Each track feels like a different corner of Pusha T’s mind, all coming together to form a complete brain, glimmering with glitz and glamour on the surface and exploring darkness and deep thought below. If this is ‘The Prelude’, imagine what Pusha T can do with the rest.

A record both charming and bold, the dichotomy of upbeat indie-pop and brutally honest lyricism only adds to its appeal.

Another Language’ opener ‘New Topia’ is quite starkly different to their early work, losing much of the dark overtones in favour of a gentle build and furious, ecstatic release. From a distance, it’s the kind of no-holds-barred heavy rock sound that Mogwai made their own, but This Will Destroy You take it a step further, pushing the whole recording into distortion.

Most importantly, though, ‘Santhosam’ lives up to its name, as a record that reflects happiness.

It’s the sound of a band breaking the reunion mould, making firm strides forward and leaving their legacy in the dust.

With its warmth and energy, it will easily see you through these cold winter months.

This is her most defiantly disco record to date. Where ‘Overpowered’ or ‘Take Her Up To Monto’ might veer off on prog or avant garde jaunts, ‘Róisín Machine’ is lit exclusively by the glitterball.

Ending with the sprawling ‘Alone Piano’, the record catapults to spheres beyond. Standing open-armed and resolute for whatever might follow, Let The Dancers Inherit The Earth is an echoing cry for a bright tomorrow.

It all sounds a little inconceivable on paper, but is tied together and brought to life by a singer-songwriter who evades pigeonholing--on purpose or accidentally, it doesn’t really matter--and provides a debut that’s all her own.

If Humanz was a reaction about a world that seemed to be heading to hell, then The Now Now is a more spaced-out affair, stripped of its star-studded collaborations and bathed in the apparent apathy of the modern age.

Deafheaven finally look comfortable in their many different skins, their opposing worlds gliding together seamlessly, able to change between brutally heavy and light as air in seconds.

It’s a breathless record, one that threatens to last an eternity--such is the speed and dazzling depth at which James expresses himself.

Frequently unintelligible, and downright bizarre lyrics only serve to add to the personality of his genre-bending music. Ultimately, Cows On Hourglass Pond is a new kind of psych-folk that Avey Tare can proudly call his own.

This follow-up work of pent-up aggression; of complete contrast to snappy pop-punk; has every chance of becoming the band's seminal work.

Inventive, rough-edged, and darkly witty at times, Ratboys’ second record isn’t just a well-crafted listen; it’s thoughtful, tender, and incisive at every turn.

A well-rounded collection of songs, ‘Girlfriend Material’ shows Lauren as an artist coming into her own, and her enjoyment shines through in her music.

Because despite the weight that this album carries, the overall feel is of a celebration of life itself.

It’s an intense, dizzy trip that takes quite some digesting, but with brilliant results.

‘Stay In Touch’ is a hip-shaking highlight, and the one true surprise here, but largely Marauder simply sees Interpol proving their worth once again, and their prowess for creating bleak, blackened indie rock that’s full of feeling.

The separate successes of ‘Turn Into’ and ‘Everybody Works’ cement that Jay Som is absolutely a name to know, and this LP in particular proves that in addition to consistent, honest, attention-worthy output she’s also willing to poke around the margins of her comfort zone.

New Moon is a rare and very special album.

The band’s new, self-titled album sees them ageing gracefully, but not without tweaks, even if reinvention is too strong a word.

It’s unlikely they’ll stay still for any prolonged period of time, but for now Nai are tighter knit than ever before.

All in all, Summer Camp have offered up a wholly enjoyable second effort, possessing of a homespun charm that bears more similarities to those early Myspace demos than predecessor 'Welcome To Condale'.

Its steady pace and relatively tame nature (by his standards) means it might not be his most immediately striking release, but it’s still testament to his talent as an astute alt-pop songwriter.

It’s nothing short of pure, menacing excitement.

At the heart of Quiet Signs remains Jessica Pratt’s acquired taste of a voice and her penchant for dainty instrumental work, but the record’s palpable atmospherics might be enough to win over previous detractors.

Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper is dense, slippery, wily, and flung together effortlessly like a meticulously rehearsed sleight of hand. Boy, is it worth the legwork.

Will and Alison will probably shift gears again on their next album, but Silver Eye is likely to become a standout record in their ever-morphing canon.

Wonderfully courageous, Gibson's reflections make her latest record her most accomplished work yet.

