 was a particularly fertile time for the band with Kim Deal also having success with The Breeders, who released their debut album 'Pod' just a few months prior.

Featuring the singles ‘Allison’ (a tribute to jazz and blues pianist Mose Allison), ‘Dig For Fire’ and ‘Velouria’, plus the first cover to feature on one of their albums ‘Cecilia Ann’ (originally by The Surftones), 'Bossanova' showed a less primal side to the band, with surf and space rock rising to the fore. Lyrically, Black Francis is even more cryptic with a recurring sci-fi theme running throughout, which in turn influenced Vaughan Oliver’s classic planet design for the sleeve.

TRACK LISTING

1. Cecilia Ann
2. Rock Music
3. Velouria
4. Allison
5. Is She Weird
6. Ana
7. All Over The World
8. Dig For Fire
9. Down To The Well
10. The Happening
11. Blown Away
12. Hang Wire
13. Stormy Weather
14. Havalina

'Trompe le Monde' bookended a golden run of landmark records released in quick succession that cemented Pixies as one of the best of a generation.

Translated from French to mean “fool the world”, 'Trompe le Monde' showed the band still restless to push their sound forward. With producer Gil Norton again at the controls, their fourth album is arguably their most playful with Black Francis’s lyrics on UFOs and conspiracy theories keeping things weird while power pop creeps in to amplify the space rock established on predecessor 'Bossanova'.

'Trompe le Monde' goes full throttle with 15 tracks coming in a quickfire 40-minute salvo. It proved to be the end of act one for the band with them taking over a decade before returning to stage together.

STAFF COMMENTS

Andy says: This is an absolutely incredible record. Motorway to Roswell: what a stunner.

TRACK LISTING

1. Trompe le Monde
2. Planet of Sound
3. Alec Eiffel
4. The Sad Punk
5. Head On
6. U-Mass
7. Palace of the Brine
8. Letter to Memphis
9. Bird Dream of the Olympus Mons
10. Space (I Believe In)
11. Subbacultcha
12. Distance Equals Rate Times Time
13. Lovely Day
14. Motorway to Roswell
15. The Navajo Know

'Keep Stepping!' is the follow up to 2025’s 'Away' EP which saw Jaime establish himself as a dynamic new producer with an exciting future.

Whereas his debut EP, 'Away' has deep connections to Jaime’s home in rural Kent, 'Keep Stepping!' is an EP with the city in mind. Inspired by Jaime's time living in South London, the EP takes inspiration from London’s soundsystem sonics with Rosso mixing in bright melodies and dreamlike atmospherics to create a sound of his own. Much like the hum of the capital, there is an underlying groove that flows through it, whilst Jaime’s playful production keeps the music sounding buoyant and fresh. Influenced by the exuberant atmosphere of summer in the city, 'Keep Stepping!' embraces positivity and the importance of getting out of your own head and engaging with the community around you.

TRACK LISTING

1. Devotion
2. Walk
3. Night After Night
4. Speak 

Ringo Starr’s eventful and remarkable life laid bare in a first-of-its-kind mosaic biography of one of the greatest musicians of all time. Often overshadowed by his former bandmates, Starr’s remarkable story is no less compelling. ‘Ringo: A Fab Life’ highlights a life so jaw-droppingly eventful that one is left wondering how he also had time to become one of the best musicians on the planet.

Through an episodic, mosaic format critically acclaimed author Tom Doyle takes readers through the ride of a lifetime, from Starr’s brushes with death as a child bought up in poverty, through to dizzying heights of fame and success with The Beatles and beyond. By examining pivotal moments, anecdotes and cautionary tales, we see Starr soar as part of the biggest band in the world - and then try and cope with life outside of it: a film career, misadventures with friends, children’s TV narrator, furniture designer, marriage to a Bond girl, before eventually finding peace and sobriety as one of the elder statesmen of rock. So much more than another Beatles related biography, we follow Starr’s career far beyond the rose-tinted sixties, through the various addictions and career left turns in the seventies and eighties, before reaching the 1990’s, his legacy and reputation intact.

The life of Richard Starkey is long overdue a proper inspection and this book - with exclusive new interviews conducted by Doyle with, amongst others, Starr himself - provides a never-before-seen level of detail that will delight hardcore fans and curious readers alike. Ringo: A Fab Life - hilarious, moving, insightful and constantly surprising - is the definitive account of one of the greatest living musicians and the uncontested best drummer in The Beatles.

