Not always an easy listen, but a consistently thrilling ride.

This isn’t necessarily an album that contains multitudes, but therein lies its pure escapist charm.

There’s a solid background of obviously skilled musicianship on fifth LP ‘One Man Band’, but even on the snarl of ‘Never Taking Me Alive’, it all feels very safe.

A record which clearly finds contentment in its sonic solitude.

A rich, multifaceted insight into contradictory nature of growing up and older, this is Bethany’s finest move yet.

‘Euphoric’ is grand, inspiring and convincing - and feels like summer love bottled up.

It’s older, wiser and more reflective. A wonderful surprise album whose existence in 2023 actually makes perfect sense.

All dials are turned up to eleven for PVRIS’ fourth album. .... Sometimes it means they possess a heaviness not found since the outfit’s rockier days of old, such as in the industrial clatter of ‘HYPE ZOMBIES’, but it may be an acquired taste, and occasional moments feel overcooked, such as on the juddering early single ‘ANIMAL’. Elsewhere, however, are a plethora of cast-iron, genreless bangers, some of which are the catchiest tracks Lynn Gunn has put her name to.

While the emotions are big, the choruses are even bigger: ‘the good the bad the olga’ begs for a cathartic moshpit, while ‘pardee urgent care’ is a definitive phone-torches-in-the-air moment.

In a landscape that often places image over genuine attitude, here is a consistently solid record with its fair share of gems.

Striking a perfect balance between familiarity and unpredictability, immediate choruses coexisting with a relaxed, breezy sound, ‘IRL’ is a delight.

It’s Claud’s willingness to inject humour and playfulness into an ultimately ambitious record that makes ‘Supermodels’ work.

‘I Inside the Old Year Dying’ will likely take some time to fully unravel, but on the surface, it looks like a daring return.

For a record titled ‘Messy’ it could ironically do with being a little less neat and tidy.

This album brings innovation just when The Japanese House began to need it, and hopefully points to more creative exploration in the future.

It’s nothing short of pure, menacing excitement.

Expect to cry - then get fired up.

A glorious running of pure pop’s emotional gamut, ‘The Good Witch’ is an accomplished, bewitching listen.

Where the distinctly Strokes-y melancholy of ‘Dead Air’, or the darker stalk of the Matt Helders-featuring ‘Thoughtful Distress’ succeed, others (‘Home Again’, ‘Old Man’) are throwaway jangles that feel like AHJ-by-numbers.

The album suffers from a few rough patches, but Geese have freed themselves from all expectations, which is a rare feat for a second album, and worthy of praise.

A fresher and more enthralling take on the genre, ‘Life Under The Gun’ manages to evoke a sense of considered familiarity - nodding to punk classics such as Fugazi, Operation Ivy, and even, at times, Green Day and blink-182 - while still feeling fundamentally rooted in the present.

Its most immediate moment may come via the El-P featuring ‘Don’t Let The Devil’, with its musical bombast and Mike as most have heard him until now, but this is a sonically rich record that is likely to reveal yet more on each listen.

‘Social Lubrication’ sees the trio loosening up and letting go, resulting in a record that’s both a progression, and that shows off wonderfully just what made them so exciting to begin with.

Like one imagines a night out curated by the Scissor Sister himself, cues shift from pure pop disco to ‘80s maximalism (the almost-instrumental ‘8 Ball’ makes like an extended 12” remix).

‘Expired Candy’ is a whole lot more fun than its sour, stale name might suggest.

‘I Thought I Was Better Than You’ proves a valuable insight into who Baxter Dury is.

It’s all gorgeously rich in both sound and delivery.

A near-perfect album if there ever was one.