‘Club Shy’ is staple Shygirl, re-packaged, pre-remixed, pre-prepared for the club: a dose of thumping post-midnight trance, a playful extension of self with all the irreverence, at her creative high.

There’s a track or two that don’t add much to the album’s direction, ‘Maggot’ being one of them. But on the whole, this feels like Amyl and the Sniffers finding their purpose. It’s something to behold.

With the lyrical focus on family life, this record is their most personal, powerful and cathartic yet.

From what they’ve cooked up here, it’s hard to imagine hearing a record this immersive and mesmerising from anyone else.

It’s this confidence that really shines throughout the album. Ware’s vocals are at the forefront, no longer hidden amongst a cloud of heavy electronics.

Sonically, it does what it sets out to do, delivering on the playful, biting riffs, singalong moments and charming, scrappy harmonies that accompany one big swell of emotion after the next.

Despite – and seemingly deliberately - not carrying the widespread immediacy of more recent releases, it presents James as he currently stands; at once nostalgic and forward-thinking, and firmly back behind the decks.

In Woman, they’ve bypassed the hurdle of dangerous, immaterial preconceptions by creating the ultimate debut album: a future classic brimming with effortless, tangible love songs.

It’s a testament to his talents that he can produce an album that encapsulates his weird and beautiful world, which is full of more questions than answers.

For an artist usually so meticulous with her vision, that these are able to sound so airy, almost frivolous - and, indeed, they were recorded back in 2020 as more of a exercise than intended for release - makes this curio of an EP all the more engaging.

Decidedly mature yet still with that same self-aware playfulness, this is undoubtedly his most eclectic offering to date.

‘Cool’’s sharp pop unfolds with a satisfying lightness of touch.

There is not an ounce of fat on this record, nor one wasted note.

Silver/Lead is an accomplished record from a band who continue to challenge their audience.

Brave in its deeply honest expression, it’s a beautiful record that tactfully captures the often confusing and contradicting feelings when truly in love.

There’s something in the way Sylvan Esso craft their music, weaving folksy melodies and acoustic instruments with synths and 808s, that feels like exactly what pop music should be: punchy and pure.

It touches the heart and head with its examinations of love, lust and desire, and while it’s sometimes still a challenging listen, it’s easy to indulge in.

They still sound like they’re on a process of self-discovery, just a couple of steps away from striking gold.

In boldly delving into their pop sensibilities, the group have created an album that encompasses their intriguing convictions for different genres and refined it into a record of high quality.

Their particular brand of punk never pauses for breath: it’s thirteen unabating tracks, fired up on adrenaline and the thrill of just not giving a shit.

Jack Antonoff’s fingerprints are easy to spot. The producer layers Taylor’s intimate stories with electronic drums that push certain moments to understated crescendos.

Despite its heavier moments, ‘Which Way to Happy’ is a genuinely healing listen; an album to get cosy with while its music lovingly soaks your wounds.

Hundred Waters lay out all their cards on this album and use every single tiny part for all its worth.

TOPS are a rare band that have an covalent bonding chemistry with one another, and the results are a bright, sparkling album that continues their legacy as some of the best revivalists around.

Unexplored avenues, Nutriblended genre combinations, and left-field pop gold have always been Santigold’s bag, and though the price tag here may be 99¢, she’s never sounded freer.

[Barnes has created] the best experimental discordant noise pop he's worked on since 'Hissing Fauna'.

Always vivid and often affecting, the record deals with love and loss in a way that constantly resonates.

With one foot in the classic NYC underground scenes that paved the way, ‘Underneath’ is pure bass-led, disco ball-flecked Studio 54, while the dance-punk footprints of ESG are all over ‘Cities’’ irrepressible hook and ‘Compromised’ tips a hat to godmother Debbie Harry. ‘Gentle Grip’ sounds timeless.

Fresh Blood is the kind of album that harks back to music’s glorious history but does so in a way that remains fresh and compelling. It’s an album of revelatory qualities.

Howlin' works impeccably as a whole. Equally uplifting and calming, it's the dancefloor via the beach.

This album is, in reality, the sound of perfectionists giving into instinct. And once they shun exactitude and all its side effects, they emerge with a dazzling debut.

It may not have the depth of some of their counterparts, but it easily makes up for it with refreshing, confident fun.

While ‘Big Fish Theory’ saw the rapper centre stage, relentless and omnipresent, on ‘FM!’ he lets us tune in to a calmer world, one which he dips in and out of when he pleases, filling in the blanks and staying in the fast lane.