Multi-platinum chart–topping global pop powerhouse Zara Larsson kicks her boldest era yet into overdrive with her heavily anticipated new album 'Midnight Sun'. Created over the last year with frequent collaborator MNEK, alongside producer Margo XS and songwriter Helena Gao, this album is her best work to-date. Its storytelling bursts with truth and vulnerability, plumbing the depth and growth of Zara’s artistry and journey over nearly 20 years in the public eye. It’s an album unafraid to show all sides of the 27-year-old: lovestruck, wistful, ambitious, cocky, flippant, and uncertain, often in the same breath. This limited edition 20-track edition contains the original Midnight Sun album plus 10 additional reimagined versions.

TRACK LISTING

​​1. Midnight Sun
2. Blue Moon
3. Pretty Ugly
4. Girl’s Girl
5. Crush
6. Eurosummer
7. Hot & Sexy
8. The Ambition
9. Saturn’s Return
10. Puss Puss
11. Midnight Sun with Pink Pantheress
12. Blue Moon with Kehlani
13. Pretty Ugly with JT and Margo XS
14. Girl’s Girl with Emilia
15. Crush with Eli
16. Eurosummer with Shakira
17. Hot & Sexy with Tyla
18. The Ambition with Madison Beer and BAMBII
19. Saturn’s Return with Malibu and Helena Gao
20. Puss Puss with Robyn

Natalie Imbruglia is known to millions as the star behind the global hit ‘Torn’ which remains one of the defining songs of the nineties. It started a phenomenal run of success which has included two BRIT Awards, three Grammy nominations, a Silver Clef, eight ARIA Awards, seven million sales of her debut album ‘Left of the Middle’, and a #1 for ‘Counting Down The Days’. Recent times have seen her back in the spotlight, having performed alongside Olivia Rodrigo. It’s the perfect time for a new chapter, which starts with the news that she will release her new album ‘Algorithm’

‘Algorithm’ finds Natalie Imbruglia in a new era: one of empowerment, freedom and creative fulfillment. The Australian-British pop icon’s first album in five years is a tour de force, a deeply personal record to remind us precisely why we fell in love with her in the first place. It comes as the cultural zeitgeist shifts and pop edges back towards the dancefloor, its direction feeling in tune with the sophisticated pop, disco and house leanings of Robyn.

Natalie says, “On this record I chose to work with collaborators who also co-produce so from start to finish we were all so invested in every song. I really hope that people get as much joy from listening to this record as we did making it. And that they dance their arses off.

This was by far the most fun I’ve ever had making a record. It also happened to coincide with the most challenging time I’ve had with my mental health. This is the beauty of music and artistic expression. You can take something dark and turn it into light.”

The single ‘Upside Down’ opens with a flourish of bright synths and energetic percussion, with Natalie’s distinctive lilt floating above. As she reaches the chorus, it grows brighter – kaleidoscopic, shimmering – and we hear her relinquishing control, and ultimately finding clarity in a song which came from a feeling of shame surrounding her mental health.

She explains, “The inability to control my emotions, wrestling with fight or flight mode, was awful, and I was reaching this critical point with it. In a way, the song is about how sheer willpower – trying to force your way out of something – doesn’t always work. You need tools, support. So that’s where the song was born from, that fight to maintain a semblance of what some might consider normality.”

TRACK LISTING

1. Debbie
2. Upside Down
3. Catastrophe
4. Algorithm
5. Sounds Like It Feels
6. Jesus On Mars
7. Who Dimmed The Lights
8. End Game
9. Just Drive
10. Breathe With The Fire Lola
11. Beautiful Love
Deluxe CD Bonus Tracks:
12. It Ends With You 
13. Falling Birds

7” Tracklisting:
1. Bird of Paradise            
2. Darling There’s Another Me 

So-Cal's Movements remain on a steady upward trajectory, their fourth album 'Happier Now' builds on the tension-and-release sound they've perfected on their previous releases.

Once again produced by Grammy-winner Will Yip, 'Happier Now' holds fast to Movements' dissonant grooves, while incorporating melodic flourishes in the mix as heard in 'Dissolve Me' and the moody 'Back in My Ways'.

