Lorde’s fourth album, Virgin, marks a daring and deeply personal evolution that both builds on and breaks away from her earlier work. On her last album, Solar Power, Lorde drifted into moments of detachment and sun-bleached aloofness. Virgin returns to the visceral.
Ringlets return with boldness, bite, and theatrical flair on their second album, The Lord Is My German Shepherd (Time for Walkies), a record that channels the angular rhythms and nervy energy of post-punk into something emotionally frayed, rebellious, but with a social conscience.
Durand Jones & The Indications distil soul traditions into a sound that is timeless, tender, and deeply felt. On Flowers, their most emotionally open work yet, the DIY spirit of their self-titled debut, the lush protest-soul of American Love Call, and the satin sheen of Private Space have evolved into a gentle and assured power.
There is magic in the air and on the floor. With her second album, Disco Witch, Lou’ana takes listeners on a soulful, sparkly journey through inner worlds and outer rhythms. Divided into two parts, SO BELOW and AS ABOVE, the album is a cosmic invitation to move, reflect, and revel.
For over 35 years, 63 year old James McMurtry has been one of America’s most literate and quietly powerful songwriters. The Black Dog and the Wandering Boy, his eleventh studio album, and his first in four years, is further proof of his enduring craft.
There’s always been a streak of theatrical grit in Kate Vargas’s music, emphasised by a taste for the surreal, the Southern Gothic, the seen-it-all-before drawl. Across the eleven restless tracks on Golden Hour in the House of Lugosi, she blends jazz touched textures, rock and roll swagger, and off kilter ballads. Where her last album […]
Gasoline Lollipops took their name from a moment of surreal inspiration during a teenage psychedelic experience that shaped and defined their creative spirit. Sweet and volatile, strange yet grounded, the phrase captures the musical and emotional dualities that have defined this Colorado-based group for over a decade.
The first time I saw Jazmine Mary live was at Auckland’s Ministry of Folk, in February 2021. They shared the stage with BEING., and together they performed a set that included a haunting version of Jolene. Later that evening, phones buzzed with the news that New Zealand was heading back into Alert Level 3. Another lockdown. […]
Lake South, occupies a socially conscious corner of the Aotearoa music landscape, crafting heartfelt, homespun songs that blend synth-folk melancholy with working-class idealism and a deep sense of place.
Lucy Gooch has steadily carved out a space for herself as a distinct and affecting voice in contemporary British ambient music. Emerging first with the EP Rushing (2020) and then expanding her cinematic textures in the EP Rain’s Break, (2021) she received critical praise for her ability to merge choral elements with synth-driven soundscapes that feel both ecclesiastical and intimate.