Jungle’s latest is more breezy bops than all-out sum­mer smashes, but nev­er­the­less extremely rich and warm in sound.

Tip of the Sphere is Cass McCombs’ most elegiac and profoundly literary album, a eulogy for the end of times and a mass articulation of the absurd world of modernity.

This is a record dedicated to every band who’ve had to scrape together every last penny just to stay alive, and the result is an album that yearns to be heard.

Himalyan is loud, raucous, massive amounts of fun and it has style, swagger and teeth.

On Bad Witch, Trent Reznor has curated a feeling, an atmosphere, an idea.

Endlessly creative and euphoric, the MacGyvers of music have created a record that’s not only politically charged, but brimming with the joys of life and creativity.

An intriguing new chapter from Emmy The Great that carves out a world you can dive into.

Performance doesn’t necessarily take White Denim in a drastically different direction, but it captures so many of the different sides of the band’s multi-faceted sound that it feels expansive and wholesome.

Indiana successfully abuses the boundaries of genre to create a melancholic tome of songs that dares to be inventive from its first steps to its dying moments.

The most obvious uniting factor between this record and their previous ones, in fact, is their ability to write a whole host of bulletproof choruses, and it’s tricky to imagine coming unstuck from this album any time soon.

There’s so much to take in, it’s almost hard to know if it’s even any good. Between these sensory overloads, however, we get the funky bop of ‘All Wordz Are Made Up’ and the acoustic lullaby of ‘Think Before You Drink’.

A deeply thoughtful and yet infinitely danceable collection of songs, it balances honest truths with taunting vocals and bursts of synth-prompted energy.

Even with the twisting and turning of different styles Gallows remain ferocious until the last drop.

The soundscapes on ‘The Loneliest Time’ may not be as grandiose, or as sugar-coated as we’re used to from her, but that doesn’t mean the feelings aren’t still a lot. ‘The Loneliest Time’ is definitely Carly’s most introspective album.

Despite its curiously downbeat nature, it’s thoughtful and packed with intricacies waiting to be revealed. You’ll never want to leave once it sucks you into its gravitational orbit.

They stick to their guns, and they end up emphasising their rough-around-the-edges strengths.

Methyl Ethel have reached great new heights with this stellar effort.

While their move away from the genre isn’t quite absolute, this album proves that they possess enough confidence and ability to do just about whatever they want.

The startling openness with which Kate writes is nothing but warming.

While ‘Take The Sadness…’ may not be a bolshy, career-defining move, it is a shimmering, reflective gem, hoping to offer a little relief from the darkness.

It’s been four years since the band’s previous album ‘Rispah’. That period of self-reflection and resulting new energy is presented beautifully here, and despite the mantra of patience, is delivered with a sense of immediacy.

Whatever the lyrical content, musically every move feels like an affirming one. You’re never more than a short skip from something gigantic.

[Walk the River]is not for the faint-hearted but it's certainly for the soft-hearted - three albums along, they still feed our hunger for the big, the wild and the honest.

It’s a strange mixture of comfort and malaise, but it’s probably the most honest document of the past eighteen months, too.

A tense and absorbing record that creates its own world for you to live in.

Whatever the hell Bo Ningen are doing, and somehow it feels almost so natural it’s instinctive or involuntary to them, they’re doing it very, very, well.

At its best, ‘CRAWLER’ is fresh, bold and inventive in a way we’ve never seen IDLES attempt to be before.

Infinite Summer is the classic case of an album that’s so fully-melded, so self-composed in its identity, that you get the nagging sense of déjà vu, that you’ve been here before, and yet it’s something brand new.

It’s short and easily missed, but catch it and you’ll be able to feel the excitement, freedom, and, perhaps, relief of a band rejuvenated.

Comedown Machine has done the best thing The Strokes could have done.

Born Under Saturn is a record so vivid it threatens to become visual.

The sound of two artists pushing each other forward makes for a fascinating listen. This isn’t just the sound of two polar opposites coming together and hoping something sticks. This is a group that have earned their right to be heard. They should be taken seriously.

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.

Rooted in its own creation, Night Thoughts is expansive and enchanting.

Sunshine Rock does exactly what it says on the tin. A rock album that sparkles; a taut collection of Bob Mould cuts that fits timelessly into his ever-expanding legacy.