TRACK LISTING

1. Pulse 
2. Dissolve Me 
3. Everything Is Fine 
4. Happier Now 
5. Flowerbed 
6. Back in My Ways 
7. Spellbound 
8. III at Ease 
9. Live by the Sword 
10. Everyone I've Ever Been 
11. Fragile Hands 
12. Separate

There's a dance scene in Tadeusz Konwicki's Kafkaesque 1965 drama film 'Salto' that lodged itself in Przemysław Jankowiak's head while he was conceiving'Everything Always Changes, For We're Truly Here'. The film plays like a dream and the dance works almost like the payoff, a haunting, poignant moment that subtly references the title itself, which loosely translates as 'leap'. "I like listening through images and seeing through sound," explains Jankowiak, who's better known as 2K88. His music has always been cinematic, but this album in particular, made alongside acclaimed British artists Lauren Duffus, Rainy Miller and Bianca Scout, plays like slow cinema, meditating on themes that smolder evocatively without ever fully igniting. It's best described as hypnagogic R&B, a reverie of affecting vignettes pieced together from unexpectedly vivid elements: sensual vocal hooks, free-flowing raps, submerged rhythms and rough, craggy atmospheres. The four contributors pass sounds and memories back-and-forth, imagining melancholy sci-fi hymns, inverted pop songs and neo-trip-hop outlines that melt away at the edges, falling into a captivating rhythm of their own.

The project was originally commissioned by Unsound in an effort to match up Polish and British artists. Jankowiak had already released 'SHAME', an album that reflected on the impact of Polish rap in the late 1990s and early 2000s, juxtaposing these elements with the aesthetics of UK club music, so presented himself as the obvious figurehead. Miller, Duffus and Scout were at the top of his wish list of collaborators and before long, the quartet were on their way to his home city of Gdynia for a residency, where they began to figure out the harmony between their respective approaches. It was planned as a live performance at first, with 2K88 overseeing and corralling the ideas from each of his allies. Miller, who is widely acclaimed for his unique fusion of rap, noise and ambient music on albums such as last year's 'Joseph, What Have You Done?', would add poetic, inclement contemplations; Duffus, whose weightless, genre-blending productions have seen her release on AD93 and tour with indie rap heavyweight MIKE, provided cloudy but self-assured vocal hooks; while Scout, a producer and performer who shivered between gothic pop and medieval ambiance on 2023's 'The Heart of the Anchoress' offered haunted textures and desolate chorals.

"I think in the back of all our minds was a possible release if the collaboration worked out well," laughs Unsound's Mat Schulz. "And of course it did." After the live performance in Kraków, the four artists turned the dream into a reality, projecting the same ideas onto 10 fully developed tracks. And on the opener, 'Everything Always Changes', the concept solidifies, with coarse noise rubbing against Scout and Duffus's airy vocal tones and booming analog bass provoking tension before Miller's familiar voice cuts through the clouds. "There's a war where the sea meets the sky," he sibilates, "where the lines blur into fantastical dissonance." His imagery matches Jankowiak's faded soundscape, bringing to mind a half-remembered, long-promised history lost to time and politics. "It's trapped in this romantic haze," says Miller. "It conjures images of fictional seaside towns, ghosts of past grandeur living through imaginary romances in the present." And his voice returns on 'Creeping Thistle', AutoTuned to curve gracefully around sparsely populated, burned out terrain: ominous synths, wailing police sirens and reverb that seems to swallow everything around it.

On 'The Quiet's Song' familiar R&B hits and stabs are isolated and surrounded by ominous negative space that Scout impedes on with her reserved incantation. Loose, casual piano themes wisp through the frame like smoky exhalations and those sirens still groan away somewhere in the distance. The various threads are knotted into a more legible form on 'Poetic Fallacy', when Jankowiak's decelerated beats overlap with heartbreaking half-speed melodies and Duffus's elegant hooks. Scout takes the mic for a moment and a broken de-tuned guitar picks out the remnants of a riff. But it's the aptly-titled 'Salto' that gives the album its nucleus, fixating on Jankowiak's all-important visual reference and using its imagery to power a genuine pop miniature, a gauzy, abstract modern R&B anthem that's as impressionistic and suggestive as Konwicki's's film.

TRACK LISTING

TBA

Scotland's incomparable and influential Arab Strap are back with their ninth studio album 'Half-Told Tales': almost exactly 30 years since the beloved duo’s first ever single, 'The First Big Weekend', was released. The follow-up to 2024's acclaimed 'I'm totally fine with it 👍 don't give a fuck anymore 👍' , 'Half-Told Tales' is rich with Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton’s trademark wit and dark humour, whilst creating moments from quiet brooding to a self-described “disco-metal incantation that might make you dance” . Including the single 'You You You', the album was recorded with long-time collaborator Paul Savage (Mogwai, Belle and Sebastian, Franz Ferdinand).

TRACK LISTING

1. I Get Noise
2. You You You
3. Be a Man
4. Fighting For You
5. Glamour Magick
6. Gape
7. Under Offer
8. Basic Physics
9. Sunsong
10. Dollar Park
11. Mr. Splitfoot
12. Ampersand
13. Fragments
14. Beats Per Minute

Jamie Webster returns with 'Running Round The Sun', his fourth album and a record that marks a more reflective and vulnerable chapter in his songwriting. Led by new single ‘Just Begun’, the album builds on the directness and working-class perspective that have defined Webster’s earlier releases, while exploring themes of identity, resilience and mental wellbeing with greater openness. Following three UK Top 10 albums, sold-out tours and appearances at major festivals including Glastonbury Festival, 'Running Round The Sun' captures an artist continuing to evolve while remaining closely connected to his roots and audience.

TRACK LISTING

1. Ode To Me & You
2. Modern Living Symphony
3. Small Town Life
4. Wherever You Are
5. Just Begun
6. Turning Point
7. Breadline
8. 241 Tuesday
9. Everybody's Gotta Love
10. King Of Queens
11. Across The River

'LOVE', Dexys Midnight Runners latest, possibly last ever album, is a luminous collection of scenes and reckonings. Stories of family and friends, tales from past and present. All drawn from Kevin Rowland’s life, each an individual jewel, threaded together with love. Songs begun three decades ago sit alongside those written in the last year. A vivid depiction of Rowland's Irish immigrant childhood (‘My Life in England Pt 1’); a moving letter to his grandchildren (‘You’re Alright’); a wistful moment at the start of a love affair (‘I Want To Be Holding You Next Christmas’); a pin-perfect portrait of time spent with a dying parent (‘Once A Man, Twice A Child’); the difficulties of relationships when you're older (‘Old Love’). All deeply personal, all true, all here; the full human span of relationships, family and intimate emotion.

The theme of this album - Kevin's ninth, Dexys' seventh - gradually emerged as the songs progressed. "I don’t remember when it happened, but I just thought, 'Hang on, these are all love songs, of different kinds',” he says. "I knew then: Call it 'LOVE'." These are love songs, but not of the usual pop style. Not will-she-won't-she romance, but something more emotional and all-encompassing. Those small moments that illustrate a rollercoaster sweep. "Everyone came at this project with love," he says. To tell a lifetime of different loves. A love life.

'LOVE' is also their first album under the Dexys Midnight Runners name since 1985’s 'Don’t Stand Me Down'. “We realised a couple of years ago that some young people know Dexys Midnight Runners from ‘Geno’ and ‘Come On Eileen,’ but some that we spoke to, were confused by the name, Dexys. And some, thought Dexys was a different outfit to Dexys Midnight Runners.,” says Kevin. “Since Dexys returned in 2012, we’ve always felt what we do is worthy of a young audience, so it was a no brainer to revert to Dexys Midnight Runners”.

Those familiar with Kevin’s wonderful autobiography, Bless Me Father, will recognise some of the people in these songs: his dad, his brother, his first love, more recent romances. But this is a Dexys Midnight Runners album, the group of players where Kevin began his music career, and where he works best. So his lyrics are explored and highlighted, lifted to greater heights by the songwriting and creativity of long-time collaborators Sean Read, Mike Timothy and Jim Paterson. There are strings, too, arranged by Brian Irving, originally from Belfast.

Fellow Belfast man, DJ and musician David Holmes, is the album's producer. Holmes had long wanted to work with Kevin and Dexys: “They were the first act I was ever truly obsessed with, the first I saw live”. David's older sister bought him a Walkman when he was 11, and his first cassette was Searching For the Young Soul Rebels. When Kevin sent him a demo of ‘Once A Man, Twice a Child’ (written with Sean soon after Dexys' triumphant 2024 Glastonbury appearance), David was captivated. "His song writing is so strong," he says.

TRACK LISTING

1. My Life In England Pt. 1
2. You’ve Got The Love
3. Once A Man and Twice A Child
4. You're Alright
5. I Want To Be Holding You Next Christmas
6. I’ll Always Love You
7. Strange Feelin
8. It's Over Now
9. Old Love
10. My Life In England Pt. 2

Confronting 2026, hope can seem in short supply, as the most divisive and toxic voices worldwide are amplified amidst an ever-rising temperature of conflict and alienation, yet hope is abundant in ‘Losey’, the latest release on Rocket Recordings from the mercurial duo Gnoomes.

Just as this couple have taken a bold step into the unknown by leaving Russia and moving to Slovenia, so their music has thrown off all shackles to flourish in a defiant show of vibrant and revivifying colour. “The life of an immigrant is a strange thing.” says the bands Sasha Piankov “But luckily, that glow music brings us has never faded, even though the emotional landscape has definitely shifted.” Yet whilst the music that Sasha and his creative and life partner Masha Piankova came up with is testimony to a liberating triumph against oppression and adversity, it also goes beyond.

What has emerged is a kaleidoscopic collision of styles which sends the ‘skygazing’ realm of their previous work spinning into electronic orbit. Whilst the opener ‘Foreign Agent’ explicitly tackles the pressures of the Russian state, it also throws a Stereolab-style motorik meditation through an in-the-red psychedelic prism. Elsewhere we can behold Bulgakov and Chris and Cosey as bedfellows amidst the mesmeric, 303-fried EBM of ‘Satan’s Ball’.
“Rave as therapy. Pop as resistance. Love as endurance. ADHD as a production technique.” These are the primary ingredients of Losey, by the reckoning of the band themselves. This is an album that exists purely on its own distinct frequency, driven by defiance and positivity. 'Losey' is a soundtrack to set fire to the old order, the better to dance in the glow.

TRACK LISTING

1. Foreign Agent
2. May Night
3. Losey
4. Repeat Repent
5. Shakshuka And Pie
6. Satan’s Ball
7. Crangonyx

Sofie Royer, "one of Europe’s most intriguing underrated pop stars, with a captivating voice and an offbeat aristocratic glamour" (The Guardian), is back with a new album.

Having released three acclaimed LPs, the Viennese musician’s songwriting and production have become more complex and polished, her lyrics sharper and funnier. 'Before/After' is her most incisive record to date, confronting the gripes of being an artist and weaving self-excavation with cultural commentary. Sofie may have gone from lo-fi producer to a bona fide pop musician who’s opened for Lana Del Rey, Air and LCD Soundsystem, but she still doesn't know where she fits in. She pulls no punches when critiquing the music industry – “I’m too pop for the art world, too indie darling for the mainstream” – but saves her biggest swings for herself.

Over 12 catchy pop songs, Royer wonders if conflicts between past and future aren’t just battles with our own selves. “We are constantly in a battle with the ‘pre’ and ‘post’ states of time,” she explains. “There is a preoccupation with these two tenses; yet by remaining entangled in these states, we are often our own greatest obstacle to overcome. Really, in the state of 'Before/After', it’s always you vs you.”

TRACK LISTING

1. Leave On The Light
2. Cowboy Mouth
3. Sesquicentennial
4. Cavalier
5. Actress
6. AUTO
7. C’est La D
8. Sold Out The Jazz Club
9. Opium
10. Nights In White Jackets
11. Best In Show
12. Keep On Keeping On

On 'Cafe Paradiso', Mykki Blanco is completely reborn, trading the persona driven theatrics of his previous releases for something more interior and exacting. The record draws from the diverse, banal and yet idiosyncratic contexts of the artist's life in transit.

Chameleonic is one way to describe the artist known as Mykki Blanco, who has played many roles through his storied career: a rapper, a poet, a magazine editor, an advocate. Perhaps fearless better describes him; with high profile collaborations from the likes of Charli XCX, Teyana Taylor, Basement Jaxx, Blood Orange, Big Freedia, Kelsey Lu, Michael Stipe, Arca and Anhoni, Mykki has been recognised as a pioneer of queer-centric hip- hop who resonates across musicians of many genres and generations.

This album is Mykki at their most direct - a coherent statement with collaborator Falty DL and a massively listenable album for fans of LCD Soundsystem and New York Punk.

TRACK LISTING

1. Little Feet
2. NYC DOGS
3. Butt Sex 
4. Easy Does It 
5. Wasted in Soho
6. FOXES
7. Fuck as Friends 
8. Hey Dopeman 
9. Tough Guy 
10. Cut Me Open 
11. Spread For Me
12. God Is Alive

'A Gospel of Some Sort' is Syd Matters’s 5th album and their first in 15 years.

In the mid-2000s, Syd Matters established themselves on the global indie folk scene alongside artists such as José González and Bon Iver. Their frontman Jonathan Morali then turned to film and video game music, reaching a new audience through the soundtrack of the worldwide phenomenon Life Is Strange.

They now return with 'A Gospel of Some Sort', a beautiful and soothing album that bears their signature sound : acoustic guitar, soulful vocals, soaring synthesizers and emotional depth.

TRACK LISTING

1. Armaggedon Time
2. Choking On Anger
3. Easy
4. Memorize The Positions
5. Many Years In The Making
6. The Devil
7. In The Darkness
8. Ténèbres
9. The Holy Ghost
10. Tongues
11. Nuclear

“Sometimes life gets so dark, it starts to feel like a bad trip,” Lily Seabird reflects on the seasons that led to the making of her new record, 'Lightspheres on Their Way'. Seabird’s third record in as many years for Lame-O Records deals in mortality and reverence for the innately human, piecing her troubadour-ish folk to a grungy rock sentimentality. Though born from a period of reckoning and renewal, Seabird orients 'Lightspheres on Their Way' around a holistic realism that buoys the spirit, with loose, earthy arrangements that meet intensity and depth with both twangy spaciousness and searing drive.

Across the record’s nine tracks, the Vermont-based singer and songwriter orbits around the concept of “lightspheres,” a catalysing presence or force that visits time and time again and shifts stories, feelings and trajectories. “A lightsphere can be so many things” says Seabird, “ an actual light like a star, the sun, a UFO; headlights, a flashlight in the night; but also life, living things, people, relationships.”

Though 'Lightspheres on Their Way' marks a moment of ascension for Seabird’s songwriting, she asserts that “the most emotional parts of the record are instrumental.” The Crazy Horse stomp of 'Portal to the Past' and others stretch into spacious, jammy interludes and outros where Seabird and Rick Soszynski revel in fuzzy, gritty guitars. They act as moments of emotional decompression, like rolling down the windows and surrendering to the expanse of the open road. 'Lightspheres...' is a testament to the depths one can reach in their art when you stop trying to tell the story of what happened to you, and instead start talking about who you are.

TRACK LISTING

1. The Pulley
2. Bindlestiff
3. Election Day
4. Pennsy
5. Portal to the Past
6. Blackstar
7. Slipswitch
8. The Afterglow
9. Lightspheres on Their Way

That one summer that felt like everything… until it wasn’t. The rain-soaked phone booth, the pool, the fireworks, the moments where it almost felt real. kensuke ushio’s summer’s end score lives right in that space between tenderness and collapse, where quiet love turns into chaos in an instant.

This soundtrack captures every emotional shift of the Reze Arc. From intimate cues like 'in the pool' and 'in the sea' to the overwhelming intensity of 'edge of chainsaw (typhoon ver.)', this is the full experience of the film, pressed onto vinyl.

A Certain Ratio (ACR) revisit one of their most influential works, Force, with the new, accompanying companion album Force Majeure, out via Mute.

Offering a fresh perspective on ACR’s enduring legacy, it celebrates the 40th anniversary since its release. Force Majeure is a deep dive, featuring unreleased original versions of tracks from the album, which differs from the 1986 release, including the title track ‘Force’, which never appeared on the original album.

TRACK LISTING

1 Only Together (FM)
2 Bootsy (FM)
3 Naked and White (FM)
4 And Then She Smiles (FM)
5 Take Me Down (FM)
6 Anthem (FM)
7 The Runner (FM)
8 Force (FM)
9 Nostromo A Go Go (FM)